E11 Crafty Knitters and perpetual diary

We have stopped the craft group at work.  There were 8 of us, but often only Sarah and I were there, and it was only the two of us the last 3 weeks, so we decided it would be best if the group didn't continue.

Luckily a local knitting group - E11 Crafty Knitters - which meets at a Salvation Army Hall on Tuesday afternoons and a local vegetarian cafe on Thursday afternoons has just started to meet at a cafe on the last Monday of the month in the evening.  I went along and it was very good - the sort of group where I don't feel self conscious that I don't knit very well even though everyone there is far better at it than I am; and everyone friendly. Margaret, who lives opposite a friend of mine, was there and she's a great character.

Some of the group are knitting plants for a knitted installation of a garden, which is going to be exhibited in Bournemouth shortly.  Margaret is knitting a tree trunk on her knitting machine, and Carol brought some chrysants she had make, a knitted cup as the base of something like a tassel which is then brushed.

I will miss the March group as my herbalist is starting a herbal tea course and I will be at that, but I hope to be at the April meeting.

I have a perpetual diary I made (a blank book with over 366 pages so I can have a page for each day). I then put in seasonal things, like the first daffodil in the garden, my first home grown tomato, etc, and some weather notes.  So I know that on 28 February 2006 it snowed and on the 4 March 2006 I was kayaking through thin ice above Tottenham Lock. Today was wet, but much colder than yesterday afternoon.

Foxes?

I have a simple bench I made in woodwork class years ago.  This morning I found it completely upside down about 4 ft away from where it had been.  Also, further up the garden, my blackberry and the ash sticks I had tied its growth to, all broken.  I can only assume it was foxes, but they didn't make the usual noise they make when playing which wakes me up. 

My wood pile

This morning I brought in the last of the wood from this winter's woodpile which I am sure was earlier than last year.  I can't think why unless it was the logs being slightly longer than last year's.

Luckily very mild at the moment, and I do have off-cuts to see me through.  Though I do worry about resin from the pine in the smoke and what it might be doing to my chimney liner.

Tools

After cutting down branches from the buddleia on Sunday I was lopping off the side bits so they would take less room stacked.  My loppers, got second hand from a friend, have a handle that keeps coming off.

With a large job like this buddleia this is very time-wasting, so I've finally got round to using gaffer tape to try and fix the problem. It seems to have worked, but the test will be when I next use it.

My eldest brother's most useful tools are a hammer, a bigger hammer and an even bigger hammer.

My youngest brother always carries round a set of small screwdrivers with him. 

My most useful "tools" are gaffer tape and WD40.

weeds

Out in the garden yesterday I noticed that, as well of lots of spring flowers, there were also a lot of weeds, particularly goose grass.

The type of weeds you get can indicate the type of soil you have, but a google search on "goose grass soil" wasn't helpful.  Anyway, I suspect the type of weeds you have depends an awful lot on the types of weeds your neighbours have rather more than on your own soil!

Must find time for a spring weed.  I find a thorough weed in early spring makes a big difference to the weed problem throughout the rest of the year.  Let weeds get out of control now and you're done for!

Light in urban gardens

I asked my neighbour if I could come into her garden and cut the branches of the buddleia that hang over my garden from their base.  As expected she agreed and said I was welcome to cut it all down.

Today I had an hour sawing and then lopping the side bits for easier stacking.  I didn't do more as, though I had the stamina to carry on, I didn't want to overdo it and hurt my back and shoulders.

Cutting this bush down will give me morning light in the middle bit of my garden - the vegetable patch.  It will also give Dorothy a lot of light in her garden too.

Gardening writers rarely seem to appreciate the problems of lack of light in small urban gardens -  I expect because most of them, and their clients if they design gardens, have lovely, big gardens.

Butterflies will miss it, but I only occasionally see them fluttering around it.

Rain, wood & signs of Spring

Rain this morning so rather than go out in the rain to get wood from the woodpile to stock up the log basket I got some from the conservatory - some ash from a branch a neighbour had cut down when putting a shed under the tree this summer (ash can be burnt new, it doesn't need seasoning) and some unknown bush rescued from another neighbour two years ago.

