dear diary ~ another week underway

Oh these beautiful sunny mornings – don’t they make you feel so alive, I can never wait to go out into the garden and take in the new vista of changes I am presented with daily.

There are an abundance of aquilegia – some in full flower and some just opening up. They are mostly self seeders tall and lanky with tiny blooms, but I also have a couple of shorter hybrids (photo above – though the names have long gone from my memory) with heavier and larger deep pink and cream ‘bonnets’, and they are as prolific as the forget me nots which are just holding up for a little longer – once they go into decline I pull them out to allow the beds to breathe a little and add a scattering of mulch.

In the shady corner the hostas are gathering pace now and the astrantias are almost at full height – it is important to plant as many ‘greens’ and leaf textures here so that with good placement and a bit of luck this area might ‘look like’ dappled shade when really it is just the natural highlights of the golden yellow of the hostas and euphorbias.

The flowering Viburnum tinus is over and waiting patiently for clipping back – I have to clip back quite hard to prevent it overtaking this lttle corner. It does a good job of hiding the two manhole covers in this spot and the dreaded conifer hedge behind which belongs to the neighbour but is quite brown on our side …..and ugly.

The large dish above came from my dad’s one acre garden when mum sold up and left. It looked quite small until I tried to find a place for it in mine! It really is a bit too big but I squeezed it in. I usually fill it with bedding plants but had intended to clear it out this year – the bedding fuchsias hardly survived the winter and the pansies I thought had died but suddenly the whole dish has sprung to life, the pansies regenerated and some forget me nots filling the gaps – it looks so lovely I haven’t the heart to disturb it just yet.

I was amazed to discover the berberis on the front border has also regenerated. Up until two weeks ago it appeared to be a brown leafless mass that I presumed had succumed to the bad winter frosts and cold. It was the first time this evergreen had lost every leaf over winter and I did say it would have to be taken out. It must have been listening, for now it is thick with fresh green growth but a most odd thing has happened – the tiny green leaves that it once and always had are now much larger. Of course I am not such and expert gardener to have the knowledge of why this might be – but no matter it is recovered and healthy. It does need a good prune though as it is overhanging the pavement and does have a dead branch or two to prune out.

My seedlings continue to gallop on and will need potting on in a day or two when the true leaves appear. No sign of the courgettes – I started them off in fibre pots and I should have known better as in the heat they dry out far too quickly and in the wet they can encourage mould to grow.

I can’t believe how quickly the weeks are passing by and how much there is still to do both in the garden and in the house. I have a layer of dust in some rooms that I would rather not talk about!

Yesterday we had another ‘jobs’ day. I stripped the beds and washed the bedding and put the duvet on the line outside in the sunshine to air. One blogger (sorry I cannot remember who) said in the last day or two that no matter what else they did or did not do as a point of routine they always stripped their beds on a Monday. I like that idea.

I will try it as I would like to get into more of a weekly routine – I feel it is often the foundation our lives are lacking.

The two outdoor winter coats I washed at the weekend and had to drip dry on the line (and DH re-proofed with the water repellant stuff) had a little more drying time in the sun. Once they are dry I can put them away at the back of my wardrobe but still within easy access should we have another cold turn in the weather.

I still have my winter wardrobe to swap over. As readers may know I am trying to ‘wear off’ as many clothes as I can. Many of my tops are now on their 6th, 7th and eighth year and still look presentable.

But honestly, I could do with a change and might be a lot more ruthless at what will stay and what might go this year. Can I bear to wear these tops for another year? We shall see.

Today we are having a quick outing to Dewsbury to a showroom to look at a car seat for our car to accomodate Master Freddie et al. No sign of baby yet….but watch this space…..only 8 days now to D day.

This afternoon we have a man who had placed a wanted post on Freecycle coming to collect the final 10 logs from the cherry tree we stored over the year. Most went to my sister but there was a few ‘left-overs’ taking up valuable garden and storage space. It will be so good to have the area cleared and another tick off the list.

For anyone who linked through expecting the ScrapHappy Challenge – I am sorry to disappoint but life is generally hectic here at the moment….crafting may resume soon.

I need to get a move on – have a good day everyone. x