WOYWW 467

COS WE ARE LIVING IN A MATERIAL WORLD 
AND I AM A MATERIAL GIRL...

Well, it's been another busy week with lots of different things happening. So I'm not going to apologise for the amount of pics, it's just how life is!

CRAFT ROOM

I'm making the most of the JanCave this week because next week sees the start of some work which involve turning the two small shabby en-suites into one big one for our master bedroom. So that door on the back is going to be closed off. This means that I'll have to pack everything up and move it into another room, but it'll be worth it. The green, white and purple fabric are all old sheets/stash which are being used to make some sashes and banners for our next WI meeting which is celebrating 100 years of Womens' Suffrage.

Just making it up as usual :-D

GARDEN

Les and Oscar are working miracles, it's still in the underpinnings stage at the moment but Les promised me that I can start planting this weekend - woohoo *happy dance*

The paths are laid out:

The paths are straight because I wanted a formal walled garden look. There's going to be rope edging holding the borders back, slate chippings on the path, that area in the middle will have the recycled gravel put back. We're not sure what to put in the middle yet, an acer in a big pot or a raised pond. But there will be dry loving plants put in the gravel to soften the look.

The area in the shade is going to be decking - I can't sit in the sun for long so that's going to be my spot! You can sit and look up at the mountain and trees.

Les is an amazing chap, we were chatting the other day and he told me that he made flowers and animals out of scrap metal and sells them in the Gower Gallery. He brought some to show me:

The red is Hammerite paint - he dips the rose into it and lets it drip upside down because he didn't want brush strokes to show. I'm very lucky because he gave me the one on the right which is now on my bedroom window sill :-)

FB friends have already seen these pics, but this was the state of me when G and I painted the fence on Sunday..there was more on me than the panels!

But the result is really fab:

I love how the slate grey really shows up the foliage and flowers - gorgeous!!

RANDOM STUFF

I came home from band practice last Tuesday and was settling down with a cuppa about 10pm when G announced that he wanted to go down the harbour to take night sky pics for a camera club competition. I didn't want him going on his own so we wrapped up and spent an hour down there, it was VERY dark!!! But he got some awesome pics:

This really shows the effect of light pollution, don't you think? Look how many more stars are visible in the dark area of the pic, whereas the lights from Llanelli don't help at all. This was taken as a 30 second exposure and you can see a shooting star trail on the right hand side. The lights on the other side of the estuary are the Gower Peninsula, for those of you who like to know these things!

The harbour looked very different at night - it wasn't as bright as it appears here, G's camera is superb in low light levels - ie pitch black where you can't see where the edge of the quay is!

And this was a final shot taken in our back garden - you may have to enlarge the pic to see the nebula that's in the sky, easily visible with the naked eye.

I really would like this week to be a bit quieter but don't think it's going to happen!
xxxxxx

24 comments:

Helen said...

where to start... at the end maybe. Gorgeous night sky pics from G. hope he wins! the flowers your gardener makes are beautiful (my ex and I painted an entire car with red Hammerite once... )Your garden is going to look fabulous, can't wait to see the results.. and, good luck with the Jancave and the en suite work! phew, think that's all... Helen #??

Neet said...

Love he hubby pictures, I especially like the one of the harbour, somehow it just speaks to me. Good luck G, some beautiful photography there.
The garden is going to look fabulous, love your planning and the fencing is fabulous.
Last but not least, the banners - what a gorgeous set of colours - difficult to leave them whilst you get on with the en suite work - but it will be so worth it.
Hugs, Neet 7 xx

Sarah Brennan said...

Hi Jan, hope the renovating goes quickly so you get your room back. It will be nice having more wall space for storage! Your husband takes amazing photos. The garden is coming on brilliantly, you are spot on with the fence colour! Have a good week. Sarah #9

Tracey@Hotchpotchcreations said...

I'm loving watching the transformation week by week, your garden will be a work of art when finished as the contrast from the shrubs and the painted fence balance so well together. I'm not sure I would be able to cope with work inside and out at the same time!!
Fabulous photography, the night sky reminds me of holidays in Turkey and the beauty of the night sky as if I could reach out and touch it all. All the best for hubby in his competition.
What a fabulous area to sew in, i'd want to fill it with fabrics and just sew sew sew. Great sashes and banners, Thank you for sharing.
Wishing you a creative week ahead Tracey #5

Twiglet said...

Lovely starry starry night there Jan! Your garden is going to be awesome - I love that paint - hope it all washed off your hands or are you now a member of the "blue hand gang"? xx Jo

Lynn Holland said...

So much going on at your house. What a busy lot you are Jan
LYNN xx

Sue said...

Hi Jan, Hope you are soon back in your CR.

The sashes are fab.

The garden is really coming on. I think you need a water feature somewhere in the garden, but the Acer sounds nice as a central piece. The painted fence certainly is a great background for the plants.

I've never seen a shooting star. I always look up when I take my girls out when dark.

Happy WOYWW
Sue #17

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

Your garden is going to be amazing Jan. The fence provides the perfect backdrop for all those colourful plants.
Love those starry skies and that rose is just beautiful. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Fiona #24

glitterandglue said...

