BLOWING IN THE WIND

Good Morning to you,

When it comes to gardening, I have a clear idea of the style of garden I want to create. This comes from creating many different gardens in the many different homes we have lived in.  Not for me the formal style of garden. Not at all, give me curved, undulating borders, which are overflowing with flowers.  I love flowers which self seed and pop up in the most unexpected places.  It can make for a very interesting border. 

.... but the one thing I really have to think about, before any planting begins, is where to place my whirligig.

I could not live without my whirligig, because I love to see my washing blowing in the wind. When I unpeg the dry washing and take it indoors, I just love the fresh, outdoor smell.

.... and there is definitely a difference when it comes to drying sheets in a tumble dryer versus sheets which have been dried on a washing line. To my mind, no amount of 'perfumed smellies' can recreate that fresh, outdoor smell.

Sadie, my mother in law, used to watch the weather closely, before deciding whether or not to hang out her washing to dry and Phyllis, my mother, is exactly the same. A short break in the overcast weather was enough to have both Sadie and Phyllis dashing outdoors to allow their washing to blow in the wind, even if it was for half an hour.  Of course on days when rain threatened, they had to be vigilant and probably spent most of the time keeping an eye out for the rain.  But each felt it was worthwhile to allow their washing to blow in the wind, even for a short amount of time.

Both Phyllis and Sadie have a washing line which runs almost the length of their garden.  Phyllis' washing line is on a pulley system, so that when the washing is pegged, she uses the pulley system to hoist the washing line high in the air, to allow the washing to blow in the wind.

Sadie, is slightly different, because although the washing line is the same, Sadie uses a clothes prop. When all the washing has been pegged out, the clothes prop is placed in the centre of the washing line, so that the line can be pushed upwards, again, to allow the washing to blow in the wind.

Both Phyllis and Sadie, would never entertain a whirligig.  For them, a whirligig is on the same level as a tumble dryer..... to be avoided at all costs.  But I like whirligigs, because when the washing has dried, the whirligig can be closed and stored in the garage, hidden from view, until the next time it is needed.


So where abouts in our new garden, should my whirligig live.

I have a little system which I employ when deciding where to place it in any new garden. I watch for a few days to see how the sun plays out in the garden and to see which direction the wind mostly blows. Then only when I am satisfied that I have found the perfect place, will George begin digging a hole big enough for the heavy concrete base.  

Now I think you can see, just at the bottom of the picture the base I am talking about.... I have to tell you it is really heavy.

.... and are you wondering why it is half in the ground with the other half above the surface.

Well..... apparently, I am told, it's just in case I change my mind about the placement of the whirligig. Those are George's words, not mine.

The first time George did this, I thought he had only dug half the hole, but he said no, it's because experience has taught him, that I am just as likely to ask him to dig another hole, in a different position. He says it's because when I begin to plant the borders, I am inclined to plant large plants like foxgloves too close to the whirligig..... so much for my well thought out system. Although, I have no memory of doing this, maybe I have a selective memory, who knows.

I will let you know if the washing line stays in place or if it finds a new home. Actually, as the garden evolves, you will probably notice yourself if there is any change.

Oh just one thing before I leave you.

It occurred to me, that last week, I told you about our new neighbour, who bought us a beautiful Chrysanthemum plant, as a gift to welcome us to the neighbourhood, but I forgot to show you a photograph.

Isn't it a beauty.  I have enjoyed it indoors for a few weeks, but I then remembered that Chrysanthemums love to be outdoors, so I have placed it just outside the conservatory, where it will catch some sun and also the rain.

.... and we were gifted with not just 1 plant, but 2.

My lovely friends from my sewing group, presented me with this gorgeous Dahlia.... it is really stunning.

Like I said to you last week, I feel really lucky to have such lovely friends.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

As Always,

HOW TO ARRANGE A VASE OF LILACS

Good Morning to you,

During the past few days, surprisingly, my lilac bush has burst into bud. I say surprisingly, because after all the Arctic weather we experienced, I really thought the buds would be delayed for a few more weeks.

