In The Garden

Remember my Mexican tomato dress? It's been a regular feature on my blog for ten years! It felt like the most appropriate choice for wearing to the garden centre on Saturday morning.

It had been over three years since we last spent any money on the garden. How do I know? The last time we visited a garden centre was the very same day that William decided to move in with us after a few years of living on the streets. 

Sitting alongside the Feverfew we'd bought for a small donation from a National Trust garden back in January, I planted up a pot with Salad Burnett, Chicory and Orange Mint (3 for £5). Beside the two herb pots there's a mixed planter with Calibrachoa, Cosmos (part of the 10 bedding plants for £20 offer) and some Mexican Fleabane we dug up from elsewhere in the garden. 

We've got three galvanised metal windowboxes, two which we planted with a mixture of red and hot pink Pelargoniums (trailing geraniums) and Heliochrysum.

The smaller of our three windowboxes, which I ordered from the trendy interiors magazine, Living Etc, in 2001 - making it officially vintage, got planted with Cosmos and Calibrachoa. 

I planted the rest of the Pelargoniums in another terracotta pot.

I often see Spider plants growing outdoors on our travels and after consulting Google learnt that as long as they are in partial shade, its quite safe to leave them outdoors throughout the Summer months.

After all that planting Saturday night's rain was quite welcome, I sounded like I was about 90 when i turned to Jon and said "That's good for the garden!"

 

Despite it being a Bank Holiday weekend, the weather was pretty good and I managed to get some bikini time in the garden on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

As the pool was shut for the Bank Holiday on Monday, we went swimming on Sunday morning. It was so quiet! After Jon got out I had the pool to myself and swam backstroke in the middle of the pool (normally I can only do this when there's a lane free next to the wall). 

With the sun shining through the plate glass, I felt like I was back in Leros with the glorious beach at Pandeli all to myself. 

I never plan an outfit in advance and this is what I wore to walk down to the pool (minus the jewellery, that goes on after my swim). 

I sat in the sunshine doing some hand-sewing and then got stuck into Karma, Boy George's autobiography, which I'd started in bed that morning. We watched the last episode of Fargo and started ITV's Secret Service, a thrilling spy/political drama based on newsreader Tom Bradby's novel starring Gemma Arterton & Rafe Spall. It made me want to go back to Malta, I've been three times but not since 1994! 

 

A Bank Holiday is just another day to me. I got up at 6am, did my Wii Fit, did some housework and repotted a few houseplants before Jon emerged at 8am. The temperature had dropped by 10°C overnight and Liz & Al were glad of steaming mugs of coffee when they called in mid-cycle ride. 

We needed some wormer and cat biscuits (what a glamorous life!) so drove over to Pets At Home on the out of town retail park. We had a bag of paperbacks so we dropped them off at the neighbouring Charity Superstore. I really want to find something in there, Walsall's children's hospice, Acorns was Ozzy Osbourne's favourite charity, but I always leave empty-handed...we do much better in their smaller shop in Walsall town centre.   

This beautiful 1970s Indian cotton midi dress was £5 on Vinted last year...can you believe it? I have worn it before but neglected to photograph myself in it. 

Despite the sun finally breaking through the clouds it was a bit too chilly to sit outside so I sat in the freshly-swept lounge reading (and finishing) Karma. After tea we watched the rest of Secret Service...it was really good (despite all the ad breaks) and the ending was superb. 

After a change of plan this morning I persuaded Jon to take me to B&Q (a DIY superstore) to see if they'd got anything interesting on offer, snaffling an Acer, a Hosta, a tub of English Lavender, a dramatic black & purple Hebe called "Magic", a Cottage Pink and a Dianthus for £31. If you're wondering about all that tubing, that's our irrigation system, it works on a timer and waters our plants at dusk and dawn so we don't come back from festivals and from our travels to dead plants! 

Back at home we potted up the new plants, got them into position and gave them a good watering. 

I've pulled this All About Audrey dress out of my wardrobe a few times recently but just wasn't feeling it. I put it on this morning and bloody loved it...isn't it funny how the mind works? It's perfect with this vintage 1970s reversible Indian block print waistcoat, another insane Vinted find ...£4!

I've started my next book (another from my friend, Lynn), The Queen's Choice by Anne O'Brien, a historical novel about of the little-known Joanna of Navarre, the second wife of Henry IV.

Now we've finished Secret Service we've got to find something else to watch. Both being fans of Jo Nesbo's books, I'm hoping we can find Detective Hole on our streaming platform. We've also got our guilty pleasure, Interior Design Masters to look forward to, worth watching just for the contestant's outfits (although I love anything interior design related!) 

Thanks for reading, see you soon!