Happy Tuesday Friends!
Well after two long weekends in a row where we have enjoyed having Monday off as a holiday, it’s a little hard to get used to a full five day working week with no holiday Monday. We do have another one at the end of this month though so that’s something to look forward to. This week, it’s all about the garden, the cats, lots of books and a bit of art on the side. I’m afraid I haven’t seen the little stray cat I mentioned last week for nearly a week. I talked to my neighbour about him and she had also been feeding him and was going to call the Cat Protection people, and then he disappeared. I haven’t seen her yet to ask if perhaps they had taken him already.
Today’s Art . . .
Today’s art is a page for AJJ’s May theme of flowers. It’s a bit of a mixture with some leftover bits and pieces thrown in (including some squares from my last page).
So I was making a colour wheel using some Winsor and Newton watercolours (you can see that on the right of the photo) and just dabbling on another piece of paper with the leftover paints, and ended up with these “flowers” and the green leaf. The flowers are in inverted commas because they barely qualify as flowers and not blobs lol. So what to do with these experiments? I decided to tuck them into my journal, attaching it to the page using some washi tape, and then adding some more washi tape to the middle. At the same time I had just finished this box of Pukka Elderberry & Echinacea tea (probably the last I will buy because it the insane price increases) so I thought i would memorialise it in my journal too haha. After I had flattened the box, I saw that I could fold it into a little pouch maybe for some journalling or notes, and used the remaining part of the box to create a tuck corner to hold it in place. I used pink and green neocolours to colour the background. If my flowers don’t look much like flowers, at least there are plenty on the Pukka box. 🙂
Currently Reading . . .
I’m currently reading this book, Donna Tartt’s first book, which was published in 1992. She only writes a book about every 10 years so a fourth book from her is overdue. It’s because of this that I have decided to re-read (or in this case, listen to) her three previous books (Secret History, Little Friend, The Goldfinch) The Goldfinch is an excellent book, by the way, and one of my favourites, so I’m looking forward to a reread.
So far in May I have enjoyed finishing my reread of The Magicians, Simon Clarke’s The Night of the Triffids, and most of the Joe Pitt series, though book 3 was definitely the best one. And now I am listening to Secret History which is 21 hours of listening goodness.
TOTAL for 2023
77 books
May Books so far – 9
69. Lev Grossman – The Magician’s Land – Magicians #3 
70. Jodi Taylor – White Silence – Elizabeth Cage #1 
71. Margareta Magnusson – Dostadning: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning (2020)
72. JP Smythe – Way Down Dark – Australia Trilogy #1
73. Simon Clark – Night of the Triffids
74. Charlie Huston – Already Dead – Joe Pitt #1
75. Charlie Huston – No Dominion – Joe Pitt #2
76. Charlie Huston – Half the Blood in Brooklyn – Joe Pitt #3
77. Charlie Huston – Every Last Drop – Joe Pitt #4
Currently Growing . . .
I took some photos of the garden last weekend, including my new greenhouse! It’s plastic and won’t stand up to strong winds, so after the growing season it will be dismantled and stored in the shed. But for now, I get to grow things in a warm environment, and I even put a chair in there so I can enjoy the heat, although I might have some competition for that spot as you will see further down the post.
Greenhouse is 1.5 x 1.5 metres square.
Shelves on both sides to fit lots of seedlings, and of course, my director’s chair.
Potatoes growing in tubs this year.
Raised beds ready for planting.
Seeds planted in toilet roll tubes!
Rhubarb for dinner and grass for the kittens – see below!
Kitties . . .
So in the photo above, I showed you the grass I picked for the kittens, here’s what happened when I brought it inside… (I don’t give them “cat grass” because they don’t like it).
kittens grass 140523 480 by EOTC
And here’s what happened when I left the greenhouse for five minutes…
(NOT my cat!)
T Stands For . . .
Cold (alcohol-free) Chardonnay on a warm afternoon. You might notice a laptop in the background and also a laptop battery, That’s because I am currently installing Linux on some old laptops to give them new life (hopefully). Laptop central…
Let me know what you think in the comments. As always, thanks for reading and Happy T Day!
Hi Elle, just sent you everything as requested. Please can you check your emails to ensure that you have received it and it’s what you need, as I just got it completed and now it’s quite a tight deadline. Many thanks! Hugs, Jo x
Pretty journal page and clever use of the packaging. Yup, can’t get up from your seat or you’ll lose it. The kitties are so cute, but wow those murder mittens! ?
I’m loving the journal page- they are definitely flowers and great for Aimeslee’s AJJ theme! Love the kitty video! Your greenhouse looks like a great place to sit (or sleep) as well as grow plants! Hugs, Chrisx
Hi Elle. This is a very nice post. I have one of those green housed on with clear poly. Nice garden for sure. The journal page is lovely have a nice day.
I like your greenhouse – it’s just big enough, I think. Great for starting seeds and get those seedlings stronger. And of course a cat would find that warm place – I am not surprised at all! I enjoyed all the pictures from your garden. What will you put in your raised beds?
Your greenhouse looks like my sons.
Coffee is on and stay safe
What a fun journal spread, Elle. Sorry I am so late visiting. I just can’t sit and type with one hand for too long these days. I’m not sure which is more painful right now, the bum arm or the one I’m typing with.
Back to your spread. It truly IS a beauty. What a nice way to eulogize that tea box. And with the flowers on it, as well as your drawing, it is perfect for Aimeslee’s theme at AJJ.
Your greenhouse is impressive. You have a lot growing in it. Laughed that visitor you got. strange because it actually looked like one of your cats. Speaking of, about the little kitty, is the Cat Protection a kill free shelter? Do they have a vet on staff?
How do you find time to listen to so many books? There are not enough hours in the day for me, I guess.
Your faux Chardonnay looks like the perfect drink. Thanks for sharing it with us for T this week, dear. BTW, I special ordered my desktop (I don’t have a laptop) and requested NO Windows. My friend who built it put Linux on it and I have had NO trouble whatsoever from the computer. Can’t say the same for the internet or the electric company, though!
Beautiful journal page!
The place is exciting to look at and on this budget!
hug Elke
I hope the cat is well! “Mine” sometimes does not show up for weeks (at my time), either…
Love your flowers, too.
No more books… I still have so many to go through!
We expect some cold nights but then I´ll plant wildflowers.
Cute cats!
Linux – Ingo tried that, too, but had always problems with the TV… Love your cat´s eyes!
Thank you for the channel 9-link – soooo good to hear that accent again – like an unexpected mini-holiday 🙂
Sorry I´m late, but have a great day xx
Your journal page looks really springy and pretty. Thanks for sharing it with us at AJJ. And wow, I am impressed with your number of books so far this month-I think I said that last time too, didn’t I? And very nice greenhouse. I bet it will be good to get your plants started and going when it’s still chilly. I have some more clean-up prepping to do including some planting. I hope you enjoy your wine and have had a great T day, and week ahead too. hugs-Erika