clairesgarden

personal safety

2012-01-20T10:44:00.003Z

don't quite know what my life is coming to.... as I now feel I need to carry a personal alarm just to get in and out of the house....

harbingers of doom

2012-01-18T14:22:00.005Z

last photo of 2011, broken glass and bottles strewn on my path, there was rubbish too. as the downstairs folks left the house they maybe didn't think they could just have put this in the bin at their door......

first photo of 2012, as the downstairs did not open the door their visitors threw their spade over the fence into my garden.

so I got new neighbors a few weeks ago. I am not happy.

I don't know why some people have to thrive on drama and noise and fighting, they don't work so aren't tired at the end of the day... usually gearing up at 8pm to continue shouting and swearing and slamming doors and windows till all hours.

I am exhausted and don't feel safe in my own house, I have arranged to have my hedges all cut down to 4ft high so there is no privacy on my path.

ponies in the snow

2011-12-10T11:12:00.002Z

girls at the gate. Abbey, Shuna and Fizz

Abbey and Fizz, I always think that two horse heads make a heart...

barefoot pony print.

its beautiful

2011-12-07T14:48:00.005Z

but very cold, I feel like hibernating...

in the mornings

2011-11-20T20:37:00.003Z

walking to the field

eating.... its a hard life....

early mornings...

2011-11-06T21:16:00.003Z

I am not overly fond of early mornings, however the new stables Abbey is now living at it seems early mornings all go... they seem to have done a days work by the time I turned her out at 8.30am. I took my camera with me as yesterday presented some fabulous photo opportunitys when I did not have the camera, I will wait a million years for them to be repeated..blah blah humbug. here she is today grazing with Pie and Trinket.

Pippa providing a lovely photo opportunity...

the pheasant must be a regular visior as Abbey did not spook at him

fluffed up in the chilly morning.

spiders working hard as usual

wow.

my lap top no longer prints the letter "b". I have to copy and paste or think of another way of saying it. electronics.......

light

2011-10-30T11:33:00.003Z

the clocks went back last night, so much less light in the winter, sometimes I go from dark to dark without seeing any... this is a lovely bar of soap I was given, love the way the light is shining through it... its aloe-vera soap. kind of like saddle soap with added greeness.

the clouds do this quite often, they seem to roll over the top of the hill. took this earlyish one morning on the way to see Abbey.

Abbey has moved house again, loved the place we were at all summer but the field was so big and we didn't have a stable that it became a real prolem having her overweight, its not good for horses to be fat as it can cause all sorts of prolems with joints and hooves. she looks quite unimpressed with the riding area we now have, its big enough to lots of things in, and there is also a covered area. its a busy place with lots of horses and people about. lots to get used to.

she gets tucked up in a little stable at night, not much space about for storing things... or.... I have too much stuff.....

shiny new boots

2011-09-28T13:19:00.002+01:00

Abbey's got new reflective boots for going out in the evenings now the light is not great after work, she doesn't look too impressed.... as for the wet and needing webbed hooves just look at the puddles in the riding area...
nice and warm today but its a strange stormy feeling heat. just paid somebody to cut my grass and have started to clear the veggie beds out. got some final courgettes of the plants so I have chopped and frozen them to make pasta sauce probably at a later date. the peas are quite finished now, Alderman peas for next year definately very very nice to snack on.

rain and rot

2011-09-21T10:39:00.004+01:00

the greenhouse is cleared out, the remaining tomatoes to ripen in an egg box in a drawer. I have no idea why that works but it does. the veggies still out are rotting where they stand, in the neglected overgrown garden... it looks derelict...
and the rain goes on and on....
whenever I have time its too wet to get anything done, I keep having to pay for somebody to cut the grass as it ends up too long and wet for me to do it. and at the moment I have no money to pay anybody and it started to look overgrown two weeks ago... I have a long weekend off in about three weeks so I would hope to get it cleared then. I think I'll rip everything out and cover the veggy beds in black weed control fabric which will keep it looking neater. I am not convinced its particularly good for the soil wildlife/bacteria though.
the flower beds need some clearing too, as the lovely things which look after themselves and spread are now all growing on top of each other. I'll try to pot up stuff I take out so I can give them away to grow elsewhere.
I did manage to get my hedge cut so it looks nice and tidy, last year my best birthday present was a battery powered hedge trimmer, it makes doing the hedge very quick and easy... I've almost got the hang of getting it to look straight.
so if there is a dry spell today I intend to rush out and play with my pony... poor negelcted garden doesn't get a look in!!

from far away....

2011-09-03T12:18:00.002+01:00

having walked over the hill to bring Abbey in , then everybody else decides to come too... its a herd thing...

far away horses....

2011-08-21T18:35:00.004+01:00

horses on the horizon, at least you can see them. sometimes they are away over the hill and you have to trek out to see where they are.

and then when you get closer....

Abbey moves off....

to hide behind a tree...

checks to see nobody is coming up behind her...

and goes to sleep behind the tree..... bless....

rain rain go away...

2011-08-13T09:37:00.001+01:00

I love the uspside down reflections in the drops.

the mystery plant turns into a Knifophia, its a tight clump which probably needs to be separated out a bit more as there was only this one flower. this was a rescue from the Accidental Smallholder as they put a new vegetable plot into their new garden. my other rescue was a Jacobs Ladder in white, now I'll need to get a blue one too....

this is a cultivated vegetable bed, honest... looks a bit like a jungle!! this is peas and beans, but there is only one bean stalk...in the foreground, I planted them twice and didn't get any growth from them at all. this photograph looks a funny shade/tone, it seems greener in real life, but its earlyish and very gloomy cloud. also I think my camera is possibly on its way out.... the disadvantage of electronic stuff I suppose. or maybe its my computer screen? also possibly on its way out... it took about half an hour to get into my emails this morning.

top right is snap pea Sugar Ann which I've been eating for a couple of weeks. not quite ready for eating are left-Alderman is which is the very tall pea, it was trying to grow along the washing line but got blown off and beaten down in our lovely summer weather.... and right-Waverex. they'll be ready soon.

The Healing Touch book: Giveaways

2011-08-13T09:22:00.000+01:00

Avril Wilson, who took my avatar photograph of me and Abbey, is the author of the The Healing Touch and is giving away a few signed copies on this site ... http://www.goodreads.com/

Kevin says

2011-07-31T18:10:00.000+01:00

oh, hai!!

walking the plank

2011-07-20T10:40:00.003+01:00

ta da! all four feet on the plank, brave pony.

take shelter

2011-07-15T18:44:00.002+01:00

nice 'new to me' chairs for the garden, Daisy likes them! I have placed them where the sunshine would be at the time I get home from work... if the sun would come out and stay out!! I've sat in them once since they arrived. My dad took off all the old paint and resprayed them and soaked the wood in oil, think they look pretty good!

perfect!!

