Gardening On A Budget

How on earth can you garden on a budget  ?

Gardening even before you have got started the costs mount up with composts,weedkillers, insecticides, twine plant labels , gardening gloves , pots special shoes to garden in - it all adds up and that is before you have even got going with the plants.

It can be done with a few tips to avoid your wallet being walloped and having to eats beans for the next 3 months. It pays to be inventive and savvy , make do and mend and especially keep an eye out for those bargains.

1. Look on your free sites such as free ad s, free angle and so on , I managed to get a bit of railway sleeper for free and place it again my fence and the cat loves sitting on it. The piece of sleep is just right and looks lovely next to the old sink I got off eBay for 99 p , a good tip when you are looking on eBay for gardening items on the left hand side there is a box where you can put in your postcode and pick the distance you are willing to travel.

The sleeper was off freecycle.

See that balustrade I found that under a hedge it was abandoned( blooming fly tippers)

2. Grow from seeds , this can be done even if you don't have a green house and will quite literally save you a packet and you'll see no end of seeds on gardening magazines ( great advice and seeds all in one package )


3. Save your old your old yogurt and cream pots for growing seedlings in , use old wellingtons for plant containers these are especially quirky and add a sense of fun to your garden.

4 Compost bin/heap When my council introduced a £40 a year bin charge I declined to take them up on this unsurprisingly so I brought a compost bin you'll local authority will have links where you can buy one cheaply. Though since my council have offered a baby bin for £15 a year which I am using for all those items that can't be composed and saving on going down to the tip.

5. Finding stuff for example in a skip but please remember to ask permission as it's an offence to take something out of a tip without permission. I found this balustrade in a hedge and it has obviously been fly tipped but I asked the house next door just in case !

6. Swap seedling with a friend or even host a perhaps as PTA event example and sell tea and cake everyone loves tea and cake , cake loves me a little too much nowadays!

7. Get free advice the Internet is a wonderful resource for this with such sites as amateurgardeing.com or rhs.org.uk

8.  You go shopping in the sales for clothes and other essential items so why not plants , those plants you think might be half dead might not be as dead as you think they are !

9. Buy in bulk this is something I have been doing with the Cotswold stone in my garden I know I could have made an even bigger saving by ordering a huge bag but as I am on a tight budget this just wasn't feasible.

10. Look for making your own organic remedies this is something I am going to do as I have a bad case of woolly Aphid , my apple tree that is and not me !


PS that reminds me Aldi have some cracking gardening deals coming up on the 23 April and I need a mini water butt , I'll be sure to pick this up on the way to see Avengers Age of Ultron.


Disclosure All this is all my own work , I am going to Avengers willingly and am in no way swayed by Thor or any other superhero with a six pack but oh gosh wouldn't they be a dream in the garden ( only because they could do the work in half the time )

Spring Into Adventure

Not sure what it is this week , I feel as if I'm a Groundhog Day .

I spent the whole of Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday.

No matter I am loving the fact it's Spring and my garden is starting to take shape , I've been influenced of late by my Spring walk down the lane at the bottom of my road.

  

White Sauce Made Simple

Sauces were once my cooking nemesis , there aren't many of those left now ( well just the Victoria sponge cake.) but I'll deal with that another time. My sauces were once the talk of polite society in terms of that they didn't mention it. They say once you managed the basics then the world is your oyster ?..

Ingredients 

2 tablespoons of plain flour 

2 tables spoons of olive oil 

Half an onion or perhaps a couple of shallots 

500ml milk

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

Bring the milk to the boil with the onion, cloves and bay leaf , leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

Mix the 2 tablespoons of flour with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to form a paste this is called a roux.

Fish out the onion/ shallots , cloves and bay leaf.

Then gradually add the milk to it thickens to a consistency you like.

You can add further ingredients to your sauce , I added cheese. 

My friend swears by a pinch of mustard powder too.

Move over Nigella .... Maybe ?!

Un Comfortable Being Me

No matter what people say I'm uncomfortable being me yet at the same time I'm sort of comfortable being me , slightly odd I know. I really do hate my picture being taken I never in my mind look quite right and make up is something that just looks right on other people rather me. If and when I do wear make up I look like Aunt Sally from Worzel Gummidge.

This obviously is without make up after the annual haircut this default hair cut number 1 as my hair my never ever grow past my shoulders. I'm rubbish at selfies if I tried the duck pout I look like a constipated duck. I'd rather be behind the camera than in front of it , it's where my talents of my minds eye lay and no I will never do a boudoir shoot for one I'd be horrified and I work in a school. 

Since I've always known me I'm uncomfortable being me yet comfortable and do I need the makeup to aids people perception of me.

No .

I'm me comfortable yet uncomfortable.

 

Win A World Map From Murals Wallpaper

As you will see from my blog , instagram twitter and Facebook I do love my travel , I have an adventuring soul I have just been to Berlin and in August I am off to Washington DC. I am please to tell you in conjunction with Murals Wallpaper  have kindly given me a mural to give away up to the value of £250 including postage. These maps look fantastic and would liven up any wall you have and maybe inspire your next trip.

The maps aren't just targeted for adults but also children too but maps are really ageless and are something they won't grow up out.

I love London very much and always enjoy my time when I am there , If I had to choose a map then I would choose  this London one.

It is a map of London from 1901 the pivotal year as society goes from Victorian to Edwardian , I go just all tingly just thinking about how it would have been back then.



This competition will run for 2 weeks and you can choose any Mural from the site up to a value of £250 including postage.




a Rafflecopter giveaway


Here are the Terms and Conditions.

1. The promoter is Murals Wallpaper 

2. Employees of Wall Mural ,Ninjakillercat blog or their family members or anyone else connected in any way with the competition or helping to set up the competition shall not be permitted to enter the competition.

3. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.

4. Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are via Ninjakillercat blog

5. Closing date for entry will be 29th April 2015 After this date the no further entries to the competition will be permitted.

6. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.

7. The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.

8. The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.

9. No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.

10. Winners will be chosen by the use of Rafflecopter

11. The winner will be notified by email and/or letter within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.

12. The promoter will notify the winner when the prize will be sent.

13. The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

14. By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.

15. The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by [English] law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of [England].

16. The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current [UK] data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party.

17. Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.

18. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network. You are providing your information to Murals Wall Paper and not to any other party.

19. Uk only.