Home Day

Over the last few weeks, I have swapped Saturday and monday around as the working day. All very strange to start with, as it's surprising just how instilled in us the Saturday/Sunday weekend is. Nevertheless, it is a very quiet day to work on, and leaves Monday for us to 'do our thing', without having to work our way through the hordes of foreign students and kids. Shell Bay is so much more deserted as well, and so romantic walks along this are stepping up. However, this Monday was a working day. in as much that our own garden desperately needed some attention as we have both been so busy during the days that things have become somewhat like a jungle.

What was at the start of the summer an organised collection of plants, with focal points from most different angles, was now just a heaving mass of wood and leaf growth, that required some initial pruning to bring it to some sort of order. And so, with that in mind, we donned our gardening ragged clothing, grabbed the secateurs and loppers, and made our way in.

Not surprisingly, there was a whole trailer load of rubbish, and as I had made my initial four trips to Eco during the month for dumping, and paid well for the honour, this fifth one was free, and so as usual I loaded the poor thing up with as much, and more, than she could take, and headed off to dispose of the load.

Safety at Eco is taken extremely seriously, what with all of the killer machinery flying around, and to this end one is required by the HSE to wear a high visibility waiscoat and hard hat. Given that I usually wear nothing less than a Brioni suit, this is slumming it somewhat, and makes me feel a little like a builders labourer, but at least the maniacs at Eco don't run me over in their bulldozers!

A lovely and rewarding day was spent pruning, cleaning, rearranging tubs, drinking tea and coffee and jet washing the crud off everything, and at the end of it all I took some photos of stuff that is still looking good, I hope you like.

Ginger Lily....about to flower.

Physalis

Dahlia

Fuschia

Witch Hazel & Acer

Aster

Hydrangea paniculata

Coreopsis

Nerines

New Guinea Busy Lizzy

Sambucus nigra

Choisya ternata Sundance

Witch Hazel & Acer .....  again .... just love them together!

Various Coleus

Part of our Pyracantha hedge in the fron garden.

Leycesteria

Phormium

Yucca

And the garden looking a bit more organised for the time being.