If you are bored with gardening give this a miss!

This morning I went for my Covid booster jab, it hurt when he actually did the injection but has been fine since. I am trying to keep the enthusiasm going to get on with the neglected and overgrown areas in the front garden. Not easy tasks but just depressing to see them get worse as I go past them! I thought I would tackle the bed to the right of the main bed, it cannot be seen from the road so tends to get left!

I got distracted by the growth on the other side and the trees growing over the drive. I had strimmed the stuff on the gravel before I took the photo.

Then I decided to get the lopper and trim back the trees. Ever thought that an idea seemed like a good idea at the time? The bin was full and so is the makeshift compost heap so  bit of a problem here!

I carried on clearing and you can actually see there are boulders long that edge. Time to try the slat as a weed killer on the drive I think!

After lunch I got back to the original job, that was hard going with the gravel!

Sorry that I never seem able to get those pics t exactly the same angle! There had been yards of sticky weed on the first side, and it had also invaded the corner bed where the giant se kale are, and there was a lot of dead or dying forget me knots too, so no the scruffy area.

I did the clearing and quickly dug over the bare are then put in the last few plants I had.

Then I watered the front garden before tea and the back garden after tea! Lazy evening again I am afraid!

Day of gardening

I have been in the front garden most of the day interspersed with making drinks and getting meals. The back of the main bed was really overgrown and a mess, but no before pictures. Pity, because today you’d have really seen the difference! Before I started I found the sweetest little nest on the lawn, hopefully the babies had all fledged safely as it was just the nest.

I filled the garden cart a couple of times and then decided to use the lopper to tidy the bushes. Getting more used to using it now, it is very long. In fact a lot of tools were in use today.

I did some clearing at the front of the bed and after dinner I put a few more plants in the bed. Took this photo before I hosed the bed again as it was bone dry despite me watering last night.

Was pretty tired by the so will water the back garden again tomorrow.

Have my Covid booster to look forward to tomorrow!

Some walking, some letter writing and getting that hose out!

I have to admit to feeling a little off colour today, the broken nights because of pain in the knee is making me feel more tired and disinclined by the day. Usually I can shake the mood off but today wasn’t usual! I thought of having a walk to Freeport but no buses on bank holidays for the return journey. In the end Darren said he was going to the gym and I could meet his at the hub. I walked up to the mere and had a drink there on the way.

Then I walked up to Tesco and joined the trail to the se front. Just took a picture of a wild flower on the way!

It was very busy on the front so we had a snack at the little cafe that only opens in the summer season. Came home with Darren in the car. Tina and ai sat in the summer house for a while and then I went back out there for n hour and wrote some letters. Haven’t really sat in there this year but it was nice as although it was a lovely day the wind was quite chilly. I took this photo. The tree was actually alive with starlings who were very noisy, but too dark to see any!

Although brambles re. Real pin the flowers are really lovely!

The plants in the front bed were wilting again and everywhere else was getting very dry. So reluctantly I decided it was time to unravel the hose, literally and then use it. Had to empty the wheelbarrow as well as I had the pavers I bought a few weeks ago in it. But I wind the hose into the wheelbarrow to take it into the front garden and then back in the barrow again, it is a bit of a chore! So I did one garden before tea and the back after tea when the sun had gone down a bit. Hopefully can leave it for a couple of days now.

Will finishe with a picture,  real fun picture, sent to me by Anya. 

Boot sale and a little gardening.

We got away by 7.30 am today and when we arrived it was already really busy, despite the fact that it was overcast today and actually quite chilly with the breeze. I managed to cover the whole area today, that rollator has made a real difference! Glad I made it to the top end as an opportunity for another daft photo! There was a photo op in aid of the Air Ambulance.

I bought two little ornaments for 50p each and another one(not 50p) for a friend. The little ones were a duck with a broken beak that needed a home and an u usual wren!

Chatted to Anya and went out to feed the birds and see how the plants were coping with the drought!

After lunch I went out and watered the trees in the walled garden, the bonsais are full of leaf now nd they are not in a lot of soil! Then I removed a couple folded bushes from pots so that I could use the pots to balance the sink planters on! Then I did get them planted. They had just been watered when I took the photo, will take another when the plants have taken and bloomed.

I went and sat on the garden swing for a while when I had finished and Blue decided to join me, that was a change, Pandora was curled up on my rocking chair indoors!

