October Bits and Bobs

On this wet and blustery October morning I snapped a few photos of a beautiful rose that my daughter gave me for Mother's Day this year, and which, I'm ashamed to say, sat in its pot until late summer this year.

It is only just flowering now ( as I deprived it of a comfortable bed for so long ) but it was worth waiting for, especially as I hadn't expected it to flower this year, but the mild weather has obviously encouraged it to bloom.

It is a very delicate pale peachy pink, so pretty. It wasn't a named variety so I don't know what it's called as it was just labelled a pink floribunda. It is delicately scented too, and I've planted by the entrance to the drive so in a few years time I hope it will make a good show as you come in.

The pale pink tiny flowered fushia is still going strong

and even this self-seeded marigold is thriving in a crack by the house!

In the back garden the fuschia on the patio is also still blooming away, as are all the summer geraniums, some of which are from last summer which continued flowering on and off over last years mild but wet winter.

And spurred on by mamamercantiles recent post on getting the garden set for winter, I went out yesterday, bought some pretty tulips ( a lovely plummy one, Purple Dream, and a smaller variety Little Beauty, a lovely cerise with purple centre with an RHS award of garden merit), a bag of bulb compost and two new pots (just seen above either side of back door )and actually went straight out into the garden and planted them up!  Usually I have two out of the three elements needed and the bulbs never get planted as I have either pots or compost but not both, and as there is little free space in the borders, and I never seem to be organised enough to plant under trees or in the lawn as an alternative, they sadly and wastefully just get forgotten. 

Any suggestions as to what I could plant in the top of the pots or should I leave well alone? I thought of poking some classic forget-me-nots around them in the Spring, but maybe I should put some cyclamen in for now? Or winter pansies? What do you think? All suggestions gratefully received!  

I tend to do better with pansies than with cyclamen, which I have tried many times to introduce to the garden when  I see them in the garden centres, but they just seem to disappear after a while, never to return! Pansies and violas seem to thrive though.

I also spent an hour or two in the sunshine sweeping the patio, clearing up the clumps of moss fallen from the roof ( courtesy of the birds), and the many autumn leaves, as well clearing up and re-organising pots and planters, so it now looks a lot tidier

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Out and about with a friend yesterday morning, which included the trip to the garden centre for the Tulip bulbs, we pottered in a charity shop and I spotted this lovely Alfred Meakin plate in the "Linden" design, for £2. I find it very hard to spot any pretty china these days so was chuffed to find it, as I am very keen on some of the Alfred Meakin designs of the 1950's and 60's and have a few other plates which I'll share in another post.

Last week I found this useful display shelf in a country furniture shop, not to my taste decor wise as it had been painted in a pale yellow combed effect with patchy peach highlights, and is made in cheap particle board, but the shape is good and it is sturdy. It will be perfect on my stall table for displaying smaller items.

 

I'm not completely happy with the result yet as the Annie Sloan Duck Egg Blue paint that I used came out darker than I expected, especially after putting on the clear wax. It looks light enough in this photo, but it is actually darker and more green in real life, and I wish I'd left the side edges duck egg instead of off-white, so I shall paint over the side trim and see if I like it any better then. If not the whole lot will get re-painted in my favourite Annie Sloan Paris Grey!

I know its still a way off, thankfully, but I'm having to get on with xmassy makings, and have made a 2014 version of the hessian tree hangers I made in previous years as they always seem to be popular.

 and some country style checked stars.

Hope you are not being too battered by the winds today!

P.S. Here's a quick but poor photo of my Blueberry Cowl finished a week or so ago - the colour is lovely and heathery with tiny flecks of turquoise. 

Am pleased with how this one has turned out, and it may, just may, be going to Bella if she can bring herself to wear "something crocheted"!!!

The pattern can be found by clicking on the link on my Ravelry page here