Wednesday 3 October 2012

Seven and a bit days.........1000 miles later.

Hey up me ducks (as they say in Nottingham) how on earth are you all? Its been a chaotic 10 days or so - and inspired by Jacqui at the Barefoot Crofter - I'm recounting the days diary style a photo or two for each day gone passed! We've been from indulging ourselves in glorious sunshine (and some showers) with brought remarkable rainbows to taking in the acts at the Orkney Blues Festival locally, to Ayrshire (and back again) with a quick detour to various lovely chums for tea and laughter........1000 or so miles later its time for the flopping on the heather to commence, feet up and a peedie rest! Just like above - we've found a few lovely spots for walking by the new place.........Peedie seems to agree its quite bonnie.
Well the past few days all began with the 'greening' of the patch at home - so bulbs galore have been purchased here we have 'Tete a Tete' a miniture daffodil which does brilliantly up here defying the wind by keeping its stature short and flowering early even in a force 10 gale. I approve so we've got quite alot of that. Being a dwarf daffodil also means I feel more giant like when I see it. And given my short stature - there's not many plants which make me feel tall! Only plump firm bulbs got into by bag - which were nice and disease free and full of potential! Great time of year to be planning those spring beds and get bulb planting.
The 'squatting' in the polytunnel at my old job is going well - although as I'm now technically 're-employed' in a formal capacity as aide of the first capacity to the garden guru - perhaps I'm no longer squatting. Hooray for new jobs as 'relief' horticulture instructors. Therefore my tomatoes, whilst slow and bushy, are no longer illicit. The crops continuing to ripen, albeit slowly. Three bush tomatoes to one fish crate appears to be the correct density. Bravo big tick, got that one right, finally.
As to how many shallots you can successfully harvest from one fish box, the answer is 104, but I'm sure you knew that already. I'm a happy lady these have dried out nicely on a different type of fish tray.
 
On the way home, another garden centre stop - and our first tree of the new house - attempting to mitigate my carbon footprint by planting lots in the courtyard.......no I didn't leave it planted in the car. Haggis is confused by the addition of foliage to the vehicle. Peedie of course, looked on woefully aware of vegetation transportation in progress, not a new sight for him. A 10ft Rowan in a car holds no surprise for Peedie despite the fact that his owner was quite chuffed to get a 10ft tree in her peedie car.
The noble Rowan - Sorbus aucuparia, this variety is 'Pink Veil'. Ok so not its best view in the car - however - I love Rowans - aside the old addage of warding off evil they are one of the few species in Orkney which not only berry up but also colour up nicely if they're able to.  The reason for the choice - quite simply - they had one in the local shop and whilst I've no passion for pink rowans - its here and healthy so its earnt a place in the new patch. Now planted in a tub (underplanted with daffodil 'Tete a Tete'), it nicely helps lure birds into the new bird table.
The view outside to a rainbow - from the new sitting room - whilst dark you get the general idea - trees (Sycamores) and shore to the background...........shelter all about us, should manage to grow something. Mornings are taken up on the hill walking the dogs before working - or just to take time to breathe. Not but five minutes from the new house - heather clad hills and views of skies - very lovely indeed. This is our regular walking patch now. Perfect and the boys agree.
 A sit on the hill was in order for the day ahead when Mr Flowers took off his sidekick disguise and entered back into the world of Rock and Roll - he played a couple slots at the local Orkney Blues Festival which went down a treat - great weekend indeed!
I love the logo for this - guitars as standing stones - all copyright of the Blues Festival!
 After a weekend full of fun - no rest for the wicked - off to training 'sooth' (another hairy plane), more plants to purchase and then .........................it appears this young man, so youthful in this picture - has embarked on his university days and required a lift to his enlistment (um I mean registration) at University on the mainland. Complete with a car load of what appeared to be mainly computer related malarkay we headed 'sooth' - to university accommodation and away!
How can he be university age already?? Well there you go. Fortunately for us the journey 'sooth' meant driving through a good chums patch, who's a head gardener in Stirlingshire for a lovely private house with an amazing garden - so we managed to beg a bed for the night and bore the man-child stupid with botanical chatting. They've even had their first frosts, uncommon here - but how beautiful the garden looked. Sweetpeas 10ft tall and grown outside - well I can't do that at home, whilst its great to see her hard work, I'm reminded of what grows outdoors in central Scotland, so many things like sweet peas and runner beans that we'd never get a crop from outside where I live. Ach well, its nice to see somewhere different isn't it. And, in the morning, we even managed to help squeeze some home grown apple juice before we departed. How much fun was that?
And then for the more serious task at hand, time for departure to university studies. Well the town the boy child has picked is in south west Scotland - with a rather fabulous beach........so we had to give that a look didn't we - the views out to the Island of Arran were lovely too!
As to the location of his accomodation - like every good parent I paid excellent attention to directions. You go passed the 30 year old monkey puzzle tree on the left, turn right at the monkey puzzle tree on the right (by the traffic lights) and then head down the mature Lime tree avenue until you see a large Oak tree and its first on the left........no one please cut any of those down or I'll never see my son again! As to the long journey home, via the East Neuk of Fife, via the A9 and all that gorgeous autumn colour just beginning to come - the hounds began to start flagging again. I'm sure I could hear cries of 'are we there yet?'
More time in the car, not alot of fun, but we're back now......and as promised for Jarmy - like your sweet peas outside in Stirlingshire looking resplendent - the ones nestled safely in the polytunnels at home aren't doing too badly either.........but I'd not like the chance them outside!
Whilst they don't do very well outside here - they do fine enough with a bit of shelter.....

