Sunday, 3 March 2013

March




As the days get longer and we leave winter behind my thoughts always turn to gardening and decorating. I always get the DIY bug at this time of year. Right about now, I suddenly remember that we have a garden, and that it's high time I ventured into that grey, muddy space and gave it some attention. I look at the peeling paint on the front of our house and think - I MUST sort that out. Or, more truthfully, I MUST nag John about that. Our bathroom has had a patch of yellow paint from a tester pot on one wall for almost a year, leftover from when I thought I might paint it last spring but didn't have time. My Mum arrived yesterday and is staying with us for a week so, with her help, I have a chance to get some things done.

My March list includes:
  • Paint the bathroom and give it a general spruce-up and a little attention.
  • Finish Bella's knitted scarf before it's too warm for her to wear it.
  • Paint over the blue "feature" wall in our bedroom and make it white, like the rest of the room.
  • Give the garden some love.
  • Start a small, lightweight throw with a bag of cotton yarn left over from about seven different projects.
  • Check the vital signs of the tulips I planted last October.
  • Bake a Simnel cake - I have never made one before.

How about you? Any plans for March, or for spring? Yesterday the weather was sunny and mild and you could feel just a little warmth from the sun. Bella and Angus spent all morning playing outside in the back garden, their first garden play session of the year. Lovely.

43 comments:

  1. Have a great week with your Mum. I have a whole house that I want to change from antique cream to white... sometime. Having said that I like your blue wall xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely plans Gillian. Would love to have a dive in your cotton yarn bag! hehe. I'm going to try and be outside more this month, as I've been hibernating at home all winter. I'm glad the winter is retreating and spring is on its way. let's hope so anyway. Lovely photos as always :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the colours of your yarn! So bright and cheerful.

    I'm going all out for a major spring clean - join me for project simplify?

    ReplyDelete
  4. My garden needs serious attention. I just left everything as it finished last autumn, and now have a bunch of cleanup to do. The garden is where I hope to be for a good part of March.

    How nice to have your mother visit for a whole week! You'll have a wonderful time with her there, and maybe get a project wrapped up, too!

    Spring does feel very close. Your pitcher of flowers are so cheerful! I'll have to nose around our yard and see if anything new has come up.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow, busy month ahead! In March I want to start being creative again, maybe learn to crochet.. I want to detox my life as well!
    Good luck for your projects!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I hope your enjoy your mum's visit. Good luck with all your projects, it sounds like a great plan.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Gillian, lovely plans and always nice to have an extra pair of hands on board so you can actually tick a few things of the list. I love Bella's scarf and your bedroom is so fresh and pretty :-D Have fun with all those cottony colours. Mel x

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love it when the sun shines, it's so energising! Bella's scarf is so pretty that I'm sure she'll want to wear it whether it's hot or cold :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  9. Today totally made me want to venture into the garden, but Hexie sewing was more appealing than the cold, despite the bright blue sky! I must plant some seeds soon!
    Claire

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you so much for popping into Chalkys World and leaving such an encouraging comment about my little flowers. I think I will take your advice and make an Easter Garland. I have just had a lovely time wandering through your beautiful blog and am so glad I found it. I have become a follower and will pop back often.
    Kindest regards linda

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love that spring has arrived too Gillian ... and how lovely to have your Mum with you ... a lovely helping hand ... I think diy always becomes a priority in spring ... all the lovely sunshine shows up what needs to be done ... that's how it works here anyway :) ... hope you have a lovely week ... Bee xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the look of your bedroom, bright and cheery, and blue is my favourite colour. The cushion on the bed is gorgeous. xo

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good luck with your list.
    I keep thinking I must paint our bathroom but I'm worried I'll end up with several tester pots / options displayed for far too long. Love that I'm not the only one!! :)
    Enjoy your gardening. I love being in my garden at this time of year when everything is waking up from Winter. Xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Looks like you have a busy month ahead! I permanently have a to do list on the go but spring is usually a good time for me to tick some of them off. I'm sure the longer days and better weather make me more productive. I love the beautiful phot of the jug of flowers at the top of your post, such vibrant colours.
    M xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good luck with all your March projects! I love the feature wall in your bedroom, by the way. And have fun with your mum! x

    ReplyDelete
  16. The first photo of the vibrant flowers is so pretty and refreshing...I am very ready for Spring! Yes, I always get the decorating bug this time every year! We painted last week and now I am searching for a few new accessories to brighten everything up for Spring! Oh, and I just ordered two new pillow covers for my sofa from Etsy yesterday! I cannot wait to receive them! I have to say that I love the blue accent wall in your bedroom. It's a nice pop of color and looks lovely with your bed linens! I hope you have a lovely week with your Mom! I am busy planning Charlotte's birthday party it's the 17th! March looks to be a busy month.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The funny thing is that around here autumn is like spring, the rain stops and the days are cool enough to do things in the garden and around the house without the sauna effect! My job list is a bit like yours....gardening and painting mainly

    ReplyDelete
  18. I always get a quilt bug around this time of year. All my quilts were made in spring. ;)
    This march I plan to finish my knitting and crochet projects and then move on to sewing.
    As for the household...I do hope to sort all the books in 3 giant bookcases.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I wish I could feel as motivated! We've been promised warm weather but we haven't seen any evidence yet. Enjoy your week with your mum x

