Every Picture tells a Story..~Grow Your Own Update.

Not so many words in this post but A picture Update to how the allotment is growing.. Our Granddaughter is enjoying herself digging and finding worms and treasure.. Wearing her Granddad’s hat.

 

Here she is using the hoe to weed, with Granddad mowing the boarder verges in the background.. She is learning fast and so loves being connected to the Earth she sings all the time..

 

 

OK so the rest of the Pictures will be in the slide show with captions to inform you what is growing in July.. Have a beautiful Weekend and wishing you all a Happy Summer.. Enjoy and remember to Love one another

Click onto the photo’s to take you to an enlarged view within the slide show..

Me busy weeding… A great way to unwind and let the stresses of the world pass you by..

We replanted from cuttings last year and had some Raspberries given us by another generous allotment holder who was thinning theirs down… I think we will get more next year, but this is an early crop, we have others in flower for later crops in the autumn..

Picking the strawberries… getting to them before the slugs and snails do is a race… so I am picking when they are just under ripe and ripening in the kitchen window..

These hungry little snails and slugs are having a feast with our Strawberries, its a case of who gets their first eats. 🙂

Peas coming into full pod,… and Butternut Squash.. This is the first year we have grown this squash, it has yet to flower, but its looking strong and healthy..

To the left you can see some of the outdoor tomato plants.. We have more in a covered large cold frame near the shed and in the greenhouse at home…

Cabbages laced with Marigolds… Last year we were inundated with white fly.. This year fingers crossed the marigolds seem to be working.. as its said their odour deters certain insects…

Kidney Beans and Beetroot .. Love Beetroot.. makes a great smoothie in the morning with apple juice..

A long view of the allotments.. Hubby walking down to shed..

Sweetcorn, Leeks to the right of it.. Onions in the foreground.

Take a break~ Smile you’re on camera….

 

 

Progress ~ Grow your Own..With Recipes

After 4 days and 3 nights of constant rain and cool winds, the Sun is now shining and so I went to the allotment with my Camera to show you how things are progressing.

Its amazing what some rain can do and then some warm sun, how it brings things along.. You wouldn’t think how in a matter of 2 weeks how things alter and grow..  Below was the peas and potatoes two weeks ago.

Now look at them… You can also see we have added French Beans and between the cloches are Courgettes, Also Runner Beans and sweet-corn. 

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You can see my Hubby in the distance busy at work. I went into the allotments Sunday afternoon, and weeded out the Strawberry Beds and put straw around them to help protect the fruits from the soil when it rains so hard… Last year we didn’t have many fruits as these were only young plants that I had replanted from new shoots. But I was disappointed at how many had got spoiled with contact with the damp soil from all the rain.. So I hope the straw helps this year.

I also want to show you the Blackberry bushes.. these have grown wild and rampant  between ours and and our neighbours allotments. We Both love these fruits and so although hubby cut them back as they swamped the wood shed last year.. You can see how much flower is already on them.. So a Good crop I think this Autumn ..

Also this year I am going to collect the Elderberries from a tree which grows between our allotments on the other side.. I found a great Recipe for Elderberry Cordial Syrup .   This syrup is great for colds and flu and more Health Benefits of Elderberries can be found HERE . 

The tree is laden with flower at the moment, and you  could make Elderflower Wine with the flowers. My Aunt always made loads of it when I was a child and I have a memory of it still… Hubby used to do a lot of wine making at one time.. Parsnip Wine is good but the best wine he ever made was Rhubarb Wine and a Strawberry Wine. .. However if memory serves me well, and I asked Hubby it took a lot longer for the Rhubarb to clear.. around 2 yrs in demi jars.. But it was the very best of wine we ever tasted.. And that strawberry wine.. was brilliant too.

Now not everything in the allotments is weed free.. In fact there is a patch behind the shed that really needs tackling.. But even Nettles have their uses..

So here is our Nettle patch behind the shed.. Note how the Dock leaves grow among the nettles. And if crushed and rubbed on the sting of a nettle help relieve the pain of the sting… The reasons why are discussed Here I also read that bathing in Milk soothes too, but when walking in nature we seldom have access to milk straight away! So always look for the Dock Leaf!

