Saturday 16 January 2016

I hate Hairy Bittercress!

There, I've said it!  I've been doing battle with the blardy stuff this afternoon, in an effort to plant the bulbs which got overlooked in a box under the hall table.  I decided the tulips and some white crocus could go under the apple tree.  That bed was just a sea of mud so I had to set to and dig out the weeds - HB and the equally prolific Creeping Buttercups and other similar garden thugs.  I had bought a big bale of B&Q compost this morning and 3/4 of it went onto that bed, covering the red tulips I had planted, and then I put the smaller striped tulips and crocus deep into the compost.  That should keep then warm if it does decide to snow.


This magazine tempted me when I was shopping, and as it had a 2nd free magazine with it,  but sealed in polythene.  I took it to a quieter aisle in Tesco and had a look.  I do NOT pay good money for sealed magazines.  I want to know what is in them before I commit myself.  Fortunately, both magazines had some lovely quilts and patterns.


Not a cheap magazine (£5.99) but I tend to keep my magazines for donkeys years, so don't feel too guilty about my purchase.


This is one of the beautiful quilts included in the magazines.


Part of the "how to". . .


Another colourful quilt, which has instructions for a variety of block designs loosely based on this one.



Do you remember this, which I bought at the end of last year?  It has had a few work-outs, only on the Slow Cooker button so far, but I am very pleased with it.  The slow cooker setting, because the lid is sealed down in the same way as the pressure cooker, cooks more quickly than my old one, and keeps the flavours in.

I will now start to work through the other different programs on it - as you can just about see on the side, it is a Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Yoghurt Maker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Warmer and you can Saute in it.  I'm glad I bought it.


Finally, I just noticed a pretty sunrise this morning, so took these two snaps through the Velux in bedroom 5.


14 comments:

  1. Rather you than me out there planting bulbs its been bitter up here, lovely quilts getting inspiration for your next one :-)

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  2. I didn't say I ENJOYED it Dawn! I still have some to go in but I'm always late, and they always flower . . . I shan't make a big quilt until we move, when hopefully I won't be so busy - the garden here owns me in the summer months. Several years ago now, my dear friend Sharon (Morning's Minion on my sidebar) generously sent me material enough for a gorgeous quilt which I will make as a housewarming quilt in our new house. Mind you, when I do get a new sewing machine I may just be tempted to start it sooner . . .

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  3. I admire anybody who can quilt. I just don't think I would ever have the patience.

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  4. I wouldn`t have the patience either....
    I`m sure your new tulips will be worth all your hard labour out in the cold.

    What beautiful bands of soft colour in that sky at sunrise.

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  5. Goodness weeds, mud, cold but beautiful flowers in the spring.
    It always amazes me that true gardeners like you, when you say
    "I planted the bulbs deep in the compost to keep the bulbs warm"
    To me snow is cold cold cold but I do understand ,sort of, covering them
    to keep the cold cold cold out.

    cheers, parsnip and thehamish

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  6. Looking at your pressure etc cooker. Can you let me know which make it is and where you purchased it please. I've been thinking of getting one but this is the first I've seen where someone actually has one. Thanks. You've also got me thinking about bulbs as I've got loads I didn't put in. Might have a go.

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  7. Pat - Hello. I got it from Amazon. It's called the Instant Pot and I bought it on Black Friday as it was on a very generous reduction. You might be able to get it cheaper elsewhere if you shop around. Put your bulbs in - I quite often buy some in the January sales for 50p a time and they never fail me!

    parsnip - well, the tulips are good and deep and I can't help feeling that the generous covering of compost keeps them a little warmer! Or is that just my maternal nature?

    DW & Louise - I prefer to sew quilts by hand as I am more "in control" then! Plus I am using my spare time in the evenings when I am just watching tv otherwise, so I get something achieved.

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  8. Those photos were taken at just the right moment--stunning!
    I'm wondering if your quilt magazines are
    American imports or produced in UK with metric measurements for everything?
    I also keep good mags for years, even through moving house---if I could make all the quilts that inspire me I can't imagine what I would do with them.

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  9. Beautiful early morning photos. I put some plants in yesterday accompanied by three hens and the dog. One side of the garden the soil was soft the other side hard as iron. I like stripy tulips there is something very exotique about them..

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  10. I bought that magazine a couple of months back as it had an extra supplement about Welsh quilts very interesting it was too. Your pressure cooker thing looks interesting x

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  11. Love the quilting mags BB.
    Your sunrise looks suitably cold. We have fog and snow here but a watery sun is breaking through so maybe better by afternoon.

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  12. Beautiful colours in the sky in the sunrise photos. Like the look of the pressure cooker especially as it does so much :)

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  13. Have you tried eating the HB? I did - it wasn't nice! Lovely photos and although I don't have many gadgets I can see that one could be very useful if it does all those things without too much complication

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  14. Sue - I think the clue is in the name! You'd have to be fairly desperate, although it is probably very good for you.

    R. Robin - I wouldn't have bought the p/cooker at full price, but it was £50 off on Black Friday! The pastels colours did look nice.

    Pat - we're warmer and back to wet again here.

    Jo - a shame I didn't spot the mag when it had the Welsh quilts supplement. There were some VERY skilled quilt makers in Wales, especially the wholecloth quilts.

    thelma - glad to hear you managed some gardening too - with a bit of "help".

    Sharon - appear to be British, but definitely in the American style - the vintage quilts all looked American, I must say.

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