Although the lilac bush is not very big at the moment, I am being patient, because  I know when it reaches its full height, it will be covered with a mass of beautifully scented lilacs.  

Gardening, for me, is about patience. It is not a task to be rushed. For with patience, the garden will reward us with so much beauty.

.... and lilacs are a case in point.

Bob, George's father had passed away a number of years before we moved to Newcastle and now that we were settled, George wanted to plant a tree or shrub, in our garden, which would remind him of his father.

We could not make up our minds, which sort to buy. We couldn't decide if we should buy a brightly coloured plant, which would match Bob's personality or a lilac bush, a plant we knew he loved. We were still undecided, that is, until one sunny afternoon, I was sitting with Sadie in her garden and I noticed Bob's lilac bush was sprouting little shoots at the base of the large trunk. The decision was made. I mentioned to Sadie what I wanted to do and I asked her if I could remove some of the shoots to pot on. She said of course, because it was nice to know that Bob's lilac bush would live on in our garden.  I removed quite a few shoots, because I wasn't sure how well they would transplant. When I returned home, I told George what I wanted to do and he was pleased with my idea.

A couple of the shoots did not survive, but quite a few did and so 2 bushes were planted into our garden and another 2 were left in pots to grow. One each for Natasha and Danielle.

These past couple of years the lilacs have begun to reward us with some flowers and yesterday, whilst I was watering the Pulmonaria,  I noticed the lilac buds had started to open and so I decided to cut some stems to bring into the house.

.... and this was fortuitous, because, remember last week when I left you, I said I was going to show you a little tip I had learnt from a flower arranger many years ago.... well, instead of buying some flowers, I decided to use the lilac blooms from my garden.

Sometimes I really love formal arrangements, 

just like the one I showed you last week... but when spring turns into summer, I prefer a blousy display of flowers.... it matches my style of gardening.  George says this is because, during winter time, it is cold, and I feel contained, hence the formal style, but once the sun starts to shine, I start to open and this shows in my blousy arrangements of flowers.... I love that description.

.... and I think you will be surprised to learn, my flower arranging tip.

.... but first of all,

decide on the vase you want to use.  In my case, I decided to use this lovely pottery vase.  Usually it stands alone, without flowers, but today I thought it would be the perfect shape to use with the lilacs.

Once you have chosen your vase, half fill it with water and mix in some liquid feed.

Cut your flowers to size.

Now this is my secret weapon.  Scotch tape. Does that surprise you?

Place one strip of scotch tape, vertically, down the centre of the vase and allow the tape to overhang by 1 inch on both sides.

Cut the tape and press the tape securely into the sides of the vase.

Repeat on both sides.  In my case I needed 3 strips of tape.

Then repeat the process, but place the tape horizontally.  As you can see in my case I only needed 2 strips.

What you are trying to replicate is,

the grid pattern of the frog insert of a rose bowl.

Place your first cut stem into the centre space.

Then you can add the rest of your flowers.  I usually add my first stem centrally, then smaller stems, 1 to each side and 1  to the front and back.
 Then I infill with greenery.

By placing the scotch tape 1 inch over the sides of the vase, 
this gives the grid strength

 to support the flowers.

There are just a couple of little points, I would like to mention.

Firstly, I have used a creamy coloured scotch tape, but that was so you could see what I was doing. Normally I would use a clear scotch tape.

Secondly, try to make the grid as tight as possible. As the shape of my vase was a little uneven, I was unable to keep the grid tight.... but the grid was still able to support the lilacs.

.... and just one other thing before I leave you.  

Lilacs were not only a favourite of Bob's,  they were also my father's favourite flower.

So when the lilacs are in flower, I have memories of both my father and my father-in-law. How perfect is that.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

As Always

1 BUNCH OF ROSES ~ 3 DIFFERENT DISPLAYS

Good Morning to you,

My goodness, we have been so busy working in the garden this week.

