Monday & Tuesday

Due to a couple of days of rain last week, I had to do the horrible thing and work on Saturday. But worse than that, I had to work on the bank holiday Monday as well! I usually hate doing this because not only is it a bad day for motivation, as everyone else is out resting and enjoying themselves, but also because of that, everywhere I visit is sooo peaceful and quiet. That is until 'machinery man' turns up and starts mowing and strimming. Still, Monday was a gloriously sunny day and I set off with optimism and a bit of a caffiene kick in my step.

To make things a little better I hadn't planned a schedule, but simply went to the places that I felt like doing as the mood took me. The first was the cottage estate in Mudeford.
Crikey, was it quiet here or what! Nevertheless, I gunned up the mower and set about my work. As usual, after about the first half hour I had reach the part of the garden that John's house backs onto. A very proud and upright man who is retired now, but used to work on the road gangs building motorways. Every single time I am here he is ready with a cup of tea and some biscuits, and on this occasion they were Jammy Dodgers!
This is a man who from the type of work he used to do, appreciates the importance of the morning cuppa.

As I move around the estate, I like to take pictures of anything that catches my eye, or just a scene that is pleasing. Faces occasionally appear at windows with a smile, as they look upon their paparazzi gardener doing his camera thing again before his continues with his work.

The new turf is greeing up again after being hammered by the dry spell.

Bill & Mary, a wonderful couple who live a little bit further along on the estate. I've been going about two hours by now and once again they are sitting at their garden table waiting for me to join them for coffee and a chat. Such a lovely couple, and also such a nice spot to sit and relax that it was difficult to get started again.

A quick tidy up of the front of their place and then onwards and upwards to get the rest completed.

I probably photograph them far too much, but I just love Rowans, don't you? Especially at this point where the berries are at their deepest colour.

After lunch it was back to Branksome and a couple of large properties that are also quite simple to look after. After doing all of the usual regular jobs, I was asked to raise the canopy of these beech trees. Very glad to do this when it rains they touch the grass and it's not pleasant to take the mower through them. I don't know if it's the same in the USA, but over here most trees have a preservation order (known in the trade as a TPO) on them and as such any work had to get permission from the local authority. The permission for this had finally been granted and so off they came! The picture above is 'before'.

...........and after.

This is yet another angle of our garden that I couldn't resist as we are now getting that early morning autumn mist and chill......love it!