Weather gorgeous

Typical beautiful day yesterday and today and I am working.  Could not even get off for a couple hours as too much on.   Watered garden tonight and took some photos.   Snowy trying hard to not get wet.   He had a fight earlier on with one of the neighbours cats!  Still he is off out running around the garden catching beasties and flys.  Still trying to catch the birds - no success as yet.

 Just see Snowy lying in the hill amongst the Cotton.

 Not sure what this is - I know it is a bulb.

 Hirsutu ?

 Blue geranium - full of bees just now

 Foxglove getting help from the Fuschia Bush

 My New Zealand/Australian Daisy

 This is like a Primula but cant remember its name

 Lots of seeds ready for splitting and putting in the garden - but where?

 Garlic, Carrots, Red Onions doing well

Sicilia Peruvian  - planted in Spring.   Its got a Black like globe - I think it grows bigger than this.

My tomatoes are getting huge.  I have put the 2 largest in the Mini Greenhouse and the bushy one is in the Kitchen window.  They are all flowering well - hopefully get a good crop.   I also notice that the young raspberry plants that I bought are also fruiting.

This was a huge moth that we saw on the daisy last night - dont know what type it is.

Hedgehog visiting every evening -seen a few times but not got a photo as yet.

Bi for now

Elaine

Garden Competition

My neighbour has entered my garden in to the local Lerwick Community Council Garden competition as I have hers - so spent yesterday in the garden tidying, grass cutting, topping up my bags of potatoes, and weeding!  Still got a bit to go.  Judging is the 2nd July. Tied up my poppies and aquiligeas and planted some bedding plants.  Poppies have survived the wind.  Need to get out and do more weeding today.

I planted out my peas and changed the layout as Snowy keeps disturbing them - likes running and scattering the earth - he sort of ploughs into the soil!  Hopefully this will stop him and my peas will be able to grow.  I had a therapeutic day in the garden.    It all helps in the No Smoking.

The Shetland Bergen Race has been on so the harbour has been full of yachts - guess who keeps leaving their camera at home.  There are pictures on the Shetland-Bergen Race website.  They are due to sail at 11 this morning - might take a trip up the hill to see them. 
Sun is shining so need to get out there. Also able to see the yachts on the Shetland Webcams.

The Herring Gulls on the roof opposite my office seem to have all lost their young.  I was remarking to Victor that the pair in the hill have not had any young either.   A young blackbird is around at the moment.  Lots of young starlings and sparrows.

Started my Cross Stitch on Friday night.  Managed last night to sit still for longer!  Better get on.

Back to reality!

Been in Aberdeen for the weekend.  Had a lovely time meeting up with friends and family and went to see We Will Rock You - absolutely brilliant.  We also went to see Pirates of the Carribbean in 3D that was good too - but not so sure about the 3D as there were bits you felt it did not work.  Good Film despite the critics panning it. Did some shopping.   Nothing for the garden though.

There has been no gardening this weekend obviously - and it was very hot in Shetland on Saturday - maybe I missed summer.  Our weather was good but rained heavily on Saturday in Aberdeen.   We were out in Huntly beside my Mum and Dad on Sunday and had a lovely lunch at the Forbes Arms Hotel in Rothiemay.   Ate lots of good food in Aberdeen.  Need to watch prices though.  In fact the Airport is expensive!   Flights delayed going South and coming back but we made it. 
 

 You aint going nowhere! Had to clean the suitcase before we left as he slept on it all night!  Oh yes the blanket on the bed I crocheted years ago  when I gave up knitting because of my sore neck.  Its either double or treble stitch.  I want to learn more stitches.

 The Theatre

 Union Terrace

 My poppies - they have survived - I am sure I did not have pale lilac ones last year but this diary will help me for next year.

 Just for Peggy - New Zealand/Australian Daisy - just coming into flower

 Tatties - need to bulk up with soil this weekend.

 Red Hot Pokers

Snowy showing off tonight! We have been loved to death since we came back!

We were staying in the Brentwood Hotel and its lovely - the rooms have all been decorated and are lovely.  Good value and dinner was lovely on our first night too. Staff very friendly.  In fact my old boss - first I had when I came to Shetland owns the Brentwood, Luigi Stucci and I spoke with him after 30 odd year - wow.

Back to work today and it is my first day of no smoking - I am going to give it a good go this time! That was one of my treats when I was away was to equip myself with a book on crochet and crochet hooks etc.   I have been crocheting tonight.  I used to when I was a child but cant remember all the stitches now so going re-acquaint myself.   I will keep you updated. Keep my hands busy!

I seemed to forget to take photographs when we were away especially when we were with friends and family - must have been enjoying myself too much.  A few below!

