garden

I planted the bigger pot up with daffodil bulbs and topped all four of these off with little stones. I love this look and it  stops the soil getting washed out with heavy rain .

also a couple of smaller pots planted with daff bulbs, and all of the others topped with stones. I use this to show that there is ''something'' in the pot, it could be a cutting or something with a lost label, a couple of these have acorns in them and they can take a couple of years to show sometimes, and the stones mean 'don't tip this out'. it works for me.

I'm really pleased this wood fitted inside the car, I could have driven with it hanging out the back as it was only a few streets away but now that I know an 8ft plank will fit inside the car I can look for more wood and be confident I can pick it up even from a distance away.   I do try to get everything free or recycled   but I've had to spend some money  for these,  really good thick wood, and will be used to start renewing the edges of the veggy beds. it'll do one bed all round and two long sides of another.  

The Vectra B

three electrical sensors later..... and this 'future classic' is running perfectly again.
its a shame they make things so complicated. it all runs on sensors, rather that cables and leads... not even got a throttle cable !! who knew ? not me.. lol

car update

I did manage to sell the little Corsa the first weekend in December. very glad about that.. this Vectra is 17 yrs old .. its now developed a slight fuel problem and bunny hops as you drive... eeeek... coming up to Christmas week means there's no chance of getting it fixed till early January.
it was really bad on Sunday though I managed to get it to the farm and call out the AA rescue service who changed the spark plugs, its better but not cured. its also been to a local garage but no time to get it fixed. 
''luckily'' (??) I have driven old bangers most of my life so babying the car past a bit of bunnyhopping is almost second nature.. I know people who call out the rescue services for less... haha...

I'm not a salesperson

to update on ''car overload'' .. https://clairesgarden.blogspot.com/2018/09/car-overload.html

I am still a two car owner. I advertised the larger one and only got two offers to swap it for equally large , expensive to run, other cars.. now if I have to keep a big car at least I know whats been fixed and what hasn't on this one.
the smaller car was advertised and drew a phone call, a text message or an email .. approximately every five minutes for a week. even at 3am..... two people did look at it when I offered to take the car to them... but never called back after ''thinking about it'' and lots of other people engage in furious messaging sessions.. never actually call to talk. arrange to look at it and DONT' TURN UP.

I have removed advert . I'll put it back up later this week and specify to view on Saturday morning only.....

car overload

 Corsa versus Vectra..... one was purchased while the other was being fixed, and I can only keep one. and I really like them both. both old. both drive really well.. adverts being created for both and the first one to sell will go and the other will stay... 

photos are misbehaving in this post.. I don't know why.

road trip

myself, my daughter Rosie and her wee dog Luna, road trip today to visit friend Sandra who I've not seen for a few years.

set a goal of visiting two people a month to keep friend connections alive.

new things

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

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....

frost

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.

by the light of the Fiesta..

last night, going up to bring Smokey in to his stable after work, it was pitch black and some of the stable lights are not working. I couldn't see to read the code to open the padlock to get Smokeys breakfast ready for the following morning, he does not 'need' this feed or the treat of apples and carrots he gets for his tea, but.....how could you dissapoint the poor horse? so I reversed my Fiesta round the barn, avoiding building materials etc. and used it as a torch...don't know what the farmer would have thought of this and I'm not sure you are allowed to take your car round there. just to point out this car is 10 years old and sooooo reliable its amazing. just realized i don't have a picture of it, will try to take and post one today sometime.

and here is my wee garden robin, unfortuately I have had resisdent robins before, one was dispatched by the cat downstairs and another by the cat next door. my cats have yet to be accused of murdering robins, Tansy has had a couple of sparrows and a bluetit. Daisy has never caught anything as far as I know and I have seen birds hopping round her as if they know she is not a threat.