Faded Clothes and Crochet Hats

What a beautiful day. We made the most of it. The polytunnel was perfect for a scarecrow change-over day.

I went armed with two bulging carrier bags of old clothes from the loft. 

 

After stripping off the old faded clothes, I found the faces and hair were perfectly ok for another year.

 

The first scarecrow I ever made for the garden was called Mabel but she has had so many make-overs, she can`t possibly be the same one any more.

 

I proceeded to dress them both ...... a mixture of my own and Paula`s discarded clothes. I wished I had had my sister there because we would have had a good laugh doing it together.

It is worth taking a closer look at her colourful hat which I crocheted for myself, thinking I was being hip and trendy and going back to my 60`s roots. But when I tried it on, I felt like an old granny, only confirmed when my brother and sister dissolved into fits of giggles and were actually quite rude.

The trouble is I don`t have the long plaits any more!!

Well it looks alright on her anyway.

 

There are a few floral finishing touches I will be adding later.

 

I even had time to have a look at the poor old gnome. A sad sight, though I must admit he has worn well.

 

After taking off the faded outer layers I found the inside and the legs were fine. 

The head is intact but will need a new layer.

 

He just needs a new set of outer garments.

 

This afternoon I have been in my loft to find all that I need.

 

 

Steve spent his time pruning the crabapple and the quince.
 

Elsewhere around the garden the pussywillow looked fabulous against the blue blue sky.

 

And the very first flowers of the year.

Pulmonaria.
 

Now we are watching the original " Magnificent Seven."

The end of a perfect day.

 

 

Beachcombing with a Difference

 We found ourselves in a most bizarre situation today. During recent storms, several containers were lost from big ships in the Channel near the Isle of Wight. Since then all sorts of things are washing up on our southern shores ..... bananas, facemasks, packaging foam and onions!!!!

So we decided to take black sacks and disposable gloves on our beach walk.

This is what greeted us. Masses of onions.

A mother and daughter had already done a sweep but they told us that as the tide changed, more were washing up. So we retraced their steps but closer to the waves.

As well as onions there was garlic. 

We filled up the sacks and I was grateful when my brother elected to heave them up the beach, over the dyke and to the rubbish bins by the road.

The beach was glorious.

 

We had a welcome rest on the shingle. We could have had a picnic it was so mild.

All in all a rather unusual beach walk. It has been heartening to see how many people have rallied to the call for volunteers to clear the beaches. 

Onions and garlic would in fact degrade quite easily but they are toxic to dogs and possibly marine life.

I wonder what will wash up next.

 

Tunnels and Quagmires

 

Today was our first visit to the garden for 2026. On the way we realised that it is the start of our 15th year. 

How well I remember those first days when Steve laid out the garden with string and pegs and the only shelter was a pigsty. We hunkered down there for teabreaks out of the wind.

Well these days we have plenty of places to sit for teabreaks  either inside or out. And today we sat in the polytunnel contemplating our latest finds in there.

Rabbits have tunneled up into the broad bean bed. Where have those tunnels come from because there are no signs on the back path. We reckon they must have tunneled from outside the garden on the other side of the fence. How can we stop it? I have no idea. Steve dropped bricks into the hole and filled it up.
 

Strangely enough the rabbits did not eat the broad beans.

The net curtain was torn so I had to replace that.

Next job was pruning the fruit trees. Unfortunately the loppers were the only tool that have not been sharpened but I loved my new secateurs ... a present from Steve.

Needing a change, I began clearing the huge raised bed. Alstromeria, calendula, nettles, grass. I also removed rabbit wire and canes to make a fresh start later.

Boring photo .... sorry.

 

Still to go .... oh dear.

Never mind ... it was a great joy to be outside after quite a few days indoors.

Quagmire!!!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

, I began on the huge raised bed

Sausage Dogs and Bunting

This year has started with my usual assessment of the crafting materials. I enjoy it a lot and of course I get a lot of inspiration from it all. In fact I get so much inspiration that I currently have about 4 items on the go.

Job number 1 was the scrap fabric and out of that so far I have managed two completed sets of bunting with another two sets on the go.

The flags are totally random.

Two more sets waiting to be basted this evening.

This lap quilt is made from small squares and lined with fleecy fabric.

And the inevitable tiny patchwork bags and shoulder bags.

 

And there is yet more scrappy fabric if I care to make any more.

My second job was a good tidy up of my felt stash.

This resulted in donkey keyrings.

 

Many years ago my sister`s mother-in-law gave me a lot of tapestry wool in skeins. I am just coming to the end of it.

These owls were made using that same wool. 

 

I have also made colourful dried flower rings using the flowers grown in the garden.

 

And cute little sausage dogs using multi-coloured wool.

I have been given these lacy hankies and I hope to use them for lavender bags. But I already started some by using up antique lace and fine lawn fabrics.

Many of these items will be on the honesty shop craft trolley through the late spring and summer in the Wool Barn..

Last year I made 1,209 craft items. I wonder how many there will be in 2026. I`ve made a good and very satisfying start.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freshwinds Garden Review 2025 Part 2

 As I begin part 2, it strikes me that the review itself could have any number of themes. It could be colour. It could be flowers. It could be food production.

But here it is .... somewhat random, according to the photos I liked really.

The loose theme here is management. From July onwards it is a frenzy of watering, planting, harvesting, protecting, managing pests, damage control, weeding, chatting to visitors. Not a great deal of time to make changes. So if changes aren`t done in the first half of the year, they`re not going to get done.

July 

By this time, the polytunnel was not looking good. Cucumbers were being eaten, aubergines were very poorly, even the tomatoes weren`t as good as usual. The daytime/ night time fluctuation temperatures were crazy. On top of that we had torrential rain with flooding. We felt despondent on more than one occasion.

The little apple tree was doing well.

 

Harvesting was well under way.

The fernery looked great, mainly in the shade.

We had a  delightful fairy and dinosaur day. The money we raised went to MND.

 August

In August the cobshed needed a good tidy after unsupervised children decided to create fairy gardens inside. They were quite creative I have to say. Maybe there should have been a before picture here.

The excessive weight of fruit on the trees in the orchard was causing problems. We had to cut off branches of crabapples as they were bowed to the ground. It was heart-breaking. But we managed to prop some up.

But even more of a wrench was having to discard the unripe plums due to a cracked branch. The plum tree had a drastic pruning. Oh the waste.

The pears were great.
 

September

In September I saw the first frog in the pond. Where did they go this year? We dug out the compost heaps and some had to be renewed due to rotten pallets. 

Anne invited us to pick walnuts in the grove. That was a first for us and delightful. The nuts are delicious. 

Harvesting continued. Sunflowers loved the heat.

 

The entrance was a picture in itself.

 

October

In October Tim created the dead hedge for us on an area outside the garden. It was perfect timing. I began on the barn path but haven`t done any more since.

Anne`s dahlias made a very late start and we have no idea why. Elsewhere round the garden they were quite normal.

 

November

In November I began making the willow rings. 

We continued to cut back the dahlias, covering them with fern fronds, carpet and old fencing panels.

December

I was making more willow rings. We continued to work on the compost heaps. But more work is still needed.

We trimmed quite a few trees hanging over the fence.

Unfortunately the tiny apple tree was attacked by rabbits. The orchard gate was left open.

We had another great wreath making workshop in Valley View yurt.

And baby Donald attended for the first time.
 

All in all not a bad year but one of unusual weather and timings. We have enjoyed it all and look forward to new beginnings in 2026.

Thank you to all those who read my blog and I wish you all a very happy new year.