2011-07-09T15:32:00.004+01:00

I asked a friend if he could make me a saddle rack and storage unit, this is what he came up with... isn't it fabulous!!

and an extra comment re: vets and farriers....... "People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost." - Dalai Lama.

deep breath and repeat often...........

barefoot pony feet

2011-07-07T21:18:00.003+01:00

a couple of people I know, their pony's have shown some lameness recently, immediately their vets advise to shoe them. constrict their feet into uncomfortable metal shoes that restrict movement and circulation....why is that the first thing they say?
I am so annoyed.

http://www.barefoottrim.com/
http://sarahbellbarefoottrimming.com/buy/buy-the-book/
http://www.thenaturalhoof.co.uk/9.html
http://www.thehorseshoof.com/

feet...

2011-07-06T12:43:00.003+01:00

if you wear sandals then your pony will jump on your foot...dirty mark shows where...

so the next day it will look like this..... and procede to be colourful for a while!

Abbey's feet are all in good order, but you can't put all four on the plank at once....

The Healing Touch book: Horse and Rider

2011-07-05T16:45:00.000+01:00

The Healing Touch book: Horse and Rider: "Horse and Rider magazine will be featuring The Healing Touch book in their August edition"

hidden treasure

2011-06-11T15:25:00.002+01:00

neglected, unwatered and forgotten in the corner of the greenhouse....and bearing fruit.

I ate them....very nice too!! I have since watered the poor strawberry plant and lifted it off the floor.

and this lovely clematis has flowered in one of the cold frames. it came out of the bargain pile at a local store last year, it looked very nearly dead. I think I might like to plant it beside my front door, there was always meant to be a climbing rose there but it declined to climb or even flower very much.

The Healing Touch book: Horse and Rider

2011-06-09T08:44:00.000+01:00

The Healing Touch book: Horse and Rider: "Horse and Rider magazine will be featuring The Healing Touch book in their August edition"

look out!!

2011-05-28T21:44:00.005+01:00

its the terrifying, horse eating wee donkey....quick...run away!!!!!

I am inclined to disagree with Abbey, I think he is a wee poppet...very nervous and skeptical of people, he has up to now allowed me to stroke his shoulder but only for a minute, then he gently moves off.

weather woes

2011-05-25T18:04:00.003+01:00

its been so windy and wet all week, I've had to get somebody else to cut the grass as it was getting so long, and overgrown, and wet!! I took pity on this lovely peony and brought it inside where at least I can appreciate it, it seems that every time it flowers its an ivitation for the worst ever weather to come and blow all its petals off. My lovely acacia lost all its flowers in one afternoon. I am seriously considering getting black weed cover for the remaining three veggy beds and leaving them covered till next year.

Abbey meets her new friends...

2011-05-11T14:00:00.005+01:00

Abbey was moved to a new yard on Saturday, this is her first meeting up with her new field mates, they are a fairly nice bunch, no nasty kickers or bully's among them. She is being pursued at the end by my friends pony, Roo, she also owns nice old Merlin and he was meant to be coming over to this yard at the same time as Abbey but he has gone down with the dreaded laminitis for the first time in his life aged 24..... bless him, his owner is very upset. I am hoping for a good recovery for him and he can come and join us soon. He is snuggled up safe in Abbey's old stable at least till the end of the month. We don't have a stable here which is a bit of a worry, she will winter out fine I am sure but its more just having somewhere safe to put her if needed.

There is a donkey though.... a terrifying creature!! And we come in through a field with some terrifying highland cows and a terrifying sheep. She'll settle soon hopefully......

sunshine and showers

2011-05-08T15:00:00.005+01:00

the sycamore leaves are bright in the sun and there have been heavy showers of rain today. I wasn't planning much gardening but have been out and planted out most of the onion seedlings from the greenhouse, and sowed Carrot Flakke and Carrot Autumn King 2 straight into the soil. I haven't got any fleece to cover them so must get some as the cats will be in there as soon as they can!

a vision of future salad! onions, tomatoes and lettuce!! the onions and the beetroot need planting out, perhaps I should brave the showers and get this done today. I drew out a rough plan from memory of what was where last year so hopefully this years plan will move things on and not plant in the same place. my garden is actually so small that I wonder if rotation really does any good? sometimes it means things are only three feet away from where they were last year.

I think Daisy is watching a wee bird up in the holly, she sat there for quite a while. Abbey was moved to a new farm yesterday a friend very kindly used her big jeep and horse trailer to move her. All the horses there are nice and there wasn't too much of a to-do when she was introduced. I went over to see her today and she is super-spooky, difficult to get in the gate and not able to stand still to have her feet done. I just put her back out again and hope she will calm down as time goes on.

its a nice day

2011-04-21T08:27:00.000+01:00

another great pic from LOL CATS

summer days?? in April??

2011-04-17T20:03:00.003+01:00

Lovely weather! I have been eating baby salad leaves, sowed another tray today in the last of my seed compost so I must get some more. my own compost is too full of beasties for seedlings... I also sowed some courgettes. there is only one veggy bed still to dig over, and the grass got cut again this weekend, still need to find some enthusiam for weeding....

Abbey is shedding her winter coat at a furious rate, still a lot to come out.

spring

2011-04-07T20:50:00.003+01:00

how nice it is to see emeging buds, leaves, flowers, a bitof warmth in the sun, some heavy rain making it gloomy but no snow and no frost.

here are the beetroot in their module tray, and three trays of onions, all old seeds so sprinkled liberally, some very well germinating and some not. a tray of White Lisbon onions did not germinate at all so I have sat it outside, it might or might or might nor germinate in time. in the house the tomatos, peppers and aubergines have all germinated, hopefully get them to maturity sucessfully.

and a couple trays for salad leaves, they've germinated very well. I've had some already in a cheese sandwich, I've no patience!!

one little daffodill

2011-03-19T18:29:00.002Z

one little daffodill out today, this is about 6" high. I love daffodills so hopefully all its relatives will be flowering soon.

and in the background a Chinodoxa Forbessi, glory of the snow. very pretty and lots to flower in this clump too.

more seeds into trays today...in the house I've done the following tomatoes..Rutgers, Royal Chico, Yellow Brandywine, Black Brandywine, Oregon Cherry and Gardeners Delight. also in the house are Aubergine Tres Hative de Barbentane and Sweet Nardello Pepper.

into the greenhouse a tray each of Delphinium Galahad and Agastache Blue Spike, I think they might look very nice planted with each other. if they get that far, I often plant seed trays of flowers which get neglected in favour of the veggies needing done.......

finally got started

2011-03-17T08:51:00.006Z

Started on the 15th with planting one seed tray each of Onion Red Baron, Onion Dorata di Parma, Shallot Ambition and Spring Onion White Lisbon. Then on the 16th I did a tray each of mix salad leaves, Beetroot Detroit 2 and a bucket for early carrots in the greenhouse. I note from my blog this time last years seeds were started on the 4th of March.

I have not tried starting beetroot in trays before and saw this on Gardeners World with Monty Don.

These are all 'old seeds', some from last year and some older. I am trying to work on the principle spending as little money as possible and of using up all these seed I keep collecting. The germination rates do go down with age but some seeds are viable for many years. I have used up the packets and have planted far too many for my wee garden(who could eat four trays worth of onions?), if they all germinate anyway, hopefuly there will be some to give away and that someone will have good use for them.