Well that's my 10 days - 1000 miles, done the blues, walked some hills, caught some rainbows, pressed some apple juice, had a lot of garden envy, looked at new area's to live and enlisted a child at university.

Not a bad few days all in all.


Goodluck 'Jambon' my darling boy - I'm sure you'll have a blast at university my love. And, it will be easy to stop me stalking you - just get them to cut down a few trees and I'll never find you again! x

I wonder if you've all been upto anything fun in the past 10 days??

18 comments:

  1. Missed you while you've been gallivanting my dear, lovely to have you back! xx Do I spy a couple of puppies lurking about in the picture from the new (cosy) sitting room by the way?!

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    1. Well I'm back and indeed a keen eye there my dear - there were hoonds in that there view from the cosy sitting room!

      Galavanting all done til the end of the month when the boy child turns 18 and we head 'sooth' for the festivities........xx

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  2. love your picture of the doggies looking down on the scenery below. sweet peas are just so delightful ... another great picture.

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    1. Thats the view from the new walking spot JTS - a mere flash from the house back into the open hills - the views are upwards towards the northern Orkney islands peeking there in the distance - we look north - I'm sure the northern lights will be a glowing from this spot - I hope to see many of them!

      Sweet peas are indeed a delight but without shelter here, alas, they are not very productive. A wall or a polytunnel is needed to let them bloom freely.

      The price for such beautiful views.......

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  3. a little 'empty nest'? But the cellist remains, for now?

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  4. Diana - indeed - although I'm trying to think of the nest as half full rather than half empty :) with Skype - the manchild is merely a push of a button away, offering candidly to show me the view he has of autumnal splendor this evening from his bedroom window which overlooks a purple beech tree turning a beautiful shade of red and the leaves dancing down the river beyond that. He's a cruel cruel child. (!) He did tell me how beautiful it all was, the beast that he is!

    The cellist indeed remains, with her studies keeping her occupied, she's her mind set for Edinburgh University - which in the current climate means the nose to the books.......

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  5. Nice to have you back - always have you on favourites and check daily for posts. If you go AWOL for any period of time I get a biit concerned! Bloggers are a bit like families, aren't they. Love this post.

    Luffy

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    1. Thanks Luffy how lovely of you to say so. I've been in a bit of a dark and windy/soggy place but emerging it would appear - how lovely of you to pop by. Thanks! x

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  6. How are you bearing up with your son away? The blow is cushioned a bit with one still at home - at least that's what I found. Good to know that he's happy, tho. I now have both away at uni - daughter recently happily settled at another university with a beach, north of Edinburgh and south of Dundee.

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    1. Linda its a bit odd to be honest. I think the cellist fears she'll be smothered. Nice to hear your daughters settled too - they do good icecream in that university town.............and have a couple of amazing beaches!

      I hope you're OK with the departures too - lifes changing eh?

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  7. Always a bit of a milestone when the first offspring goes to uni - good thing that you will have the tree signposts for visiting and such!
    K

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    1. I just need to make sure no one moves the trees - then again I should be quite safe shouldn't I? Nice to see you must pop back over to blotanical............x

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  8. Goodness, University?! Wow... What a lovely post, and your new home looks like a winner with beautiful walks and shelter from the dreaded wind. Hope your rowan is very happy there, one of my favourite trees, am still sad I can't grow one here due to over head lines!

    I sorry to say that illicit tomatoes sounds a lot more delicious than official ones, though I am glad you are no longer squatting. Lovely shallots, am hoping to try some next year.

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    1. I know I didnt' know they accepted children so young did you? Its lovely here, thank you, I hope you're settled too - the three of us having shifted so closely to each other..........

      Illicit tomatoes do appeal more than 'allowed' ones dont they?

      I love the form of shallots - they really make a stunning plant. High impact in any garden early in the season with those Medusa like spikes of 'hair' exploding out of the the humble parent.

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  9. Hiya Fay, good to have you back. The walnut is ambitious beyond ambition.....is there anywhere in Scotland that they ripen?

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    1. And good day to you too sir, I am indeed BACK! As to the walnut seemingly (after much extensive research) there appears to have been a history of walnuts in Scotland - alas none of them mention fruiting, just the fine wood they produce.

      As to my ambitions being beyond ambitious - indeed - I did wonder about a polytunnel as the temperature gets high enough???

      I must inform Mr Flowers in the near future we need a polytunnel big enough for a walnut!

      Do greenhouses come walnut friendly - I know Orangeries are very fashionable, but potentially out of budget!

      If not then, it can ripen in my imagination. I'd grow it for that exceptional autumn colour, which brings me to a hop over the fence and a leap over to your autumanal delights.

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  10. Kininvie - a link for you to peruse

    http://www.electricscotland.com/agriculture/page59.htm about the humble walnut in Scotland.

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    1. Splendid! Why don't gardening people write like that any more? I especially liked the knight-errant resting under the umbrageous branches of the walnut after his exertions on the battle-field....
      I have two highly practical suggestions - one is to find an ancient ruined mansion with the remains of an orangery - preferably in an area with lots of wind farms, where masses of money for 'community benefit' is sloshing around. You could live in a caravan and spend your day restoring the orangery, all on wind-farm money. Lots of mansions on the west coast burned down in the days of candles and horse-drawn fire brigades - I was looking at one such only a couple of weeks ago. I expect most of them had orangeries....
      The second suggestion is to bonzai-ify the walnut (or at least keep it pot-bound to the extent that it won't outgrow a greenhouse). After all, you can do this with lemons. Maybe it will get desperate and form some nuts in a hurry?

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