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it really isn't all bad news ...

I have 'arf felt groggy.

Nothing much, just a dose of laryngitis caused by a viral infection, with a hacking cough and sneezing fits thrown in for good measure.

Dosed up to the eyeballs with Benylin mucus (conjures up all sorts of unpleasantness) linctus, and rather nice sweets (the said wrapper above), there is nothing more to do than sit it out.

Frustrating to say the least being without a voice for well over a week, albeit much to the delight to him indoors!

After many restless nights on the sofa nearly going off my head with coughing, I can happily say today I feel I've turned a corner.



It's been a long time since I've put type to blog. A variety of reasons has kept me away, one being a major loss of heart with all that is blogging.

I figured we all love talking ailments and the weather, so now seemed a perfect time to make my return.

Many parts of the country have seen copious amounts of snow. I was beginning to think we'd escaped it in our neck of the woods, but no it finally arrived, and in plentiful supply too!

With crippled transport networks and mail services, no refuse collections, and panic buying of everyday essentials, it's all been a bit glum.

That's our car under the veil of snow!



Things can only get better, and better they did when the rain came and took away all the snow, and brought back the milk!

Not before I'd taken lots of photos of the white stuff in the garden though.



Keeping warm has been a necessity, and no doubt another astronomical fuel bill is in the making.
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I love real fires, but a gas coal effect one is a good substitute if you're not in enough during the day to keep a real one ticking over.

There's no spits, but you do have to remember not to throw your sweet wrappers on it!



Being home all day I've been able to spend time in our little garden room.

It's quite snug out here with a radiator on, and a good place for keeping an eye on all that is going on in the garden.



Like this lucky black cat, a regular visitor, quite happy just to sit and watch the robin on the birdtable!

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Christmas wishes just for you ...

and a Happy New Year too!

See you again in 2010!

Louise x

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an eco garden ...

A squally weather front has been moving east.



On Sunday we took a walk along the promenade in Worthing.



Where the promenade comes to an end on the western side of the pier, is an eco-garden set up to encourage the conservation of water.

An area on shingle beach, with wooden sculptures and seashore plants. Plants which thrive on water from rainfall alone.



A waxy coating to the leaves of plants will help to reduce water loss.



The sculptures would look really good in our garden, in any garden.



Like me, you may have an area in your garden which in summer turns to desert. It makes ecological sense to enhance the naturally dry, sun-baked conditions instead of constantly trying to alter it.

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There is still colour to be seen amongst the pebbles, even in November.

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Many plants in a seashore garden will naturally self-seed which adds to an uncontrived effect.

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A useful idea or two can be taken away of how to create a water-saving garden of your own.

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sunshine by Diego Patrian

it's a beautiful day ...

I take the train into work, it is very straightforward and the journey time is only five minutes max. I work in a town so taking the car isn't the easiest of options, with the volume of traffic and parking costs to consider. In my previous job, with ample free parking, I chose to take four wheels, and only took the train when I really, really had too.

Drat and double drat, I now work longer hours. Not that I necessarily have to, but these come part and parcel of my new job, and in this climate you really can't afford to be fussy. One regret is I don't have nearly enough time to do all that I enjoy, not only is my blog suffering, my garden suffering, my home suffering, I am suffering!

A redeeming feature of my new job is I do have a very pleasant walk from my home to the station, and from the station to my place of work. You come to realise when you use your own two feet, what you miss being sat at the wheel. Take this morning, what a beautiful day, the sky was clear blue and the sunshine was warm, and for the first time in days, woolly gloves didn't come as standard!

It is such a delight to witness the sights and sounds of the early birds, robins, blackbirds and bluetits and to get a glimpse of front gardens along the way too. You can discover a good idea or two from someone else's patch, and also be reminded of what possibly not to do on your own. Such a shame, some in a state of neglect, being inhabited by non-green fingers, rented, or by someone who just doesn't have enough hours in the day; and gardens being used as litter bins by inconsiderate passers by, strewn with the likes of Coke tins, takeaway containers and the like.

Even though our car stands on the driveway most days now, I would miss it if it wasn't there; but one thing I don't miss is standing outside frozen to the core, on a cold and frosty winter's morning, scraping ice from the windscreen!

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mill hill in shoreham ...

Today we went on a 20 mile round cycle ride (with some walking up the steep bits) along the South Downs Way from Lancing, across to Devils Dyke, down to Hangleton and back again. I had intended to take lots of photos but the weather changed for the worse about a third of the way into the trip, so the camera had to be packed away. Is it just me, or is everyone else starting to get just a little tired of the relentless rain and wind we have been having?

Before we set out, we looked up a five hour forecast on the internet which said to expect possible showers, and brightening up by 11.00 am. We set off on our ride just before 7.30 am and took coats as forewarned. For anyone who knows the area we reached Truleigh Hill before the heavens opened, and they continued to stay open until we reached home again. Our clothes were literally hanging off us, we were cold and sopping wet. In a hilarious way we did enjoy ourselves and kept smiling and chuckling throughout the whole ride, and we did have a flask of hot water with us to make lattes, which warmed us up no end.