I cannot find my gardening notebook or last years plan of what went where. Hopefully they're in a safe place which I will discover sometime soon.

my poor garden

2011-02-27T14:56:00.005Z

I spent a lot of time at the weekend just trying to weed and clear up in the border. For most of last year the garden was not tended to and there was only a small amount of weeding done, well I found where the line was drawn....the bit that was weeded last year has been weeded and cleared without too much major drama........and then there is a clear cut line that is populated with couch grass, buttercups, flowers that like to take over, tree seedlings....and on and on.

oh my goodness. Its almost so bad that I am considering digging up what I know to be plants and putting them in pots and then having to clear and re-start the flower bed again.

too wet outside...

2011-02-23T11:45:00.006Z

Smokey Tiptoes says no to going outside...too wet!!

this little pot of Scilia Siberica has bloomed year after year on the doorstep. they are still in a plastic pot...think its time to upgrade them to something nicer.

turning up the snowdrops revealing how pretty they are...note the raindrops, I had to run back inside as the rain came on so heavily.

the last standing vegetable!! the leeks survived! I had left some purple brocolli as I have done this before and had a nice wee crop in the early spring, however this winter the very cold temperatures turned the plants to mush...

one veggy plot is tidied, the rest are waiting on some drier days. I must get out into the greenhouse and plant some onion and leek seeds. these will be 'leftovers' that are not yet out of date. perhaps germination is not as good with older seeds but its worth using them up.

I am an Urban Homesteader

2011-02-18T11:40:00.008Z

my little homestead veggy plot

I am an Urban Homesteader. I grow vegetables organically, I have reduced my living style, I recycle all the waste I am able to. Unfortunatly I cannot do without a car so I cannot claim to be saving the planet as much as I would like to.

apparently this phrase 'urban homesteader' has been trademarked by a homegrowing veggy 'business' run by the Dervaes family.

I would have to ask them 'really? why?' and ask why they are having blogs using this term closed down?

the world needs everybody to grow their own food, even a little helps. Even the knowlege of how to grow vegetables is an essential thing to have.

This blogger puts it across very well, so I link to her..
http://livingthefrugallife.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-am-urban-homesteader.html

all is well, phew!

2011-02-14T11:16:00.003Z

I have a very sweet tooth. I have been a vegetarian a long time and I've been increasingly worried about the contents of the average, easily available sweetie.

I had a 'list' of things I thought it was okay to eat, and I read labels. I don't know if the recipies have changed or is there a new 'legal directive' on what they have to declare?

A lot of sweeties now seem to have 'Beef Gelatine' or 'Bovine Gelatine' in them.

I did a bit of label reading today and found these lovely sweeties from Sainsbury's, American Hard Gums.

I can eat them. I am building myself a revised list.....

started spring cleanup

2011-02-08T13:15:00.003Z

the snow drops are just begining to show themselves. I have some time off work so hope to get the garden tidied and readly to 'go'. also time to put pencil to paper and get the veg beds planned.
last year lacked colour in the flower beds, a combination of bad weather and being busy so I would like to deal with that a bit better this year.

blown out?

2011-02-01T21:28:00.002Z

I returned home from work today to find four plastic panels out of my greenhouse, and one of the roof spars hanging. is this wind? vandals? an earthquake? I can't work out how its happened.
a panel from the door and two panels from the side were inside the greenhouse, a panel from the roof was against the hedge and one panel very squint as one of the supporting roof spars had come away from its bolt...
some clips inside, and some out, some missing.......
well, not very nice weather to be bolting and clipping and standing on buckets to reach. but its done. hope it stays secure!!
just need somebody tall to do the final clips on the outside of the roof

charity does not cost you money

2011-01-24T22:04:00.002Z

I recieved this today from my friend Bonnie in New York...perhaps we could give a bit of help it does not cost anything for you to vote. perhaps we could all help out with this?

"Claire, can I ask you for a favor?

I have a friend who lost his wife to a riding accident last year. I think it would've been understandable if he'd never wanted to see another horse again, but on the contrary, he's had the far more beautiful response of committing himself, in her memory, to the care and well being of her sweet Haeflinger (did I spell that right?), Charm, and right now, to trying to win a grant for a handicapped riding program that she was involved in.
That's where I'm hoping you can help! The grants are awarded based on votes, with the top 10 programs being awarded money. The riding program keeps being stuck at 11!
Unfortunately there is a registration involved (usually I won't vote if I have to give info but I made an exception for this one) - but I was wondering if you would mind voting, and even better if you had a circle of horsy friends to whom you could pass the word? Thanks for whatever you can do. I would LOVE to see these guys make the jump to #10! http://www.refresheverything.com/lirhalongislandridingforthehandicappedassociation "

as my thoughts turn to seeds..

2011-01-07T11:39:00.002Z

lovely..throught the post comes the Organic Gardening catalogue, prompting dreams of spring and planting seeds. I am positive last year that I took good stock of what I had, what I needed and what I wanted......hmmm....
so there is the catalogue, at the back of a rather overful box, used and unused seeds......
so before any ordening is done this must be sorted!

I am trying to 'de-clutter' the house in general, there is 'too much stuff'. there are several blogs out on ideas for minimising, de-cluttering, donating, giving away, throwing out....such as 365 days and miss minimalist

I have managed to fill three bags to take to the second hand store, but due to my second hand car still being out of action they are still cluttering up my bedroom.....I really find it hard not having a car, can't get to the pony(annoying everybody for lifts), can't get to work(either early or late but never on time---and having several five mile walks due to consitent breakdown of buses), can't get for a big shop(too heavy to carry home).

Parelli Principle number 3

2011-01-03T22:15:00.001Z

my world has had a few prickles in it recently.

I just read this intersting post on Parelli Central by Neil Pye, its about electronic communication and how easily misunderstandings can happen by the pressing of a send button. the readers comments are worth reading as well.

Parelli Principle #3 – Communication is two or more individuals sharing and understanding an idea…well that’s the theory anyway!

Ellie Smith writes....

2010-12-22T11:38:00.004Z

my old greenhouse is frozen closed!

here we have a guest post from Ellie Smith.....