    ReplyDelete
  20. Such beautiful pictures Gillian. I wish I had more time also. With 2 teenagers and a full time job don't get the time t work on my house very much anymore :) someday ... Fun projects for your house and Spring...I love spring :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I had a patch of blue in the stairwell for almost 3 years! I wanted to get someone in to paint it but Dad insisted he would do it and it took 3 years for him to realise he couldn't (they live in a bungalow - he's never painted stairs in his life!). I have a crafty plan to repurpose my still-uneaten Xmas cake into a simnel cake - if it turns out ok, you'll all be the first to know :-) x

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hope you manage to achieve lots of ticks on your list. There are similar plans for a bit of an indoors/outdoors refresh here. The hard part will be motivating the mister! I love Simnel cake. My dad used to make one every Easter using a Good Housekeeping recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Love your pictures today...very springlike! :) x

    ReplyDelete
  24. I think the lighter evenings and warmer days make us start thinking about the garden and DIY. I've spent lots of time at the allotment this weekend, and I'm hoping that the rest of March stays dry so that I can get more done there and in the garden so that it's all ready at planting out time. Have a lovely week with your mum, and I hope you manage to get lots of things ticked off your to do list.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Super list. I have been thinking about my Spring Manifesto. I love your bedroom

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love that picture of Angus with his animals. And I also rather like your currently blue wall :)

    If I'm honest my list at the moment is all about just getting through to the end of the month!

    My Mum has her cancer surgery today, my daughter is about to move away and needs help with house hunting and relocating all her stuff, my studio-to-be is still in total chaos, as is the rest of the house as it's full of all the things that have been displaced by the renovation, and one of the dogs has a mystery illness.

    Which all sounds far bleaker than I feel, it's just difficult to make plans right now! I might plan a glass of wine for this evening though ;)

    ReplyDelete
  27. I'm excited about March, I love that Spring is just around the corner. Your list has got me thinking that I should make one!
    Dxx

    ReplyDelete
  28. Good luck with that list, I'm sure with your mum there she'll get you started!
    I was looking at paint colours for our bedroom at the weekend, it's definitely Spring in the air if we are wanting the brushes out. And it our house it'll be me doing the painting.
    Lisa x

    ReplyDelete
  29. Great photos. It definitely feels Springlike today. We could do with a spring clean here - the house needs it from top to bottom - getting motivated is the problem!
    June

    ReplyDelete
  30. I am loving the spring sunshine peeping through my windows these mornings (but not the dust and spatters it showing up!) I have a few things on my list for "spring" rather than March. It's just like June said above- motivation is the problem! Drinking tea whilst gazing out the window at the birds nesting is so much better! X

    ReplyDelete
  31. I Love the bed, beautiful pictures


    www.vindiebaby.com
    Vintage Inspired Fashion by Independent Designers for Your Little darling

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hello Gillian,
    Lovely post, spring is just arriving and it is wonderful to be outside in the garden, even if only for a short time! I am going to copy you and make a Simnel cake (seen them but never made one!) for Easter. Have a wonderful week with your Mum.
    Ivan

    ReplyDelete
  33. What a list I feel exhausted just reading it- maybe it should be a 6/12 list. Have fun with your mum, lots of chats, coffee and cake..........jobs can always wait. Thanks for your comments and maybe next year we should all plant snowdrops in our gardens x

    ReplyDelete
  34. Long list and it probably makes us all think about the changing seasons and what we must do. It is autumn here, but the weather for the next week is going to be more like summer with 10 days of 30+ deg. and no rain in sight, so my garden is on hold a bit. Enjoy the time with your Mum. I have wool bags just like yours. I'll see what you do and it may give me ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I love the colours in your knitting - the pink, green and blue together is magic! I too need to give the garden some love - I'm hoping that as the sun makes more regular appearances, it might encourage me out there.
    Thank you for stopping by my blog - I must stress, that scarf idea with the nana iro fabric wasn't mine - the inspiration was from here: http://thevillagehaberdashery.co.uk/blog/2013/fionas-double-gauze-scarf-tutorial
    I'm attempting mine this week - I'll let you know how it goes!x

    ReplyDelete
  36. I love the cake part on your to do list ;) Let me know how it goes, I have never baked a Simnel cake myself either!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Oh I agree about this time of year! I keep wanting to shift furniture and buy new plants! X

    ReplyDelete
  38. Is it really March already? Can't believe how this year is already rushing by! By the way, snap, we have the same cushion :-) x

    ReplyDelete
  39. You have made good plans for the month. I want to get out with my camera more and also to tackle our poor neglected garden. And I might bake a cake for Easter too.

    ReplyDelete
  40. As always you have a huge list and I have no doubt you will complete it all! I have to ask, why no more blue? I think it is ace! xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  41. Your bedroom is divine. I love the collage of photos framed above the bed and that embroidered pillow is the perfect touch. Very cozy.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Give the garden some LOVE. Plants need water, light, warmth and soil or compost to grow. During spring they get the conditions they need to begin to grow. The showery weather gives them the water they need. The longer days mean they have more daylight and warmth from the Sun which raises the temperature of both air and soil.

    Hope this help you in giving your garden some LOVE. Very Common Gardening Errors

    ReplyDelete

Hello there! Thank you for leaving a comment. I read them all and I always try to answer questions, although sometimes it takes me a while.