Buzz and I had an outing to the Ripley Castle Decorative Home and Reclamation Show the other weekend. The weather stayed fine and as usual completely forgot to take my camera so here is link Ripley Castle. They hold it every year in May.
Of course, I had to buy something. It would have been rude not to. Found this interesting vintage leather case with drawers inside. Couldn't resist.
It was a bit tatty, locks wouldn't work properly. Inside the lining was pulling away causing the drawers to stick.
Easy fix with book binding glue, brush and wallpaper roller.
Gave everything a really good clean, oiled the locks with Singer sewing machine oil to get them working. Cleaned the leather case with saddle soap, it was filthy, then polished with black shoe polish.
Filled with all my favourite things, Singer feet and attachments in the small drawer.
The bottom drawer is perfect for my rotary cutters and blades.
Decided that the inside colour was a bit naff, so got out some pretty papers.
The garden is looking pretty at this time of the year despite 2 bunnies moving in!
Buzz checking up on what I am up to. The forget-me-nots have seeded themselves all over, they smell wonderful on mass.
The conifer is ready for a hair cut. Love the purple alliums, if you leave the seed heads on they seed around the garden quite well. I fill my borders to bursting to save on weeding gardening for a living means the last thing you want to do on a weekend is garden again!
I put this broken pot on top of the cover of the bbq as the wind in the winter was doing its best to blow it away. A pair of robins have made a nest and are busy feeding their chicks but they are far too wary to pose for a photo so you will have to take my word.
This years tally of wild life in my garden is: Wrens nests x 2, wood pigeons nests in both the front and rear garden hedges, another 2 robins nests in the front garden (one was made in an old watering can), blackbirds nests, loads of hedge and house sparrows. The uninvited creatures are the bunnies and I think, rats under the shed! Unfortunately, the thrush hasn't made its home in my garden so my hostas are getting nibbled by snails.
PS forgot Hegarty the Hedgehog visits the garden, Buzz keeps finding him and won't come in the house.
2nd June - update One of the fledgling Robins decided that the inside of my house was a good place to visit! Found it sitting on my curtain pole. It promptly flew (very badly) across to the other side of the room, then flopped down into a trophy cup on the table (that my partner won) which made it an easy catch. It objected and pecked my finger, it was soo cute. Took it back out into the garden to it's very worried parent.
Cheers
Sharon
Wow! That is a very impressive transformation! The garden looks lovely and such a haven for wildlife, we must have hedgehogs passing through ours as we see their pellets although we don't often see them. The housemartins have only just returned to their nests under the eves and we have messy starlings in the roof all year round! Lots of love to Buzz, the sun must feel good on tired joints and I loved the picture of him asleep with his chew xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Josie, I would love house martins come to stay, they do live over the road and fly around the large tree next door. I was brought up on a farm (my cottage used to be the cow byre) my Dad called Starlings "Stinkers" not sure why maybe cos they are soo messy. We do have some but not as many as there used to be a few years ago. X
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