Working Wednesday.

My task for today in the garden was working up the top.

These photos might not be interesting to a lot of people, but I want to record my progress as it will be good to look back on hopefully.

I wanted to start clearing the path that runs behind the summer house.

It has become pretty much completely covered.

Starting to make progress.

There IS a path hidden under here, but the rocks over the years have moved down and are now on top of the paving slabs.

Can just see the path starting to show now.

The path then curves up towards the orchard fence line.  This is where the rocks have moved down the hill and ended up on the path.

Looking along the path from the other side.

You can now see that the path curves.  It curves in lots of places, adds interest I think.  It would have been great to have seen what the garden used to look like pre-the people we bought the property from.

I also started to clear along and beside the brick retaining wall that is in front of the summer house.

This is what I have to contend with!

It was hard going, but there was a path along there as well.

This is going down from the large tree at the back.

A path is starting to appear.

I found a good bucket underneath all that shrubbery as well as rubbish!

In the front

My Zinnia (I think that was what I planted) is starting to flower.

My lunch time view.

My loaf of bread turned out a funny shape today, but tasted delicious when I used it to make a sandwich for my lunch.

Rather proud of this yellow courgette!

I did 20 minutes sanding on the bedside cabinet in the afternoon - that is about all I can manage at a time.

So slow progress is being made.  I might need to put some more varnish/paint stripper on it.

The guinea pigs spent the day in their outside hutch.

Jeremy and Murphy 

Bailey and Felix.

I went for a nice walk late afternoon, before dinner.

Ships passing.

Glistening sea - quite a contrast to the other day.

Cows on the hill

Mostly with their back to me.

Cinnabar Moth caterpillar

Bright colours, probably poisonous

Total walked today: 4.1 miles

So a pretty full day of working hard.  Hopefully that will mean I sleep well.

The Weekend that Was.

Yesterday was pretty miserable, grey and overcast and damp, but only 15 mm of rain, so not going to make a lot of difference to the cracks in the garden.  

I did a short walk in the evening when the day brightened up a bit - 1.9 miles.

Today was brighter, although I didn't do much...still feel really tired. I'm not sure if this is because of my reduced steroid dose - which will go down another 1 mg tomorrow, or just that I'm tired.  It will be interesting to see whether my Folate levels have decreased when I have blood tests in September, as last year I was very low and had to go on a course of Folic Acid for a few months.  I have been off them a while now and I have noticed my hair is a lot drier again, and I seem to be very tired a lot of the time.

This morning I tried a new recipe - Lemonade Scones.  It only uses three ingredients, self-raising flour, lemonade and full fat cream.  Very easy to make and pretty much a success.  Trying to find lemonade without artificial sweeteners in took some doing though and eventually I had to use Fentimens Rose Lemonade.  A pretty expensive way of doing it, but all I could find on line that wasn't full of nasty chemicals.

I cooked them in two batches, hence the slightly different colours.  

Although perhaps they didn't rise quite as well as traditional scones, they had quite a light consistency and tasted pretty good.  I have frozen most of them, as there is just me and that way I can get one out as and when I want one.  Of course I had to try one (or perhaps more!) with some home-made gooseberry jam and clotted cream.  Delicious!

Of course then I felt I better go for a walk!

I walked along the top cliff path today

Leaving one of my painted Kiwi rocks along the way.

I believe this is the six spot Burnet moth

Total walked today:  3.5 miles

I haven't done any garden the last couple of days as just haven't had the energy to, hopefully will be back into it tomorrow.

A bee covered in pollen on the Hollyhocks.

I put up Trail camera - not sure if it is an ideal position, but will experiment a bit with it.  It might be better to put it out the back, but currently I have it in the front garden.

I hope everyone has a good week.

My son finally arrived home from being 'stranded' at sea for six months.  His company timed it just right as just after he left, they have put Malaysia (which is where their ship was at anchor) back into lock down.  Of course it will still be a few weeks until I can see him, but at least I know he is now safely home.