Art for Heart's Sake

Oh Crikey!! 7 Days!!

Hi honeys, oh boy I've done it again... I must stop apologising for not posting daily the way I used to - the truth is I don't have the time these days it seems.  The time I would normally use to do a post is being taken up with website maintenance and answering emails, processing orders!  

I love my blog and it does make me sad that I'm not being constant any more.  I might try doing a post every second day even if it's just a very short one!

This past week has been very busy with seedlings, seed sowing and potting up more perennials.  I'm trying not to do any work during the weekend but now that I have a plant stand at the end of the drive that doesn't seem to be working too well.  I refreshed my stand this morning and have put my first lot of tomato plants for the season there.  I will have tomato plants right through until early November!

We are still no further ahead with what's wrong with our darling Monty.  The blood test they took 1.5 weeks ago wasn't processed until last Thursday because that is the only day they run this particular test.  Unfortunately, as we found out from the vet late  yesterday, the lab stuffed something up so the test didn't work.  Poor, poor Monty has to go back to the vet on Monday pm so they can take more blood.  I hate doing this to him because he gets SO stressed at the vet clinic.  What's worse is he's getting thinner and some days you can just tell he is NOT at all happy!  Keep your fingers crossed!

I must get back out into the garden.  I'm weeding an area that is still really boggy but the perennials that are re-emerging need to be rescued from the weeds!  Smiles..

Beautiful Blossom

Here it is:

I love Spring so much.  There is such a feeling of new growth and hope in the air and the birds are beyond busy building nests ready for their offspring.  We had a fairly good week weather-wise with less rain than we've had lately.  We did get very gusty NW winds yesterday and a few blasts of rain but it didn't come to much.  I'm trying to weed an area of the perennial garden today and it is marginal re being able to without throwing out too much soil with the weeds.  I have to do it because some of the weeds are lawn grass and they are just going to get harder to pull out.  I also need to aerate some of the areas where the ducks have been walking/sitting because the soil has become quite compacted.

Ballet was wonderful this week and I'm so excited - we're going to be doing 10 minutes of pointe work at the end of every Wednesday night class from the beginning of Term 4.  I must wear my pointe shoes around the house a lot to help break them in.  I've started but haven't really worn them for a few weeks now.  I did my barre work in my demi-pointe shoes at practise on Thursday (look like pointe shoes but you don't go up on pointe in them) to help strengthen my feet.  I take them off before I start the centre work because they're a bit too slippery and ungainly for that work.

I think I mentioned that I'd lost my favourite swallow stencil a couple of months ago.  I was so thrilled this week because the woman who does them had stopped but she contacted me after I saw her on Facebook again and I now have my tiny swallows back.  I don't have the middle size but that's okay, I'll cope without it.  It was so lovely of her to do this for me.

Well I must get back out into the garden.  The weekends are precious because my weeks are packed full of seedlings, seeds and potting mix!  Smiles..

A Huge Sigh of Relief & Photos!

Hi honeys, I just breathed a huge sigh of relief because the last couple of times I've tried to sign in over the last few days to post I haven't been able to get onto the site for some reason.  Crikey and phew!

Yet again my brain is like a washing machine permanently on spin cycle, giggle.  I got my 24th order from my website this morning which is so exciting.  My brain is spinning because I need to find the time to split up, take cuttings of and sow seeds of many more perennials.  Aaaggghhhh... my seedlings are holding me back!  I am definitely working towards not doing my seedlings for two places any more, but more about that in the near future.

I took some photos of some gorgeous flowers over the weekend and here they are:

Lunaria annua ''Sissinghurst White'' (Honesty).  This gorgeous creature smells very much like jasmine and lights up shady areas beautifully.

Pulmonaria longifolia or Lungwort.. I love the blotchy foliage and the contrasting blue flowers.  Just gorgeous and loves semi-shade.

Cerinthe major ''Pride of Gibraltar'' or Honeywort.  The olive-green foliage is a perfect foil for these stunning flowers.

Well I'd better go and leap back into my farm shed and start madly potting up and sowing seeds - that's after I've put aside the plants for the last three orders I've received, pant pant. Smiles...!

 

 

Brain is a Washing Machine on Spin!!

Hi honeys, well my brain is like a washing machine on permanent spin cycle at the moment.  Oh wait - it must be SPRING!!  I am eating, sleeping, dreaming, walking, talking, thinking seedlings permanently at the moment.  Add to that my perennials for my website and you have total upheaval inside my head!  Giggle, this too shall pass!!  I'm dreaming of next winter already.. wash my mouth out!!

I managed to get one small area of the perennial garden weeded and composted on Sunday.  I even managed to plant a couple of perennials in that spot too, yipppeeeeeeeeeeee!  Oh my goodness the ground is SO wet in certain parts of the perennial garden that I simply can't weed it.  I dug up a cranesbill geranium to split it up yesterday and it was literally sitting in pug!!  Ugh!!

Needless to say I can't weed most of that garden at the moment and it may be a few weeks before I really can.  Glass-half-full - at least the weeds will be larger by then and easier to get out (that's my theory and I'm sticking to it).

I received some new signage for my car late last week and we finally go it on the car on Sunday afternoon after John washed it (the car that is).  Here's a pic:

I love it and I drove the car at 100km/hr this morning and they stayed on which is a bonus.  Long may that continue!  It's lunchtime so I must go and get something to eat, I'm starving!  I have ballet tonight so dinner won't be until 8pm when I get home.  Smiles..