What I've Sown.

I'd go and have a look at my sown seeds every 5 minutes, if you let me. Last week, on Wednesday the 9th, I did the tomatoes and peppers. I saved the heated propagator for them and they love it.
I thought with the climate in general and sometimes miserable summers we get that small fruited varieties would do better as they don't need so long to 'grow up and mature' or ripen.
Tomatoes
Red Robin A miniature bush variety only 30 cm high. Ideal for pots and hanging baskets.
Black Cherry Produces large number of dark skinned fruit. Very good flavour.
Mirabelle Blanche Long trusses of small  pale yellow fruit, with a very sweet taste.
Orange Bourgoin Small plum sized fruit. Delicious, sweet and juicy, bright orange.

The tomatoes had already germinated by Sunday morning.

Today, they already look strong and fresh. 

The peppers are just about to pop.

Peppers and chillies

Lunchbox Orange Beautiful, mini-sized, colourful snack peppers. Sweet and flavourfull. Tall strong plants yield well.

Lipstick These 10 cm long (yes, they are bigger, but couldn't help myself), heart-shaped peppers are delicious in salads and great for roasting.

Hungarian Wax Starts sweet, getting hotter and redder as it matures. Small plants, ideal for cloches.

Early Jalapeno A very hot, small, blunt fruited chilli, indispensable in Mexican cooking.

Below I have the squashes, pumpkins and courgettes. Also some broad beans. Nothing happening there yet. Once there is movement, I'll post my detailed list. 

 On to the next lot...

PS
And then I wanted to show you what I dug out of the raised beds last week. I had thought everything would have rotted away during the winter, but no, a nice little harvest.

Slugs have nibbled here and there, but the majority was in good nick.

Patricia xxx...x

Seeds, Glorious Seeds

They finally arrived last week. But not before writing an email of complaint on why they were taking so long.  I ordered, like I've done many times, from The Organic Gardening Catalogue, early in February. After a while I was getting a little concerned that my order hadn't arrived. So I went to check the progress of my order on the website, only to notice that nothing had happened from the date of ordering onward. It said : processing. I left it at that and went to check again a few days later and they were still processing.
They replied to my email to apologise and my order would be out withing the week. True. My seeds arrived three days later.
Today, my mum and I will get ourselves organised and get started with sowing indoors. The tomatoes, chillies, peppers and the like should have been in already.

Don't you just love all sachets of seeds ? I know I do and I'm almost afraid to break the seal and wreck 'the look' of them.

Patricia xxx...x

Look Who Has Arrived !

La Mamma Irma ! She arrived from Belgium on Wednesday afternoon and got stuck in straight away, tidying up the houseplants.

I've been absent from blogger world for a couple of weeks and for this I apologise. After the bedroom makeover I needed to recharge my batteries. Not to mention clearing and cleaning all the mess that gathered in the rest of the house.

The bedroom is a pleasure to go to at night and waking up feels just as good.

I hope you've all been well. Thank you for all the lovely comments in previous posts. Very much appreciated.

Till tomorrow.

Patricia xxx...x

Bedroom Makeover - The Finishing Line

I know where we'll be sleeping tonight.

 It still needs finishing touches and dressing up. Blinds need to be made (by moi), but I'm pleased with the result.

 Odds and ends that need a place still, but we're getting there.

The bathroom is only so so at the moment and I'll post a better photo when I'm happy with the result. The ladder in the shower - it was dirty - needs to move over as I am now discarding my paint clothes and letting the warm water drain all my aches and pains away.


Patricia xxx...x

Full Moon

We could all do with a break from the friggin' bedroom makeover, don't ya think.

Paintricia xxx...x

Bedroom Makeover - Part 5 and a Half - Hanging the Wallpaper Poster

We didn't kill each other. 

I finally had to open the cardboard tube wherein  the poster was delivered. It came in two pieces. The total size of the image being 239 cm x 160 cm.

The poster is vinyl and is self-adhesive. It scared us somewhat to get started, but checking out a youtube video and following the installation tips from the company we bought it from , we got going.

We drew a vertical line slap bang in the center of the wall. We used a spirit level and all.

Did we manage to follow that line ? Did we heck ?

Did we start from left to right, like it says in the installation tips? Did we heck?
The first panel went up without too much trouble. We then opted to take a short coffee break before we got on with the second panel. We need regular breaks - we are getting on a bit - and that is why this makeover seems to take forever. Ha ha.

The second piece didn't go as smoothly and we had to peel back several times which made the vinyl stretch somewhat.

