Summer

Summer has shot past by in a bit of a blur.
 I handed in my Forest School Portfolio and spent the summer hanging out with my sons.

They decided they wanted to get the Blue Peter green environmental badge so we started to build a wildlife garden area in the back garden.

We were also given some pallets to make a bug hotel

Jacob making bug houses

Noah mixing wild flower seeds and compost

our newly fenced off wild patch

construction of the bug hotel begins

getting stuck in sawing the pallets up

starting to take shape

Finished hotel! Doesn't it look fantastic?

We also had a bumper crop of pears this year from our tiny pear tree

I've made flavoured gin before so thought I'd give pear gin a go

So this year so far I have (L-R) Bramble vodka, pear gin, damson gin x2 then another bramble vodka

roll on Christmas when they will all be ready to try

 The new bug hotel has attracted many bugs to our garden and I was able to take this fab picture of a bee with pollen saddlebags on my phone. She was so busy collecting pollen that she totally ignored me. I've been reading A sting in the tale by Dave Goulson which is a fantastic read about the plight of the short haired bumble bee. Read it if you can.

So after a 3 month wait the badges finally arrived

They are all pretty pleased with themselves and can now get in free to over 200 attractions so I'm pretty pleased too!

I haven't forgotten Jacobs granny square blanket either.

He chose the colours and the design and I've finally finished it.

I'm very pleased with it but I am still sewing in all the ends so he hasn't quite been given it yet....

But I have got my crochet mojo back and have started on a gorgeous scarf for my sisters birthday from Simply Crochet magazine. I'll save that for later but now I'm off out with the dogs to enjoy this gorgeous October sunshine