This week we need a boat!

Another week nearly over, another week of mainly rain and a lot of strong winds. We had one beautiful sunny blue sky day on Tuesday and then it was gone again. On Sunday I bought some Violas and Primulas to plant in pots on the patio to add a spark of colour. Monday was a domestic day catching up with chores and tidying the house.

Waiting for dry weather to be planted

A selection of photos from our trip to Rosslyn Chapel

Amazingly the weather was lovely on Tuesday, blue skies, sunshine, a bit of warmth from the sun, so we decided to make the most of it and have a day out. I have been wanting to visit Rosslyn chapel for ages, it's only about half an hour drive from us, so it made a great wee outing. We walked the dog along the river path in Rosslyn Glen first before heading to the Chapel. If you are ever in the Edinburgh area do try and visit the Chapel, it has recently had a lot of restoration work done on it and has a fascinating history. It has links to the Knights Templar, Freemasons, the Holy Grail and was featured in Dan Brown's novel and subsequent film The Da Vinchi Code. The carvings and detail put into this small chapel when it was built in the 1300's is quite something. You can find out more here Rosslyn Chapel I also recommend their cafe for lunch or a coffee and cake. We treated ourselves to lunch there before visiting the chapel. 

Goat Willow, Salix caprea growing in Roslin Glen

When we got home on Tuesday afternoon it was still sunny so I planted out the Primulas and Violas I bought at the weekend. I wanted some bright spots of colour on the patio until everything else starts to grow. Some of the plants went in pots of Tulips and some in the fruit trough and around the base of Clematis integrifolia 'Rosea'. I also did a quick weed of some of the shrubs in pots, moved from Easter Mosshat. It's great to see them surviving the move and beginning to bud up.

Making use of old chimney pots

Pansies and Tulips amongst the herb posts

Some bright Primulas around the base of
Clematis integrifolia 'Rosea'

On Wednesday I had lunch out again, I know, better not let it become a habit! I went back to Binny Plants where I had worked for twelve years up until last November. It was great to see everyone and catch up on all the gossip. I also treated myself to some plants for the Prairie bed we are about to start here in the in-between garden. The nursery is a great place to visit at any time of year to see mature plants planted out in the gardens. They have an extensive list of unusual plants for sale so it is always worth exploring. 

On the way home I went into another nursery started up a couple of years ago by my friend Adam. He has done a lot of work to get the nursery off the ground and done well at all the shows he has exhibited in so far. See his website Wyndford Farm Plants. He specialises in herbaceous in 9cm pots and opens to retail this year.

Corydalis malkensis in one of the alpine troughs here in my
 In-between garden

The daffodils are beginning to appear in the garden, but my Hellebores
are still in tight bud, but at least they have moved successfully


The ladies have started laying again

The Chives are growing too

Thursday was spent visiting my friend Sarah-Fiona (which also included lunch!) We had planned to do some gardening in her garden, to help out since I have plenty time on my hands at the moment. But as usual the weather conspired to be wet, very wet. We got one rose pruned before having to give in. But we spent the day chatting about gardening, sorting her seed packets out and chatting about photography. She is an excellent award winning photographer, specialising in macro flower images. You can see her web site here Sarah-Fiona Helme .

So that's my week so far, so although I haven't done much actual gardening, it's been a garden themed week! Tomorrow (Friday) will be a trip to Lanark where I have errands to run, food shopping to do and middle son to collect from the train station as he is home for the weekend. Then Granny will be up for tea, bringing eldest son too, so we will be six instead of the usual three for dinner. But lovely to catch up with everyone.

Have a good weekend when it comes and like out Facebook page to find out what else goes on in the Quirky Bird Garden.

Comments

  1. We have been lucky with the weather recently - nothing too extreme - so no boats required. I love that big blue glazed pot of yours. It would amazing with a mass of "Tete a Tete" daffodils in it!

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    1. The weekend forecst here is to be dry, not sunny, but at least dry. I've had that pot for years, it usually goes in the cold greenhouse, more to protect the pot than the plant! I do like yellow and blue together, it works well for me :)

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  2. I had noticed on the weather maps that there was a lot of the wet stuff further north. We escaped until Thursday when it poured for a good part of the day and into the early hours. Cold and grey today though dry. I like the corydalis and am intrigued by your reference to your "In between-garden" :)

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    1. Hi Anna, I have just spent the whole day in the garden, we had a dry day at last, I ache but am happy as we gardeners do. My in between garden refers to the garden of the house we are renting at the moment. Last year I had to sell my wonderful house and garden (which I created from nothing 15 years ago), at the moment we are renting until we find exactly what we are looking for. There are several blogs about the house / garden move between roughly April and late summer last year, its a bit of a long story, but its there in the blogs. So this garden of the rented house is my garden in between the last one and the next one :) Hope that makes sense :) The Corydalis is lovely, it has spread well in the alpine trough from 3 small corms.

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  3. I see you are one of those 'ladies who lunch' Rona ;)
    I had no idea you'd left Binnys. I don't think I've been up since tail end of the year. Nice reading about your week and I don't know about you but I'm desperate for some decent weather. It's rotten isn't it!

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    1. Hi Angie, thanks for commenting. Ha, coincidence I was out 3 times last week, this week I am not out at all. I am taking a year out and doing some studying, having a much needed rest and seeing where life takes me next. Either a completely mad thing to do or the best thing, time will tell. I am enjoying having time off and relaxing and doing things for me before I start my course at the beginning of May. I am very ready for good weather, we have had over 2 weeks of rain and winds here at the bottom of the Pentlands, so yes ready for some sun and warmth.

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