Working!

Well after over a year of being unemployed I am finally back working. I am now a catalog deliverer.
I started on the 22nd of Nov. and so far it's been okay. Quite time consuming where bundling up the catalogs are concerned but I am loving the walking and the area I have is really nice. Winnie is a big help and has come out with me every time so far.
It's nice not to have to worry about the times when our business is slow and it will be good to be able to get things for my garden when I need them.
I am already feeling fitter and it's not as exhausting as I thought it would be, so bonuses all round.

Fruit Thief!

We could not figure out why we weren't getting any strawberries for the last week or so. Turns out we have a thief!
I was hanging out the washing the other day and saw a rat running along the railing of the fence that runs along the back of  the bed.
Rotten little blighter is not going to win. His execution is being planed!

Strawberry order.

This is just so I don't loose track of which strawberries I planted in the pipe.
From left to right;
Kamu Big Red
Alinta
Sweetheart
Cambridge Rival
Chandler

UFOs

Un Finished Objects.
We are in the middle of a big clean out of the house and I found these a couple of weeks ago. All my unfinished quilts.
They are all hand pieced and now that I am not working with my hands anymore I now feel ready to tackle these again.

  That last shot proves how much of a cat magnet quilts are.

The Blackberries Are Covered In Buds

Last year was our first season for our blackberries, I was surprised when we got quite a crop of fruit. This year they are totally covered in buds and I had to lift the curtain that I used for was stopping the blackbirds from digging up the mulch, so that the bees could get to them. It was nice to note that there were baby praying mantis in amongst them again this year too.

The Red Currants are RED!

Sorry, I am a little excited about this. Have been waiting on this fruit ripening for a while. With all the wind we had in early spring, I was scared that it would all get blown away but it hung on and is finally ripening up.
I have never eaten fresh red currants before and am really looking forward to it. Winnie wont let me try one yet, but I really, really want to, even if it's still a bit tart.
I am a bit disappointed with the black currant, as it did not flower this year, but there is plenty of growth from last year and new growth this year so I am hopeful for next season.

An afternoon of mosaics

Spent the afternoon finishing off the bases and line work of my mosaics. All I have to do now is fill in all the white on the sides and I will be ready to grout.