Garden Progress - Buster - Another Visitor

Me and Cheryl, my latest visitor - on the meadow.

Garden

It seems a while since I updated you on our garden progress. We have been working on the back yard recently, which we want to grass through to join up with the arboretum. It has long grass growing on it so that has to all be removed, the site levelled and then the grass seed sewn. Oh, and all the stone removed.


Here's Jim digging up one of the huge rocks from in front of the new wall.


I spent some time removing stones from under the huge tree and levelling the ground.


On the left you can see some of the grass that has to be removed. The new lawn will go through and join with the other grass, through the narrow gap. Where the pile of stones is will be a small herb garden.



I have just found this photo from September 2009. This is taken looking at the place where the new wall is now situated.


Here is the whole of the back yard taken a day later in September 2009. The yard looks so small there. At the end is a distinct lack of wall!

Here's the new wall, almost finished.


The part that needs finishing. As well as raising the wall height a little by the house, we are making a flower bed in the gap. We are also going to make steps from the gap in the wall to the concrete part you can see outside the patio doors. It'll make a nice feature.

Now the wall has been finished and filled with soil, and even has a few plants in it too. I am so pleased with it. The 'steps' have only been roughly placed and will look much better when finished. Jim dropped the top one on my finger! It bled rather a lot. That top stone is the one Jim was digging out of the ground in the top photo!


Some of the plants.


The wall from the other side. We will make some steps this side too.

Visitors Yesterday

Yesterday, Tuesday, I had a pre-arranged visit from a dear schoolfriend of mine and her husband. We have known each other since about 1961 I think. Cheryl now lives in a beautiful converted barn not far from my son Jason in Suffolk!

The time seemed to absolutely fly by. We sat in the sun room and drank tea. Jim had made home made soup and home made bread which we had for lunch, followed by cold meats and cheese and more bread!

We chatted some more then went for a walk down to the lake, the quick route as Cheryl and Pete didn't really have the footwear to go through the wood. It was a pleasant day weather wise. We also took a walk around the land of course and Jim took a couple of photos when we were at the top of the meadow:


Me and Cheryl with Lough Graney and Flagmount behind us.


It got a bit windy! She is a lovely person, as is her husband Pete and we had a fabulous time.

We had coffee in the afternoon with a lovely swiss roll that Cheryl and Pete had brought with them! All too soon it was time for them to go. Come back soon you two.

There was still a couple of hours for me to pop out into the garden and do some weeding and stone moving. Chicken curry for dinner (Jim's of course), a bit of television watching then it was a flop into bed.

Today it has rained and the sun has shone alternately. Rather like a Spring day. Jim worked in the kitchen and I managed to get outside a bit and edge the rose bed, which I weeded a couple of days ago.

Buster

We have been working hard to fatten Buster up after his 5 days away. He has been much better lately. Even when Max has visited and they've gone off to 'play', he has always come back again - although once it was at 3.30am!

I bought him a new red collar and an identity tag with our phone number on it in case he goes missing again:


Buster fast asleep with his new red collar.

Jim bought me a black bamboo for the garden. It's something I've wanted for a long time, having had one in the UK a while ago. Here it is in its pot:


The hosta is now in the wall. We have yet to work out the perfect spot for the bamboo.

So there we have it. Another catch up. When Jim's finished the next section of the kitchen I'll show you what he's done this time.

Have a good week everyone.