Having been whimpish about the rain in the garden, I then cycled off in it to go kayaking! Ready to turn around and come straight home if none of my paddling group had turned up, but only missing one of the core group.  As it wasn't windy or particularly cold it was an enjoyable paddle.  Saw some comerants perched on a pylon, and a group of 40+ swans near the bottom of the old River Lea where it comes out into the Navigation below Tottenham Lock.  Further smaller groups of swans a little further on.

This week two polyanthus out in the garden, the first daffodil showing yellow, and my neighbours forsythia (spelling?) in flower.  The latter must have suddenly burst into flower as it is not just one or two buds but flowers all over, even if not a mass of yellow yet.

Hand drill

I wanted to drill holes into my new planter trough. My hand drill has jammed since I last used it. I took it into work and the Head of Facilities and the handyman/cleaner both had a go but were unable to unstick it.  In B&Q today I was looking for a replacement, but couldn't find one. One of the assistants said. "I haven't seen one of those for years". 

It seems such a waste to use an electric drill for such a small job.  And when you want a hole in wood of only a certain depth, a hand drill, though slower, is easier to control.

I've googled hand drill and it seems they are still being made.  Hope to find a shop where I can buy one rather than having to use the internet

Craft Group

The email has gone out!  I am having an exploratory meeting with the idea of setting up a Transition Leystonstone (recyled) craft group.  I'd got the house reasonable for Christmas/New Year but now will have to get it sorted again in time for this meeting.  It's at the end of March, but already thinking about bits of housework, "I won't do that now, I'll only have to do it again before the craft meeting."
I hope I get enough people to make it interesting and not too many to fit into the room!

Plum trees

Pleased to see my plum trees have buds on. They came as small, bare, rooted sticks and I stuck them into small pots and kept them by the house.  It seems the bad weather over Christmas hasn't harmed them.  Hope we don't get another dose of snow/ice. I will plant them into bigger pots in the spring.  Martyn Cox in "Big Gardens in Small Spaces" says that plums are one of the plants that sulk into pots, but these are supposed to grow only a foot high and weren't hugely expensive, so I thought worth a try.

RSPB Garden Birdwatch

The RSPB Garden Birdwatch was last weekend when I didn't have time to do it.  So I did this morning and counted two wood pigeon and two bluetits. 
Better than last year when it was one wood pigeon, and that was a bit of a cheat as it was pearched on my neighbour's side of the ash tree!

Storms provide kindling

Heavy wind or rain brings down twiggy bits from the birch trees down my street.  The trees have just had their branches thinned and their crowns raised, so not very much came down in the recent wind, but still rescued some bits as I came home from shopping this afternoon. Also some other twiggy bits from the trees from the road at the top.  Gathering enough to fill 2 cat lit bags, which should last a few weeks.

I can't find a way of linking this to the theme of green and country in the city, but it amused me and relates to storms, so I'll mention it!!  My boss was delayed coming into work on Friday morning due to a "gazebo on the line"

Kingfishers and robins

Saw a kingfisher today!  Flash of blue for about 5 seconds as it flew up the river ahead of us. 

As a child I lived in Cornwall on the Tresillian River where there were kingfishers.  My father, who often cycled to work along the river, would see them, but I never did.  It is not until I am in London when I see them on the Lea (the river bit, not the Navigation) between Tottenham and Waltham Forest (like today) or the tidal bit of the Lea below Leabridge Road. One of the delights of kayaking.

Though the Navigation above Tottenham Lock had thick ice for a while this winter, the river bit was not completely iced over, so the kingfishers should have been able to feed (they are one of the birds expected to be hard hit by the bad weather).

Leytonstone overground station is high up above the road, level with the tops of the neighbouring trees.  A friend was climbing the stairs to the station to find a robin at the top of the tree, but level with her, singing away. She took a photo which came out well which she will email me.

Utility room

Country Homes & Interiors (March issue) have an article on Utility Rooms with lots of lovely photographs.  All looking much posher than my Utility Room would look - if I had one. 

I wish I had!  It would save room in my conservatory, kitchen and hall.  And it would be wonderful to have somewhere to hang wet and damp kayaking gear to dry.