"Remember a greenhouse/ glasshouse is not just a storage place,
With a long stretch of a mighty cold winter this year, gardening has not been at the front of everyone’s mind. As winter begins to bite in December, the darkest month – plant growth slows accordingly and a little patience is called for until the days slowly begin to lengthen again. However this does not mean we cannot look forward to preparing for greenhouse growing in the spring. It may seem far too early but spring is only three months away and as we know, time sure does fly.
Most greenhouses will be neglected during the frosty- wintery months and can fall into a dangerous trap of being used as storage hubs. Excess clutter and garden furniture is usually thrown into the greenhouse to be kept out of view. The danger of doing so is not being troubled to clear it at a later date.
Try not to fall into this habit- remember it won’t be long until the greenhouse will act as a beautiful feature in the garden and the perfect home for blooming flowers and tasty vegetables. Setting the heaters to a temperature that keeps your greenhouse ticking over and running smoothly makes sure you are ready to go.
Spring arrives in the greenhouse long before it makes its presence felt in the rest of the garden. By March many plants will be busily putting on new growth but, at the same time, these increasing temperatures also bring the transformed threat of pests, as they too begin to warm up again. Warm days and cold nights are typical of spring, which makes keeping the temperature in the greenhouse a challenge. The spring greenhouse is a hive of commotion in more ways than one – and a few regular tasks now should set things up for the rest of the year.
Give your greenhouse a good clean but make sure you just use Soap and water as you do not want to remove the UV stabilising coating. Some cleaning products contain harmful chemicals that can destroy the polycarbonate covering.
Staging should be disinfected along with the pots and seed trays ready for new growth. Once you have done so, you are ready for new growing stages. Automatic vent openers and automatic door openers come in handy.
Pouring freezing water over seedlings can shock them so remember to fill up a watering can and leave it in the greenhouse to warm up. "
Author: Ellie Smith, on behalf of Hartley Botanic.

thankyou for the lovely post Ellie!!

and you can click on the link to look at the fabulous greehouses from Hartley Botanic...put one on your Christmas Wish List!

bleh

2010-12-16T10:19:00.002Z

photo taken last Monday, Scotland ground to a halt and I had to walk five miles home. the weather report for today has not been good, cold and wet rain this morning and snow is meant to come in after it and then freeze......just for the moment the sun is out and its very pretty.
I am very fed up with it now, and continue to have no car as it now needs fixing as the power steering has failed.
many blessings to everybody who keep giving me lifts up to the stables and back.
the greenhouse was frozen shut for over a week, I opened it this morning and the minimum shows -12C and the maximum 11c. brrrrr fed up!!!!

Abbey in the snow

2010-12-05T14:20:00.003Z

trying out the video upload...cool!!

Abbey likes snow

2010-12-04T12:25:00.003Z

Abbey likes the snow, she gets very excited and gallops off when put out in the field.

its much deeper than this now, but she is still careering round in it and has to be persuaded to come in at night time, as long as she is dry she is happy!

good morning

2010-11-30T07:36:00.003Z

MassageTherapySchools.net

an 'award', how nice!!

from wednesday to saturday

2010-11-27T13:50:00.002Z

frosty on Wednesday

snowy on Saturday

repeat...

2010-11-25T22:23:00.000Z

I must remember this, and repeat it as necessary.....

"When we quit learning from each other, we lose the greatest opportunity to grow. Every person's example can teach you something. So make it a habit to see them as agents for acquiring wisdom. "

to go out riding

2010-11-12T20:41:00.002Z

Abbey wears a treeless saddle by Barefoot and a Parelli Hackamore which is just made of rope. and she has no shoes on, I would consider boots if we did a lot of work but as its usually just round fields or in the soft schooling area then they are not needed.

new things

2010-11-06T19:22:00.003Z

new to me car, a nine year old Skoda, runs great! my poor old Fiesta rusted away around its never failing engine......what a shame! I picked the Skoda up yesterday after 2 1/2 weeks without a car and trying to get everywhere by bus. Two jobs and one wee pony and the bus adds hours onto the day. I'm very relieved to have a car and get some energy back.

and I thought if I could get myself a car then Abbey could have a nice new pink headcollar. She does have lots of 'stuff' but most of it has been bought second hand. Her old headcollar hanging on the wall there is second hand and too big for her...it'll go in the wash and be kept for spare. Now.... I think I need to get a nice pink lead-rope to match......

days go by

2010-10-27T17:08:00.005+01:00

my sycamore tree turns colour and decorates the garden with its leaves. some nice cold days however more often is wet and cold and windy. not so nice now that I have no car, it failed its MOT and was scrapped two days later after the 'man who welds things' said NO. its a shame, I liked the wee Fiesta as it always went, never broke down, it was cheap to insure and run too. and I have no money to buy another decent car. I have been traveling by bus, well, there's an experience and about another two hours added onto already long working days.

here's a fairy ring in the garden

nearly the last of the lovely garden veg, this lot got turned into veggy chilli, very nice it was too.

there was one row of cabbages that 'did not do', and I kept looking at them and thinking I should just take them out....welll I am glad I didn't.....they were not cabbages, this is lovely calabrese! I froze them and gave the stalks and leaves to Abbey, she will get the stalks from the sprouts soon, and then the broccoli...it may go on for a while yet. there are still carrots to come out of the ground and apart from the leeks that is probably it for all my harvest this year. its been not bad even with all the neglect.....probably out playing with the pony instead....

of edges

2010-08-25T20:27:00.009+01:00

the vegetable beds have 'edges', wow! haven't seen them for a looooog time!! I gave in and asked a local grass cutter to do the grass and the strimming, over the last couple of weeks there has been so much rain that it has been left to get too long. I have managed to cut most of the hedge by starting a 'little bit at a time' when I had time and it was dry..to look at it in one go is too much, so I did 'up to the post' , then 'up to the tree' , and so on, there is still a couple of sections to do but I feel that they are achievable in the near future.

Tansy right at the edge of the first photo.

Abbey and I have been out riding round the fields, I love the peace and quiet. Not all is peaceful, I have purchased a small MP3 player with its own little speaker so that Abbey and I can have some music to listen to when practicing our flexion and cantering and 'stuff' when we are in the riding arena. I am a bit deaf so cannot stand putting headphones in or over my ears, also stereo becomes very strange when you cannot hear in one ear! As it is a yard where there is a house near, and other people about I think it would be impolite to have a full size stereo blaring while we rode. I always enjoyed the music playing at the two Quantum Savvy riding clinics I went to...one with Abbey and the first one with Katie. Who knows what the horses think? Abbey tried to eat the player when I showed it to her-I didn't want her to get a fright if I turned it on suddenly, ha, a whole new meaning to internal music......
I eventually got this bridle fitted correctly, its made from 'rawhide' and I believe a style in evidence in Argentina or Brazil, very pretty. I haven't ridden in it yet, we're still happy in a headcollar.

I have slight problem at the livery yard, Abbey has escaped through some partially broken fencing and was eating herself silly in the next field, luckily they own that field as I would not like to be getting into the farmers land, that would not be good at all. They have some electric fencing which I have put up and I have purchased some more electric fencing to use temporarily until it is fixed. If only they would maintain their edges!!

show jumping?

2010-08-05T13:06:00.003+01:00

there was a couple of wee jumps set up so I though Abbey and I could try them. this jump is only a foot high....Abbey is going over it like it was three feet! she was a bit taken aback by these white and blue poles, we might try some walking and trotting over them this week to see if she learns they will not bite her, funny how she was showjumper in her previous life but still takes fright at things she must have seen before.

these are the older dulled down poles which did not seem to bother her at all, its probably less than a foot high in the middle and still she makes sure she has plenty of height. she puts a lot of power into her jumps and if I feel like she is throwing me out of the saddle. its been a long time since I did any 'proper jumping'......and it may a long time, if ever, before I do any more!

weeds the world over!

