My healing place.

This year I have somehow managed to get into my garden again after many years of half baked attempts.  It all began because we had to have our fences replaced after they blew down in the Boxing Day storms last year.  I have spent so many hours just sitting and watching the birds, bees and butterflies over the last few months and thought I might share a little of it all with you.  If you would like to see what it was looking like back in May just after the fence was done you can see some pictures by clicking here

 I chose to fill my raised veg beds with very cheap and very cheerful geraniums this year to give them and me a rest!

This is the first year I have done pots for a long time, spurred on by having inherited many from my dear sister and mums gardens.

 Climbing Rose - High Hopes

 Shrub rose - Grace

 Shrub Rose - Valentine

 Shrub rose - Winchester Cathedral

 My lavender is so happy, it is sending out new flowers!

 That should keep the bees happy.

 This fuchsia is about 8 years old and has never looked better!

 I must pick some more rhubarb, I have already frozen several pounds.

I'm now starting to think about Autumn colour as it will be a total joy to keep some colour going.  Take care,  Jane x

Ten minutes of writing.

My blogging friend Katharine over at 10 minute writer set a challenge on her facebook page to see how many words one could write in 10 minutes!  So this is my attempt at writing something that is not copied and that makes some sort of sense.  Sense to me anyway.  There are so many topics that come into my head during the day which I would like to blog about but then the time comes for me to sit down and the energy level to consider typing dips.  Why is this, could it be that Candy Crush is finally killing off the brain cells and wickedly keeping me from the key board?  Or could it be that since getting my tablet it is far easier to just surf around and not type anything?  I don't like typing on my tablet - it is just not the same as having a keyboard.  This means to write I have to make the extra effort of getting my laptop out and booting it up.  Oh the problems of the modern world!!!!  And most of the worlds population do not have enough to eat!!

So now my brain is starting to dry up.  What else can I type, I could tell you about the wonderful transformation that is taking shape in our garden.  Since moving into our home 14 years ago we have always been making do in the garden.  Trying to make the most of what was left us, which I have to say was very little.  Then this winter we had a series of storms which finally pulled down the fences.  We have had the two that we are responsible for re done and this week managed to get them painted.  The other one which we are not responsible for was also damaged in the storms but our neighbours decided to just use some old battered second hand panels to replace the ones that were severely damaged.  So this morning I set to with my daughter some fern panelling, a hammer and some nails and we have now screened off the horrid panels and it looks wonderful.  Maybe when I have finished my 10 minutes I will go take a photo so that you can see just how wonderful it is looking.  We also got the builders who did our fence to take up and relay to of the patio areas.  Making them both totally weed free and hopefully that will last.  So now there is just the area around the house that still needs relaying but we will have to wait for funds to appear before we can get that done.  In the meantime at least we will not have so much to weed!

So we are almost at my favourite part of gardening - that is the tidying up of the beds, maybe some new plants and definitely some pots that need filling with beautiful flowers.  I so hope the weather this summer is conducive to me being able to sit out and enjoy the garden this year.  Maybe we will even get in a few more BBQ's, we have already been lucky enough to have one.  That turned into a great bonfire  as we had the barby in the fire pit and then filled it with wood afterwards and had a great roaring fire.  Well this is it my 10 minutes is almost over.  Now I shall have to cut and paste this into a word document to find out just how many words I have managed to type in 10 minutes.  Laters xxxxxxxxxxxx

ps. just so you know the answer is 595 - not to shabby I have to say!

Time in the garden

This weekend my husband was NOT working and it was NOT raining!  Finally we could get out in the garden together.  I set about finishing off a little DIY project, upcycling a set of nesting tables into nice tile topped garden tables.  I still have one more lot of grouting to do and some painting so won't post any photo's until I have done that.  My lovely husband set about sorting out a border that had got so out of hand you could only see a couple of plants that were growing way to abundantly.  I posted this photo last June with a note that we wanted to take the border back to basics.

Well now he has done it for me!  It looks a little different, and as you can see we have managed to salvage a few of the plants.

I am so looking forward to planning out what I want to do it now that I can see how much space there is.  I have managed to hopefully salvage, a lovely pink Hebe, a bunch of Alliums and some blue bells.

I have also managed to get seeds planted in my veg plot and tried my hand at a little recycling of plastic bottles we had been saving to hopefully keep the birds and cats off - what do you think?

This year I have planted, lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, sugar snap peas, parsnips, pumpkins, broccoli and spring onions.  Let's hope it is not as wet as last year and things actually grow and not just get mouldy!

Next job for my husband is to finish clearing another area that we are reconfiguring.

This photo was taken a couple of years ago, well after all the rain last year the seat was crumbling and so we have decided to make another raised bed here in between the border at the top of the page and my rose garden.

Talking of my rose garden - this picture was taken just after it had been planted, 3 years ago, would you like to see a picture of it now?

Ta-dah, there is still more plants to go in but I am really enjoying slowly seeing it grow into itself.

I can't wait for the little buds that are already there to bloom in bring more colour into this area.

One border that is not going to need too much doing to it this year is my wiggly border

I am really happy with how full it is looking, in the next few weeks there is going to be an abundance of white with beautiful purple alliums like balloons on sticks emerging from them.

do you see the bench in the picture above?  This was made by my late father for my late mother, I know it is is at least 30 years old.  It has been all stripped back but on doing this we discovered it had a rather poorly foot

Fortunately I seem to have found someone at church who is a carpenter and is going to have a go at fixing it for me.  The sentimental value of this bench makes it priceless.  When it is fixed and painted, I have also been working on crochet cushions for the seat and back.  I am so looking forward to a good bit of sitting on this in NICE weather over this summer!

A New Season?

 

After a busy morning sorting out paperwork as one of my mums executors I decided to take a moment and hang out my first lot of washing on the line this year

I am finally starting to believe that a new season may be coming upon us.  There has been a change in my niece (still in a mental health unit) this last week as well.  Those looking after her are not quite sure what is going on but for the first time she appears to be behaving completely out of her own control.  It is a very strange thing to see.  The strangest part being that she is actually being so nice and sweet, it is almost like a regression is taking place, she is more like she used to be when she was a little girl (she is almost 16).  For the last four years she has been bound my anger and aggression which has got her into a lot of scrapes.  Even on her best days there was an air of 'don't make me angry' about her.  Spending a couple of hours with her last weekend was nice if not a bit odd.  Unfortunately she has also developed a lot of obsessive compulsive traits at the same time which are really hampering her ability to move around.  Your continued prayers for her are very much appreciated.

In my garden this year my snowdrops have definitely been the best they have ever been.  They all came with me 11 years ago when we moved down here from Cheshire where I had purchased them at several different gardens we had visited.  I love the photo at the top of this post with the contrast of their white and green against the lovely little narcissus.

My wiggly raised border is certainly shouting out Spring is Coming.  As are these beautiful primroses

Come on Spring, I am getting impatient for a new season to dawn.