.... and we have had all kinds of weather thrown at us.  I think it would be fair to say, we've experienced all 4 seasons in just one day.

Sunday was a glorious day and when I spoke to Phyllis, on the phone, and told her I was wearing my summer clothes, she laughed and said she did not believe me. To be honest, I could hardly believe it myself. 

You might find it a little odd that Phyllis would laugh just because we were enjoying a sunny day, but there is a reason for this. 

Each Sunday, when I ring Phyllis, she will ask me what the weather is like here in Newcastle.  She knows, before I tell her, because she always checks the weather forecast the night before.... and trust me, it is always much colder here, than in the south of England. So Sunday was certainly not a normal day, because we had warmer weather than the south, which is why Phyllis thought I was pulling her leg.

.... and the reason she always asks about the weather is, she loves to tease George about the difference in the weather. She knows when she says its warm in the south, George will complain about how cold it is, up here in the north.  It's a little game they play. Then George will ask her to send some of the warmer weather up to us, to which she replies, no because he would not send water southwards.

I think I need to explain that last sentence.

A few years ago, because there had not been enough rainfall during the Autumn and Winter, the south of England endured quite a severe hose pipe ban. Somewhere or other, Phyllis had heard that plans were being made to transport water from the north of England to the south (I don't know if this was true). Anyway, she mentioned this to George and he teased her saying that the south had all the warmer weather and we had to endure the rain, so we were keeping our water and not sharing it with the south. To which Phyllis replied 'Well that isn't very charitable' and George answered 'Well you didn't send me any sunshine when I asked for it'. These conversations are very lighthearted .... Phyllis just loves to tease George and as you can tell it is reciprocal, because George teases Phyllis as well and do you know something, this has been on-going throughout our 46 years of marriage. As I said, this is all lighthearted, and they never tire of teasing each other.

.... but on this occasion, George did have the last laugh, because it was warmer here in Newcastle.  I feel sure he will constantly remind Phyllis of this one and only day when the north was warmer than the south.... the teasing on both sides will continue.

So after Sunday's conversation with Phyllis about the beautiful weather, Tuesday turned out to be a shocker of a day as the weather changed, the sun was still shining, but Arctic winds blew from the north and oh my word it was cold.  

We decided not to let a little thing like the cold wind obstruct us from working in the garden. I still had a few more plants which I wanted to divide, so we organised all our gardening equipment. We were ready to start work, when out of the blue, hail stones tumbled from the sky, and oh my, did they bounce off the ground. So we had to run indoors.... yes we left the tools in the garden, not good gardening practice I know, but we needed shelter.  We waited 10 minutes before the hail stones eased up, then back into the garden we went.  

I dug up and started dividing a large fern, which had outgrown the area where it had originally been planted. Have you ever tried to divide a large fern, my word it's hard going.  I had to ask for George's help, as I couldn't divide the fern myself.  I couldn't even push the fork halfway through the clump. We were making headway, we were half way through dividing the fern, when the rain arrived.  Just little droplets at first, but the kind of rain which we call 'wet rain'.  I know that sounds silly, as all rain is wet, but you know the fine rain, which you think you can stay out in longer than you actually can, but which soaks you, before you know it.  Well that happened to us. So back into the house we went for another half an hour.  We were not giving up, although this time we took all our tools back into the garage.... and we waited.

The rain passed and out came the sunshine.  The wind was still cold but the sun was beautiful.  So the gardening clogs were put back on our feet and armed with our tools, out into the garden we went once again.  We were not going to let a little thing like hail, wind and rain stop us.   We were making great headway. The fern had been divided into 4 plants and bedded into their new shady area.  They were watered in and seemed happy enough.

I then dug up some Hostas which again had outgrown their space and just when I started to divide them.... the snow arrived.  Yes snow at the end of April. By this time, I have to say, my nose was bright red because I was so cold. We could see from the sky, that the snow was going to be passing quite soon. So once again, we left our tools and went back into the house.... and I have to say, I was so grateful for the warmth.