2010-07-29T22:05:00.004+01:00

oregano that self seeds, its very pretty.....in the cold frames amongst other weeds(and I found a few plant pots in there when I had a look, I wondered where they had gone!)

loverly for attracting bees!

beautiful little creatures.

I'm not sure what this is, not a bee anyway.

and here is a lovely calabrese head, just ready for eating. there were four of them so eat two over a couple of days and chopped up the other two ready for use and have frozen them.

salad!

2010-07-21T15:50:00.004+01:00

the last of the carrots from pots in the greehouse, some salad leaves and an 'Sacha's Altai' tomato, just ripe enough for salad. very nice. there was a bigger and redder tomato but it didn't survive long enough to have its picture taken.......

The Guardian commercial - Points Of View

2010-07-17T19:51:00.000+01:00

good point!! I'd like to say it too!!

frog update

2010-07-16T10:03:00.003+01:00

over the last couple of weeks its just looked like it was disintegrating.... this is it tidied up by the hoof trimmer, he has removed some of the overhanging bits and pieces, it still gets cleaned daily. hopefully it will all grow out and look as nice as it did before.

still raining

2010-07-12T21:51:00.005+01:00

its been good this week to eat potatoes, courgettes, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, onions from the garden. I wish I was more organised and had some fruit..the gooseberrys have suffered with the cold, I thought one had died off but its coming up from the roots now, maybe some fruit next year.
its been raincoats on and raincoats off for the showers, change about every five minutes.....I had the strange experience of driving home in the bright sunshine with my windscreen wipers on full for the very heavy rain.....somwhat strange....a bit like riding with your eyes closed just to see what its like......
here's Abbey wearing her new wooly girth cover, nice and white before it gets dirty. it does come in brown which I would have prefered, but it is a luxury item so had to go with the cheapest version...so this is how I ride out, rope headcollar on.
Parelli antagonists need not comment thankyou, your comments will be deleted.

new to me lap top

2010-07-10T09:27:00.002+01:00

all things on hold while I figure it out and transfer stuff. if I forget to visit anybody's blog its because I have lost you in transition....please leave a message in comments and I'll add you to my list of places to visit.

it rains it pours

2010-07-01T09:17:00.006+01:00

and the rain is a good thing! my garden is really dry and the vegetables have been getting watered with the hose a lot. I have not watered the flowering plants or hedge as they have looked okay. Its lovely to have such a long spell of dry summer weather...very unusual for here.
The horses water has been very low in their streams too.
Here's Abbey looking lovely, her bottom lip hangs out when she is relaxed. I have just woken her up here so her lip is reasonably relaxed but not totally. her lip is a good indicator of her mood, I have photographs where its tight closed.....and she is anxious/scared and there are photographs when her bottom lip is way hanging down which means she is totally chilled out and relaxed.

This is the long grass from where the daffodils were growing in the lawn, these patches are left uncut to allow the daffodil leaves to gather energy for the bulbs to flower next year. The other patches have been cut down now but Smokey has been enjoying jumping in and out of the long grass here.....so this bit might just have to be an official wild patch.......

This tree growing package arrived this morning from Ecover, along with some products to sample for review and a reusable shopping bag. The seed information says to soak the seeds and then to put them in the fridge for a month....that must be to immitate a winter coming into spring to get the seeds to grow, what a lovely idea.

These are the products I am going to try. Multisurface Cleaner for house or garden....I have heard its really good for plastic garden furniture...unfortunately I don't have any so it will be put to good use cleaning my front door(pvc-its meant to be white!) and all my pots and trays for the greenhouse. The Power Cleaner sugests its good for bar-b-q's...again I don't have one but it will get good use on my cooker hob and grill.

Heavy Duty Hand Cleaner....well that will obviously come in very useful, as I work as a receptionist and often go to work after seeing Abbey and my hands and nails have that 'ground in dirt' look!!

and Biodegradable Compostable Bin Bags, they are made from potato starch and biopolymers, and say they will start to bio-degrade in a week...interesting.

Updates on these as and when used.

update on moan

2010-06-26T11:45:00.003+01:00

Saturday morning after a good nights sleep, I am going out to be positive. planning a good play with Abbey(horses have the an ability to cheer you up under any circumstances), some gardening and some sitting with cats.
'sitting with cats' is a lovely pastime, I often try to combine it with reading but the cats have developed 'story sitting', which means of course they sit on top of the book so they can have all your attention......

moan

2010-06-24T12:30:00.004+01:00

Another day goes by I still haven't won the lottery.
I sometimes wish I could take myself, my cats, my pony and my garden away from the small minded opinionated crap that keeps walking over the top of me.
Sometimes I really should know better and not even start off with a hello....its usually bound to degenerate into what happened today. It'll happen again too.

food!!

2010-06-17T08:48:00.006+01:00

picture hasn't come out in the centre...wonder why? it'll be one of those 'did what you told it to do not what you want it to do' computer things.......that's also a horsey thing....leads to much confusion....

photograph of my first bucket of potatoes last week, I have scoffed them all and am now onto my second bucket. the second bucket has a few bigger ones in it which shows what an extra week of growing can do. They were planted in buckets in the greenhouse in February - four buckets in all, two left in the greenhouse, two put outside after most of the frosts(they take up a lot of 'air space' with their massive amount of leaves) next to be eaten will be the two put outside. The rest of the potatoes were put into buckets as those two were put outside, so they will be ready to eat later on. I still have a few very, very wrinkley seed potatoes that would probably still grow some crop if I put them in now. Growing potatoes in buckets does not give the biggest crop but it is good for where there is not space enough for a big patch and it makes them very easy to harvest, just tip out another bucket and your done!

I have made the decision to leave Quantum Savvy .....to progress means following the 'programme' to the letter involving riding bareback at the canter.....not brave enough.....putting a bridle and bit on Abbey..... don't want to..... and riding at the gallop......really don't want to!! I will be joining the worldwide Parelli programme, it gives more scope for progressing in the areas you are capable of/comfortable with. For instance I could get up to level three in ground-work while staying at level two for riding. It also makes great ....how to describe it?....."forgivness" of your horses character, Abbey gets very scared sometimes, Parelli encourages relationship with your horse before anything. I hope we can afford it thought as its really a pricey thing to join. My buddy Annie has already defected over and has kindly bought and said she will share with me all the DVD educational stuff. We will have to buy new t-shirts to go with it as well.......

is summer here to stay?

2010-06-03T11:35:00.002+01:00

its so nice to suddenly have everything erupt in the garden, weeds included. its good and warm, a couple of days of rain here and there. hope the warm summer weather is here to stay.

my gardening friend May gave me a bit of root for these orange poppys, she said every garden should have them.

and my blue poppy keeps flowering, I was worried it might not make it through the severe frosts, being one of the few plants I have actually paid money for!

and onions, out in the ground, I have planted out brassicas, and these onions. I have been out sowing carrrots, parsnips, beetroot, beans and peas. the greenhouse has tomato plants growing, still sheltereing some potatoes which I hope to eat soon, still some seedlings to be planted out...courgettes and a pumpkin, and some tall things, the name escapes me....they are very nice steamed and dipped in butter...if they survive they are a biennial so no fruits till next year.

