And so finally it's beginning.

The Base for the deck has been started and it is going be be amaze balls!!

The weather has been wet, wet, wet.

It's slowed the man that can down a bit but he has done the hard digging.

The rain has been good for the plants though. 

Everything is almost running away with itself. 

The 2 tiny lavenders I planted in the pink wicker basket are almost bursting out.  Id been worried that they wouldn't grow but I think next spring they'll need to go into the ground.

The old bucket I popped a few tiny plugs in is also fit to burst....its just lush

And the sweet peas that went into an old coal scuttle are still just gorgeous.  Next year I'll have faith and not over plant them as I did this year. I didn't realise they would bush out as much.

Between work and rain we've not spent a huge amount of time in the garden, but given the state of it that's not a bad thing.

Decking arrives next week and I'm hoping it's dry enough that I can give it a couple of coats of wood stain after work in the evenings, before it gets laid, followed by one final coat once it's done. 

There's been so little crafting done in these parts.

Work is all time consuming, it's taking time to get a groove we can all jam to.  

Birdcage Gardening...

Should be the next BIG thing...

If like me you have little and larger lads who insist on kicking a football around the garden like they're at Rio  then this is the way forward!

My birdcage planter is 

thriving from this pretty little thing

to

THIS

little beauty!

Literally overflowing with prettiness...

I can vouch that it has survived their best attempts to use it as a goalie and is just simply stunning!

Vintage Inspiration in the Garden...

I have a small, chicken ruined garden.  Last year I set about re-seeding it, which went ok-ish but it is still in need of a lot of love.

You will I hope see a theme in my crafty blog, of re-purposing old bits into new bits.  

Or re-jigging things to work.

Mainly painting stuff...it is a joke in the family that if it stands still long enough I will paint it.

Roll on a pot of wood stain later and we have progress on the patio

I've taken the chalk board down and re-housed that down to the grassy area and dumped the shelves that were in the corner as they had rotted.  Just need to re-paint that fence!

The ladder was lingering in the house for far too long, gathering dust and not being at all useful.  

It is now suited and booted, almost finished to hold some pretty plants.

The bench in the back is one of two, sturdy old school benches fished out of a skip a couple of years back.  

We don't have space a proper table and chairs out here so we tend to use the benches as a table or flexible seating if the teens have friends over.

The other one will I hope have tomato plants growing on it shortly {in preparation for chutney making later this year!}

The deckchair is also one of a pair, bought at a dump many years ago.  Stripped back awaiting a new cover {ooo you'll like it when you see it}

The boot rack bought last week at the booty for a wonderful £3, long on my wish list but not being prepared to pay retail I thought it would just stay on the wish list but lucky old me found one!

I got fed up of seeing the pink birdcage waiting for love so have lined it with moss and filled it with a selection of hanging basket flowers!  It looks lovely and is outside the window where I spend many hours washing up!

The strawberries are in old enamel bread bins, planted last year.

Fingers crossed I will beat my youngest kiddos to actually have more than the one strawberry this year!

And tadpoles!

Once again not really a craft but things that keep me busy!

All practical stuff.