Half term blues.

Feeling a bit desperate here too, but I did take the opportunity to plant, as well as moved some plants around whilst digging was easier, they must be getting a good soaking, and hopefully settle in quickly in their new homes.

Think positively folks ; more time to catch up on things indoors . (GoY for instance !)

IRONING for me, I hate ironing, but nothing to be done but just catch up with it when it is raining. Cold and wet here all week, miserable weather, better forecast for tomorrow and weekend. Hoorah!! :O) oh and GoY of course :O)

It's depressing isn't it? I've caught up on all my household chores though, all washing and ironing done! The rain didn't stop my neighbours gardener, he was out mowing the lawn this afternoon whilst it was raining lightly.

Yep 10 days without a letup here in Lincs as well, garden waste empty and not a cat in hells chance of filling it up with hedge trimmings (sigh) at the rate its growing I'll need the big steps to reach parts of it...
Like Michaella I have popped a few plants in the borders between the downpours and today I helped my daughter weed her gravel driveway as she has 2tons of gravel being delivered tomorrow to replenish it, oh boy we did get dirty doing that job but have to say the weeds came up easier this time...

It's such a shame when the weather's bad and the children are at home; so much better for them to be outside and for you to enjoy your garden too. I get restless when I can't get in the garden at this time of year and often spend too much time on the laptop and/ or doing schoolwork. My other fallback is reading,as I always have at least one book on the go. Currently, I'm reading Lady's Maid by Margaret Forster, which is about E. Barrett Browning and her husband, but written from the point of view of her maid. It's fascinating stuff.

Now I feel guilty - our ironing is sitting in a heap waiting while I play one here...
I did plant one tomato though - I got a grafted one from Suttons just to try.

I too busied busied myself with housework and those jobs that have been wanting to get done. Tomorrow is forecast to be dry? and we're off to Lake Vyrnwy as I'm suffering from cabin fever!! Garden does look very green at mo so fingers crossed this weekend will give us a chance to get out there and get on with our shared passion.. Gardening!!

Heap of ironing waiting for me too, Stera. It can wait a bit longer.

Wow! Does no-one like ironing? I do mine as I watch the tele and can honestly say that I really enjoy ironing, I iron it all including underwear, but not socks or towels! I usually watch something related to gardening that I have recorded while doing it, but do agree with you all that I can't wait to get out and start doing the real thing when it stops raining.

Have any of you thought of getting your children to design an area for the garden, and work out what plants to put in it ? Like Chelsea in miniature ?
All gardens need to be planned.
They may remember when they grow up.

Mine would not have thanked me for asking them to design a garden Di, they were too competitive, my fault I suppose. Although I think the eldest might have been into the design thing as she was very arty as a child still is. The other three are not interested in design. After saying that the third one is getting interested in gardening and maybe she will get to be as interested as her older sister is eventually. I am working on her. I should have started gardening when they were younger. But we had so many other things to do that gardening was not on the agenda I am afraid. I love it when kids are enthusiastic about anything they do.

We have had a major change around in the garden by taking out 4 35 ft tall conifers in December. Some neighbours thanked me for increasing the light in their sitting room another has stopped talking to me altogether as they feel their privacy has been compromised! Can't please them all! I have now got a bare corner in the top left hand corner that is waiting for an octagonal summerhouse! I have had to restrain myself from replanting that area as I hinted to hubby it would be nice as a surprise birthday, wedding or christmas pressie!! Have started saving for it already as they do not come cheap!

Its not a question of telling children what to do. Its about encouraging them in the right way.
Once they get stuck on ball games you have lost the initiative. Thats where I went wrong.

Draw a plan within a plan, give them half an hour to come up with colours, then you add the names of the plants !

Ask them to find all the plants in the T&M catalogue or
whatever you have. Then they
cut out the right plants, stick them onto the plan.

Its just what they do at school, linked to gardening.

From aged 5 onwards, I always had an hourly change over plan pinned on the back of the kitchen door, during all school holidays. They were never bored.
This organised me as well as the children.
When they were busy at the table, I could do the ironing.
On the hour they packed up and we went for a walk,
collecting leaves to bring back and draw. Or getting the shopping and adding up the cost as we went round the supermarket. That took another hour.
After that I read to them.
When my youngest started school his teacher said what a good vocabulary he had got. That came from reading to him every day.
When they were older I took them and their friends to the Science Museum. I used to sit downstairs and knit. They raced all over the building having a whale of a time. Later on they wanted to go to London by themselves. They bought a tube ticket, went down the escalator with the map, and spent all day travelling round under the ground with the same ticket, coming up to the surface at the same station to come home.
Its a wonder they were not caught !

lol :O) being as organised as this you must have been a teacher in your working days Di. :O) both my youngest are teachers, one is now teaching in year 2 and the youngest is at a Special Needs school, loving every minute of it both of them. Very organised people too. lol :O) They had to be organised and manage their time well as they both were swimmers and did early morning training three mornings a week and once on a weekend. Every evening was training apart from one day. We were up at 4.30am on early morning training days and off to school after training finished. After calling at Mcdonalds for bacon butties. lol. I have not been in a Macdonalds since they finished swimming. Thank goodness lol My little car has done thousands and thousands of miles ferrying them here there and everywhere to competitions and training.They learned very quickly how to manage their time and I believe it paid dividends when they went on to Uni.

Honeysuckle, just off to parcel up my ironing heap to send over to you - I like to spread pleasure around when its possible. Snoop, what would I do with a bigger shovel? I only had one grafted tom to plant!