By this time, you would have thought, we would have given up.... but no, we were on a mission, we wanted to finish our tasks. We waited, still clothed in our gardening clothes, but this time I made a cup of tea and we warmed ourselves up, before going back into the garden. 

We did complete all our tasks and thankfully, we were able to do this without anymore rain, hailstones or snow.  The ferns were divided and replanted, 6 Hostas were given new homes, Astilbe, which grows so well in my garden was divided and I have spare plants which I am going to share with my friends.... and although it wasn't the right time, I divided my white Dicentra (Bleeding Heart) because it had become a little overcrowded with the Alchemilla Mollis growing beneath it.

When we finally went indoors, we were so cold, our noses were red, our hands were cold, but we both felt a great sense of achievement. 

I checked the plants this morning and everything has settled in well, not one plant has wilted, which I am grateful for.  Even the Bleeding Heart has settled in well. So all in all a good days work.

So what am I doing today.

Well although my garden is coming along nicely, there is nothing to show you, as yet,

but earlier today when  George returned home from his daily swim, he surprised me with a lovely bunch of roses.... my favourite flower and my favourite colours.

So I thought I would share with you a couple of arrangements.  This is my favourite, because I love using rose bowls. This one was gifted to me by Sadie, my mother in law for one of my birthdays.  She knew I loved rose bowls and surprised me with this one.

but first,

this is how the bunch arrived, complete with  long stems. Sometimes I do nothing but trim the lower leaves from the base of the stem and pop them into a tall vase or container as I have done here. It is very informal, but lovely.

Whilst other times,

I prefer this smaller arrangement.  I love Gypsophilia with roses, there is something quite light and airy about this little plant.  Each year I plan to plant some in my garden, to use for indoor arrangements, but as yet, I  seem to have let this idea slip by.

Other times,

I will divide the roses into small rose bowls. This rose bowl was a gift from Phyllis.  She had been out and about in Southsea when she came across this little rose bowl and knew that I would love it.

The little bell, has a whole other story behind it, which I will tell you another time, otherwise you will be here forever.

.... but the one thing I always do,

when I receive a bunch of roses is, I immerse them in water straight away.  Then when I am ready to create my display, I choose a clean vase and half fill it with water. I then add liquid plant food to the water and swirl it around the vase. I decide on the length of the stem I want and I cut the stem at a 45 degree angle.  I then boil a kettle of water, pour 1 inch of hot water into an old cup, which I keep for this purpose , and immerse the bottom of the stem into the cup of water.  I count to 5 and remove the stem. I then place it in the vase or rose bowl, whichever I am using at the time.  

This may sound an odd thing to do, but many years ago, I attended a flower arranging course, and the instructor said, the reason a lot of roses droop when placed into a vase is because of air bubbles trapped inside the stems.  By immersing the stems into hot water this helps prevent air bubbles.... and do you know it works.  In all the years I have been flower arranging I have never had a droopy rose. 

Just in case you are wondering why the rose stem is cut at a 45 degree angle, it is to allow the stem to take in water more proficiently. If the rose stem was cut horizontally, the stem would sit in the base of the vase and this might prevent the rose from taking in water and again the rose would not  fully open. 

.... and as roses are my favourite flower, whether indoors or out in the garden, it would be a shame to loose the flower too soon.

Give this a go and tell me if it works for you. Or maybe you have hints and tips of your own that you would like to share. I would love to know.

Oh before I go, I just had a thought.  If you do not have a rose bowl, I have a little trick, which again I was taught years ago, which will help.... but not today, as I really must leave you and allow you to get on with your day. I promise I will show you next week.

Take care and I will see you next Thursday.

As Always,

3 SMALL CUTTINGS OF MINT = 3 LARGE MINT PLANTS

Good Morning to you,

If you have been reading Ivy, Phyllis and Me! for a little while, then you will know how much I enjoy reading magazines. My love is so great that as much as I try, I find it hard to throw them away. The trouble is, I always feel, sometime in the future, when I get around to re-reading the magazines, I will discover a useful tidbit of information that I had missed first time around.

