Topic: Stir crazy - what do you do....?

[allotment_chick]

Hi All
I'm enjoying reading the 'Music' thread and it got me to thinking what we obsessive gardeners do over the long winter months when we can't do any real gardening.  It has been so wet here that the best thing I can do is keep off the soil so, for my part (and apart from work, of course...):
- I've knitted a jumper - well, I say a jumper,  you could get three people and a small dog in it! I'm not usually a bad knitter but this is like every comedy show's interpretation of granny's Christmas present...so now I've got to unpick it and start again!
- re-read my Kitchen Garden  mags
- drooled over the recipes in Nigella's 'Domestic Goddess' book which I was given for Christmas (by the way - Nigella is a great fan of rhubarb and there are some yummy recipes)
- extended my crocheted American Squares blanket 'cos it was too small and kept falling off the bed!
- sorted out my seed box....and then dropped it, so it needs doing again - it'll have to wait 'cos the sight of all the seed packets gives me itchy fingers....
- got down to some serious eBaying (buying and selling)
- took a willow work course and discovered that you can use .... wait for it .... brambles  :o to make baskets!

Without being personal .....I'd be interested to hear what y'all do .... there are probably at least another two months of captivity!
:D

[aquilegia]

This winter I have been planning/dreaming (often literally  ::) what to do next year:

- I've read many gardening books (although I still have to make my way through the xmas pressies!)
- Looked through seed catalogues
- on paper completely redesigned the garden (it was a blank slate when we moved in two years ago)
- read up about ponds (as I plan to add one)
- bored hubby silly with talk of gardening (he only likes digging)
- pottered round the garden in the cold wishing it was spring
- watched lots of films
- tidied up the shed only to fill it with more junk
- jumped for joy whenever I see any signs of new growth/spring being on the way!

[budgiebreeder]

Knitting ,reading cooking,housework ,painting,crochet, travelling,shopping,decorating,embroidery,tatting the list is endless all the things that i didnt have time to do when i was working and had a family at home.Not to mention A4A. Who said that retirement was boring .It's the best time of life even in the Winter with no gardening.
:) ;) :D :) ;) :D :) :D

[tim]

Spent the whole time virtually retiring - and wondering where the next 'saturday pennies' will come from!! = Tim

[Mimi]

The past few months have been busy.  I thought that I would be lost as youngest daughter went off to New Zealand in August  for a years travelling.   Havent had time to turn around and here we are in 2004.  Mind you did dig a super pond (with nephews help) and extended it to include a small bog garden. I thought that is looked quite a reasonable size when I marked it out  but it is humungous.  had to move approx 7 tons of soil 3 times.
1.from hole to wheelbarrow and into a pile.
2. from pile to trailer
3. from trailer to skip in local tip
Next time, if there is one, I shall invest in a man, digger and a skip.
Learning how to get around a computer, which we got in November.
House train new pup Poppy.... or Ploppy as she is fast becoming known as around here.
Generally spend time with beloved when he is home from sea.
Oh and in between Work.  and drool over seed catalogues.  

[legless]

sitting in shed, taking photos, cooking too much, eating too much, arranging seed packets on floor and putting them back in box, reading, messing about on the internet, planning, stripping doors.......

bored now, want to grow summat

[Mrs Ava]

Been busy all winter through!  School runs, school activities, after school activities, knitting, cooking, reading, seed sorting, lottie planning, exercising (yawn!), spending time in the greenhouse, and spending quality time with the old man and the sprogs.  

[Garden Manager]

I dont realy stop - only for the weather!

Why? because my garden doesnt seem to (stop) these days.

At the moment half the garden thinks its spring, the other half thinks its still autumn! One confused garden :-/

Seriously, wither is the time I do jobs i neve seem to have time for the rest of the year, mostly involving DIY.  This is also the time for any landscaping projects ready for planting in spring.

If the weather is reasonable and there are things to do i will be out there.

PS It is also the time to plant next seasond planting projects!  - the best bit!!

[ciaozzy]

Yo Peeps

stir carzy... don't kowmuch about that but Crazy,, i am a pro :)  

Other night danced and grooved under a full moon (it looked full) looked at what had to done and remembered the swarm of ants that descended onto my gardy... lovely it was,, at that time peeps on the beeb boards were going  "OMIGOD Ants how do  get rid of them? OMIGOD OMIGOD" me I  
crouched dow and watched as they burrowed into the soil, ad when I had seen enough of the wonder.
I done a google and learnt about ants and their civilizations and
wont kill em... not my right.. and feel priviledge that so many chose to live in my pad... first workers wlll be appearing soon and they will take responsiblity for the colony.. leaving the queen to get down and do her thang... always amazed I am..


Oz..

xxxx

whats this thread about... forgot.. NAUGHTY NAUGHTY Oz.. Nice wardrobe though ;)