❄️Insulating my Greenhouse ❄️

 The sunset this evening was glorious !  Our evening walk and picnic along the cliffs .  I thought I'd share a picture that I took .

It has started to turn very cold in the mornings and tonight the temperature is forecast to go down to single figures .....sevens, eights and nine degrees....and maybe six degrees celsius . 😮 Ricardo says he's heard ......possibly five degrees celsius ! 😬

So I limped up to the shed to pull out all my greenhouse insulation stuff .

I have been re-using all this stuff over and over again for years . I did buy another windscreen shield thingy . 

I slotted that up behind Lord Buddah . It is the North facing window . 

There is another one on the East facing side .The Epiphyllums are all along that side.

I'm hoping to ripen up those Sweet Peppers on the left hand side , we have one more lovely sunny day ☀️forecast for tomorrow ; then rain , rain and thrice rain...possibly forever after tomorrow . 🌦️🌧️⛈️🌦️🌧️

I also want to pick and extract the seeds from the Epiphyllum seed pods on the right hand side . I'll be sowing them at some point during the winter on a heated windowsill propagator .

Then , with the help of my dad's old hockey stick , I rolled out the insulation stuff along the greenhouse rafters . This really does help to keep the warmth in .

Next I put old polystyrene packaging along the benches to stand more tender precious plants upon Mostly Cacti and Succulentsand a few South African bulbs .

( Note second toe along now turning black after falling down the stairs this morning....I think I might have broken it but they can't really do anything for broken toes . So tonight I'll tape them together with a plaster and take some paracetamol . . . . goodness how it hurts ! 😬)

So , a bit of shuffling about of pots and I think I have made a fairly good start .

I'm hoping to find a bit more polystyrene maybe at B&Q , supermarket or maybe the rubbish tip . Anyone got any old polystyrene they can give me ? !  😃

           I need a bit more to go along the sides .

Then all I need to do next is throw over the frost fleece fabric as and when we get a particularly cold night warning  .

I also have a candle lantern on a breeze block ....but rarely ever need to use it .

I must remember to get some more candles and a packet of matches next time we're shopping .

So it's all looking pretty good in the greenhouse , for tonight anyway .

   .......as for myself - with my old stone hot water bottle wrapped safely in a towel ....my feet will be cosy and warm all night long !

                   Peace and Love 🕊️🤍 and sweet dreams ✨✨✨

                                  love Debbie 💐x

It's Turning Cold !

       O.k. it's time to start wearing my fingerless gloves !  Chilly morning !

I planted the little foundling Marigold into my window hanging basket .

And I splurged out and spent £6.45 on 10 Botanical Dwarf Tulip Bulbs  from Oliwiers Online Store on Ebay uk .🤩These are dainty little species Tulips . A bit special .....like me 🤗 ! They should give a bit of sparkle to the window basket .

                              ✨💫✨✨✨⭐             

So then I went indoors for a quick cup of tea before going to church ....dashed upstairs to wash my hands , tripped , twisted my ankle and fell on my face  .😑 Ricardo helped me get up . I'm okay . . . a bit shaken up . A couple of bruised toes . Limped into church .  😏

So I think I'll be resting up this afternoon....with my needlework basket .

 My black braid has arrived so I can do a bit more of my Angel embroidery .

                               Peace and Love 🕊️🤍

                                            love Debbie 💐 x

Another Day in the Greenhouse - Outrageous Cactus 🌵

                      An absolutely glorious morning !

I'm aching too much to work on this today . 

I got about a third of the way trail-blazing along and just about up to the dovecott .

The brambles and branches are lying in heaps  , I'll see how I feel this afternoon . I would like to at least clear away those heaps up to the bonfire area .

It rained over night and the ground is very slippery on this north facing sloping area ....and I don't want to end up in hospital again as happened this time last year .

So off to the greenhouse I go to just gently potter about 🌵😀

Peering in through the greenhouse window , two cacti catch my eye .

                                   Echinocactus grusonii

                              Gymnocalycium saglionis

There it sits keeping company with my Sweet Peppers and  happily enjoying the warmth of the lovely Autumn sunshine .

                                    Gymnocalycium saglionis

        I lifted it to put in onto the shelving unit to look at it closer up .

           It was so heavy it nearly collapsed the wire shelf !

To think it was originally a tiny little thing in a two inch pot forty years ago . I bought it from Mr John Pilbeam's Connoisseur Cacti in Kent .  

  

It seems to have formed a double head . Not sure what this kind of growth is actually called . Very strange . ....... we collectors of cacti and succulents ...we like "strange" !  

                       It has a small off shoot lower down .

I hardly ever water it , to be honest I can't remember when I last watered him and now we are heading to the winter I'll stop watering all of my cacti altogether .

                               See how it has grown a double head .

                                      My foot to show size 😄

What else ?   These Aeoniums are doing well . Very pleased with these .

Oh ! I found these Agave pups that should have been potted up ages ago !

So off to the shed we go ....

                                   There we go , all done !

They can sit in the shed now for a couple of days till get their roots down . 

I think these area mix of varieties . I will be able to identify them as they open their new leaves . 

     I must get those cabbage seedlings planted out  . . . but I'm not doing any more today .

   Time for a cuppa tea and I was thinking marmalade on toast but now I notice the clock and need to get lunch on the go ! 

                        Bobbin the Robin keeping an eye on me !

                                Peace and Love 🕊️🌍🤍

                                              Love Debbie 🌵x