I drink lots of Nettle Tea, so why not make your own? Here are several  different recipe’s made from nettles, The nutrition value is amazing in high concentrates of vitamins A, C, D, iron, potassium, manganese, and calcium.

Below is a recent slide show of how things are growing..

 

Enjoy your week.. And thank you for reading.. And Welcome to all my New subscribers.. I hope you enjoy browsing. 

Blessings Sue

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allotment Progress in May ~Grow Your Own

 

The weather has been just right for planting out.. I took these pictures over the weekend.. But since then Hubby has planted the sweet-corn plants and the runner beans have gone in.  As they have now hardened off from the green house..

So today I am taking you on a different walk.. As I take you down to our allotment garden

Above you will see there  are two rows of parsnips then shallots and onions..

On the left here are the Swedes and under the netting is Curly Kale, cabbages and broccoli..

The nets are in place to stop the White Cabbage butterfly from laying her caterpillar eggs.. which last year had a scrumptious feast on our mature cabbages…

We are hopeful this year our Strawberries will yield more fruit I moved the strawberry bed last year and replanted the new shoots out.. We only had a few helpings of strawberries .. But this year by the look of the flowers. I hope to have enough to make some jam too .. Fingers crossed …  I need to get some straw to put under the forming fruit to help keep clean and to stop rotting if we get lots of rain.. 

 

In the cold frame lean-too on the side of the shed.. are some outdoor Tomato plants..  you can also see a tray of leeks..

 

 

 

 

Below you can see how we showed our Granddaughter how a seed started to grow.. Thanks to Jack for this idea too..We used a Runner Bean on a damp paper, also a Potato in a jar of water to show how it would sprout and know how to send roots down and leaves up!.. Amazing even now if we think about how each cell knows how to multiply into being a leaf or a flower.. Even more so when you think of the Human body and how each cell splits and knows what its going to form into! .. Makes you think about the Miracle Life really is..

 

Below is the Gooseberry Bush.. Looks like we will have enough for that Gooseberry Fool too this year.

 

 

We also have 6 rows of potatoes in this year.. 2 row of early ones and 4 main crop.. We have grown less potatoes this year, as last year we planted 10 rows.. and although none got wasted, last year and they saw us right through winter, ( We gave loads away ) This year we are planting other things such as chard, squash and Spinach. So  we have not used up as much room..  In this next photo you can see the potatoes, 2 rows of peas and the sheds at the bottom of the allotment.

 

On the left is Runner Beans and below is Sweetcorn

 

Below  you can see the sheds and the shrubs of fruit, the Raspberries Redcurrants, Logan Berries, Blackcurrants.

Above you can see pot plants such as Gladioli, and lupines also dahlia’s mixed in is Marigolds.. Which we have planted too among the Vegies ..

 

I hope you enjoyed your walk in the Veggie Garden..

Thank you for reading

~Sue~

 

Every Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Those who have been following me for some time know I have had a little time out .. Much refreshed I will let my pictures tell their own story..

So first my ME time saw me getting back to what I love..

 

Second My garden.. I just love spending time relaxing and contemplating as I watch the birds.. So here are some of what is in bloom at the moment in Dreamwalker’s Garden.. 

 

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During the week we had the pleasure of having our 3 yr old Granddaughter for the day.. We took her to a local Farm Park where we fed the goats and birds, as well as seeing so many more.. Please click to the slide show to view closer and view comments 

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This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

And here is the Allotment Garden  and what is growing there.. And I have enjoyed every moment of my Break away… I hope you have saved yourselves so ME time also..

I will be catching up all those who have commented here very soon..

Love and Blessings

And remember to cherish those special moments in your life..

Thank you for reading.. 

~Sue~

Seeds of Alignment

This last few days have been busy in the Dreamwalker household.. Especially for my Hubby who has been busy weeding, digging and planting, while I have been spending some free time painting and baking, and having some Me time in between working the day job.  But I have been planting a few seeds too! 

