MY CRETAN LIFE My life, my makes and everything else. Pleased to be back in Crete.
I have just entered this giveaway. Hurry if you want to take part in it as the winner will be picked on the 3rd May. Just click on the button on my sidebar and like magic you will be transported there. Please tell Jenny that I sent you. Go on take a look.
A while ago I posted this photo of a plant that they eat here and asked if you knew what it was.
It is papoulis and it is eaten uncooked in vinegar and salt. Lovely. Sorry about this photo, its a bit blurry
This is my Zig-zag cushion finished.
And this is what it looks like sewn up
This is the back. I might put a small flower in the centre just to finish it off.
I decided to put this lovely crochet rose on the front.
Remember the walnut tree? If you look at the centre of the photo you can see the tiny walnuts forming. The lovely bronze tinge that the young leaves had is disappearing.
And this is a week on. Just look at the nuts growing. I do like walnuts but this tree is so big in our small garden.
See it's massive.
I like to take my camera with me when taking Lucky for her walks as you never know what you may come across. Like this beautiful flower. I have never seen one of these before, have you?
It turns out to be a member of the Muscari family (Grape Hyacinth)
This small Cyclamen was tucked away against a stone wall, I nearly missed it.
This Poppy, well look at the vivid colour, just lovely.
Then there is this Wisteria, just growing amongst another bush.
Not sure of the name of these. They close up in the evening and open again in the sunshine. So pretty.
These Figs are doing well. Have you ever tasted a fig straight off the tree. Gorgeous, but beware don't eat too many.
Same Fig tree but look what is growing amongst it. These Arum Lilies are so lovely.
And this lovely wild Dog Rose.
I find new things everyday. The locals must wonder what I am doing with a camera in my hand all the time but I am frightened that I miss something. Wouldn't you be?
I would also thank you all for dropping by my blog from time to time and leaving me your lovely comments. They are very much appreciated.
This morning had a lot of promise as been a good day
I even put out my washing!! Big mistake. We had very very heavy rain with thunder and lightening again. The weather has been quite unsettled these last few days.
However caught these two enjoying the early morning sun. I just happened to catch them in the act.
They have long snouts, don't know what they are though.
p.s You never guess they were still at it this morning.
Well I mean walnuts and almonds.
The almond trees flowered a while ago, but you should see the size of the almond nuts now.
This was the tree in flower. Photo taken 04/02/2009
And look at it now
See the two fruits, they grow like peaches. When they are ripe the fruit case bursts open and the nuts are revealed
.
The walnut trees are just starting to sprout their new leaves and flowers.
The leaves have a lovely bronze tinge to them. Can you see the flowers. They are just greenish, nothing stunning.
In another few weeks I will post another photo on their progress.
Oh dear! I have done it now. All these months and I have resisted the temptation and then yesterday, yes, yesterday I finally gave in.
I hunted through my craft stuff until I found my two boxes with knitting needles and crochet hooks. It was nice getting acquainted with them again. Feeling them in my hands. Got out some wool and then there was no stopping me. Sorted my pattern out and off I went.
The pattern I chose is for a zig-zag cushion. I have made it before but many many years ago. Thinking about it I don't think I want to go there. Can it be really be that long ago? Suppose it can!
I sat down and did my chain of 214 then the next row was setting the pattern, so far so good. The first pattern row seemed to be going fine then I got myself in a twist, literally. I untwisted myself and got back on track. Can't remember it been this difficult the last time. Anyway did another row and it didn't look right. My peaks and troughs were a bit off. Oh bother. (that's been polite). Out it all came and I started again. Chain 214, fine. Set the pattern row, fine and the first row of the pattern, fine.
Success !!!!!!!!!!
Now there will be no stopping me.
I have had this quilt for quite a number of years. I did not make it myself but bought it at a salerooms in Alnwick, Northumberland. when I live in Amble in the 70's I used to go to the salerooms regularly. I bought quite a few quilts but over the years they have dwindled away. This has not been made the normal way. The top has been made out of large pieces of fabric and topstitched onto the middle layer. Not sure what the middle layer is though.
It has been bound in a rose print fabric very crudely.
And this is the reverse side plain and checked materials. I assume it was made in the war years more out of necessity than as a work of art. Maybe its from the fifties I'm not sure.
It now covers my light coloured settee, so our black haired dog Lucky, doesn't make a hairy mess of it.
Our walk along the cliff tops on Sunday was most interesting. The flowers were beautiful and blanketed the green areas in lovely colour.
This last two photo's are of a plant with lovely markings on its stems
After our walk we sat on the beach and soaked up the sun and ate sandwiches and drank juice. We had a very enjoyable day.
Our solar panel was delivered last week but then they realised that the coil for the central heating was not there so they had to order a part. We have spent a week with no hot water or heating and it has been cold here at nights. Luckily we were able to borrow a oil filled radiator to warm us up a bit.
Yesterday morning the phone rang and hey presto, they had the part. The guy delivered it and fitted it. Ian filled it with the required fluid and the water. Then the sun went behind some brewing clouds. Isn't that just typical!
The guy fitting the heating coil. He also told us that the plant with the yellow flowers growing in our garden can be collected before the flowers open, boiled then put into your omelette. (you can just make them out if you look through the top two rungs of the ladder)
My dear hubby putting in the fluid. The fluid helps the water heat up.
Next was to connect all the central heating pipes and let the water flow through into the central heating wood burning stove and radiators. There we were getting all excited and then it happened. We sprung a leak! No not one but three. The system was all drained back down. We were a bit deflated to say the least.
This morning he got up had his breakfast and then set about fixing the leaks.
With the joints all taken apart and soldered back up again we filled it up again. No leaks! Excited I laid the fire in the stove and put a match to it.
And boy didn't it go. Heat at last!!!!
The sun was shining most of the day so we also got hot water free.
Went shopping for vegetables and treated myself to some lovely Freesia. They smell divine.
These are some of the vegetables that I got. Tomatoes and peppers
These greens on the right of the photo. The ones on the left were given to me by our next-door neighbour. Do you know what they are?
I made some chutney today as well. It is supposed to be Green Tomato Chutney but as you can see there is red in there too.
And this is what it turned out like. Looks yummy to me, thing is, you are supposed to wait 2 weeks till it matures before you eat it. Think this will be quite hard to do. I got the recipe from the internet and it turned out to be a blogger that I follow. http://greenforks.com
