Garden Update

 Today I finished our raised planter. I'm planning on ordering some Winter garlic and then I'll get cracking in the new year.

 The veg patch is looking good since I cleared it up too. I'm excited about getting more from the space next year.

 This rose is beautiful right now.

 And I love these autumnal colours in the berries of the hedges. So seasonal and pretty.

 The pond still looks good.

 We also have a lot of purple right now. Here's one of my favourites which is really flourishing since I made more space for it.

 Next to the terrace, the view seems to change almost daily. This tree is in fruit right now and the red berries make me feel Christmassy. Especially since we have a robin who visits us regularly.

I also cleared this flowerbed recently and I'm planning on making it more colourful next Spring.

Garden Harvest

Despite our like of time and energy to really work in the garden this year, we have had quite a successful harvest.

It started with the fruit - we had so many raspberries that we have snacked on them, baked with them and even prepared raspberry rum.  

We had our first cherry, a couple of apples and lots of grapes so that Nico was able to make grape juice and turn it into smooth jam.

So far we have had one pumpkin which Nico turned into a roast dinner on Monday.

Yesterday I enjoyed my first caprese salad of the year, almost entirely from the garden, with our own tomatoes and basil.

These are our staples in the garden.  I finally feel like we are emerging from the mist of those newborn months and I am looking forward to working more in the garden next year, partly with the kids, to get back to some of our other staples like potatoes, carrots, courgette and beans.

Home Grown Grapes

 Last year, Nico planted a lot of vine around the garden. They have been growing like crazy and last week, we enjoyed the first harvest. They taste so different to the supermarket variety and all of us enjoy them.

Looking forward to an increasing harvest over the next years.

Garden Update

 As usual, between work, keeping the kids alive and sorting things around the house, the garden has been the last of our priorities lately.

 Some areas are paying off - the balcony looks great and I love both the pots on the terrace and the purple theme surrounding it.

 However, there's lots to be done - weeding, trimming and planting. As you can see, the veg patch is crying out for attention but at the moment it's too hot to get cracking. It's due to cool down at the weekend and I hope we get out then.

Still, the wild look isn't all bad and Nico's got a fair bit growing - grapevines, tomatoes, pumpkins and berries galore!

Make it Monday - Raspberry Rum

Last summer I tried my hand at making raspberry vodka and I drank it over Christmas - it was delicious.

This year, our raspberries are going crazy so we harvested them in the sun yesterday and this time I tried the recipe with rum:

0.7l rum

360g sugar

360g fresh raspberries

I have to shake the jar every day until the sugar is absorbed and then seive into a bottle and put it away until Christmas! I'm looking forward to tasting the results!

Balcony Blooms!

The long weekend proved to be very good for our garden as I also got our balcony boxes replanted.  The heather was supposed to withstand some dryness but clearly not as much as I gave it!

I've given up on the idea of growing from seed up there and took the kids to the garden centre for these lovely red blooms on Saturday.  With a few extra steps on the fitbit carting the boxes up and down the stairs, I got them all planted and with the heat we're experiencing at the moment, they're getting water daily. 

The colour really brightens the place up and puts a smile on my face when I get home.

Raised Vegetable Bed

On Tuesday, the last day of our long weekend, we finally got around to building this raised flower bed in the middle of our veg patch.  I saw some on one of the gardening projects we watched and loved the idea.

We used loose bricks that we don't want for our herbs anymore since the ants got in.  Then Nico built a wooden frame to give it a bit more strength.  At the moment it is half full with the old rhodedendrons that Nico cut down and we're going to cover it with compost and soil at the weekend so we can get planting!

Hopefully it will inspire me to get in the garden more, and I think it will.  Last year we didn't really do much veg - it was hard with a little baby in the house but with Joshua ever more active and loving the garden, we should be able to give the garden, veggies and cooking a good kick start again!

Garden Update

So this week we have been getting to grips with the garden, ready for the Spring. Nico has taken out all of the rhodedendrons and the space we've gained is amazing but in need of lots of work.

 Here's the biggest difference. The lamp has been there since we moved in. I call it the Narnia lamp. Until now, it was always surrounded by the rhodedendrons. Now, Nico has put in a small pond / water feature for wildlife. We're planting lots and I hope we'll have a sea of colour here soon.

 This is my main flower area. I'll be tidying up soon and splitting some of these bulbs up.

