Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

How lovely! I get such a lot of joy from visiting wildlife, but very rarely get ducks in our garden, despite being only a short walk to the river.
F

foxgloves

Afternoon m'dears,
Another sultry day, although a pleasant breeze blowing up here now. Another day in which pottering about achieves more than anticipated - esp the good money saving habits. Cut bunches of thyme, winter savoury, rosemary & marjoram first thing. All now tied & hanging from kitchen beam. Tweaked tonight's planned meal from dhal & flatbread to chickpea & spinach curry (in slow cooker) to make use of a big bunch of spinach I cut this morning. Have also done meal plans for next week, written the grocery shopping list & baked a crusty white sourdough loaf.
Enjoyed planting various over-wintered geraniums into a selection of large ceramic pots on our courtyard. No new ones, or indeed new pots purchased. One geranium left so have popped it into the vintage chimney pot we inherited from the previous owner. A huge sweep-up provided today's exercise, along with de-gunking the pond, though my step count has dropped quite badly recently, due to my ankle & doing other things, so I need to get my walking up again. 
9 days till Weigh Day. Hmmm. 
A chapter of my book on our pondy bench beckons. 
Best Wednesday wishes to all, 
F x

BalanceBy50

sounds sounds like a lovely day 😁. Please can I ask if they are just bog standard geraniums you over winter? I am guilty of buying new ones every year 🤦🏻‍♀️. Do you cut them down or just pop them in the greenhouse as they are? I am a  novice when it comes to gardening but really want to learn. My tomatoes and cucumbers are doing well 😁 x

foxgloves

Hi @BalanceBy50 - There is no need to re-buy geraniums every year. I think new gardeners may assume this because geraniums are often displayed with all the summer bedding plants in garden centres. I've had most of mine for years. OK, so if you have bought a few for this summer, all you need to do at the end of the season, is tidy them up (i.e cut off dead bits, anything that's a bit straggly or past its best) then re-pot them. Bring them indoors - mine go on the windowsill in our conservatory (unheated unless we are in there) - & this bit is important....do it before the first frosts, so for us that is the end of September to be on the safe side, as we can sometimes get a cold night early October. They need a bit of water over the winter, but not too much. If any start looking proper ropey then I cut them back to much shorter stems. Most of mine put out a few flowers over the winter period, which is nice for a bit of indoor colour. In Spring, I start giving them a bit more water plus some general houseplant food as they start into new season growth. I start standing them outside on sunny days in April & then plant them out properly in May. 
Another money saving way with geraniums.....well, there's cuttings, obviously, but also try this.......at the end of Aug when garden centres are thinking about twinkly lights & baubles rather than summer colour, check out their 'plant hospital' shelf. I found a fab geranium on there a while back which looked very bushy for one plant. Paid my £1 for it, then tipped it out when I got home & as suspected, there were 3 plants in there! Potted them up as individuals & the spare two provided free gifts for my sister & best friend.
Hope this is helpful,
F 

foxgloves

Greetings Money Savers,
I meant to get down to some financial admin today when I saw that my CC statement had arrived - I wasn't in the mood though, as after my weekly long Skype call with my sister, I decided to have a leisurely day. I did get the herb bed weeded & forked over first thing & have hopefully progressed solving an ongoing problem which I won't bore you with here, but you know that expression about 'swallowing the frog'? Well, this problem has been a frog which has needed swallowing pretty much 3 times a week & still the bloody thing won't stay down!! Really hope I might be close to cracking it - though it will mean having a difficult conversation with one of the people who has been working on our house.
Have tried a new recipe in the slow cooker today - Mexican pulled chicken. It smells good, so I hope it is nice as it has made a lot, enough for the freezer. Basically, whatever it is like, we will therefore be having it again!
Am trying to up my production of bedspread squares as I am on no. 121 of 144. I don't feel the end is quite yet in sight, but it will soon be hoving into view........will then need to gird my loins for sewing the bug*ers up! Ah well, as long as it looks lovely when it's finished. No money spent today & Postie brought me some gifted magazines, so that was good positive post.
Must go & give the slow cooker a stir now.
Take care, m'dears,
F x

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Hi foxgloves, i love geraniums and buy new ones every year!!  I have copied and saved your post so i will try your tip and fingers crossed i can make it work
Deni x

Blackcats

I hope that the swallowing of the frog won't be as bad as the thinking about swallowing of the frog.  I hope you will post a photo of your bedspread when it's done.
the duck and ducklings were gorgeous visitors to your diary - so cute.  

foxgloves

Give it a try, @Deni_debt-free_dreamer. Unless you want different colours or scents (if they are the fragrant leaf ones), they will over-winter indoors & have a headstart for next Spring. It is over-watering & frost which kills them.
F x

foxgloves

@Blackcats - Yes, the duck photo was lovely, wasn't it? I suppose I could post a photo of my finished bedspread.
Re the wretched 🐸 - I have been regularly swallowing it since January!! The problem is that it keeps regurgitating itself..... or in non frog-speak, I keep thinking I have sorted it out but it turns out to have been another let-down followed by the spadeful of bullsh*t. Have an appt early Saturday to see if the issue can be progressed by somebody else. This 🐸 has been around for so long, it is almost geriatric 😰
F

MissRikkiC

Good evening. Loving following your journey and the general chat topics too.. bookmarked and sticking around to see