I also forget what its called when you forget certain words for things.....some form of dementia....

a brief anantomy

2010-05-29T10:05:00.004+01:00

The lovely Abbey, she has a four reasonable feet, now barefoot and recovering after many years of shoeing and showjumping, her feet are improving all the time but she is not 100% sound.

this is her front right hoof, called the off fore, after being trimmed just over a month ago, I have been taking occasional photographs to show the improvements.

this is the bottom of the same hoof at the time of trim, this is the hoof that now has the deep cut in it.
photograph of internal hoof borrowed from Natural Horse Trim
you can see in this detailed(and very real!!) anatomy that the frog covers and protects the digital cushion which protects the insides of a very complicated process. its designed by nature to be perfect just as it is. no shoes thankyou. Abbey has a very deep cut, if it gets infection in the frog that is not good. if it is deep enough to get infection in the digital cusion that is even worse. if it had been deep enough to get as far as the bones she would be in pony pastures over the rainbow by now. the broken bottle neck has caused a cut which is at the deepest part of the frog which is why she is still with us. although Abbey is not lamed by this I am on high alert to prevent infection and will be for some time.

Sow Your Own

2010-05-28T12:47:00.004+01:00

Cafe Direct are running a campaign to encourage everyody to grow their own vegetables, no matter where, no matter how much or how little space there is. They are encouraging use of any type of container and are running a competition for the most imaginative entry.

celebrities have donated items to be used as mini-gardens, this a Stella McCartney handbag

this Pearl Lowe donated tea set is getting an airing as a salad garden, how many of us have tea sets that we never use?

more information and ideas on their site at Sow Your Own.

glass bottle neck

2010-05-27T12:39:00.000+01:00

right into Abbey's frog, and unable to tell really how deep it went. I have been cleaning daily with a bleach solution, covering it with a babys nappy and duck-tape. she has been turned out and always comes in with the dressing off but I still think its better to be out and moving.

she did this a week ago and I have been holding my breath waiting to see how lame she comes up because deep infection would mean an operation.

she's not lame.

for photo

2010-05-17T11:39:00.005+01:00

still weeding

2010-05-16T20:18:00.003+01:00

I managed to get my grass cut and my ten minutes of weeding done just before it rained. the blue poppy is out and there are more buds so hopefully lots more to come. I have planted out cabbages, broccoli and sprouts from the greenhouse, I wanted to do it last weekend but the weather forecast said too cold...its meant to be a bit warmer this week.....well not freezing anyway! they are under a layer of fleece till they are a bit bigger and more aclimatized.

I am still continuing my Quantum Savvy horsemanship with Abbey but seem to be stuck on the begining of Level 2, since last September acutally....she is too spooky and although it all seems good in practice whevever I tape an assignment to email to them she is 'not doing it'. or is that me not able to manage her correctly...I have an instructor coming this weekend so hopefully will get some strategy tips for the moments that are causing the lack of progression.

of Clydesdales

2010-05-09T18:25:00.004+01:00

West Glen Clydesdales from Kilmacolm, its not often you get to see such stunning horses out and about, here they are at the Kilmacolm showground.

and this pair from Shewalton Clydesdales, the chap on the right is only three, what a well behaved youngster!!!

and this wee poppet is only three weeks old and a champion first prize lady already!! she is not bothered by it.....

a wee bitty bigger than my wee Abbey for sure!! so gentle and well behaved. it was lovely to see them pulling their rigs and to be alowed to get close to them, and their owners having the patience too to stand and talk to everybody.

work work work

2010-04-30T12:08:00.006+01:00

potatoes in the green house, about to be put outside as I will be needing the room, I like to do this as it provides some early treats for a couple of meals hopefully. the carrotts in pots aren't doing so well.

outside potatoes not doing a thing yet which shows what a difference the shelter of the greenhouse makes.

'something' is chewing on the fritilliarys.....

inside...fascinating!

its been all work and no play here, like the 'running faster to stand still' thing, I am so tired. a couple of days off coming up so a lot of sleeping in to be done I think! I would also like to get started on planting seeds in the garden beds, lots of plans! less running around to do as Abbey is now 'out' 24/7 for the summer, hope its a warm one! its nice to go up and ride and not have to muck out, carry hay and water all the time. she does get worried that this means she won't get a dinner every day......she gets a small token dinner.

Abbey and Buttons

2010-04-13T13:48:00.002+01:00

perhaps I ought to change my blog name to clairespony, she takes up more time and money than anything else! love every minute!

sunshine

2010-04-10T15:28:00.003+01:00

out for a nice ride on Abbey this morning, very brave along the road, over a wooden bridge, she does not like the bit of path where there is stream on one side with traffic on its opposite shore. maybe go down there and hang about one day, to chill....... hope the weather stays warm!

this is us coming in from the field after her roll in the dirt, it's clean dirt....

and I need to borrow a bigger mower to get my lawn started off, this picture taken a few years ago when it was 'new to me'. it won't cope with heavy long grass/moss. I did my ten minutes of weeding today, almost thought about doing more but a coffee was calling my name!!

I have started weeding...

2010-04-07T19:42:00.004+01:00

I love all the varietys of daffodils and colours and forms, sure they must have names but I am a great loser of labels. there is so much weeding to catch up on in the flower beds, it never got done last year, when I had time the weather was not too great and when it was nice I played with Abbey instead......I have decided to do it in ten minute chunks, then I won't get fed up or too sore and it should all get done eventually. ten minutes done today.

raindrops caught on the leaves of an aquilegia, it was a lovely day, with a couple of short showers

emerging rhubarb, its not very sweet so this may get replaced if I can discover a nicer one.

prime ratter to fat housecat...still in bed!!

as I sit shivering....

2010-03-26T12:22:00.004Z

the days get longer and more welcome colour appears. when it was bitterly cold weather it did not seem so bad as the sun was shining. now the rain and wind are turning our higher temperatures (8 C) into a damp, cold, miserable spring time.

these little daffodils are about 6 inches high, very dainty and out earlier than the bigger varieties.

dinky little things.

and the hellebores have flowered, they looked practically dead with no buds but have very quicly responded to the rise in temperature.

funny how hellebores always nod their heads down ways, turning them up shows such beauty.

nothing much doing outside in the veggy plots, they wer turned over and covered in home compost at the end of last year, just this front one to finish off. I kept aggravating my back so did a little at a time, it all gets done eventually.

onions coming up in the greenhouse.

good germination from a three year old packet of brussels sprout seeds, I sprinkled the whole lot out so lots of pinching out to do here, I'll wait till they are a wee bit bigger and then add the pinched ones to the top of a salad...waste not want not. the greenhouse temperature gauge showed 0C to 24C, what a difference for the poor wee things to have to cope with, wish I had auto windows, or didn't have to work and I could stay home and open and close the door as necessary.

splashes of colour

2010-03-14T20:48:00.002Z

very unkempt garden awaiting much weeding.......little splashes of colour appear..

these are so beautiful, I always forget they are there until they appear...