The reason I mention this, is, the other day it rained non-stop, so I decided to have one of my  half hearted sort outs. When I say half hearted, I mean that I don't approach the task with the same enthusiasm, as I do when I am cooking or gardening. I take it a little slower. So whilst making a 'to keep' pile and a 'to give to friends' pile, I came across a copy of The Lady, dated December 2013.  Should I throw it or keep it.

.... mmm, decisions, decisions.  So I decided to read the magazine before I made my decision, to see if I had highlighted any articles of interest. Your wondering, had I not already read it in 2013? Possibly, who knows, I really don't remember.

Do you know, I may not remember reading the magazine, but I do remember exactly where I was, when I bought this magazine.  Natasha and I were in London, we were visiting  friends when we decided to pop into town to have lunch.

We went to Covent Garden.... I really must sort out those photos for you.  We went to Carluccio's for the most lovely lunch. I even remember what I ate for lunch.... Eggs Benedict, that's a surprise that I remember the food I ate, but not what I have read. We went on to spend a lovely afternoon in the iconic London store, Liberty's.

.... but back to the magazine. One of the articles which caught my eye was a snippet about the suit, worn by Gene Kelly in the film Singing in the Rain. It was on sale for $160,000.  Apparently the grey woollen suit still had the water stains from the wonderful scene, where Gene Kelly is getting thoroughly wet, dancing and splashing about in the rain.

By all accounts the owner bought the suit from an MGM costume sale in the 1970s.... and honestly, you will never guess how much he paid for the suit..... $10, yes $10... what an investment, who would have thought that a 65 year old, water stained, woollen suit, would be sold for so much money.... and as much as I love Gene Kelly's performance, I can't imagine ever buying the suit for $160,000.  Do you know, with my eye for a bargain, I think even I, would pass the suit by, for $10.  So much for my keen eye,  it is obviously not keen enough.

.... and then I was watching a documentary about the life of Marilyn Monroe in which her personal items were being auctioned.  Once again, you will be astounded to hear how much was paid for that iconic beaded dress, which Marilyn wore to sing 'Happy Birthday Mr President' to John F. Kennedy.

Wait for it..... drum roll..... are you ready? $4.8 million.... I was astounded.

.... and then, at the other end of the spectrum, after reading The Lady, I discovered a 1926 Newcastle Daily Journal newspaper, which I had bought a number of years ago. Upon opening this large newspaper, I was informed I could buy a country residence with 9 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, front and back gardens, fruit trees and 2 acres or thereabouts (that is what was written in the advert) of land for £1,500. My word how times have changed. Properties in the area are selling for over £1 million nowadays. Having said that back in 1926 £1,500 was a tremendous amount of money.

.... and today, am I going to share with you something which costs oodles of money.

Oh no, I feel sure you would much prefer something which saves you money. 

I am going to show you something very inexpensive and it is something I do throughout the summer. 

So without further ado,

I am showing you, how to take 3 small cuttings and turn them into 3 large mint plants.

Now I know mint is a rampart plant and it can easily take over a whole patch of ground.  So we have to take care where it is planted. 

I don't plant my mint in the ground, I plant it in large terracotta pots with a water base, so that the roots cannot escape into the ground. This way, the plant is contained.... literally.

.... and why would you want to make 3 plants out of 3 cuttings if it is so rampant.  The reason is, I love mint tea and I love fresh mint tea, which I make from the mint grown in my garden.

I also dry the mint leaves ready for winter use, because the plants die back during the winter and don't return until early Summer when the warmer weather returns. 

So as there is a slight change in the air, I decided to see how my mint plants were growing in the garden. I was a tad disappointed because we have had so much rain during the winter, that I don't think the mint was particularly happy, this year.

