Show Successes!

Basket of Produce

Foliage pot plant

Surprisingly, we managed a few successes at this year's annual show at Stoke Bliss.  The biggest triumph being first in the 'Basket of Produce' class.  In total we had 4 1sts, 2 2nds and 2 thirds. Chris was dragged along despite grumbles about little work getting done!  He even found time for an ice cream!  |As it's also the venue for ploughing competitions, it's always nice to see the vintage tractors working away and the real highlight is  to see horses ploughing.  The only thing wrong is seeing someone leading them from the front! More photos can be seen here:

Stoke Bliss & District Annual Show & Ploughing Match 1026

A collection of herbs

Make mine a double!

Show Successes!

Basket of Produce

Foliage pot plant

Surprisingly, we managed a few successes at this year's annual show at Stoke Bliss.  The biggest triumph being first in the 'Basket of Produce' class.  In total we had 4 1sts, 2 2nds and 2 thirds. Chris was dragged along despite grumbles about little work getting done!  He even found time for an ice cream!  |As it's also the venue for ploughing competitions, it's always nice to see the vintage tractors working away and the real highlight is  to see horses ploughing.  The only thing wrong is seeing someone leading them from the front! More photos can be seen here:

Stoke Bliss & District Annual Show & Ploughing Match 1026

A collection of herbs

Make mine a double!

Win, Win, Win!

Achieved in 2016 just by opening the garden gate....

....and a bit of hard work!

This little garden - all alone in deepest rural Worcestershire has raised the grand total of £1450.17p for the National Garden Scheme this year.  They give to the caring charities and don't have huge numbers of executives on fat salaries unlike certain cancer charities we know!  Of course we couldn't possibly do this if it wasn't for a husband who gives me too much encouragement and help and Chris who does a zillion things including lighting 100's of candles (please save all your jam jars for next year!) and a band of dedicated and hardworking volunteers who give up their spare time to slave away making us cakes to sell, serving teas to visitors and washing up  for hours on end!

WELL DONE TEAM PTC!

Win, Win, Win!

Achieved in 2016 just by opening the garden gate....

....and a bit of hard work!

This little garden - all alone in deepest rural Worcestershire has raised the grand total of £1450.17p for the National Garden Scheme this year.  They give to the caring charities and don't have huge numbers of executives on fat salaries unlike certain cancer charities we know!  Of course we couldn't possibly do this if it wasn't for a husband who gives me too much encouragement and help and Chris who does a zillion things including lighting 100's of candles (please save all your jam jars for next year!) and a band of dedicated and hardworking volunteers who give up their spare time to slave away making us cakes to sell, serving teas to visitors and washing up  for hours on end!

WELL DONE TEAM PTC!

Little Helpers in the Rain!

Should have used a bigger barrow!

Scooping the silt out of the culvert was a pretty messy job but made even messier with the rain and messier still with a team of 3 little helpers! Water, mud and wheelbarrows - the 3 biggest and best attractions!!

Washing muddy hands for the umpteenth time!

We bucketed out the water and, with a long handled scoop, filled 3 or 4 wheelbarrows full with silt and disposed of the contents down in Cato's Corner.  Having done that, Chris retrieved a wheelbarrow full of pebbles which Elissa and I washed - each one individually!  Definitely the world's messiest job! Afterwards, the sun came out and we had a bonfire.  Yes, of course were soaking wet and covered in mud but, who needs toys?  Result: the submersible light in the culvert looks really pretty at night again and everyone had a ball!

Chris teetering over the edge!

 

A VERY Rainy Saturday!

Couldn't get on with any seasonal jobs today!

A Fine Vine!

Vitus coignetiae also known as the Crimson Glory vine grows up Highgrove which is where this specimen originated. I took this photo before the leaves begin to turn and hope to remember to take another for purposes of colour comparison as it's so striking in autumn. It really softens the architecture and whilst Chris has shown me how to take out tiles and insert homemade lead hooks, for some reason, I really feel unsure of getting the tile back in place. Shame really as it's in dire need of more hooks. Courage!!

Vitus coignetiae - Crimson Glory Vine