We have some imperfections, but they are hard to spot.
Below the poster we will install wood paneling, painted white.
Even with enlarging my photo to this size, it is amazingly clear and I also like the fact that the surface isn't glossy.

You've got to admit it beats looking onto an unfinished wall for almost 3 years.

We're nearing the end and we should be back in our room by the end of the coming week. Just as well, because Irma wants her room back very soon, when she visits from Belgium !

Thanks for popping by !
Patricia xxx...x

Bedroom Makeover - Part 5 (?)

Part 5 and we're still going. If I thought we'd be finishing this 'small' job in two days, then I was wrong!
I've had help from our friend Michael, who helped Bert with moving furniture, who ripped out the carpet, steamed off wallpaper, filled holes and cracks in the walls.
And we both did a fair share of painting.

 Michael giving the bathroom walls and ceiling the first lick of paint

 Colour on some of the walls

 And the vinyl went down yesterday morning. I did a happy dance.

From the bathroom towards dressing (right) and bedroom (left) 

Towards bathroom from dressing area. 

The wall that will be the backdrop for the bed.  And it could do with a straighter edge at the top.

The dividing wall that will have the wallpaper poster. Bert and I will tackle that over the weekend.

Fingers crossed we don't kill each other.

The doors will need another coating of satinwood white paint, also the skirting board in the bathroom.

Then we can start bringing stuff back into the room. Fixing the clothing rails to the walls and placing shelves.

Oh ! And I need to make roman blinds for the windows.

Thank you for your comments on previous posts. I didn't have the time to reply, but I did read  and enjoyed receiving them.

Alla prossima.

Patricia xxx...x

Bedroom Makeover - Part 4 - Some Progress

There  isn't much to report really. We've been steadily working through the painting in the bedroom. Only white so far.

In the bathroom nothing has been painted yet. But as you can see the bathtub has been removed.

Bert re-grouted the tiles, so that we have a smooth finish to lay the vinyl on top. There is a gap that needs to be filled with a piece of tile still.

 Bright, is it not ?  Photos taken just after finishing the second coat of paint.

Hopefully, I don't have to give it a third one today, coz the shoulder and knee are playing up.

Changing the subject.

Antique or vintage wardrobes are really not suited to hang all the clothing of a contemporary couple.

It would be half funny if I hadn't just sorted, washed and ironed, etc. etc all the blummin stuff.

Just goes to show that I'd better leave everything in the laundry baskets, taking things out whenever I need something. 

I probably won't be back till after the flooring has been laid, which is Thursday, we hope.

Till then !

Patricia xxx...x

Bedroom Makeover - Part 3

Wallpaper gone and carpet removed. Yeah ! 

Talking with my friend, Sophie yesterday, about a new use for the carpet she came up with a great idea and she deserves to have a good chunk of it. I was going to reuse it in the garden to suppress weeds in the raised veggie beds (when there is nothing of value in there) and on top of the compost.

But Sophie said smaller pieces (like a square foot, or more) would be ideal to suppress weeds around trees, fruit trees more specifically. There ! Sorted !

Never mind the linen cabinet. It will go temporarily on the landing upstairs, but not before the bath tub has been removed, which will happen today.

The wall which was adorned with the wallpaper will need a slight sanding too.

We can probably start with a first coat of paint later in the day.  I chose a Brilliant White (matt) for ceiling and most walls.  You can't see it properly in the photos, but the white that was there had a very beige look to it.

Some walls, like behind the bed and in the bathroom will get this colour . 

That's all for now. 

Hasta luego,

Patricia xxx...x

Bedroom Makeover - Part 2 Point 75 - One Last Look...

...at the room as it was. 

The bed has been dismantled, ready for taking it downstairs today. 

We'll be getting some assistance from a friend to move a few furniture pieces still.

Say goodbye to the ghastly wallpaper...

...and the carpet, which I've given one last Dyson treatment.

Looks good as new.

Maybe not ! 

Can you see the socket  in the sloping ceiling ? That is where the original good-for-nothing-except-for-hanging-a-TV-off wall was.

Take one last look at the wallpaper.

This has been a thorn in my eye since day one.

Made the bathroom sparkle, before the bath goes. Can't let the plumber take the bath out of a dirty bathroom, can I ?

Thursday week,  is when this will be covered up with vinyl flooring, and it isn't a day too soon.

What I'll be doing today :

• give orders to Bert & friend to remove last of the furniture from room
• give orders to Bert to phone plumber to get the tub out
• rip up the carpet with said friend
• scrape wallpaper off
• fill holes and cracks in plaster
• poke Bert to phone the plumber again

That's all folks. 

Patricia xxx...x