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Category Archives: Growing things
A frosty morning
It is a beautiful frosty morning; the type that we’d get at the beginning of November in Scotland, but is a novelty here, even in January. In the still air, plumes of steam rise from the flues of hard-working household … Continue reading
Posted in Growing things, Illustration
Tagged boilers, brassicas, cabbage moth, caterpillars, chard, flues, frost, January, lime, perpetual spinach, soil, spincah, vegetable patch, vegetables
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Seeds
That’s my annual seed order sent off. I spent hours pouring over my preferred seed catalogue, comparing the descriptions of differing varieties of this vegetable and that, and weighing up whether to stick with a trusted favourite or experiment with … Continue reading
Posted in Growing things, Illustration
Tagged animation, calcium deficiency, children, Circus, flowers, gardening, gif, illustration, January, lettuces, lime, lion, lion-tamer, order, seed catalogue, seeds, soil, tomatoes
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Mould
A small patch of mould had started to form in a corner of the landing window frame. Little Owl spotted it and her eyes narrowed. “Hmmm,” she said to me, hands on hips. “We’ll have to tell the cleaner about … Continue reading
Posted in Family and friends, Growing things, Illustration
Tagged cleaner, illustration, Little Owl, mould, parenting, wet weather
1 Comment
A fishy mystery
This morning dawned bright, clear and frosty; the first frost of the season. We layered up with gloves, hats and coats to walk to school. Finch spent the journey trying to pull his gloves off with his teeth. When we … Continue reading
Posted in Growing things, Wildlife
Tagged fish, frost, morning, perennials, red-veined sorrel, school, sorrel
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Lines and linings
It’s been a week of chilly mornings, giving way to glorious golden September days. We’ve been doing lots of sorting. I’ve been potting on numerous perennial seedlings and lining drawers with this lovely paper. It’s a bit of an old-fashioned … Continue reading
Posted in Growing things
Tagged clothes, double lines, laundry, line-dry, lining drawers, lining paper, september, washing lines
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Pumpkin problems
Something has been eating our pumpkins! We had a prize specimen of which we were very proud. It was getting fatter by the day and turning a fabulous golden orange. But one day it had some teeth marks in it … Continue reading
Posted in Countryside, Growing things, Illustration, Wildlife
Tagged anti-squirrel spray, gardening, illustration, pests, pumpkins, squirrels, vaseline, veg patch, vegetables, windowsill
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Blossom End Rot
Things have gone very wrong with our tomatoes. We’ve had tons but the majority are marked by the same brown rash. It’s called Blossom End Rot. It’s a physiological problem caused by a lack of calcium getting to the fruit. … Continue reading
Posted in Growing things
Tagged beef tomatoes, Blossom End Rot, calcium, cherry tomatoes, deficiency, gardening, green tomato chutney, tomatoes, vegetables, wet august
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Veg patch update
Little Owl did very well in both her performances this week. We’ll be singing the songs to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat for some time to come. I was completely mobbed on the Hook-A-Duck stall at the school summer … Continue reading
Posted in Growing things, Illustration
Tagged beans, blackcurrants, courgettes, fruit, gooseberries, illustration, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, lettuce, parent's evening, peas, pumpkins, raspberries, school play, school summer fete, sorrel, spinach, sports day, sweet peas, tomatoes, vegetable patch
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Garden warfare
It’s going to be a busy week in our house. Little Owl is not just in one theatrical production but two. Then Friday is the school fete. It’s my first ever school summer fete so I’m pretty excited! I’m in … Continue reading
Posted in Growing things, Illustration
Tagged ash tree, children, gardening, Hannah Foley, illustration, illustrator, picture book, seedlings, swimming hippos
1 Comment
June
For my seasonal reading in June*, Steve Roud, in The English Year, describes our misunderstanding of the traditional celebrations around midsummer. He says that we’ve been seduced by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream into thinking Midsummer is when fairies and sprites … Continue reading
Posted in Countryside, Growing things, Illustration
Tagged bonfires, buttercups, common sorrel, countryside, customs, dandelions, fairies, festivals, goldfinches, grasses, great tits, illustration, linnets, ribwort plantain, seeds, sorrel, Stephen Moss, steve proud, the english year, traditions, weeds, Wild Hares and Hummingbirds
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