What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 367

Hello Everyone,

I know I said in my last post that I am taking an extended blogging break but I couldn't not show these lovely ATCs received from some of our fellow deskers over on WOYWW this week ... currently being hosted by Jan, LLJ, while our Julia, Stamping Ground, is recovering from her surgery.

 Many thanks to Nikki, Kelly, Shaz, Dolores and Jan - your ATCs are all brilliant.

That's it from me this week. Brief, but that's because there's nothing else on my desk apart from ATCs. I really am behaving myself and taking it easy as ordered!

Happy WOYWW to you all.

Taking a Break

Hello Everyone,

Apologies to all my followers who may have noticed that I haven't been blogging, commenting and generally being interactive in our lovely online crafting community as often as I should these days. It's not that I've lost interest. Not at all. It's just that recently I've come through yet another painful flare-up of my arthritis which, coupled with the loss of my beloved Bonnie, has left me feeling, well, out of sorts, for want of a better explanation. That being so, I've come to the conclusion that I need a bit of R&R (Rest & Recuperation) in order to recharge my batteries. Regretfully, therefore, I've decided to take a blogging break for the next two months. This doesn't mean I won't be crafting, I'm sure I won't be able to stop myself, but I'm taking the pressure to complete projects in a limited time frame off for now. It also doesn't mean I won't be popping in to see what is going on ... I'm sure I won't be able to resist taking a peak now and again.

In the meantime, I'd like to wish you all a very happy summer and assure you that I will be thinking of you all. Oh, and I will be back!

In A Vase On Monday - Columbines

Looking around the garden for materials for In a Vase on Monday this week it soon became obvious it had to be Columbines (aquilegias) because there are so many in bloom at the moment. I know some regard them as weeds but Columbines/Grannies Bonnets are among my favourite flowers. I grow quite a few varieties - but I have still got long way to go before I can call it the National Collection! The named varieties you can see in my vase are Spring Magic (the Blue & White and Rose & White) alpines, bi-coloured Mrs Scott Elliot and Biedermeier. Aquilegia vulgaris is seeding itself everywhere and there's a few gatecrashers I don't know the names of too.

Mrs Scott Elliot

Spring Magic Blue & White (top), Beidermeier (bottom)

Spring Magic Rose and White

I did add a few sprays of London Pride, saxifraga x urbium, and a couple of trailing tendrils of golden hop, humulus lupulus 'Aureus'. For such a cottage garden bunch of flowers the only appropriate 'vase' was the old cottage garden decorated jug.

Unusually for a Bank Holiday weekend we have had nothing but scorching sunshine here so I've been limiting any garden work to the shadier parts of the garden or leaving it until early evening when it hasn't been so hot. Yesterday evening I potted up dark mullien, verbascum thapsus, seedlings - last year's sowing - and the two helleborus lividus bought earlier this year and now outgrown their original pots.  Today I've been weeding, those pesky weeds don't care that it's a holiday, and planting up a couple of cranesbill plants, hardy geraniums, found yesterday on a trip to the nursery in the Walled Garden at Culzean Castle Estate ... g. himalayense  and g. Johnson's Blue. I'm told that they are perfect spreading plants and therefore a help in keeping those weeds at bay.

While out in the garden earlier this afternoon I was devastated to witness a magpie carry off a baby starling despite the screeching of the distraught parents. As soon as I realised what was happening I  clapped my hands loudly scaring of the magpie which dropped the baby bird into our roof guttering. The parents then rallied round and did their best to rouse the baby but I fear it died despite everything. It's the second incident I've witnessed recently of a magpie killing a young starling.

Sorry to finish on such a sad note.