Purple Grapes

Remember the tiny grapes I blogged about in May?  Well this is what they look like now:

I still have no idea what variety they are but as you can see they turned out to be beautiful purple ones, which are sweet enough to eat.  The birds are having some, but there are so many growing that there are ample for me and friends and neighbours to enjoy as well.

A First For Everything

This is a first in many ways.  To start with it's my first blog post that isn't about gardening or cats, secondly it's about my first piece of textile art, and thirdly it's the first time I've shared anything arty that I've created with anyone.

Back in January I bought a couple of books about textile art, and for the last few months have been fiddling around with various techniques and materials, but last week I decided that I had to bite the bullet and actually try and create something.  So here it is: (you'll need to click on the image to enlarge it to see it properly)

Seascape

It's abit of a mix of techniques.  The background is painted silk dupion, the sand and rocks are layers of tyvek, bondaweb and painted organza distressed with a heat gun.  The sea is layers of shot organza and painted bondaweb, also distressed with a heat gun.  There are beads in the sea and the sand, with gold hand stitching running through the rocks.  I used 3d medium, painted with pearlex, along the shoreline and gold markal paint to highlight the rocks.  Finally I added dangles of frayed silver thread to the sea to add movement before distressing all the edges with a soldering iron.

The most important thing is that I really enjoyed doing, and already have some ideas forming for other ones, which will keep me occupied during the dark winter evenings when I can't garden.

My Bargain

Last week I was at a meeting at a local conference venue where there was a garden show taking place in the grounds (you can probably guess which of the two I really wanted to go to).  At the end of the meeting they announced that as we were already on the site that we could have free access into the show.  I have to admit that the plants weren't anything spectacular, but I was so pleased when I spied this obelisk.

I wanted one to go in the space where the pittosporum used to be, but couldn't find one that was small and delicate enough for the tiny clematis aromatica that would grow up it.  It was priced at £8, but I only had £6 in cash and they didn't take credit cards.  I've never before haggled for anything  but I decided to ask if they'd take £6.  You can see that they did!  I was going to rub it down and paint it cream, but at the moment I quite like its mix of rust and shine so I might just leave it as it is.  What do you think? (If you click on the picture you can see it in more detail).

Tall White Daisies?

The label in the pot said "Tall White Daisies".  My mum gave me the plant a couple of years ago when I moved in, and although I planted it last year it didn't do anything.  This year it grew and grew, and had masses of tiny buds for weeks.  I was intrigued to see what type of tall white daisies they would be.  They obviously weren't leucanthemum, might they be a type of aster maybe?  Gradually they opened and revealed themselves - not exactly tall white daisies, more of a tall golden rod!  Not what I was expecting, but thanks mum as it does give some good autumn colour!

Golden Rod

A Pittosporum No More

When I moved in I inherited a very tall tree-like pittosporum, in the centre behind the table in the picture below.

before (2008) - doesn't the garden look narrow?

Over the last 2 years I've had to periodically cut branches off that were too low or causing too much shade.  This year I wanted to let more light into the garden without having to loose my lovely snake bark maple, so I decided the pittosporum had to go.  I used various brute force and ignorance techniques with extendable loppers, a step ladder and, once most of the height had been reduced, an electric saw.  It took the whole afternoon, and was much taller than I'd realised (between 15 and 20 foot), but I had a great feeling of satisfaction when I finally sawed through the trunk at ground level.  

I can't even attempt to get the roots out so I've painted the stump with stump killer.   This whole area of the garden is so much lighter now, and I hope that the plants will be much happier.  I will add some height with an obelisk that a clematis can grow up, but that's a whole other tale! 

after (Aug 2010) - no tree and the garden seems wider!

Working Hard

It's raining, so gardening is on hold at the moment.  That's not all bad as it's given me time to catch up with work for The Treasure Tree and I'm hoping that I'll have another animated story starter ready for the new school term. However not all occupants of the study are working quite as hard!

 Anyone would think that chair had been put in here just for her benefit!

Today's Favourite Clematis

As I've said before I love clematis (and roses).  At the last count I had over 30 (of each - I know I must stop buying them!) but as of today this is my favourite:

 Clematis Triternata Rubromarginata

It is so delicate and pretty, and not at all like the more blousier ones which scream out "come and look at me", this one just sits there, silently, waiting to be aspied.

I do suspect though, that in time, another one may inch its way to the top of the favourite board, but we won't tell that to this one, will we?