Games

David and Ann have been here for the weekend, which has necessitated the consumption of baked goods, games, and much coffee. Much, in fact, as it should be. Aaaand relax.

Badminton, Bees, Babies

Today, we went over to Cheshire to celebrate friends' second child, who arrived early this year. It was a nice trip, and it was good to see them.

Newly arrived honeybee colonies (© Ian 2016)

Our long-awaited honeybees arrived yesterday. We made the platform (in deference to the sloping hillside) some time ago, but the bees were a bit delayed. They've arrived today. The far colony is slightly stronger, but both are doing well. They need proper stands, and I have a plan for strapping them down directly onto the platform.

Diamond Anniversary

We've spent the weekend in Shropshire, celebrating the Diamond Anniversary of Liz's paternal grandparents. It's been good fun, and our first chance to meet up with Liz's uncle and his family since he moved to Australia many years ago.

A walk in the woods (© Ian 2016)

The journey home, this afternoon, was not entirely straightforward, because of a crash on the A49, which sent us on side-roads. Single track side-roads lacking the capacity of an A-road. Or even the capacity to deal with two streams of traffic.

We detoured briefly, therefore, into a field, while things sorted out.

Not the A49 (© Ian 2016)

Climbers

It's been a long weekend for us, including a day trip to Leeds to go bowling with my family. But we also made a trip to the garden centre on the way somewhere else, intending to pick up slug pellets.

We did manage to get the slug pellets...

A shopping trip for sundries (© Ian 2016)

...and a few other bits. It turns out that they had a lot of climbers 50% off. And we need climbers for the pergola that's going along the sides of the driveway, so it seemed opportune. No, the pergola isn't built yet. Details, details...

We also got some heavily reduced sedums (which are always good value), and some purple sprouting broccoli plugs (ours didn't make it, for some reason, and they'd be missed in the kitchen garden over winter). There was also a nice variegated Chlorophytum which I fancied, and a few ivies to plant around my new(ish) Calathea in the Victorian plant stand in the sitting room, to soften it a bit.

Anyway, the climbers: variegated jasmine, golden hops, climbing hydrangea, and a grape. No, I don't expect a crop; but the leaves are pretty, and they get good colour progression through the seasons, so it'll earn it's place.