If we could only all do that, plant a few seeds within our own minds too and water them…. We allow so many weeds of others thoughts and negative  vibrations to swamp our minds we often do not allow our own seeds positive thoughts to grow… We water and feed so many other peoples thoughts as our own.. Not understanding how we are allowing our own thoughts to be bombarded by others perspective . And those good grain of thoughts we had, we allow them to get swallowed and strangled by the weeds and vines of others confining views and opinions  which we allow to live within our minds which then drag us down to a point of despair or depression.

So as April begins and we have to align our thoughts.. This is  an interesting month of renewal and energy growth, not only for our plants, but within our hearts also, as we have the heavens align us to a New Moon which is connecting us to new starts and showing us how to initiate  to new projects.. 

I have not been immune from feeling sensitive from feeling the tension mount these last few weeks, as I have found myself swamped in emotion and I realised in part I was allowing the world at large and those I connect with in daily life to water my own emotional Seeds.. 

I  recently read this could be due to the forthcoming  eclipses of April 15th and 28/29th .. So make sure you align in intension to your highest good. Bringing in the positive energy into your being.. Aligning to our highest intentions as we each of us use the very God given gifts of thought to manifest that which we want to align with in life. Plant your seeds now with intention! ..  

So I will show you what We have been up to and why I have been so quiet on WordPress this last week..

Click onto the Photos to take you a larger view.. 

Enjoy April, And Happy Planting both kinds of seeds in your Life.

A Natures Angel, I painted this for my Granddaughters room..

Below you will see the green house and the seedlings being grown.. 

And here you will see how the allotment looks right now. 

Helping Granddad is another of Natures little Angels.. now 3 our Granddaughter is never happier than digging in the Earth..

 

Enjoy your Together Time Its so precious and Plant your Intentions into the Universe..

Love and Blessings 

~Sue~

People Power and Plants..

I asked you in a  post last year How do we put the world to rights? Suggesting we look in the mirror starting with ourselves.. As Spring is urging us to start and plant seeds as those who grow their own vegetables like my Hubby and I, we have  already prepared the ground and the veggie seeds are already germinating.

Below you will see a short TEDx talk from Pam  who is a co- founder of the Incredible Edible Todmorden initiative, which encourages ordinary people to take control of their communities and their surroundings through civic engagement and food.

I urge you to listen to Pam who  6 years on from starting the project informs with her humorous  banter how that transformational journey in her town of Todmorden has progressed..

She shows how through planting and growing food and sharing it with the town, by turning waste land into gardens that produce food which all the town are invited to pick and eat for free.  She has shown  how the Belief in small Actions have snow balled  in a knock on effect in the community..

And it shows how we each of  us can make a difference in creating a better world.. Where we are not relying on the local authorities.. She speaks how it has set in motion a chain of interests which have benefited local farmers, shops and education as children get involved. And how people are sharing their skills with each other.. 

Change Begins with Us.

We are the Change

She speaks of how crime also was reduced and people started to take pride in their environment… And how local police liaised better than ever with their local community.

Enjoy the video and expect to laugh as some of Pam’s expressive language.

As I go and plant some More Seeds !

 

Thank you for reading and viewing..

~Sue~

Connecting to Earth~Grow your Own

Honour the sacred.

Honour the Earth, our Mother.

Honour the Elders.

Honour all with whom we share the Earth:-

Four-legged, two-legged, winged ones,

Swimmers, crawlers, plant and rock people.

Walk in balance and beauty.

~ Native American Elder ~

Just where have the last few days flown too? These last few days seem to have been hectic with my day job, harvesting, and granny sitting which I just love.  Above you can see how my little granddaughter not yet 3 loves to interact with nature… I am trying to teach her not to be afraid of the creepy crawlies and she had this little fellow crawling up over her arms for over 20 mins as she helped us in the allotments…The caterpillar got safely put back in the grass as she gently lifted him, and now knows that caterpillars poo too as she discovered . 