Weather - its November not June!

14 June 2011

What a night of wind and rain.  The garden has had a fair blast and I am not sure if some of the flowers especially the poppies will survive. Pots were blown over but generall they seem to be okay.  Managed to get my Tomatoes repotted on Sunday between rain showers.

Even the poor Herring Gull Chicks have been lost.  There is only one left today.   The three small ones have not survived and another has gone where there were the two of them.   Probably blown off last night in the gale and picked off by the Crows. 

Some new photos taken over the last few days.

 Ouriso & Creeping Jenny ( I think)

 Aquiligea - battered now!

 View from side of house - Shetland Catch

 View - looking over SBS Base, Shetland Catch and the Marina

 Poppies before wind

 Poppies after!

 New Zealand Daisy & Aquiligea after gale.

Snowy trying to catch the birds.

A lovely day

10 June 2011

Its been a funny week of weather - at the beginning of the week it was cold verging on winter - rained for a while on Wednesday and now its lovely sunshine but still that cool wind. Mind you it has been snowing in Iceland and I saw on the news tonight in Snowdonia in Wales!

Certainly hoping to get in to the garden tomorrow.

It was our birthday on Tuesday and we had lots of facebook messages and cards.   I took some photographs out and about this week - I remembered to take the camera with me for a change. 

The baby Starlings have fledged and boy are they noisy.  Snowy has a place under the big Daisy as a hidey hole. Fingers crossed not caught anything yet.

 Yachts in the harbour

 The largest ship scheduled to call this year the Crown Princess

 The Crown Princess

 Silene grown from seed last year and beautiful this year

 Strawberries

 There are 3 young Herring Gulls here on top of the window

There were 3 here and one has gone missing probably been taken by a crow - they are growing very quickly.   The other Herring Gull was actually off her nest today but I could not see the babies as they have a lot of grass in their nest.  The photos are taken from the skylight in our loft at the office.

You can just make out the nests in this picture.  If they fall - they fall on to the flat roof where they are picked off by crows.

I will take photographs next week of the Arctic Terns (Tirricks) and maybe some puffins if I go down to Sumburgh this weekend.  There are 2 Tirricks feeding in the harbour opposite my window at work.   They do sit around the pier so I will try and photograph them and post them on my blog.

I see my foxgloves are beginning to flower.  Grass Cutting and weeding tomorrow.  The cotton is growing in the hill.

Bi for now

Another nice day

Been busy in the garden - had a gorgeous day on Friday and I had the afternoon off so got my plants in and various bits and pieces done Lovely afternoon - had the suntan lotion on.  Still browning nicely.
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Yesterday concentrated on housework and sat out for a little while in the afternoon.  This morning I have been weeding and tidying in the garden   Now I am tired out! Actually will need to water tonight especially the pots as they have dried out very quickly.


Boughts some alpines yesterday - still finding spaces.  Dianthus, Heather, Hypericum & Argyanthumcherry Red. Put these in pots today.The poppies are beginning to flower photos below. 

Snowy has been having a terrific time in the garden over the past 3 days.   He just loves being out stalking the birds or helping me.  

There is a sick Herring Gull sitting in the hill - cant seem to be able to fly and only has one leg. Lots of fledgling Sparrows but no Starlings as yet.  They are all feeding like mad on the bird balls - costing me a fortune. Think I now know where the Lark is nesting.

 My Neeps

 My Potatoes

 Copper Beech Tree which is about 20 years old!    Stunted growth at the top of the hill.

 Poppy

 Poppy

 Snowy enjoying the sun.  Bought him sun tan cream yesterday for his years.  He is clean here but he has been rolling in mould this afternoon and is a mess now!

 Cant remember the name of this shrub but it always gets lots of loves from cats - had it for years. At one point it was planted in the garden but the cats kept lying on it and breaking it so moved it into a pot.

 Nemesia & Pansies

 Snowy in amongst the Onions and the Shallotts

 The back area - not so colourful just now. Davids shed in the background.

A Pansy

The seeds I had planted in the greenhouse and had given up hope of ever coming and put in pots are all of a sudden all flourishing.   Still not got around to repotting my tomatoes today.

I was across at my friend Cathy's today.  They have just finished the balcony at the front of their house and it is impressive.  Sat out and had a cup of tea and a good chinwag as we normally do. 

There was a Cruise Liner in at Holmsgarth today - passengers certainly got a nice day.  Lots of liners visiting this year.  This last month it seemed to be all the ones that do the big expeditions to the Artic and Antarticia - Greenland, Iceland, Faroe, North Norway.   Exepnsive!  I love Shetland when its a beautiful day.