As you know, my blog has been beset by Gremlins & I have found it impossible to contact anyone at Blogger for help - it's like phoning one of those help lines where you constantly press buttons but never get to speak to an actual person, so it seems my old blog is gone forever.
Anyhow, my 15 year old Boy Genius has been investigating & he says that the counter I had on my blog was the culprit. Apparently the counter site was hacked & infected which then caused anyone who was using the counter to be suspected of being a spam site which is why Blogger removed them (I am not the only one this has happened to). So, I want to give you a word of warning to have as few "extras" on your blog as possible.
Also, I didn't know this but Mr Snippets told me that you can back up your blog & save it on your own computer - you can find this by clicking on "settings" & then "export blog". This means that if for any reason your blog disappears you can then import it back into Blogger & you won't have lost everything like I did.
On a more pleasant note, this weekend we have been working on expanding our vegetable garden. Besides the poly tunnel we have a raised bed, but once we have planted it up there isn't a lot of space so I bought a nice new raised bed kit & this weekend we constructed it. There was quite a bit of grass to dig up & we made a gravelled path between the old & new beds & gravelled around the edges of the bed too. This area of the garden is not the prettiest as the oil tank is there but it gets lots of sun & is sheltered by the side of the house & the garage so it's a good spot for vegetable growing. We have planted a row of sunflowers in front of the oil tank to screen it a bit.
We already have strawberries, courgettes, peas & beans growing in the old bed which will probably need replacing next year as the wood is rotten (we made it from an old pergola that fell down!).
My collection of watering cans - there are another 3 or 4 in other places in the garden.
On Saturday night I helped out at the annual village party for local senior citizens & after supper we played Bingo! I got a full house so I won a tray of flowers - they smell wonderful so I've potted them up on the patio.
It was a sad day for Toby yesterday as the Aga has been switched off for the summer - just look at that reproachful expression as he snuggled his bum up to a cold range!!
Oh your pup is too sweet! Poor little thing, expecting a warm fanny! =)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the words of advice about backing up blogs and the counter problem! My old blog has gone, too... oh how I wish I had backed it up! =)
Right now I am SO pleased I lacked the IT skills the other week to put a counter on my blog! Sadly though, yesterday when I went to put you on my list of blogs that I read, I lost the lot..... many hours later I have them back! Like you, we have an oil tank that needs disguising, but no matter how much I lust after one, no Aga..:O( . Love the metal watering cans, I have my dad's old ones and love the noise they make. x
ReplyDeletePhew! last week I was cross with myself because I couldn't get a counter to install..... Maybe that was for the best. Also, like you we have an oil tank that needs disguising. Old watering cans here from my dear departed dad, I love the "clank" of them.....( very necessary things as we are at the top of a hill and have VERY low water pressure, but a loooooooooong garden). That dog just steals hearts, doesn't he? x
ReplyDeleteOh Poor Toby. We sometimes worry that our Tom, Leo will discover that our neighbour has underfloor heating. Then it will be a case of ... pack the spotty hankie and .. off ....!!
ReplyDeleteRe watering cans, ours, yes, I have several too, are used as homes for the marauding army of snails which call our garden home ... uugh! They get stuck in the spouts and then I just move on to another can & leave the situation to sort itself out. X
Since you lost your blog I've been asking around, and found out you can save it to a flash drive as well, and then just reload it
ReplyDelete(minus the offending element I guess).
Would this be a good time to mention you could have left the grass in your raised bed and just put down a thick layer of wet newspaper, then top it with the dirt? Earthworms would break up the sod for you.
Glad you're back!
Thanks very much for the warning. I don't have a counter on my blog but it's good to know that. I have been dreaming about this. I was thinking of what happened and my 'first' solution would be to print (in advance of course) the blog always. So I was dreaming that I was printing and printing and printing. I love the raised beds. I have seen them in France in monastery gardens too and I want to talk my aunt into this idea. She is 81, healthy as a young girl, but these would be a tad easier for her to handle than the soil she is dugging in now. I am affraid she thinks they are too little (working hard and eating home grown vegetables and fruits keep her that healthy I guess). But showing her your photos may help. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for letting me you have moved, what a shame about your blog, I hope you get it back.
ReplyDeleteYour new home looks as lovely as your old one! :0)
Bless, how could you do that to Toby! His little face looks so sad.
You should get some lovely veg soon; I keep adding new veg bits too our garden.
Love Lou xxx
What a nightmare! I will definately watch what add - ons I have in in future. Toby looks so cute in that picture - we gave our bearded collie, Lola, a serious hair cut yesterday and she looks like a puppy again. Let me know if you need any extra seeds, I have spares now the allotment is underway.
ReplyDeleteKim xx
Hi Jayne,
ReplyDeleteYou do sound remarkably chilled after loosing your blog...I would be so sad to loose mine after three years of hard work and witterings!
I'm worried about my counter now though!!
You worked hard in your garden - wasn't Sunday a scorcher?!
You can't beat those old galvanised watering cans...I have several too...and one so large that when its full of water, I can't lift it!
Niki x
Really glad I've found your blog...even after your disaster. I'm so rubbish at vegetables, so can look at your gardening with great admiration. I go to a pick your own/ dig your own fruit AND veg farm...it's the nearest I can get to it! And that really is an incredibly sweet picture of your dog...wonderful
ReplyDeleteThanks
x Philippa
Oh dear,poor Toby, just look at that little sad face!
ReplyDeleteRachel x
Aww, poor Toby! I wouldn't mind sitting againt an Aga at the moment- it's freezing :-s
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking great!
Thanks for letting me know where you've moved to Jayne.
ReplyDeleteJo xx
Ooh, thanks for the warning and advice. Quite worrying, really. The garden looks great - we are working with raised beds too, although my husband's already threatening to rip up the struggling radishes in one quarter and start again, so he's obviously not too chuffed with how things are going...
ReplyDeleteOh look at Toby, how cute! Golly, you are putting me to shame with your vegetable garden. Despite having sown seeds, they are still struggling away in their rootrainers, waiting for me to plant them out. Honesty, the list is so long of things I've said I'll get round to "after the fair". Looking forward to being your neighbour on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteHen x