miss marie's miscellany

Three gardens in one day: part 2

Next stop on out garden tour was Glenwhan Gardens. I think this has to be one of the best gardens I've ever visited; it is natural and un-manicured, with gorgeous planting, great sweeps of flowers and foliage.  

 

The garden spreads outwards and upwards around 2 lochans with amazing views from the highest points.

 

There are so many paths winding around the garden and also in between the plants, that you really feel right in the midst of the garden and are able to explore fully. There's lots to catch the eye amongst the flowers

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are even peacocks wandering around, this was the closest I could get before this one ran away

 

I've just let the pictures do the talking in this post :-)

 

Truly a beautiful and inspiring place.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Three gardens in one day: part 1

 

The main reason for visiting Dumfries and Galloway was to go to some of the beautiful gardens of the region, which is situated in the Gulf Stream, hence the  beautiful and lush wealth of horticultural interest. We managed to go to 3, each with a distinct character of their own. The first was Logan Botanic Gardens. This is affiliated to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, and is a plantsman's paradise with exotic species from all over the world. 

 

 

Tropical!? If you look closely, you can see some of the many fish in the lily pond.

 

There are so many eye-catching plants........this is a Lantern Tree

 

 If you look at this tree's bark, you can see how it gets its name -  the Filo Pastry Tree (honestly!)

 

Palm trees everywhere

 
 
   

Gunnera - huge plants, it's like being on another planet standing in the midst of a sea of these.

 

I'll take you to Garden no.2 tomorrow!

 

 
 

 
 
 

2000 acres of sky

When you're at the most southerly point in Scotland, that is just about all you can see.

 

 This is the Mull of Galloway. 

 
 

The road south from Stranraer is quiet and becomes narrower and narrower the further south one travels. The last stretch is a single track with passing places, rough terrain, a bit scary to negotiate. But it's worth it for that view. To the east (in the picture below), you can see Luce Bay and to the west (in the last picture in this post) we could just make out the coast of Northern Ireland.

 
 

There isn't much there....... a lighthouse

 

a couple of cottages and the sea and the sky.

The sun shone and the waves rippled.

 

Peaceful.
 
 
 

Tom's stained glass blanket

I've been working away making my nephew's multi-coloured blanket, a square here and there, but I got behind when I had to go on my travels for work and missed last weekend's birthday deadline. My nephew was very understanding and patient, he knows you can't hurry a good thing! So this weekend I had time for a final push...... this was the state of play on Friday.

 

After a Herculean effort,  all that joining up and starting an edging which just didn't work and had to be frogged, it is complete.

 

I'm really pleased with the end result - I wasn't sure about the colours when I began making this, but I have to hand it to my nephew, he has picked a winning combination and I have tried a palette which I wouldn't have done, but for his choices. He loves it too :-) 

The bright colours against the black edges put me in mind of stained glass, hence the inspiration for the name of this latest crochet creation......

 

Tom's stained glass blanket!
 

Big sticks

Sometimes you come across something unusual which seems to have drawn inspiration from a variety of different sources  

 
 

Seen outside the smart new Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin...... big red knitting needles!

 

Chopsticks? Abandoned stilts?

They also remind me of Venice...... the theatre is right next to the canal after all.

And at night.....

 

they light up.......may the force be with you?!

 
What do they remind you of? 

The longest day

The longest day ended with the most brilliant sunset

 

A glorious sky

 

 with rich and vivid colours

 

You have to stop and look at such a beautiful sight

till it's almost gone. 
 
 
 

Happier

Sometimes, it's little things which can cheer you up the most

 

A visit to see friends who live by the sea

 
 

Some new arrivals in the garden

 

A new WIP

 

And if all else fails, something sweet will hit the spot (sorry this pic is a bit blurred, I must have been excited at the impending sugar rush)

 

(In case you're wondering, the lovely pudding above was rhubarb creme brulee with ginger biscuits and was to die for!)
 
  

 

A bit of calm

Life is taking some strange turns for me at the moment

 

Testing times, not much to feel happy about when one's livelihood is threatened  

 

I'm trying to remain optimistic, trying to see the positive side of a negative situation, even though it's very difficult to do so

 

I'm determined to keep this blog a worry-free zone

 

I will be escaping here to share the things which are making me feel good and happy, things which are cheering when everything seems dark

 

I hope you'll bear with me if posting is a little sporadic ......

 
 but I will be back soon :-)
 
 
 
 

 

May collage

A month of contrasts of temperature, starting off cold and ending warm and promising. A month of tulips galore, they have brought wonderful colour to the garden. A month of happy crochet projects, including a special gift. A month when I visited some old haunts and places I'm glad I re-acquainted myself with.

 

This is the first time this year I've been able to post lots of flower photos, something which makes me very happy! Enjoy :-)
 

Wool, new and old (and a new crochet cushion)

In these cash-strapped times, it's always good to find something that seems good value. Buying wool can be an expensive business, especially if you go for pure new wool. I'd love to be able to use this more than I do, but just like the UK government, I'm having to make drastic cuts to my out-goings. All my recent makes have been blankets or cushion covers, things which (in my opinion) are better made with wool which can take some wear and tear and is machine washable.  I know some people turn their nose up at acrylic yarns, but I don't have a problem with them, I think they are reasonably priced, crochet up well and keep their shape and don't shrink after washing. I found a new brand recently which I'm liking a lot, Stylecraft Life DK, which is a blend of 75% acrylic and 25% wool.   

The colours are rich and vivid and it has a nice soft feel with enough wool content to make you forget about the man-made stuff.  I got these for £2.25 a 100g ball, pretty good value I'd say. I've been making a little something with some of the colours......

I started making these squares a couple of weekends ago  just to see how the wool fared. I can report favourably, it doesn't split and feels soft on the hands, the stitches look nice and neat and uniform too. 

 

It's a homage to the Babette blanket! The pattern is from Jan Eaton's book 200 Crochet Blocks; I made one of the large squares to start with and then varied the repetitions of rows to get the small and medium sizes. 

  

The lighter green wool in those squares is made with Sirdar Countrystyle DK which is a firm favourite of mine. This is a 45% acrylic, 40% nylon, 15% wool blend. The range of colours is wide and it's about £3.20 for a 100g ball. It feels wonderfully soft and crochets up beautifully. I've used it mixed with other wools in all my granny square cushions, my hexagon blanket, 2 baby blankets and my WIP blanket for my nephew. This green went so well with the other colours, they just seemed made for each other. And I've finished the cushion, what do you think?

 

I'm delighted with how this has turned out.

 

Some buttons to match the wool to fasten

 

Job done; I'm all crocheted out now! And pleased that I've found some new wool which won't break the bank and looks good.