Boo

Sorry, couldn't resist!

Ready.

But for what? The recurring question on my mind, and will be for the next 5 days. Vegetables of some kind. Courgettes? Cucumber?   Potatoes (too late?).  There is certainly a lot of room without tomatoes, which I think I have figured out a plan for, to put into action next weekend.  It requires a deal of compost, which is always an issue without a car.  I hope to find some of those compost blocks, just add water.

I'll just have to see what delectabilities my local garden centre has on offer when I visit on Saturday.

Ah, next weekend, four whole days of it. Plenty of time to get everything planted.

I was given some leftovers from the Bristol Affordable Art Fair - I never get to go, but it sure must have looked pretty with the wide assortment of flowers on offer.

On the other side, very exciting these lillies. There was only one last year, with one flower.  How wonderful all those buds!  I think perhaps when they bloom and fade, I may move them elsewhere, to make room for the desired shrubbery (will it fit?  Another burning question).

And the poppies are coming up nicely too.

The delphinium is blooming, but I may have to move that as well.  We shall see.

Did I show you my Ceanothus?  Yes?  Well, here it is again (did I mention my favourite colour is purple?).

Fabulous weather, fingers crossed it lasts .... very excited about next weekend!

Evening Sky

I love these evenings, when the sky doesn't darken until much later than I'm used to at this time of year.  We are much farther north than where I used to live, so the light is always much longer.  Until the turnaround at the Summer Solstice, the sky will be lighter and lighter, later and later.  That goes for the morning, too, lighter and lighter, earlier and earlier.

So here's a shot of the Cancer Moon.  New Moon just happened, an eclipse no less, on Sunday.  Not that you can see a New Moon, but now the edge of the Moon is creeping back into the sky.

Hey, I know someone with a Cancer Moon.  Cool.

Meet you at it.

Slowly, Slowly

This is perhaps the last day of inhospitable, unseasonal weather.  It's still cool out there, and so very slowly the flowers are coming out.

Here are some roses - finally!

Here are the Alliums and the bulb I can't remember the name of - they should actually be finished by now.

Not fully open yet in all their pom-pom glory.

However, we seem to be promised, this week, a taste of Spring.  Temperate, sunny, proper mid to late May weather.

Hurrah!

Time to think about that vegetable border, which hopefully with some careful planning and work next Saturday, will be planted on the long, lovely not just Bank Holiday but Jubilee Weekend following - 4 days off!  Thanks, your Majesty ...

We survived

My trusty electric lawn mower and I.

I would highly recommend that you never let the grass get this long before cutting it.

I should have done this a month ago, or even six weeks.  There were opportunities, here and there, as far back as late March/early April.  That's when we had the nicest weather of the year thus far.  But no, I must have thought, "it's okay, I can do it next weekend ..." and then "it's okay, I can do it when I get back from my trip."

Nope.  As I've probably whined about before, it has been an almost constant deluge of rain since my return, and apparently all the while I was away as well.  Making something like 5 weeks of pretty much steady rain and gloom.  Not in all my 23 years here have I encountered such a Spring.

Luckily, this last weekend was at last, bathed in sunshine.  And it was nice while it lasted, for all of two days.

Better.

The problem with leaving it so long, is that every two passes or so I needed to empty the basket.  I managed to deposit one lot in my already-quite-full compost bin, and the rest had to go into a bag for collection by the Council (I'm amazed I managed to fit it all in the one bag I had left).

Yes, I trod in some cat poop.  But for all the noises my gallant neighbours made, no one came forward to actually do the job.  So, yours truly did.

We're back to rain/occasional sun/much more rain.  Really, I've never seen the garden in such a state at this time of year.  That rose bush should be full of roses.  The alliums are only starting to open, along with the other flowers in the herb border.  Everything is at least a month late.

I shall stop saying, by way of consolation, "ah well, it's good for the garden."  It's not.  Plants need more than water, they need that other key ingredient - SUN.

And so does this girl.

This is a test

I am trying to see if I can write a post from my new "toy" (that would be an iPad). Keyboard takes a bit of getting used to and just for fun, let's try a photograph.

Not without a bit of bother and a (thankfully) free app. Now that I just spent an hour on google trying to solve the problem, next time it might be a little faster ...

So theoretically, yes, I can publish a post from my iPad.

Interesting ... (if you're a geek like me, I guess!)

Finally.

At long last.  I have done something out there.  Oh my, it needed it.

Weeding was top priority, even if when I started it was sprinkling a bit.  At least it was slightly warmer today, so I wouldn't need to keep going back into the house to keep warm.  Ugh, that right border!  What is all that?

I stepped in cat poop at least once, and did a "Carrie" at the outside tap.  Slightly less glam with the wellies instead of Laboutins (10 points to you if you can name the episode of Sex and the City that one comes from).

As an added bonus, the sun came out!  So I doffed my hoodie and felt the warm sun on my face.  A nice change from the freakily awful weather we've been having.

Filled two bags for the Council to collect and woo hoo!  I can see what's there, and what's not.

The Euphorbia, much as I love it, was completely taking over.

Much of had to go.

Now I can see how lovely my Ceanothus is (on the right) having tied up the climbing rose.  There are many Crocosmias coming up for summer, which was the idea last year.  And the Sweet William is back.

This now gives me an idea of space for those shrubs from the wish list.

Much as I wanted to carry on and cut the grass, I may take up the offer of the two gentlemenly neighbours, who want to do it.  Hey, knock yourself out, I say.  Just watch out for the cat poop.

It's a start!

Wish List

of easy care, perennial flowering shrubs for the left border:


Skimmia Japonica

but with these, you need both male and female variety in order to obtain fruit.  So that's two of these.

Glossy Abelia

This is a must.  It has THE most fragrant, fragrant flowers and blooms in the Autumn.  I pass it on my walk to work in the morning and it stopped me dead in my tracks because of the scent.

Camelia

Just ... because.  How can you go wrong?  A deep green plant covered with luscious blooms, throughout most of March.

That should fill out the border nicely, along with the existing Ceanothus and the Choisya, and of course the Roses.

My most fervent wish?  Some good weather so I can get out there and actually DO something!!