So I decided to pay a visit to our local garden centre to buy a new pot of mint and,

when I arrived home I divided the 4 stems.  As you can see the roots are growing, but because the plant was stressed by dividing it, I decided to,

pop the stems into a glass vase.  I placed the vase on my kitchen windowsill for a week and as you can see the roots multiplied tremendously and were ready to be planted.

As the shoots are small and it is still quite cold outside, I chose a bowl which I could leave on my kitchen windowsill, which will encourage the new plants to grow.

I placed a multi purpose soil in the bowl and I planted each stem into the bowl, with enough space around them to grow.

Once I see the plants are growing, I will nip the tips from the plants to encourage new growth lower down the plant. As the plants grow and become a good size, I will place each  plant into a slightly larger pot and place the 3 pots outside, so that they can grow away. As the plants outgrow their pots, I will place them into larger pots until I have the size of plant I want.

When they have become a decent size I will show you the results later in the summer.

Have you by any chance noticed that the bowl in the photograph above, has 4 stems and in the 1st photograph I showed you, it has 3.  Well, I had a slight problem. One of the stems broke in half. I cut the stem back and thought I would pop it into the bowl, and although it looks alright in the photograph above, after half an hour it had  wilted. So out it came and 4 became 3.

I just had a thought, would you like to know how I increase my stock of basil plants? Way back in August 2012.... now that was a while ago, I showed you how I cultivated a bought basil plant. It is such an easy way to increase your plants.

.... and if you want to know how I make Mint tea, press this link to discover how.

The weekend is almost upon us and I am hoping the weather is kind so that I can get out into the garden. Don't you just love this time of year when everything is stirring in the ground.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

As Always.

FROM LITTLE GARLIC CLOVES ~ LARGE GARLIC BULBS GREW

Good Morning to you,

Have you noticed, when we pass people in the street, we are often privy to some lovely conversations, which aren't really meant for our ears, but we can't help but overhear. Of all the conversations which I have overheard, I have never heard a snippet of conversation, like this little gem.

This is what I heard, as I passed, two gents talking to each other.

'Let's round it up to a nice £100,000.00.  That is such a nice, round figure.'

I drew a gasp, which luckily was not loud enough for them to hear, and I carried on walking towards my car.

I was on my way home after spending a lovely morning with my friends.

.... and while I was driving home, I started thinking.... have I ever thought of £100,000.00 as a nice round number.... well the answer to that question, would be no, because to tell you the truth, I have never thought about the sum of a  £100,000.00. It is a number which has never figured in my life.

.... but let's pretend.  If I did have access to a spare £100,000.00, what would I do with it.

There are the obvious answers, such as, pay off the mortgage, share the money with our daughters and family and give to charity. I mean that goes without saying.

So apart from all the obvious answers, of which there are many.  If money was no object and I had this amount of money available to me, what would I spend the £100,000.00 on.

Being the thrifty person I am, I could visit the Pound Shop 25,000 times, spending an average of £4 per visit. Would I tire of that, probably, because although I am thrifty, I can't think of enough things to buy. So I wouldn't be able to spend my money there.

I could go to the cinema approximately 16,600 times. The problem with that is, will there be that many films which I will want to see.... probably not, plus I don't have enough years in front of me, to go to the cinema that many times.

I could buy 16,666 pairs of shoes at £60 a pair. Would that make me happy.  Initially, I would say yes, but after buying the first couple of pairs, the excitement would wear off and I would become bored. The pleasure of buying a new pair of shoes would then disappear.  

Then how about my garden. Can you imagine the amount of specialist plants I could buy for my garden, but I wonder, would I be any happier with my garden, than I already am. Would I look at each expensive plant and think 'How wonderful, I own a plant which cost £100, £200.... or even more'. I just know I wouldn't. I have created most of my garden, by swapping plants with friends and family, buying plants from car boot sales and the Pound Shop and discounted plants at my local garden centre.  My pride and joy, and only expense for my garden, are my David Austin roses,  but I have to tell you, each time I buy a David Austin rose, I feel a warm glow inside, because I just know the rose is going to be stunning when it flowers.  So I don't need a £100,000.00 spent on my garden to give me pleasure.  

