🌿Winter Kitchen Windowsill Hanging Basket 🪻🌷💐

 

My kitchen windowsill hanging basket , stuffed full of an assortment of succulents did really well through this fiercely hot Summer and drought . 

There are one or two Begonias in there ....and they are only just getting going now....but too late !  Time to get these plants out and under cover . The basket liner has almost completly disintegrated too .

The metal basket itself could do with a coat of metal paint .....but Ricardo says he can't spare his only paint brush .....meany 😟 .....so I'm hoping the basket can get through another year ....I need to get this basket planted up now .

                    Away we go to the greenhouse !

           Now enjoying the early Autumn warmth of the greenhouse .

                    Bring in the Autumn plants .....and new liner .

I had kept two of these liners in a box in the shed and was worried in case any little creatures might have moved in 🐭....I very tentatively tipped the box open and shook out the folded liners .....

                    Phew ......  it's all good !  

So here we are ! 😃 A typical English 1970's style hanging basket arrangement of wallflowers , silver leaved plant and pansies  ......small bulbs to be poked in as and when I find some at a reasonable price 😉 

                            Peace and Love 🕊️🤍

                                       love Debbie 🌷🪻💐 x

Feeling very Autumnal

 A very blustery morning .  Autumn is beginning to make her presence felt . 🍁🍂

              And here I go sweeping leaves once again .

I feed the earth , replenishing it with layers of spent compost , grass clippings and the fallen leaves .

 The warmth , the rain and the good earth worms will proccess it all over the Winter months .our

The Rhubarb , Parsley and Leeks at the other end of this bed look to be doing well and I think I can allow myself to start using one or two now .

         We took a little trip away , for a little solitude and spiritual healing .

We didn't walk so far this time . In fact we walked along the other direction towards Lyme Regis .....no fossils this time . I gathered some nice pieces of driftwood  .

 The sea was completely calm .

We had lunch in Groves Garden Centre Bridport . Jacket potato , cheese and beans and a lovely fragrant cup of Chai .

  Pocket money was spent on a packet of 2 French Garlic -Messidrome £3.99 which was a very naughty extravagance of me really , as I had said that I wasn't going to do this but just plant out one that I bought from Tescos for 80p   . 

  I will plant them both to compare ! 

Then the highlight of our trip away was visiting the Church of St Wita - near Canonicorum . 

It was a nightmare drive down very narrow lanes - Ricardo terrified we were going to meet a tractor coming the other way ....but thankfully we didn't .

  He was so stressed out that by the time we found it  , poor ol' Ricardo,  he sat in the car to recover , while I walked out on my own to find the Holy Well .

I opened a wrought iron gate and started walking down the footpath . I didn't want to go too far on my own down there . 

 There was a wonderful garden down there , what a beautiful place to grow your vegetables . 

   So peaceful .... the only sound was of the birds singing and the tinkling of this little brook trickling beside the footpath .

                         Was this the Holy Well ...not sure ? 😔

So who was St Wita ? 

A young 9th century Saxon woman of devout Christian faith . A healing woman that lived near to the Holy Well , some say she may have been  a hermit , but she had the job of keeping beacon fire burning at the Golden Cap for the guidance and safety of the ships coming in to trade  .

 So a ship was coming in , guided by St Wita's beacon and the tradesmen in the port welcomed it in .

   But on this occaison the ship was not a friendly one. It was a Viking Longship and they slaughtered everyone ashore .Christians and people in surrounding villages .   Poor St Wita was killed by an axe .

On one of the Church towers you can see a relief scupture of Viking Longship and an axe . Next time we visit I will take better photos . 

It was so lovely to hear children singing as I approached the entrance .🎶🕊️🙏🏼

 I think it was their Harvest Festival .

I waited until they finished their service to go in .

                                           St Wita's Shrine 

                           " + HIC REQESCT RELIQUE SCE WITE "

 The sign at the foot of the Cross translates as " + Here rests the relics of St Wite "

Under her remains are three openings into which people place their prayers and petitions . 

 There is a definate feeling of divine presence here .

 There have been many miracles .

   I presented her with my embroidered Angel and placed my hands inside for her healing and blessings and offered up prayers for myself and everyone in my family .

Then went on to admire lots of the church needlework .

        This church is alive , working and very much loved  .

                                                      🕊️🙏🏼🤍

          The Golden Cap  - where St Wita kept the beacons burning .

            Resting up with a bit of patchwork , back at the Premier Inn  .

I don't really do Halloween . My middle brother loves it , so I'm making him a mug mat .......oh ...and talking of Hallowe'en ( which isn't actually until the very end of October !)  ... this was my only "find " while out fossil hunting this time .

                              Now is that spooky or what ? !!!    🤣

                Aah ...but it's good to be home again !

Sweeping up leaves , picking apples for another crumble , topping up the bird feeders and grabbling another bunch of Lavender .

                              Getting the Garlic planted out .

                         And pulling a few weeds .

 

Watching hundreds of crows enjoying being blown around up in the sky .  It's really blustery today ! They seem to love being tossed about  up there !  🐦‍⬛

Next job is to do my Winter Window Basket . I'm so enjoying Autumn !

                                       Peace and  Love  🕊️🤍

                                            love Debbie 🍂🍁x

Apologies for any spelling mistakes !   🤣

Lettuce - continued 🌱🌱🥬

              🌱  Pricking out my teeny-tiny Lettuce seedlings  🌱🌱🌱

The weather turning cooler should suit them better now .

I have put three or four in each 3"pot . I will grow these on the bench in the shed .

Meanwhile in the kitchen .....

I have tried all kinds of methods to grow Sweet Potatoes....every method failed .

Then yesterday I find two Sweet Potatoes at the bottom of my potato basket in the kitchen .....with shoots growing out of them ! 🤩🌿

  So I think I'm correct in thinking that you are supposed to cut these shoots or "slips" off and pot them up as cuttings ?

    I think that you're supposed to do this in the Spring , but anyway , I guess I have nothing to lose to try and get them rooted and see if I can keep them going through the Winter  . 

    Maybe I'll bring them indoors on my windowsill propagator ......hmmm  🤔

          So off we go to the shed again ....

I cut the shoots off with a little bit of the potato still attached and dabbed them with a little bit of Hormone Rooting Powder .

                       ....and potted them up .

This is not a tutorial . Do not copy me ! I do not really know what I'm doing ! 🤣

                  Also we now have diminishing light levels going into Winter .

                             Anyway , I thought it would be worth a try .

       They will probably be dead tomorrow .....I'll let you know how it goes .

                                       Peace and Love  🕊️🤍🌿

                                                    Love Debbie 💐x

p.s. Oh ! My goodness it's October tomorrow !