martiangirl has spoken

I've been lazy again about posting. Nearly every other day I think to myself, "time to blog", or, "this might be a good photo op", and then I just don't bother. Oh, for shame. But now wee martiangirl (my niece) has suggested it might now be time to shift myself and post something.

And as it so happens, I have a couple of completed projects.

Here's the Holo Hoops mini-scarf. This was a very quick knit. It only took about two evenings to complete. It's all garter stitch - very simple. Not the best project for a beginner though, the little hoops can be a struggle at times. This project was good fun and I think I've had my novelty yarn fix for a good while.



I also have a substantial piece finished. My Storm Water Shawl.



Here she is all seaweedy and silky draped over the arm of the chaise. The pattern repeat required a fair bit of concentration over the first foot or so, but after that I breezed along. I would absolutely consider making this one again, though I might try using a different yarn next time. The Sea Silk was a bit pricey. I've been meaning to cut back on my (ahem) bounteous spending of late (hmmm...three years). An austerity program has been on my To Do list for about two years, and I really should bump it up to the front of the line, perhaps instead of scouring junk shops and antique malls for vintage linens and buttons.

But enough of that. Let's look at what's happening in the garden;

The disappointment. My Dwarf Lilac has not had any blooms this year. Not one. I think I may have pruned it too aggressively in the Autumn. Note to self: read about the plant before you bring out the pruning shears.



The Irish Moss. Success. Covered in tiny white blooms, it's a shame this plant is only a centimeter tall and the size of a dinner plate. I love moss, it's perfectly primordial, which may be why even I can't kill it - these plants survived even when the dinosaurs didn't.



The peonies have finally started to bloom - everything is very late this year. I love peonies (outside though, not in the house, they're always covered in ants).






Do you remember my Tree Peony. It has officially survived that awful Spring we had, remember a warm spell caused an early melt and then there was a long stretch of cold and frost with no snow cover for protection of all my new perennials. Disaster. The Tree Peony has unfurled it's few leaves and I'm very encouraged. This little fellow is only about 20 centimeters tall right now, but should grow to two meters or so. I'm going to have to wait a few years for flowers.



Here's a shot of the side bed with the pink peonies and a few (more) new perennials. Gus is in the background keeping an eye on the neighbours next door. He longs to get loose and help with their garden, but I think instead I'll opt for being a good neighbour.