Time to make a cake

 Just saying make a cake sounds easy, I was going to make a sponge and have made hundreds if not thousands! But, no cake tin liners, an oven I have never made a sponge in and where are the sandwich tins! I found a pair of shallow square tins and lined them like I do the Christmas cakes. Made up the mix then couldn’t spread it out in the topics as the lining kept moving! To say I was relieved with the result is an understatement, although the proof of the pudding will be tomorrow. Really wanted to make a cake for Darren who is driving here today so that he wakes up here on his birthday.

Tina drove us to Dunkeld and we dropped some boxes and a case off at the charity shop. We couldn’t get parked so didn’t go for a drink.

I foolishly said that having done the sky of the jigsaw I could enjoy doing the tulips! Oh boy, I started getting the pink pieces out and felt overwhelmed, so decided to finish off the windmills and the ground behind the tulips!

Will decide how to go forward tomorrow. I watered the houseplants today, they seem to like the position they are in with plenty of signs of new growth. I have two branches that were knocked off a bonsai in soil now, and used rooting powder. I had them in water for a few weeks, no sign of roots but they look okay so far. I would be delighted if that take.

Just relaxing with the cat for now.

Garden, sketch and evening lecture

 First things first, I finished the sky of the jigsaw, what a challenge that was!

Then I removed the dead flowers from my vases and refreshed the water. Both posy and larger flowers are lasting well.

When I went into the garden a bee was on this plant but disappeared inside to other flowers, so took a photo of the plant anyway.

Didn’t buy too many plants yesterday and got most of them in today.

But the main job today was getting the Virginia creeper we bought the day before into a pot.

It was sunny so I spread this pile of sodden weed out with the rake into the sunshine so as I could get it into the garden bin, as rain is forecast for tomorrow.

I went into the church to do a sketch and got the weeds into the bin when I came back. Can’t put them in when they are wet and full of Earth as they won’t empty them if they are too heavy, even though we have to pay for the privilege!

This evening we went to Aberfeldy for a lecture about a Scottish artist called Joan Eardley, very interesting, neither of us had heard of her but apparently her paintings sell for large amounts.

I had a particularly bad night last night so won’t be long before I am in bed!

 

Surprise flier and amazing day!

 I have done a bit more to the jigsaw, but a photo tomorrow. We both went out into the garden, I had plants to make way for and Tina started clearing an overgrown area at the bottom of the garden. The garden bins, both full, were going to be emptied today, so we could make a start on the stuff waiting to go into them!

After a while we had a tea break in the garden and the postman arrived while we were enjoying the sunny weather. He had a flier as well as the post.

We decided to take a ride to Bennybeg but I collected the empty bins and we both got the stuff waiting into the bins. The plant centre is twenty miles or so away and it was a great journey, the hills hadn’t got the trees on so quite different. We went through one area which took our breath away but we were surrounded by these enormous hill but not easy to get the idea from the car. Managed slightly better on the way back.

The plant centre was great and we spent a lot but got our free bedding plants!

After we had looked round and bought our purchases at a garden centre with a cafe. We didn’t look round the garden centre but went into the glass making place and admired the beautiful stuff then went in to where the men were making glass items.

That was fascinating. Then on the way home, lots more photos!

A while after that we saw a sign to Rumbling Bridge, so we went to the car park and walked down to the river.

The last two were taken from the bridge, very narrow and a little alarming when a car appeared!

Then we did make our way home. We would never had found these places if the postman hadn’t delivered the flier! Quite a day.

Garden centre day

 Making omelettes yesterday I was intrigued by the code information in the box lid, have never seen anything like it. But it really bothers me that it still lists caged bird eggs. I think that should have been made illegal years ago.

I did a bit to the jigsaw before we went out, but did a bit more when I got home so a photo later, at the moment it is very slow progress.

We set off to go to a recommended garden centre between Perth and Dundee, it did have some great displays and included a food hall and a very large cafe.

Tina had some gift money and she got plants and a water feature. Photos of the plants tomorrow but we won’t unpack the water feature until I have prepared a place for it. I got us a very nice lunch. On the way back we saw a sign for a woodland park that had a viewing point. It was a fairly short walk to the viewing point but it was up a steep hill! Very much worth it though.

We thought about walking to another viewing point two miles on, but this was the start and we didn’t go far!

We found a different way down, I took this one before we came down.

Back in the car we made our way to Dobbies garden centre as the do an offer after 2.30 pm as two of their amazing cream scones for the price of one. They even did plain scones as well as fruit so Tina could enjoy one too.

We did food shopping before coming home. I did a bit more to the jigsaw before getting the garden bins put out.

Quiet evening as looks like gardening on the agenda tomorrow!