Morning Jan. Fantastic shots this week - your garden will be great - love the different ideas going into it. Les sounds a star - and his flowers are amazing, vibrant, rich. Well done G - good night shots. I especially like the one of the harbour. Hope all the WI decorations come out just fine, and that the new, giant, gorgeous, en-suite is fantastic. I have your ATC sitting awaiting next week's mammoth posting session.
Take care. God bless.
Margaret #4

Crafting Queen said...

Jan those night shots are AMAZING!!!! Good luck with the garden and moving your craft room. Hugs Anesha

Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith said...

My first thought was "you're so NOT a material girl" and then the double meaning dawned on me! Very clever, Jan! Loving those night shots - no doubt the result of careful planning and execution. Your craft room looks so spacious - plenty of space for more stash! Your garden's coming along nicely - reminds me of those garden makeover programmes on the telly. Only yours is not done in one afternoon! Happy WOYWW! zsuzsa #25

Annie said...

I came here first thing and left you a message but there must be a little gremlin in the works cos it appears to have disappeared! I really love your developments in the garden. Having seen it before you started it’s amazing what they’ve done so far....and I can’t wait to see it finished now. I love Gordon’s photos of the night sky.
I must say I rather like the idea of calling my machine Mary because of your reasoning....she is pretty perfect in every way.
Hugs,
Annie x #15

Anne said...

Hi Jan. Love the look of your home and I think the garden will be fab. Good to see your WI is recognising the Suffragette Movement. Ours doesn't seem to have got going with it. Could do with some younger blood on 'the committee' :-)
I would be covered in paint as well !!!
I went to GP this morning- got antibiotics. I should have gone sooner really. You know how it is - hope it will go away!!! Take care Anne x #11

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

My apologies for the late visit. A huge storm knocked out my electricity and internet about the time I began visiting. I finally gave up waiting for it to come back on and went to bed.

Your new garden is going to be incredible. You are really turning your "new" home into your own, including the new en suite.

Beautiful nighttime photos. It's amazing what you can do with a good camera. Happy WOYWW from #3.

StampinCarol said...

Your garden is starting to look pretty cool! Love the fence and the foliage in front! Beautiful colors! Hope your remodel goes smoothly!! Have a great week!
Carol N #27

shazsilverwolf said...

Hiya Jan, those night sky pics of G's are awesome,especially the shooting star.Can you message me the info about the camera? Dougs after one that is good in low light.Hope the new en-suite goes as well as the gardens looking! I reckon Julia must have the longest running Blog hop, 9 years is a heck of an achievement. Maybe even a record.
Love & hugs to you all, Shaz XXXX

Eva said...

Thank you for these pictures! I love the color of the fence. And your garden will be soon so pretty! Thanks for the "starnight". So beautiful!
Eva from Austria

Stacy Sheldon said...

I love all the night shots Jan and smiled over your hands the fence color is gorgeous behind all the plants :) ~Stacy #29

Diana Taylor said...

The garden is really looking great, I totally love the dark fencing with the lime green foliage - we have two lovely old Victorian houses near us, one painted Slate grey with a huge Gingko tree outside, which looks stunning when the bright green leaves come out and the one next door to it is a pretty Wedgwood blue which looks quite normal until the gorgeous pink magnolia in front of it comes into bloom - I really want to incorporate those two visions into my garden somehow. Thanks for the info on the photographer - I looked her up and loved her work - the pink hydrangea one was the one I would have chosen too, they are gorgeous flowers and she really creates atmosphere in her images doesn't she.
Glad everything is coming together, once the flowers are in it will look fantastic.
Hugs,
Diana xx

My name is Cindy said...

Wow!! Awesome sky picks, and as I said, that picture against the fence is stunning, could be a catalogue shot!! Yes please can we trade? Can't wait to see your off the wall atcs.....

Heather M said...

Hi Jan, those are fantastic photos. I hope G does well in the competition. Your garden will look wonderful I'm sure. Ours is still work in progress after 18 months, but it's almost finished. I love being out there, but like you, direct sun is no good for me! How lovely to be getting a new big bathroom, lucky you! Looking forward to more garden pics, and the new bathroom pics when it's done. Thanks for stopping by earlier and have a lovely week Heather x #12

Julia Dunnit said...

The garden plan is going to be wonderful, doesnt it look huge with the corners re-instated! Like the sound of the rope boundary and the long shot also shows the colour of the fence better than the blue shade on your hands! Great night time pics, when you can see the stars it makes the atmosphere very peaceful I think. Fab work for the WI, love that swag of suffragette colours, no mistaking the intention of celebration there.

Belinda said...

Wow those photos are amazing. I love it. I am in awe of night sky photos. I am also really loving the curtains. And you have to share the continued transformation of your garden/patio space. I love it. I am waiting for the weather here to stabilize so I can begin planting in my garden. Have a blessed weekend and thanks for the visit earlier this week.
Belinda #28

Anonymous said...

Garden is really progressing. I hope the emptying of the Jan Cave went ok. Fantastic night photos. Ali x

WOYWW 769

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