Aaaaaaaaahhhh! It Was Finally The Weekend.

The forecast for the weekend was good, and so I had booked in a couple of small jobs on Saturday. The first was the twice yearly tidy up of a retired soldiers garden, and the second was the trimming of our elderly neighbours hedge, a job done two or three times a year. I have mentioned them before, but things grow.

As I wasn't going to be around, Amanda decided to head into Poole to do some shoe shopping, and so on my way I dropped her off at Poole Quay. It was very early, gloriously sunny, and the smell of coffee filled the air. It was very tempting to just buy a newspaper and settle down at a cafe on the quayside, and so after a very quick goodbye I headed straight off.

 

 

The garden was, as expected, very overgrown once more.

 

 

The grass had grown, hedges fluffed up, and borders filled with weeds.

 

I have a tried and tested method in dealing with such tidy ups. Firstly, I strim a belt around all of the grass, and also use the strimmer on it's side to cut a new sharp edge and take off any weeds in the paths. Then the grass is mowed.

Next, any trimming and pruning is done, and the rubbish cleared away, the paths and borders blown and cleared of any loose debris, and the grass mowed again. It's then time for the weeding, and I work methodically from start to finish, hoeing the soil afterwards to freshen it up. The picture below shows part of the border just after starting.

 

When all is done, a final mow takes up any bits that I may have dropped, and weedkiller then applied to the paths.

 

And once again it should keep him going for a while longer.

 

By now Amanda had finished, and so on passing through Poole I picked her up. She had stuff to do at home, and had promised to keep me supplied with tea while I trimmed our neighbours long hedge. The picture shows the side, there is a front and back as well. When it gets cut again in a few months, the height is going to be taken down by about eighteen inches.

 

After doing this monster, and after a week of gardening, my arms were pretty much wasted, and so a quick shower and clothes change before heading to the Haven Hotel for a cold one while the sun was still shining.

 

 

Warm sunshine, the gentle throb of the ferry engine, and cold beer, just about what the doctor ordered.

 

While it was lovely there, and we spent a good couple of hours, we had started to talk about the ongoing work at the allotment, and decided to head there for the evening and do some very gentle bits that were needed. Hobie greeted us on arriving home in his own lazy way, and then went back to sleep.

 

Back into work clothes, and we joined the throng already at the allotments. We had been bad gardeners here, and due to last years permanently wet conditions pretty much ignored it, to the extent that the allotment gestapo had sent us a letter spelling out the rules regarding keeping the plot 'worked' in some way. We had already been down to clear the plot again, and so now it's just the fun stuff. I was planting the french and runner beans.

 

Amanda treated the fruit cages with wood preserver. These now have bird proof netting on, and will contain a number of fruit bushes recently purchased. Blackcurrant, redcurrant, gooseberry for now.

 

And so that was our Saturday. We finally got back home at around 9pm, too knackered to cook, and so a chinese takeaway that night.

 

Bye for now!