In fact, my favourite gardening expedition, was when Natasha and I went to the Chelsea Flower Show. On the very last day of the show, the plants are sold very cheaply, so as you can imagine, this really appeals to me. Each plant we bought was such a bargain. You should have seen us trying to carry our roses whilst boarding the train.... it was hysterical. When we left the Chelsea Flower Show and looked around, there were so many like minded people, struggling to carry their plants, whilst walking towards the tube station. Also like us struggling to maintain their grip on the plants they had bought, and also like us, loving every minute, because the pleasure they would receive, when they arrived home with their plants in tact, would be immeasurable.

So if there is nothing I would wish to buy for my garden, 

.... how about a diamond ring. I have to tell you, I couldn't bear wearing a ring which cost so much money. I mean, what's the point.  Yes the ring would be beautiful and yes it would be sparkly, (and I do love a bit of sparkle) but would I be filled with joy each time I wore the ring. Again I don't really think so, and if ever George decides to buy me a ring, I'll wear it and let you know (truly I am only joking as that will never happen). So I can cross an expensive diamond ring from my list, as it is not for me. 

I've just had a thought.... another reason an expensive ring would not be for me, is, it would probably disappear just like my reading glasses. I'd put the ring down, then never be able to find it again.

The list could go on and on. 

So what would you do with a spare £100,000.000. 

I just know, you will want to list all the kind things you would want to do, but this is just a fun question, think of something frivolous.... I can't help you I'm afraid, because I'm still thinking.

So while we are both thinking, it is time to tell you, that the music I am listening to today, is taken from a lovely triple album which George bought me last Christmas. The album is called 'The Fifties Album' and it is chock-o-block with one of my favourite genres of music. It has been difficult to choose just one, but finally I have chosen,

Let's Face The Music and Dance

sung by Nat King Cole.  George's father loved Nat King Cole and every time I hear him sing, memories of Bob come flooding back to me.

Now I have to tell you, today, there is no baking or cooking, instead I thought it was time to share with you the results of the garlic cloves I planted in September 2015.

You have no idea, how hard it has been for me, to leave them alone, but leave them I did.

Until,

a couple of weeks ago.... and look at these little beauties.  I am thrilled.

My friend told me that garlic grows in a similar way to onions and that when the stems start to look as if they are withering away, it is time to dig up the bulbs.  The important word is dig and not pull.

This is how the garlic looked in May.... very healthy don't you think, but not ready to be dug up.

Now between you and I, I think maybe I left them a little too long.  Looking at these pots, you would think there would be nothing to show for all my trouble.

So I was a little apprehensive when I put the trowel into the soil. I really should not have been worried, because this was the first little beauty which appeared. Out of the 5 cloves I planted in each pot, I dug up 4 garlic bulbs.... I am so pleased.

.... and the second pot which I planted still had the stems attached when it came to digging up time. It didn't seem to make any difference to the size of the garlic bulbs, they were of a similar size.

I have since learnt that I should have kept the stems in tact so that I could plait the stems.... lesson learnt for next year.  You can see how well that single clove grew into a bulb.

.... and if you are thinking.... ooh I don't like the look of those garlic bulbs.  Just take a look at how they look when they are cleaned and the skins removed.

I was so thrilled with these garlic cloves, that I used these straight away.  I tucked them into the cavity of a chicken, along with some quartered lemons and I slow cooked the chicken.

.... but that is something to share for another time.

If you would like to read how I  planted my garlic cloves, then  pop over and see how it all began. Give it a go.... honestly with the right planting conditions, you will not be disappointed.

Oh and before I leave you.  As far as the £100,000.00 is concerned, I still haven't thought about how I would spend it.... I think it is just too much money for me to think about.

Take care and I will see you next Thursday.