The Last Day in May 2023

A few more photos of the last few days in May 

A ship a sailing...

The water lily is almost ready to flower.

Lots of toad tadpoles.

They look quite different to frog tadpoles.

One of our lovely bush roses full of flowers.

A small climbing rose we have just planted.

Such a delicate little flower.

Percy's rose is full of blooms as well.

Beautiful yellow.

Gorgeous scented freesias.

These ones have come up 'wild'. 

Fantastic blue sky...

 

Peter & Simon are One Year Old Today.

Simon and Peter are a year old today.

The first three photos were taken four days ago

Peter is very inquisitive and bold and independent. He can also be rather naughty!  In particular when I take him for walks.  He hasn't quite worked it out yet that it is bad etiquette to sound like a screaming banshee when he sees another dog.  He is the epitome of a rather small yappy dog!  So far everything I have tried hasn't worked.  I think it is sheer enthusiasm, but of course other dogs and their owners don't take it that way, and I don't blame them.  If they allowed him to make his noise and walk with them, he does calm down and stop, and there is one person and their dog locally who will do that, and it is helping, but we don't see them often enough when we are out.  Strangely he doesn't tend to bark at all at home, which is good.

Peter likes to snuggle in the evenings and especially likes to lie upside down with his tongue sticking out, very much a Percy trait.  He likes to go underneath a blanket or tucked up under a jumper/sweater you might be wearing.

Simon is loyal and a bit of a softy.  He is perfect to take out, doesn't bark and is very well behaved, but he takes his guard dog duties at home very seriously and does bark here.  I think he has had lessons from Stanley, who being a typical Sheltie does like to let you know when there are people walking down the road, visitors arriving here or at the neighbours, oh and of course the postman arriving, although they do stop and I can have a chat with him.

Simon snuggles in quite a different way to Peter, and doesn't like to be upside down at all, rather curling himself up and against you.

Together they are a great pair and contrast to each other, not only in size but also character.

One of their favourite games is chasing each other around the settee.  Simon gets very excited and vocal about it.

Now for some photos taken today.

Simon having a good sniff...

Stanley coming to investigate. 

Peter checking on Simon.

Do you want to play?

A poorly taken in action shot.

 

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!