 Here's the central flower bed. We planted a short hedge around it and I need to get the grass out and turn the soil soon. I'm going to seperate bulbs here too.

And this is the break area. I'm looking forward to sitting here more this Summer. Nico has fitted a gate for privacy and shelter.

Garden Harvest

As ever, I love that our garden is producing. As well as the non-stop raspberries, we've had strawberries, gooseberries, basil, our first courgette. There are still beans, tomatoes and chillis on the way. Nico is fantastic in the garden.

Planting!

 This week, dragging my poor family out in torrential rain, I finally got some new plants for the garden. I don't have the best luck with plants but I felt the terrace needed some colour so I'm trying again!

I love the front of our house much more since Nico repaired this bench and we added a bit of deco and green.

 Fuchsia is my favourite. The colour is amazing and fills a spot on the terrace.

 I still love this archway in the garden. The clematis is really growing in now and the new hanging plant should bring even more colour.

 I still love this hanging planter too. The pop of colour matches the flowers below and lifts the eye.

I'm really looking forward to these lillies opening. I've never had them in a pot before. Fingers crossed!

New Terrace Furniture!

As I mentioned at the weekend, we spent Saturday cleaning up the terrace and Nico built up our new furniture.

I'm so happy with how it looks and how comfortable it is. We've been out every day so far thanks to the glorious weather.

Hopefully we'll be outdoors a lot more this Summer now!

Garden Time!

 Having Dad here this week has meant that we can make the most of the glorious weather and sort out the garden.

Today Dad cleared the above flower bed from crazy overgrown grass and all the dead growth from last year.

I cleared this smaller flower bed and cleared the terrace from weeds.

Nico painted the house to seal it from damp and mould.

All in all a productive day. Hopefully it'll be a productive week!

Spring is springing.

 On a rainy day like today, I love to see the flowers in the garden starting to bloom - a sure sign that Winter is over and Spring is here!

Christmas Lights

Nico recently bought some waterproof remote controlled lights. They're perfect outdoor Christmas decorations and we decided to put them in the garden so we get to see them and they're in range of the house for turning on or off. Extra Christmas spirit!

Balcony

At the weekend we finally got the balcony ready for winter. I don't generally do will with plants up there but it went really well this summer until we went to England and it all died off in the heat.

When looking around and thinking what to do next, we came up with winter heather. It does well with drier conditions and should add some colour when it flowers, although I am loving the green in the meantime.

House Plants

 At the end of the holidays, I made a list of all the things that were starting to annoy me around the house. I spent the last days of the holidays sorting some of them out and then last week I got around to this one - revitalising our house plants.

I'm not very good with house plants. Above you can see what a state the hardy survivors had gotten into. I took the time to replant them, top up the soil, prune them and give them a good watering. Then we bought three new ones and rearranged them around the house.

It's definitely brought a new freshness into the home and I love the greenery. I'm planning to keep a better eye on them now that I will be spending more time at home.

My favourite is the one below. Nico's mum bought it for us when we moved in and it's gone wild in the kitchen but the window sill was getting full and I wanted somewhere to show off the length. This is it on our wardrobe after I gave it a trim!

Recipe: Zucchini Spaghetti Bolognese

Tonight we tried zucchini spaghetti. We'd heard about it a lot, especially through paleo. Nico ordered a zucchini spiraliser and when it arrived today, we got cracking.

It's really easy to do and we froze a big batch for an even quicker and easier meal. Plus it's an extra veg portion rather than overloading on carbs.

The sauce was our regular bolognese and all together it was very filling. It's also a good solution for all the zucchinis in our garden! I'd recommend trying it.

Recipe: Courgette Bake

 This is an old recipe but one of our favourites. Since the garden is brimming with courgettes right now, we're rapidly reviewing all of our courgette recipes. Below you can see the first of our huge harvest. We're even having to give some away. I love that we have green and yellow this year.

Easter Garden

 On Sunday, Isabella and I decorated the garden ready for Easter.

 We did the traditional German eggs and bunnies and her gifts are ready and packed away.

 It also feels refreshing to see the Spring flowers blooming.

Veg Patch

At the weekend we prepared our veg patch for the new season. Over winter it's gotten quite grown over. Nico turned the soil and then we planted this season's crop - onions, garlic, carrots, spinach...

It looks bare at the moment but there'll be plenty going on soon.

Meanwhile the tomato nursery (aka the office) is going well too.