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Work gets in the way.......

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Hi all!

Well, it’s been a busy 10 days or so in work and with staff on hols, it means more needs doing and you don’t get much time to yourself. late night finishes don’t help as it all adds up to no time for my garden. BUT, imagine how excited I was to know that I was to have 2 days off last Friday/Saturday when I could spend some much needed time outside and get a few things done with my woman, namely, doing a dummy run to a craft fair in Swansea where she has a stall next weekend.

So, the week went by and come Thursday, my throat started feeling a bit picky. Nowt to worry about…….oh yes it was! By Friday morn, I was in the full throes of manflu and although I suffered in silence, I really didn’t feel up to doing anything or going anywhere. My nose and eyes ran for 2 days and most of that time was spent either sleeping or wiping my eyes in front of the telly……and no, not because Jimmy the leprechaun didn’t win BGT!!!

So, nothing done and more than 10 days with a garden that has had little more than a water most nights. So with nothing to really report, I did manage some pics on the couple of occasions that I ventured out on Saturday to get some fresh air as I was boiling up!! So here are my garden pics for this past week:

Supertunia: Raspberry Blast

Helichrysum: Ruby Cluster – turning a lovley yellow for the summer.

Aquilegia: Nora Barlow

Aquilegia: Black barlow – and a lot more than last year when I first bought this plant!

Now, the first visit to the garden on Saturday was at about 11.30am when I filled all the feeders up for the birds. The fat balls and fat slab proved a HUGE hit with the juvenile starlings who basically hogged the feeding station for pretty much the entire day, according to Ali – I was in bed in between visits! Check out the new fat slab on the bottom right side of this pic….

As you will see in this next pic, their was much squawking over best spot to eat and they were just loving the stuff….growing birds see!

Of course, when one of the mums came by, they all pretended to be on their best behaviour, just chatting quietly amongst themselves…..

….and approximately 3or so hours later, this was all that was left of the fat slab…..!!

Of course, now being allowed up in the office, Maggie had a perfect vantage point for what ‘could be’!!

Allium Purple Sensation – the only one to flower as I forgot to plant them on time. Next year maybe!

Mixed planters and the Dwarf Lupins are looking quite ‘dwarfy’……

…..maybe not!

One of the surprises from the planter I just filled with all different seeds!! This stands over 4 foot high!

And here’s another one from the same planter…..

A little splash of colour nearby….

Another visit from my little friend…..

Just one of Ali’s lavenders grown from seed last year and now in a pot in garden….looking healthy and growing weekly:o)

F1 Petunia White and Salvia Red

The only Dwarf Sunflower seed that I had from Richardpeej, to make it. She’s fighting all the way…

Rudbeckia: Rustic Dwarf – coming along nicely.

*French Lavender planted in ground before laying the gravel down…

And that was about it for the week….well, day as it happened. I had little energy or will to do much at all and only went out for some fresh air, which did help, I might add.

Oh, and someone else found it all just a little too demanding…….Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

I am trying to catch up on everyone’s blogs and pics so bear with me!

More blog posts by oddbillie

Previous post: Feeling HOT.....HOT......HOT!!!!

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Comments

 

Hope the other sunflowers come up now Dan-they should do after you have the one come through now. The rudbeckia rustic dwarf are looking good. I hope that you are looking good too now after your bout of man flu. I expect you are getting plenty of pampering from Ali ;-)

6 Jun, 2010

 

your garden looks lovely,love the lupins(my fav plant)

7 Jun, 2010

 

More lovely photographs.... well done Oddbillie :o)

7 Jun, 2010

 

Ah Od, hope you feeling much better now, sending you lots of healing thoughts and tissues lol! Lovely blog and picts as always my friend! :~))

7 Jun, 2010

 

My goodness, it's like my place with the Starlings devouring the fat so quickly, they're costing me a small fortune !
I hope you've recovered from the 'Man flu' now.

7 Jun, 2010

 

lovely photos...Maggie is a beauty

7 Jun, 2010

 

love the blog and pics OB but what a time to be under the weather pity

7 Jun, 2010

 

Well Danny boy you made up for your absence admirably with those lovely pics! Especially as you had the dreaded manflu!

Love the starling youths behaving while Mum was about! Hysterical!

Maggie is gorgeous ... lovely markings ... don't tire her out now ... watching the master at work is pretty exhausting you know!

Hope you're feeling more the ticket now ...ready for work again!! :o)

7 Jun, 2010

 

Love the pale mauve flower with whiskers - wish you knew what it was, also glad to know that black barlow is better this time around as I planted my first one this year and must say found it to be a miserable specimin, so yours gives me hope. Isn`t it just typical when you have a couple of days off you get the flu - hope your feeling better.

7 Jun, 2010

 

Thanks all for the kind comments.

Richard: I bought Rudbeckia last year - different variety - and loved it so I'm chuffed that these have come on from seed. As for the pampering........she was having none of it! I do tend to suffer in silence though and stay quiet, which I'm sure Ali loves!!

LB/TT: Thanks and glad you like:o))

Flori: How's you? Keeping well I hope. Thanks for the healing thoughts....sort of working! I am felling far better than at the weekend and the nose and eyes stopped streaming on Sunday night. Still having to blow me snozzle constantly but I can cope with that!. Glad you like the pics.

Shirley: I've not put any 'fat' out since as they are eating it too quick. Just seeds for the littel ones who won't come and feed when the starling mafia are about!! I know what you mean about costing a fortune too!! Still, they do look nice close up!

Elsie & Stuck: Glad you like and yes, she is a cutie, I must admit Elsie. Not the best time to feel groggy but rather be off than in work I guess as I hate feeling like that in work time!

Fluff: Lol! How are you girl? All good I hope! I am a warrior when it comes to manflu, though Ali may disagree! The starlings were back and fore ALL day so Ali said and just devoured all but the seeds in the feeders.....like something from a Hitchcok film!! We've commented on MAggie's markings too. She looks like and walks....sorry, struts around the place like a tiger but like Sophie, is too adorable for words and is spoilt with love! As for me....well, I'll live. Still feel nasally and sniffy but 100% better than the weekend so notwt to grumble for, thanks for asking.

Stroller: The 'whiskery' flower is form a pack of 'wildlife seeds so could be anything but someone may know it's name.....rahter nice isn't it and load of them have popped up. As for the Aquilegia, I thought mine had gone when it died back last year but thankfully, despite being the novice and nearly pulling it up and chucking, I left it and like magic, it started to come back, which I now know it does, and ended up giving a spectacular display! I'm thinking of re-planting it to a new planter when it dies back this year but as for yours, STICK WITH IT as next year, it will delight you....and it's self-seeding!!

Thanks for the concern as well. As previously mentioned above, just nasally and sniffy now so hoping to be tip-top by my days off next week!

9 Jun, 2010

 

Glad you're on the road to recovery. Love that petunia Raspberry Blast. At least you got one Allium and I'm sure the others will do their thing nest year.

9 Jun, 2010

 

Glad to hear the healing thoughts helped a bit,Od~what a brave man you are struggling through regardless lol! Hope the nose not too red and sore :~((x

9 Jun, 2010

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