We were hoping to have a nose at what was happening at the Beachdown Festival which was being held up at the Dyke? As it turned out all we could see through the mist and torrential rain was the campsite, drenched, cold looking campers and the car park. The scene reminded me very much of what it must be like at Glastonbury, knee deep in mud!

The photo of the lovely calf was taken from cattle grazing land just past Mill Hill in Shoreham. Strangely enough no cows were lying down. Is it true that when cows are lying down in a field, it means it is going to rain?

Mill Hill - watercolour painting by Robert Thome Waite RWS painted in 1867 and presented to the Marlipins Museum in honour of Henry Cheal in appreciation of his work.

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airbourne and two awards ...

You may have noticed from a couple of my previous posts that I have been preoccupied with the weather just lately. Is this a British thing? Anyway, the weather hasn't been too bad over the past few days. These blue skies were taken on Friday am, whilst I was outside in the garden.



You might like these photos Flighty? The aerobatics team The Blades were doing a stint over the surrounding areas of Shoreham airfield and were no doubt down here for Airbourne at Eastbourne, which winds up today. The next main event in the airshow calendar is Shoreham Airshow 2008 which is held at the historic Shoreham Airport, this year on the weekend of the 30-31 August. Fingers, and everything else crossed for good weather, last year the weather was really good.



I received this award today, I love your blog from Sal's Snippets, thanks again. Sal often leaves comments on both my home and garden blog, all of which are very much appreciated. Sal's blog is a great read of crafting, collecting, local history, gardening, all subjects I just happen to be interested in.

The rules for this award are:

1. Please put the logo on your blog.
2. Link the person from whom you received your award.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put the links of those blogs on to your blog.
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them!

My nominations are:

Carol at Katherines Dream
Kathy at Lizzie Jane
Lesley at Moogsmum
Diana at Pebbledash
Celia at Purple Podded Peas
Rachael at Rachael Rabbit
Sairer at Vintage, Pretty & Shabby



I received another award today, this time from the lovely Twiggy at The World of Twiggypeasticks. This isn't the first time I have received an award from Twiggy! Twiggy's blog is a really friendly mix of family, days out, gardening and crafting.

The rules for this award are:

1. Only 5 people allowed.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

My nominations for dedicated followers of my blog are -
Daffy at Approaching 40
Michele at Cowboys & Custard
Gina at Gingerbread
Simone at Linden Grove

My nomination for someone new to my blog, and who lives in another part of the world is -
Christy at Sweet Tidings -whose location is the Phillipines.

In time honored Oscar fashion - I love you all!

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the calm before the storm ...

Red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue
I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too

Today was a beautiful day down here in West Sussex by the Sea, one of the warmest, if not 'the' warmest day of the year so far, beautifully sunny, occasionly being interrupted by very black skies along with sporadic sharp, thundery showers. Whilst working in the garden I happened to spot a rainbow, so I sprinted indoors to find my camera, but of course by the time I got back outside, the rainbow had almost faded away, but you can just about make it out in the photograph.

Spot one of our local birds 'the seagull' on the chimney pot!

I have just put some rubbish in the dustbin outside, and it is so calm, hard to believe that we are possibly facing the worst storm and gale force winds of the year so far?

Don't forget to 'batten down the hatches', it could get nasty.

the weather picture for this evening over the south of england ...

The heavens have just opened and it is absolutely bucketing it down outside, yes I know we don't want another hosepipe ban, and yes I know the garden needs it, but over the past few days every time I try to get rubbish to the bin or kitchen waste to my compost bin, it has been raining, soon I shall have rats setting up home outside my back door! Moan over, I do actually quite like the rain and don't really mind being out in it as long as I have got my hooded coat on me (I don't tend to bother with a brolly these days), and it is rather nice to stand watching it from the window too.

One type of weather that we seem to get a lot of here in the British Isles is rain. Rainfall starts out high in the sky when the tiny water droplets contained in clouds merge together and start to grow in size. Eventually the droplets grow to such a size that they become too heavy to remain floating in the air and fall out of the cloud towards the ground. You may, however, have noticed that not all rainfall is the same. Sometimes the raindrops are small and not easily seen. This is called drizzle and usually comes from low, grey clouds. At the other end of the scale the fast heavy rainfall that we get in summer storms tends to be from larger towering clouds. The amount of rain that falls varies from country to country and often changes between the months of the year. In the British Isles, it is generally wetter in the west and drier in the east and it also rains more in the winter than in the summer.












I know what you are thinking, no I am not a meteorological anorak, but an anorak and wellies would come in handy when out and about in this weather!

* I love pink hearts *