I seem to have discovered my love of cooking all over again too, and even Hubby who is usually the head cook, has opened his eyes wide at my new found urge to bake more often.. Maybe its the changes in energies as my creative mood seems to have had another boost… So  I will share a couple of recipes with you later in the post.

Ok so remember those Lovely butterflies we have had over Summer?

Peacock Butterfly in our Garden

well we also have had our share of the caterpillars and while some in the allotments have sprayed chemicals to get rid of them, we do not use anything like that so its been a case of share and share alike!.

Devoured by Caterpillars

Remember this when I showed you the lattice leaves on the Brussels sprouts ?

Caterpillar Heaven. Herbert the scare-crow, couldn’t scare the caterpillar’s 🙂 The sprouts are just visible below

Well my hubby set two and stripped off the leaves which were covered in our little friends and then I went and did the same along the cabbage row.

The potatoes are now all dug up, we had  around 10 rows, and some are still drying out in the shed awaiting to be sorted, but we should have around 8 large sacks full.. These sacks hold up to 25kl and have only been filled half way or we would not be able to lift them ..

Potatoes Drying

5 sacks of potatoes, onions and Apples in store

Yesterday we gathered the last of the sweetcorn in, and that is now all safely frozen. we cleared weeds and hoed where the onions were and potatoes were harvested from

Below you can see the sweetcorn patch along with the Leeks and spring onions we set between them. 

Harvest clearance … Sweet corn Patch and leeks in background- Beets in foreground 

 

We are lucky in the fact that we have some wonderful Blackberry brambles around the back of our Allotment shed and have had an abundance of Berries we have picked this year.. In fact upon my travels I have seen many brambles in hedgerows, but would not fancy picking them from the roadside with all of those exhaust fumes which are deposited upon them.

So I made a wonderful Blackberry and Apple Chutney, the recipe you can find HERE. as I added it to my recipe pages you can find on the top bar under Home Cooked Recipes

Then as we have had an abundance of Beetroot my daughter has been adding them to her smoothies and I tried out the Potato and Beetroot gratin which I had never tried before, and we loved it, and I will be making it again..  You can find this recipe HERE upon my Recipe Page.

On the home front in the green house the tomatoes are coming along now nicely as they are ripening, so that green chutney may not be needed. 

Green house Tomatoes

Ripening Tomatoes

I may be quiet again for a time as another busy couple of days coming up again.. I hope you give those recipes a try I was amazed how easy they were to make and they both add that little extra something special to a meal.

Until next time take care and be good to each other..Oh and I am still wading thought the back log of all of your posts 

~Sue~

A Big Thank You to you ALL.

 This is just a short post to say a Big thank you to all of my readers and to those who visit regular and comment upon my posts. You Bring with you such light and encouragement, and I often at a loss to say how much your kind support means.

I logged onto my Blog today and discover that my readership has swelled to 400 followers and so I just want to say a Big thank you for all of my oldest friends who have been with me since my beginnings of Windows Live Spaces days when I started in 2007, My first real post after transferring was called Finding Answers  here on WordPress.  And I remember well spending the best part of a Day getting to know and personalise my header  and  Blog back then as everything was alien that day was in Oct 2010.  A move I am so pleased to have made, as I just love the W.P. Community of friends we have gathered here and whom I have got to know and love. 

And I just want to say a big thank you to all of my newest arrivals who have clicked the follow button.. I hope to get around to discovering your blogs as soon as time allows.And to say thank you to my email subscribers also.. And Welcome, I hope you enjoy my thoughts and if not please don’t be shy to air your opinions for that’s how we grow and learn by sharing knowledge and understanding.

Today I just want to post what I have been up to in recent days besides  the ‘Day-job’ in picture format.. So if you click the photos, you should be able to read more in the caption headings..

Take care all of you and I have a busy week a head in my Day Job, so I will catch you when I can…

Love and Blessings

~Sue~

Half finished, in Pastel

Busy in the allotments still, these are the Leeks and Spring onions,

Devoured by Caterpillars

Caterpillar Heaven.

All finished with buttons now sewn in place.

hat and scarf set to match the cardigan.