hemtohem

14th January 2022

We have a moat! And a new raised bed! DH had been saving some hefty pieces of wood (gifted to us) for a rainy day, but he didn’t have the means to cut them. He borrowed a friend’s chainsaw and the necessary PPE (thank you very much) and a couple of hours later our new bed was installed. 

We’ve had so much rain that the water is level with the lawn. Bog plants were beginning to take over in this part of the garden. I’d always envisged plants growing there, but different sorts, and a raised bed was the only solution to give them a fighting chance. A foundation layer of loose bricks was laid down to put the beams on and the moat will be filled with gravel at some point, but we couldnt wait to plant it up. 

A relocated azalea, a leucanthemum grown from a tiny plug, a newly purchased euonymous, and lots of spring and summer bulbs are now nestled in. 

A full bag of ericaceous compost has been added to the azalea end, just to make it feel especially at home, and we’re hoping we havent been too late planting the bulbs. At some point, we think we might have to lay a drain under the lawn to take the excess water to a lower area, but not just yet.

Another thing safely installed is the pine corner cupboard we bought from our local hospice warehouse this week. 

I had been looking for ages for something that would fit into the conservatory and had a cupboard big enough to store some of my  larger dyeing equipment in. I know pine isn’t ‘on-trend’ but as someone who doesn’t set much store by that, I think it’s perfect! It ticks all the boxes: right size and shape, big enough without being massive, colour goes well with the existing conservatory furniture, and it’s second hand! Nothing goes to landfill and St Luke’s Hospice gets some dosh towards the amazing work it does. It’s a place that has touched so many lives in our town and where I had complimentary reflexology after my radiotherapy for breast cancer. 

Further afield, we had a lovely few hours in Loggerheads Country Park on one of the sparkling, crisp, blue days that January sometimes offers up. 

The light in the valley made some photos I took look almost black and white but gave a wonderfully moody atmosphere to an industrial riverbank slowly being reclaimed by nature. 

Up on the top of the limestone ridge it was a different story as we walked in the golden hour, watching the sun slip down behind the Clwydian Mountains of North Wales.

We came across several Wishing Trees, where coins had been pressed into felled or fallen trunks, or tree stumps. 

This practice dates back to the 1700s and, although it died out for a while, it has seen a revival in recent times. Pressing a coin in was thought to rid people of their illnesses whilst taking a coin out would give them the illness. Sadly, in some places coins are being pressed into living wood and the trees are suffering as a result. Something that should stop, as we really need our trees!

Not much to show from the studio but the new monochrome jumper is coming on apace, a wearable toile of Style Arc’s Bob Pants is mostly completed and a second pair begun.  More to be revealed in the next post.

Oh, and a secret embroidery project that can’t be shared as it’s to be a gift!

Keep smiling, stay well, keep growing, walking, and creating!

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