September Already?!

 I'm not even going to try and do a review of the last few months...but just look forward, although will look back to 29th August when I was taking Peter for his walk we came across this buzzard on the path.

I tried to move it out of the way so that no loose dogs would get it, as it didn't want to fly off.  I managed to get it through the fence into the field with a bit of coaxing, but thought I would return with some gloves when I was walking Simon and if it was still there I would move it where it was safer.

On my return I saw a man and his dog and asked if he had seen it, he said no, so I thought good it had gone.  However, upon walking a little bit further on it had come back through the fence and was back on the pathway again.  Now I know it couldn't walk very fast, so I am astounded the man didn't see the bird!  Probably fortunately he clearly wasn't very observant.  

I tied Simon up, put on my gloves and carefully picked the bird up and put him up out of the way behind a stone walk and tree.  He was amazingly light.  I checked the following day and the buzzard had gone, and there was no trace of him, so I am guessing he was just drying out, perhaps his wings had got too wet and he was exhausted.  Once he felt better he flew off.  That is what I am hoping anyway.  He had the most amazing blue eyes.

So on to today, Monday 1st September, he was absolutely chucking it down with rain this morning and the gutters were overflowing again.  They have now been cleared out.  This seems to be a monthly job!

A little later I managed to get a photo of the garden.  The grass looks a tiny bit greener.

The sea was pretty rough today.  Amazingly by mid day the sky had cleared somewhat and it was just windy, but we had some blue skies and were able to enjoy lunch outside at a cafe we enjoy going to.

The triffod is growing well...actually it is the kiwifruit vine.  It is now completely covering our bedroom window, so once the kiwifruit are ripe we will cut it right back again.  We give it a harsh pruning every year.  The people before us really planted it in completely the wrong place, but I am not sure how successful we would be at moving/transplanting it now. 

I think we must have almost 20 fruits on the vine which is a first.  We have only had two or three before.

The blueberry is still producing.

Up in the orchard we have loads of apples, pears and plums, which I have been picking and giving away.  I still have a freezer full of apples, and a pantry full of jam.  We obviously eat some of the fruit as well.  I need to learn how to 'can' (using jars) fruit.

It is nice to have the fruit, especially considering I haven't really been able to do any gardening because of this thyroid illness and then falling severely back in June, which I could have done without and am still in a lot of pain as a result of the fall.  The rest of the garden was rather a flop.  I think I must be the only person that can't grow courgettes successfully...the look good, but then never amount to anything.  I have had a few beans, a couple of sweetcorn and that is it.

Oh and we had the most amazing crop of apricots this year, over 40, this is some of the first lot that I picked.  We completely enclosed it in a special strong net this year so nothing could get in at the fruit.  I really enjoyed these very much.

Forgot to add these couple of pretty plates I got from the charity shop.  

I am going to start to collect a few plates for use to replace the old chipped ones we have, so when I saw these two lovely plates, I thought they would be perfect.  

My Garden in May 2023: Part Two

Today is the back garden... I lost interest in the garden I am ashamed to say last year after my accident and the loss of Percy.  This year it was a very slow start, and after a almost four week illness in March/April, the first time I have been sick since 2019, I am finally back into tackling the back garden again, which is a full time job!  

My first job was to weed and dig over my little oval garden and plant some more plants in it.  Unfortunately I may have to lose all or part of this garden as we might tuck a shed into the area behind it between the trees.  This is quite disappointing to me as I really like this little garden.

I've dug over the vegetable beds and planted seeds.  This raised one is for our salad vegetables - radish, spring onions, salad.  We also have one at the front too.

I've planted two courgette plants in here that I got from a neighbour.  I haven't had a lot of luck with courgette so far, so am trying them here this year.

In this bed I have peas and I have also planted a tomato.

More tomatoes in here, and I have since planted a third.

In here I have planted my Dalmatian bean seeds, two peppers and sweetcorn.

Started weeding the strawberry bed! 

I also ate the first strawberry of the season, it was delicious!

My husband dug over this little corner bed and repaired the wall with what we had available and we have planted two bushes of which I can't currently remember the name, but it has blue flowers and I have planted some small hebe type plants.  I have tried to grow vegetables in this bed the past three years, but haven't been particularly successful so we have turned it into a little feature bed and will put a weed mat down and then bark it.  

It was time to tackle around the glass house which had really become overgrown.

It is at least approachable now, but I still have to do behind that side. 

Inside, well it was a jungle of weeds!

Yup, pretty bad.  Obviously I hadn't propagated any seeds etc this year.

Looking better now. 

I chose to leave the self sown/growing raspberry plant because it had some fruit on it.

This corner I had dug over last year, and before I attacked it, it was over waist height in weeds!

This also needs attention.  I did pull out all the stinging nettles.  

I strimmed this far back corner.  We have been thinking what to do with this corner and might plant some rhododendrons here.

It really is a jungle, and this is after I have been strimming and weeding!

I weeded all around the gooseberries.

They are looking good.

More strimming.  I had this as a vegetable bed the previous three years, now it is grass!

Strimmed in the orchard part.

Left these flowers though.

This is my next task, to weed around the raspberries.

Tidier here too.

Lots and lots to be done.  As my husband said, it is like a labour camp when he comes down here!  Ha ha!

 

The Garden in July

For some reason or another, I haven't really felt like blogging.  I have been plodding away at the garden though and here are a few photos from July.

The front garden just after it has been mowed.

One of my new roses.

A beautiful lily in the pond

A poppy in the deck garden box

Realized there was an insect on it.

Petunias

Poppies

These end up more like weeds, but they do add colour to the garden.

Another one of my new roses.

Apricots in the front garden.  

They were delicious, but couldn't have been better...I had to pick the remaining ones early after a squirrel raided them one night!  Must make even better netting protection next year - they obviously came up under the netting cheeky little so and sos.

Another of my new roses.

Raspberries each evening for dessert.

Dalmation beans for dinner

More raspberries

Logan berries.  I have been freezing these to add to crumbles in the winter.

The weather hasn't been the best for gardening, but it has been brilliant for weeds and growth!  Have learnt a bit more this year about the garden and will cover some patches of ground next year to stop the weeds from coming up so quickly.  

I had a lovely little crop of carrots coming along, but something dug them up.  Grrr...

The compost bins need moving as although they were in the sun when I built them last year, for the crucial part of the year they are in the shade and so it is taking a V  E R Y   L O N G time for it to turn into compost.  I might invest in one of the 'hot' compost bins.