Snowy Saturday at Belton House.

It has been snowing all day and most of last night, Ed and I decided not to risk taking Doris for her MOT retest because the roads weren't great and we didn't want loads of salty road crud getting underneath her, as she needs some rust treatment down below anyway. So we rescheduled her in for next week. 

So after we had gluten free crumpets and scrambled egg for breakfast we decided to venture out and have a snow adventure. I whipped out our National Trust memberships and we went to Belton House. It is possible that this is the most beautiful National Trust place that Ed and I have visited so far and the snow made it even more sparkly.  

What a perfect day we had, full of adventure and we even had a hot soup picnic in the car before we set out home. I can't wait to visit this place in the summer when the gardens are all beautiful and groomed. Now we are tucked up under a rug on the sofa watching Eat Pray Love and I am trying to contain my wanderlust.

Hope you are having a great weekend <3

xkx 

House Plants to Hurry Spring Along.

It feels like winter has returned this past week! We have had snow, ice and cold, blustery wind. This time of year I love to have beautiful flowers and plants in the house to remind me that it won't be long until I can get busy at the allotment and go adventuring in the countryside. 

The Auricular is my all time favourite plant. When I was little my mum and I use to walk down the country lanes to this lovely ladies house, she lived in a little cottage that smelled of lavender and always had a log fire crackling away. Before we went home she would always give me something, whether it was 50p or some dolls clothes she had made. This one time she gave me a beautiful auricular that was a dusky blue I think. That little plant survived for years in the garden. So when I saw this pretty plant in the market for £1 I just couldn't resist. It has been in constant bloom for over 2 weeks and has brightened my day every time I have seen it. I think I will plant it in the allotment when it has finished flowering  alongside Frasier the Christmas tree.  

Lovely Edward usually buys me flowers then the old ones have gone over, I usually put the dead flowers in the wormery or on the compost heap at the allotment so they don't go to waste. I think Ed buys me this colour occasionally because his favourite colour is orange. My favourite cut flowers are probably either roses or big lilies as they are pretty and they make the house smell sweet.

I bought this plant from the Gardener's World show a couple of years ago, it was very pretty and the older plants were as big and flat as saucers. I think I bought the freak! The mummy plant has grown down on the weird stalk and has now grown babies around the base. I think it is kinda odd but pretty, especially now the baby plants are growing on it. I want to research to figure out when I can split the young plants off the mummy.

Hope you have had a productive Thursday and have some exciting plans looming for the weekend.

xkx

The Birds.

As it was Mother's Day we decided to have a long mosey around the local garden centres. It had started to snow so we didn't spend a lot of time looking outside. I went hunting for some activated carbon for my terrarium projects I have in mind, I didn't find any but I did find these pretty little birds. 

Hope you are having a nice chilled out Sunday, we are all sat by a log fire thawing out after a chilly afternoon of plant adventures. 

xkx