Smokey Tiptoes, camoflage against the stones, she's getting fat! from prime ratter to fat house cat in one change of owner.....

the crocus are another splash of colour, there are a couple of groups of these, mostly I plant crocus and they are never seen again....my Mum gave me these bulbs.

and the Snow Flakes come out in their little hidden spot, right between the rowan and the compost bin.

spring is not quite here....yet

2010-03-04T12:42:00.005Z

wrapped up four seed trays of onions, planted a couple of days ago. they may be some time coming up...I usually do them round about christmas or new year.......onions may be small this year then! under the yellow wrap(old daffodil bag) are spring onions. there are also three small pots of carrots for an early treat off to the right. I think I might start tomatoes and some other things in the house now, its getting on in time(indeed it never stops and sometimes runs quick?)and I don't want things to be too far behind for the growing season. I also might put some potatoes in buckets into the greenhouse this weekend.

the greenhouse min/max themometer this morning showing a low of -5C and a high for yesterday of 18C, I did leave the greenhouse door open during yesterday and its open today. the only problem with manual opening and closing is that I will not be home from work till 10pm and it will be below freezing by then, the onion seeds will just have to cope.

its a stunning morning, went for a short ride on Abbey just to practise opening and closing gates. her bed, and night feed and hay, is all ready for Fiona to bring her in tonight.

starting to get spring fever

2010-02-18T15:54:00.004Z

greenhouse glass washed inside and out, so you can see right through now! it was a warm enough day yesterday to get this done, I think its still a bit cold to start planting but I'll probably start fairly soon. my seed order has arrived and the garden plan made.
and the snowdrops are out, they tend to be closed tight in the freezing mornings and open out a bit as the day goes on. its forecast to be really cold this weekend.
the underneath view of a double snowdrop, very pretty.
the helleborus are still not fully open, pretty to look at the undeneath though, like the snowdrops.

Equine Market Watch

2010-02-15T12:04:00.010Z

here is Abbey having her Equissage. I think she is a lucky pony, she did her stint as a showjumper and then I was allowed to buy her, for not very much really, on the promise of a good home for life. Her previous owners have their own farm so it would have been no problem for them to allow her to live out her life there, probably another 20 years or so!! She does not have the best feet, hence the need to stop showjumping...I am addressing this with being barefoot, good care and not very much work really...we 'dolly about' a lot.

this post is not about Abbey, it might be about a pony who didn't have such nice owners, she could have been sold at market, not entirely sound...these ponys and horses don't end up in good homes, its a downwards spiral. It doesn't end in a nice way.

PLEASE HELP......EQUINE MARKET WATCH

They are a small charity looking after a number of rescued horses, its been a harsh winter and they are stuggling. EMW Charity News is desperately appealing for help with funding, hay supplies, feed, vehicles to help transport hay and feed to horses in the field, and to help with transport in rescue cases.

I don't know what to say. I don't have any money to help them. I am working two jobs to keep house and pony as it is, it reduces me to tears to think they may not be able to continue with their work. There is a lot of strife in this world, lots of charities dependant. Its hard.

P.S. if you're able could you put a link on your blog for fundraising to let as many people know as possible. thankyou.

goodbye old friend

2010-02-09T22:16:00.004Z

picture taken at the caravan garden in 2004.May supervises my weeding

my gardening friend May died this morning, she's not been well for a long time. she was a very big source of my gardening knowlege and a big donator of some beautiful plants. she'll be able to watch me weeding from her gardening heaven now. I wrote of her before in this previous post on May's gardens

nearly snowdrops!

2010-02-07T17:36:00.001Z

slowly, slowly the snowdrops start to peep out, there are some up at the farm in flower already-in a sheltered bit of woodland.

the catkins come out on the twisted hazel.

watching a Parelli Clinic

2010-01-31T18:20:00.000Z

Niagra Equissage

2010-01-20T12:41:00.005Z

Abbey had an 'Equissage' today, for a very reasonable fee Fiona will spend time getting your horse used to it first massaging with a hand held unit then fitting and making sure the pad is at a 'speed' your horse can accept. Today Abbey had it on the lowest setting and was reasonably well behaved but very tense....its shown here on Fiona's own horse Merlyn, she loves it and will eat hay and fall asleeep with it on.

the blurb::"Equissage has been developed from a physiotherapeutic modality that has been used on humans for both injuries and mobility for over 50 years. Equissage uses Cycloid Vibration Therapy, a uniquely non aggressive technique that allows energy to penetrate gently but deeply into the body. Its proven benefits include increased circulation, improved venous and lymphatic drainage, improved respiration, released tension and improved joint mobility." the Equissge UK site has lots of information about the benefits.

Abbey does not have any specific problems needing treatment, a release of tension would be a good thing for her as sometimes she does get very anxious about things, she has some stiffness down her shoulders and back which will benefit a lot from the Equissage. She is booked for another session next week and will slowly have the 'speed' turned up as she gets more used to it and will get more benefit from it.

no flowers yet

2010-01-17T13:15:00.003Z

in previous years there has been more to photograph at this time of year, perhaps last years constant rain has rotted things away, or the very cold temperatures are holding things back a while. hmmmm.....not to mention my guilty neglect of the garden last year. this helebore is holding very tightly to its buds, but not opening. I have two others who are looking decidedly neglected, have very poor stems and no flowers at all, will see how they fare this summer and remove them after next winter if they no longer perform.

I think these are 'snowflakes' Leucojum vernum, usually flowering a bit later than the snowdrops but there are no snowdrops to be seen....

and I think these are crocus, as usual I have not labled things so its more of a surprise!

the greenhouse temperature gauge, which I haven't checked for weeks, was showing a low of -10C and a high of 11C. so it must have been much colder outside, well I'll just have to get an outside thermometer too if I really need to know!

oh hai!

2010-01-06T21:35:00.004Z

Abbey has a habit of turning her back on me when she sees me coming with the camera, she must have decided this was her good side...

I'm still trying to get used to this camera, a Canon S5 IS which I've had since last April, its not been out a lot this year, the constant rain meant it wasn't out often. it seems fine in the sun and bright light but I haven't really got the hang of fading light, I get a lot of out of focus shots or camera shake.....time to re-read the instructions for info!

lets have a good year!!

2010-01-01T13:06:00.003Z

lots of hedgerows and trees have been taken out round the farmlands, nice to see these three old ones still here. the greenhouse temperature gauge shows a low of -8 C to a high of 6 C.

ice forms over the running water(its a burst mains pipe, making its own path down the lane)

very pretty

also very pretty!!

and Tansy, on 'her' futon. she's sharing with a stuffed dog....

brrrr....chilly..

