Gardeners' World
YAY!! Spring looks like it may have finally sprung and summer on it’s way! I know this because:
A: the first chink of light at 4 in morn prompts the cats into *GET UP YOU FILTHY APE!* action
B: I’ve been able to take my cardy off briefly for 5 minutes a day and
C: everything in my garden is approximately 8 1/2 foot tall….which means I’ve got no excuse now and have to tackle it!
Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE gardening, I’m just not particularly good at it. I do try, and like to think I’m all organic and wildlife friendly…that’s my excuse for the 9ft nettles and borders full of bindweed (Monty Don said leave a *bit* for the wildlife) but it’s a hit and miss affair with me and I am prone to being a bit over enthusiastic on the pruning front. He brought me a saw last year (he’s all heart). Within half an hour the place was reduced to a series of stumps; he reckoned it looked like a scene from The Terminator after the nuclear bomb went off.
Himself alas, not so much on the gardening. Quite honestly I’m not entirely sure he knows where it is? He is a back seat gardner though and will happily point out what needs doing, what’s wrong with it and and why I shouldn’t be allowed sharp objects. He also has the job of filling up the bird feeders and baths and he’s having a right fit of the vapours about my latest endeavours.
Bee hotels. I made one last year, which granted did look more like a clapped out b&b as opposed to the elegant hotels on Pintrest, but the bees obviously weren’t that fussy and it was fully booked by end of the summer.
Unfortunately lack of time and any discernible diy talent drove to me to our local Morrisons this year where they are selling much nicer ones for £3.00, so I’ve stocked up.
But oh the moaning! “It’s bad enough I’ve got to feed the elfin’ birds without having to run the gauntlet of a wall of effin’ bees and a border of effin’ stinging nettles!* ….I ignored him and chopped down an unsuspecting triffid.
Anyhow in the spirit of all things garden/bee/insect related I’ve been working on these little chaps!
BZZZZ!!
A busy, buzzy bumble bee! Watercolour bee doing his thing on an abstract flower! Shades of purples, lilacs and warm yellows with all sorts of splishy-splashy stuff going on!
The flower centre (technical garden term) is hand embroidered with French knots in yellow, orange and metallic gold embroidery silks.
Comes with his own incredibly cute white box frame. Overall framed, he measures approx 11cm x 10cm and is currently available on my Etsy shop here :> ETSY
Next bee please!
Another little fella this time he's having a go at some hand stitched lavender!
This one has now sold and i'm delighted to say it's gone to live with a bee keeper...thank you! :)
Righto, secateurs sharpened, wheelbarrow at the ready, cardy off...bring it on Titchmarsh!
Stay tuned for butterfly action my bloogy chums...even he can't complain about them! :)
Ta ta for now and thanks for dropping' by!
xx
Comments
I have a couple of bee hotels with several residents behind neatly folded leaves which i promised myself i would not poke and pry at!
My biggest and most disgusting confession is that there was this awful smell near to the neighbours fence and although i secretly hoped it would be their relatively newly installed downstairs loo so that i could watch the embarrassment of the suction trucks at work, i found out it was a buried bird bath in the bushes, full of fermenting seed!Now heres the really weird bit, ants! when ants are out of their own specific area they get attacked and killed by other ants. Now i obsessed over this, i think i have an inner Buddha, so my sons last words as he set off into the wilderness with an assortment of sharp implements was " dont worry Mom, i wont hurt any ants" and i so know he was lying!