I sorted dinner and have had a shower. Had quite a lot of pain today so definitely taking it easy this evening.

Bus to Beverley

Darren and Tina were off to Peterborough for the day so I decided to try getting to Beverley and back using the rollator. It is quite big even when folded down so I felt a little awkward and the bus got really full, but I managed okay. A lady sat next to me who seemed a little nervous and forgetful so that was interesting. My leg was aching when we drives so I bought a bottle of water and went and sat in the lovely memorial garden by St Mary’s for a while.

I found ‘Missy’ this week, I wasn’t going mad last week she didn’t open until Thursday. Nice to see her again and I did get a new pair of trousers. I have been on a sewing pattern hunt but it seems nowhere sells them now. I went to Crafty Coffee as it has a large range of products, loads of knitting patterns but no dress making ones. Their cafe wasn’t too full so I had some lunch there. I phoned the other material shop when was a decent walk away and they don’t stock patterns either! On my way back to the bus station the Dove Nouse Hospice were find raising, opportunity for a silly photo!

On the bus on the way home the same lady came to sit next to me. It ended up being quite a journey, an hour nd ten minutes instead of fifty minutes due to ridiculous traffic leaving Beverley and the fact that the door mechanism wasn’t working so the driver had to get up to open and close it at every stop! The lady was more anxious and chattered away to me until she got off a a little while before me. Was quite worn out when I got home! I did walk down to a plant shop and got some bedding plants, was pleased with how I balanced them on the walker until I was nearly home and the ones on the seat fell off, landing upside down of course!

I did go into the garden for an hour or so, mainly clearing up the large amount of strimming I did yesterday and watering the the plants that are struggling with the heat. Some alliums are blooming now, they are so lovely.

Darren and Tina were home at seven and had had reasonable journeys, although some unnecessary traffic hold ups.

We will go to the boot sale as usual tomorrow, will try to get there early as it is likely to be very busy as it is a bank holiday weekend,

I met Crackers today!

This morning I went along to the shops before Bel came to visit. She came round on her motor scooter and seemed in pretty good spirits, well until Pandora bit her and drew blood. I did tel her that she would bite when stroking her tummy, she won’t ignore my warning again! 

After lunch I set off to see Jean via the seafront as usual.

The seagulls were gathering on the groynes!

I thought the wind was really cold despite the sunshine, but it didn’t stop some mad folk bathing!

Jean has family staying, and that includes Crackers! Couldn’t decide on which pick while he was on my lap, so will post both.

Terry has been whittling lately and he made me the cutest letter opener!

He gave me a lift home as usual.

After dinner I went into the garden for a while and did some strimming of the wild areas and then some essential watering!

A cordyline we have had for about four years which has grown quite considerably seem now to be producing a flower!

That’s it for today, time for tv!

Only one photo but very pleased I caught it!

Today has followed a similar pattern but I did go across to Bemora the cafe over the road and had breakfast with Angela, I had a pancake loaded with fruit with a little yogurt and we tried the specialty coffee with mushroom extract. 

When the cats were eating I went out to feed the birds and when I was topping up the bird baths I took the photo. Not often you get to see newly hatched spiders and this was nice and clear!

I mowed both the lawns in the front garden during the day, taking plenty of breaks. I like using the hand mower but it is quite tiring!

I visited Sarah and David for an hour this evening and have done some watering since I got back. So a short entry today!

Relaxing now.

More of the same!

I went out early to post some letters, bright and sunny from the start today. The tamarix is just about at its feathery best, it doesn’t last long but it is so pretty.

I have spent a lot of time in the garden again today, I started planting out the sunflower seedlings and also some small foxgloves that have been in pots too long. It was making my leg ache reaching to down so had a few breaks. Sat on a chair near the bird feeders and managed to catch a young starling waiting for a parent to feed it,

I finished hat get before getting lunch.

They hadn’t wilted by this evening so hopefully they will be okay.

After lunch I thought I would tackle the area where I feed the birds. Seriously neglected, and in that mess there are two wooden planters.

Digging involved here and so many roots still in the ground, but it is a start!

When I was working in the walled garden there was a foxglove in a tub which had wilted badly, definitely looked on its last legs. I have been watering it well and so pleased it has perked up as it is a very pretty one.