2009-12-23T19:17:00.005Z

cold and beautiful, the hills catch the last of todays sun.
Abbey makes faces at all the other horses as she comes down to the gate, modelling her red tartan raincoat... the horses have been turned out in the snow but for a shorter period than they would normally be out, they like to get out but complain they are starving by the time they come back in.

she discovers the camera is not edible.....

once she's in and has food she is more disposed to be nice to her fellow field mates, little Buttons would take the hay out of her mouth if he could reach!

at home Smokey Tiptoes sits on the mat and looks at the snow but doesn't go out...she's a house cat now!

and Daisy gets to stay in bed all day. Tansy did go out for five minutes but declined to have an 'in focus' photograph today. I should try to get one her on 'her' futon...no other cats allowed on it apparently, I haven't tried sitting on it yet so I'm not sure if I'm included in the 'get off!!'

Smokey Tiptoes

2009-12-16T12:03:00.002Z

Smokey Tiptoes is a bit reluctant to come outside. Maybe its because there is 'too much' of everything for her, she's used to traffic, but not lots of people and all the houses. My other theory is that she's lived outside for two years and now she finds my house warm, cosy and the bed is too comfortable to give up!!
She tends to look outside and come straight back in, the longest she's been out is an hour, its been very wet and cold since she arrived so maybe she'll get out more when its warmer(if that ever happens!) and I'm out working in the garden. I know Daisy and Tansy like to come out to help me when I'm busy...

frost

2009-12-15T19:29:00.002Z

a little winter beauty from a generous spider. its probably well homeless now as I took this picture just before driving home on the motorway. hmmmm, spot of rust there too.......
I drive a little Ford Fiesta, its eleven years old and still running good. Sometimes things break and fall off...ah well, I'll keep it as long as it goes.

competing with an injured horse?

2009-11-25T12:09:00.003Z

SAY NO!!

this site has a petition against allowing horses to be used in copmetition if they are on bute or other painkillers. please add your name if you think competing on an injured horse is wrong.

CFL light bulb BURNS out

2009-11-18T18:17:00.006Z

literally.....
I came in from doing Abbey, switched the light on in my bedroom and went for a quick bath as I was going out for dinner.
When I came out of the bath my bedroom was full of smoke and it was coming from the long life lightbulb!!! I took it out of the socket using a cloth and put it out onto the doorstep. At first I thought it might have been a fault in the light socket, but no, it was fine. I checked the bulb again and the plasitc is blackened slightly around the glass.
This frightened me more than a bit, if I had come in, quickly changed my clothes and gone out I may have been out for hours and left that light on.......which would not have been good!!!!!!
There is very little on the internet about this, a couple of stories, one from NZ, and some interesting press releases saying that CFL light bulbs are not a fire hazard? There is 'no smoke without fire' so why go to the bother of these press releases unless they are having problems they are covering up?
I have never heard of this and thought that these energy saving light bulbs were meant to be safer and better.
hmmmmm.....now I'm just plain worried about every single light bulb in the house, they are all energy saving. and I often go out and leave them on.

definately winter!

2009-11-12T18:07:00.004Z

a very unkempt garden, thought it translates to photo very well, look at the long shadow of the greenhouse in the low winter sun, and this is before midday...it was a nice morning so another veggy bed was tidied and turned over with some home compost(one at a time due to sore back), two potatoes, two parsnips and one turnip being the total of todays harvest, now being stewed for my dinner.

Smokey Tiptoes gets onto the doorstop for the second time...yesterday this was as far as she got, today she made it into the garden for one minute....then she decides life as a house cat must be too good and gets back up the stairs pronto!! I'm glad she sees the house as a place of safety, and that she did not bolt away.

and it rains and rains

2009-11-04T17:59:00.002Z

thats about it

monday

2009-10-26T20:53:00.000Z

hmmm. yes. its been that kind of Monday.

Smokey comes to stay

2009-10-11T22:12:00.005+01:00

this a photo of little grey Smokey and Phoenix, the stable cats, taken last year. sadly Phoenix was run over and Smokey has missed him very much. There are two other cats about but they are quite independant and not about most of the time. as there's no longer any horses staying at that yard, there will be no people about and I was very worried about her as she is such a friendly cat..... so Smokey has come to live with me, it will take her a bit of time to get used to being in a house, also for my cats to get used to her being here. She is fairly young still so it should be okay. We are now 5hours into our new 'household' and no fighting yet....actually they are all avoiding me mostly as I've just de-flea'd everbody and they hated it!
So when I talk about Smokey the cat, and Smokey the highland pony, I may be the only person who understands what I'm on about.....
One of my ambitions in life is to become a 'mad old cat lady', every street should have one!

more Winter Warmers

2009-10-09T11:45:00.005+01:00

these are my daughters cats modelling their new jumpers...they are indoor cats so maybe they might feel the chill...Felix is the balck and white

and this is Sam. he always looks a bit surprised with his big round green eyes!

winter coats..

2009-09-22T21:02:00.003+01:00

here's Abbey with her latest wardrobe aquisitions... gearing up for winter...she is still living out without any rugs on, and growing her winter beard and shaggy coat. some of the older horses are wearing light rain sheets to keep them dry and warm. when Abbey is stabled for the winter she will be rugged with waterproofs for the day and warm for nights.

these two rugs have been purchased from a very nice lady on e-bay, who very kindly sent along a third rug too, very generous! and much appreciated! its an expensive business getting everything together.

garden winds down for autumn

2009-09-21T20:28:00.000+01:00

hmm, a much neglected 'long border', its looked better!! it had very little done to it last year due to the weather and this year was just about totally neglected. there has been a couple of attacks on invading weeds and not much else, the path is growing its own greenery too now!!

the leaves start to turn their fabulous autumn colours

a bright spot provided by...the name escapes me.... I've another one in yellow and its not obvious what they are. perhaps my brain cells are winding down for autumn too...

gladioli, stunning! but only one flowering stalk this year.

some winter fare still growing, the weather is turning a wee bit colder so this will be cut off and it'll go into the greenhouse to ripen off hopefully,

pot of pumpkin soup no.2!!

this year has provided more tomatoes than I've ever had before, just hope there will be enough warmth to ripen them off a bit more. some of them have been bitter, which may be the long cold time they have had this summer. one of my neighbors has been very helpful in opening and closing up the greenhouse to stop it getting too hot or cold if I've not been in.

and further proof of garden neglect! this cold frame ought not to be sheltering such a fine crop of weeds!!!!

if only life were always so simple...

2009-07-26T21:28:00.001+01:00

borrowed from I Has a Hotdog

after some neglect....

2009-07-14T14:08:00.003+01:00

its nice to have some veg coming in from the garden now, after a late start and some neglect! mostly everything is now weeded. I had to resort to weedkiller on the brick path as it was slowly dissapearing. it looks good now so hopefully will stay that way for a good long while.
bee! a lucky shot as it was on the 'cow parsley' as I pointed the camera, it must have just taken off.

just trying something

2009-06-30T22:41:00.004+01:00

I need to have this picture so I can copy and paste it into my right hand column for a permanant link to Quantum Savvy. I had a wee picture and link before I updated my blog layout.....then all was lost......