Category: Garden

An additional pic of the week 24/9/23

After a blisteringly hot start to September, followed by a very wet couple of weeks, today I cut back the lawn.  Began with my strimmer – fortunately had got most if it done before there was an audible “pop”, a flash of flame followed by smoke as I burnt out the motor.  I had done enough to allow me to finish the job with the lawnmower.

Looks quite neat now – such that I wonder why I didn’t cut it sooner! – but I think it is the change that makes it appealing. I have enjoyed the long grass and a few wildflowers (would love to see more wildflowers take hold) and the habitat it has provided for the insects.

Next job (next week?) is to plant the bulbs from last years pots into the lawn ready for next spring.

Pic of the week 17/9/23

After a couple of unseasonably warm and sunny weeks, this weekend saw the wind and rain arrive that probably herald the onset of autumn. Today has been particularly wet (although managed to run before the rains arrived at circa 10.30 am) and all next week rain is forecast. Trees are beginning to turn and, although the temperatures are holding up, I think that summer has finally fled.

We’ve had a fleeting visit from Sam – he came on on Thursday and returns to Cardiff later today (and he went to Bristol on Friday afternoon returning Saturday evening, before heading straight out to Wells …!) and it has been nice to see him, looking well, and still not started on his second year at uni.

A couple of poppies have bloomed in my “wildflower” lawn – not sure if they are the ones I sowed earlier in the year, or from the wildflower seeds Becky and Sam sowed, but I’m pleased they’ve flowered, and hopefully will expand in numbers in future years.

And in the same patch we’ve got some “strange” mini-pumpkin like growths: a couple of ghost pumpkins I think, and some smaller yellowish pumpkins. These are self-seeded from when I spread some soil from my compost heap on this patch of the lawn. And one of the pumpkins I did grow from seed is swelling nicely on the lawn.

And the sunflowers continue to shine!  We still have a few more set to open, bringing a ray of sunshine to set against ever darkening skies.

Pic of the week 20/8/23

Although not wall to wall sunshine, we have had some usable weather this  week and I’ve been busy cutting things back in the garden. On Wednesday, this meant the front hedge had its annual trim and, once again it looks neat and square.  As ever, a lot had to come off and whilst up the ladders I noticed that there were several strong saplings penetrating the canopy so I had to crawl “inside” the hedge and and cut them back. Once done, I was able to climb to the top of the hedge from the inside, using the trunk of one of the two trees that make up the hedge.

On Tuessday I gave the windows a wash – I had been washing the 205 in preparation of giving it a polish using Mequires polish to bring the paintwork paint to life – which it did.  On Thursday, I gave the bonnet a spray with paint – Bleu D’Arabie, code PL3A – and although it needs another coat (I ran out!) it does look so much better now the rusty bonnet has been painted.

On Friday I went to see my third film of the summer – Oppenheimer – a good film, but at three hours, forty minutes too long. Not sure I also followed all the ins and outs of the “trial” of the senator either.  Needed a lot of intellectual investment in the film. Good, but not as good as Barbie or Indiana Jones (which was a bit silly, but a lot of fun!)

Pic of the week

Half-term has arrived and, somewhat surprisingly, the sun is shinning, and promises to do so all week.

I’ve made little use of the day today, other than to run, rest and snooze – I have a bit of a summer cold (sore throat came on in the night on Friday) and now I have a bit of a cough and feel a little lethargic. I ran this morning, but was a little slow, and had looong snooze this afternoon – other than read and snooze, I’ve done little, but I probably needed today to recharge my batteries.

Plan to get busy in the garden for much of the week, some bushes need pruning back, geraniums need planting out and my latest batch of sunflower seeds – and six pumpkins – will need planting out before the week is done. Anyway, its nice to know I have some time ahead of me to potter and prune in the garden, snooze and read, and maybe also get in a little exercise.

Pic of the week 21/5/23

So this week we have been blessed with sun and blue skies – and what a difference it makes.  I spent yesterday afternoon running around in the sun, refereeing at the Ashcott charity football tournament (did two lines and two middles for a total of 120 mins.  Legs were aching last night, went for swim this morning – first few lengths were tough but then my body loosened up, I glided through 40 lengths and have felt much better for it all day.) and today I have spent quite a bit of time outside – this morning, circa 11am, enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the garden along with the sunshine, and this afternoon reading and then snoozing, Good weather makes such a difference.

On Wednesday I planted out the sunflower seeds I had sown a few weeks ago, putting them in the front trough. They seem to have taken well and are growing nicely. Today I planted some more seeds in trays in the porch, along with some pumpkin seeds – this time of year is busy, busy, busy in the garden, literally sowing the seeds to reap the rewards later in the summer.

Pic of the week 14/5/23

Well, we’ve had some quite biblical rain this week (flooding in Bruton, Queen Camel and other places) but yesterday afternoon the sun shone and the garden is looking lovely – the alliums in particular.

Today, I lifted the bulbs from the front “trough” and planted them in a corner of the lawn (top right in the pic above) and hopefully they will burst through to give added colour next year.

It was bloomin’ hard work digging the lawn up and I fear I may not have planted them to the optimum depth but, worst case scenario, we just end up with a patch of mossy lawn again.

I must confess, I ache now. I ran this morning, and then spent a couple of hours of heavy toil in the garden but hopefully, come next March, it will have been worth it (I’m clearly playing the long game here!)

Pic of the week 7/5/23

Having planted them last Sunday, I am pleased that nearly all my sunflower seeds have burst forth. Dead-headed the tulips in the front bed yesterday – it can only be a week or two before I need to dig them up and start planting out my sunflowers.  The back garden is looking vibrant – the alliums are just beginning to flower, purple exclamation marks offsetting the swathe of blue forget-me-nots, the apple tree blossom is magnificent – probably in for a bumper crop this year – and everything that should be green is,  a vibrant range of greens.

I could do my deadheading yesterday as we had the day of for the King’s coronation.  Not really my thing, I don’t like the overt wealth and inequality and having someone “reign over us” really does go against the very core of what I believe (that we are all equal) but some people like the pomp and ceremony so, if that’s their thing, so be it. As Becky & Sophie (Sophie has come home the Bank Holiday weekend) sat down to watch it, I represented the oppressed masses and went and did the ironing.

And then I went for a swim. I have been a busy boy on the exercise front this week: ran last Sunday, went spinning at school on Monday, Tuesday I refereed an U14 game, Wednesday not too much – stood around chatting at volleyball, Thursday: nada, Friday ran the line at Street FC for a testimonial game, Saturday swum, ran another 7K today and will spin tomorrow, although that will then be “it” until next weekend.  Legs are aching a little today, but, more importantly, my foot has withstood all of that.