I had to do some watering this evening as I noticed that the sunflowers I planted in the front bed were wilting, the smaller plants were okay but I watered them all. Think it may be hose time before too long! Hosing both gardens takes me about an hour and a half!

Will finish today with a photo from four years ago, one of my favourite wildlife shots!

Y

Not a lot to report!

I went to the bakers quite early to get something for lunch. Tina hasn’t been well and went back to the doctors yesterday but was sent away without medication. She has been to the hospital today following advice from 111 and has now been given antibiotics for possible pneumonia or legionnaires. Hopefully now she will begin to feel a little better. Back to going to the bakers, this flower has appeared in the front garden, related to gladioli I think, lovely colour.

I wa due to visit Sarah and David this afternoon but cancelled so that I would be around when Tina returned and for her to keep me informed during the day. I hadn’t felt too inclined to get into the garden, even though the more I look round the more depressed I get because of the amount that needs attention!  I tidied round the rest of the walled garden Nd then attacked some giant nettles and endless ground elder near the summer house. Then after lunch I tidied up the grass pTh near the walled garden, I didn’t take a before picture but you really couldn’t see the path and you could get past the tree at the back! Also strimmed the edges of the main lawn and used the edging shears.

After dinner I went out again and quickly turned over the bed I begun at the weekend, trod it down and hoed it. Hopefully will get some sunflower plants out into it tomorrow.

So ended up doing quite a bit despite my lack of inclination!

Had a shower and relaxing now.

Nice trip out but no afternoon tea!

This morning I just pottered about done some much needed household chores then got ready to go out with Sher for afternoon tea, I thought! When she arrived she said where shall we go and explained that the place she had booked for my birthday and then changed it to today had said when she checked the booking that they don’t open on Mondays! She had seen a new Italian place advertised at Heron Lakes so we set off. The signs were all out but the decorators were still in and it wasn’t open! We had a laugh and then set off for another cafe on a camp site that she had seen open a couple of days ago. The signs were out again but as we walked from the car park I said it doesn’t look very open! It wasn’t, doesn’t open on Mondays. She was apologetic but we laughed and it was nice weather and we enjoyed the ride. So then off to a garden centre that definitely opens on a Monday! We ordered sandwiches and cKe and I took a photo even though it wasn’t afternoon tea!

The sandwiches took about twenty minutes to arrive, but we resisted starting with the cake! We had a really good chat and a lot of laughs. On the way out it was selfie time!

She came in for a while when we got back and was happy to take the mini plants and I few other bits that I hoped she would want to make use of.

Since then I have down a little bit of sorting. Giving gardening or anything energetic a miss this evening. Feeling quite weary and have had a busy few days out in the garden.

Just gong to lounge about this evening and see if there is anything worth watching!

Sunshine, bargains, sea and garden!

We set off for the boot sale as usual, very busy today and the weather was good and people are staying in their caravans now. We got some bargains, I love my onyx box which was a princely £1.

Darren spotter a tea trolley really designed for moving stuff around without spillage, marked at £3. He said he my call back. I saw some sinks from a caravan and thought they would make good planters, they were marked at £3 each and I thought I would think about it. Darren carried on when I was going to have a sit down but I went back to see if our items were still there. The trolley had been reduced to £1.

And the sinks to £2 each!

Before I continue with today. I will add a pic of  some lovely flowers, Tina was given a bouquet and said I could arrange and enjoy them.

After a chat with Anya I thought it was time try and make the area leading to the garden bin, it wa becoming a bit of a jungle.

Less likely to trip now!

There is another tamarix in the garden, not as successful as the other one but has another pretty shrub behind it.

In the other direction from the garden bin is the path that I laid, but that area is full of ground elder. It is getting nearer to the path on both sides and beginning to appear around the pavers again. I could get all the way along as the garden bin is now full!

Darren was off to the gym and said if I wanted to walk down and meet him he would go in the car rather than walk so he could give me a lift home, so did that and we had a drink and a quick look at the sea. Quite busy, lovely sunshine but a chilly wind. Didn’t stop the keen beach goers though!

Before and after dinner I made a start on clearing the walled garden. Everywhere has been neglected and there is a lot to do. I like to keep the walled garden clear as it can get damp and if the weeds get large they sometimes hide under them, treading on one or hoeing it would put me off gardening completely!

The other tamarix is just at the feathery stage, it is short lived but so pretty. I am taking it easy now so more tomorrow.