Or do so until the grass is well established. 

I thought I would give you an update.

 

Remember this on the 26th August, hubby working hard, tilling that soil and hoeing in the grass seeds. 

 Well this is how the lawn looked on the 3rd September.  We chose red fescues a grass for ornamental uses, not hoards of energetic teenagers playing footy on it.  Why?, well it is a very soft grass without a tough middle stalk should it grow longer than you would like so it does not prickle delicate feet and it grows slowly so doesn’t need cutting as often.  It does however have a much lower germination rate and takes longer to germination than other grasses, but I thought I would give my green fingers the test to see if we could get it going.  This is when it became very dry and I started praying that the powers that be wouldn’t instigate a hose pipe ban, I was watering the lawn two to three times a day – ‘if it dries, it dies’ is a good little ditty to remember when dealing with seed.   As you might notice the lawn started to germinate early, but only on the half of the lawn that saw the sun, the north side hadn’t sprouted at all.

 On the 7th of September we had this.  I am quietly impressed with my watering skills and am very happy with how it is turning out.  That blast of green makes my heart sing whenever I look towards the garden.

And on the 24th of September we had this.  Not bad for just on a month.

This is the lawn after its first hair cut, on the highest position of the blades with this, a good old fashioned hand push cylinder lawn mower.I am attempted stripes! It will take a few more mowes before they start to look anything like, but you can see the idea.   My grandfather always used to mow the lawn nearest the house with an old fashioned cylinder mower and he made beautiful stripes and when I was old enough I was allowed to use the cylinder mower, I loved cutting the grass.  I adored watching the fine cuttings flow into the collection bucket, I adore the stripes it produces and I especially adore the sound of the clink, clink, clink, clink, clink as the cylinder is pushed forward and the change of noise as you pull the mower back.  Its a sound of my childhood which I can remember fading to be replaced with the high pitched whirr of the hover mower on a Sunday, which I really didn’t like at all. 

And you should be doubly impressed as not only did I manage its first hair cut, but I did so with a poorly ankle.  Having come a cropper in the bathroom, due to a wet floor on Friday (I screamed when something went snap as I fell like a sack of spuds being thrown onto the back of a lorry) and being assured it wasn’t a broken bone I’ve watched my left ankle and foot change into various colours of yellow and blue and black over the last few days along with discovering new blue bruises on knee and back.  However I’ve managed to get to Fresher events and lectures and on the hobble home today, decided that as we had had two days free of rain this may be the last chance to mow, so I did and it felt great, even though I hobbled, it was worth it.

There is nothing quite like the smell of newly mown grass, absolute bliss.

I know I have been lost in action for quite a while now.  At the moment my days are filled with hunting down my reading list on ebay and amazon, although I won’t be buying the one book for £645.00.  I’ve started to go to fresher events, no drinking as yet! And generally pottering around with my knitting and sewing whilst cramming in a visit to a museum/gallery/area of London that interests hubby and I. This weekend we went to the Thames Festival on the South Bank, it rained but it was fun.  For me it was the first time near the South Bank Centre and it gave me great insight as to what the many hundreds of high end Londoners I’d interviewed had to say when I was a telephone market researcher about the concrete elephant of it all, especially the Hayward Gallery, you never know I might get to go inside one day.  (wry giggle) 

Remember the toille?  Well the next step was the buttons and after reading up a little, I’d thought I would share my finds.  (those that know everything about button sewing, please feel free to disregard this post) 

Firstly, find centre of button hole with a pin, keep hold of the pin whilst you undo the garment.

 As you sew on the button do so over a pin and then remove.

 Wrap thread six or seven times around the threads under the button to form a shank.

 This tightens the threads and leaves the threads looking smoother and shinier, a more polished finish and also leaves room for the fabric when the garment is closed.

Finish by sewing through the base of the shank on the same side two or three times and then snip close to the base.

This leaves it very secure and leaves a very tidy finish on the reverse.