WOYWW #674

 My desk has moved!

Last week it looked like this . . . . .

This week it looks like this . . .

Well, ok . . . . this work has been going on since the end of February.  I am having to use a hoe so it takes rather a long time, but slowly, slowly, half an hour at a time and lo! it was done!

DDC and the boys came and moved all the excess earth for me, it was so good to be out with them . . . . they worked, I watched!!  

Next week it will be here . . .

Do I here you asking about chickens?  No more!  My garden is back!  It looks slightly different as I have had to accommodate all the paths that were set in when this was a chicken run.  I will miss my lawn but as DDC says "it is what it is".

Not a lot of crafting has gone on during this time. It is very much a case of work for half an hour and then lie down for an hour while my sweet darling heart recovers!!

The pleasure I get when I look out of my kitchen window, only a fellow gardener will understand.  I am sure that for me it is the best medicine I could have.

Hopefully now that the bulk of the work is done, I can potter to my hearts content and even . . . . even . . . sit outside and stitch!

When I worked I dreamt of retiring and sitting outside stitching . . . . . have I?  

Not even taken it out of the bag!

I may be late joining, I forget the days, but I'm back!.

WOYWW #670

 WOYWW - All the deets on how to link up etc. and, more importantly, why you should, can be found at the top of the page.  Thank you Julia for hosting another week of fun and mayhem.

Been a long time

Sun's been shining and garden becomes a priority . . . . . have to get control before the weeds get toooooo strong!!

I have been crafting but the old laptop has not really been switched on.

Anyhoos . . . . .

. . . .  the Desk

Quite tidy for me, I am making a start on my April swaps.  

I am adding my touches to a few printouts for a Nursery Rhyme swap.

Craftiness is dictated by the weather . . .  back to rain and wind and cold so . . . 

appropriately I will be colouring umbrella and raindrops . . . .

And then the screen . . . .

 . . . .and I am grateful . . .

Collared Doves

The natural rodent killer struck yesterday.

Unfortunately we don't have any rodents at the moment, just birds . . . . .

There were feathers everywhere on the side of the garden and it took me some time to work out what had happened . . . .

One of the Collared Doves . . . . . 

I am very upset, I just love those birds (they have such pretty faces and I was shocked to know they were pigeons!!) and they have visited us for a couple of years, even in the winter they come.  At first there was just one but then the partner was found and they always came together, except when they had eggs in the nest and then they took it in turns.

No more.

I was able to follow the trail of feathers and found where they led through the fence into the next door's garden . . . . . the fence is now mended and secure!

I get so upset to see just one dove now visiting . . . . I want to go and hug it, explain to it that it is Nature and I have closed the gap in the fence . . . 

I hope that a new partner can be found for next year . . . .

The Border is finished!!!

Yeah !!!

I finished hoeing the border today, and started to move the bricks over from left to right of the path.  

I want to lay a lawn on the space where the chickens scratted, so a friend is coming to rotovate it all for me.

I have cleared as much as I can from there, just a few lamps and windmills to move, so there shouldn't be any problems.  I have potted up all the lavender bushes that Peter planted, hopefully they will be alright and may even form the low hedge he thought out.

One last gardening photo, as I go indoors.  This pot has a Tamarisk for the summer but in the meantime . . . . 

It has started to rain . . . . we have frost and snow forecast over the next few days but outside work is complete . . .  for the moment. . . .

My first Butterfly . . .

 . . . much too soon but it just fluttered and fluttered in the sunshine coming to rest on the nettles . . .

. . .  the reason I grow them . . .

I discovered Violets in full bloom .  . .  it just so happened to be Mother's Day!  As a child, I always bought my Mother a bunch of Violets for Mother's Day . . 

. . the only time I ever saw them for sale, I don't remember ever seeing other flowers like daffodils and tulips . . . . to early for them. 

Flowers, fruit and vegetables all had their seasons when I was young . . .. back in the day . . . .

A Good Italian Morning

 That's what Peter used to say when he saw the early morning fog . . . .  he had driven through many of these and the days turned out to be sunny and hot ones . . . .

Sure enough, the day was good and 'forced' me outside for a bit more hoeing . . . 

The bushes at the top of the garden are in full bloom now, with buds forming on the others.  The yellow Kerria is usually the first to bloom, followed by the red Ribes.  The white Lilac will be next, then the true Lilac followed by the Ceonothus dark blue flowers.  Can you tell I love this 'living fence' . .  it brings me so much pleasure through the year.  There is the white Philadelphus in late summer and the snowballs and holly for the winter . . . . 

Further down the side garden there is the Forsythia which will be followed by the yellow Buddlia . . . . and so forth . . .

Oh! to be in England, now that Spring is here . . . ..

Further March doings . . .

As the sun was shining so brightly, I 'walked the estate' and found so much pleasure in how Spring has started to  . .  well . . . spring!

I have managed, after all these (30ish) years,  to grow a flower . . . .one frittilaria . . . . I know there's two pots but sometimes Cyril the squirrel gets there first!!  This for me is a big success!!  lol

Then I discovered some tiny shoots coming through in the Lily of the Valley pot . . .

So tiny you can hardly see them . . . .

The Pieris is shooting away and the Acers are bursting into colour . . . . 

The small Wanders are in full bloom as well, they sort of burst into flower very quietly and POW!. there they are . . 

Memories of my Mother planting these every spring on my Grandmother's grave . . . . they never seemed to over winter and had to be planted fresh every year. . . . .  Looks like Tigger has had a fight, hope it wasn't with the gnomes!!