My aim today was to weed the rockery. Now the poor old rockery has suffered somewhat since the builders arrived. I still thought it was worth tidying it up, albeit a temporary job. This is what it looked like:
This is a section of it, but you get the general idea
Now, post weed, which was done a bit on and off between the showers!
I think it's an improvement. You can actually see the Acers. They were about hidden by grass before.
While I was weeding, a little siskin kept eating away at the nuts. I tried, rather hurriedly to take his photo:
It's worth enlarging the photo by clicking on it. It's such a pretty little bird
If it's fine tomorrow, I'll try and get closer, I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
Standing on top of one of the rockery stones, I took this shot looking over the arboretum:
I love this view. It'll be what I can see from my studio when it's done. To the left is a little wooded area, then my mother's bird bath, a bird table and the acer bed. You can see the bottom half of the 'snake' bed for the roses too.
I wandered around the front after one of the rain showers and took a few randoms:
I love the mixture of yellows here. It was a bit dull though. Cistus (broom) to the left, euonymous to the centre, then primula in the front and perennial alyssum to the right.
The pieris forrestii is looking magnificent, black tulips in front and white saxifrage spills over the wall.
The 2 trees in pots are Gingko Biloba (or Rocky Bilboa as I call them)! I think this is a particularly pretty section with the rough steps leading up to the allotment area in the background.
One of my all time favourite flowers is Alchemilla Mollis. I brought some from the UK and they are just making a reasonable sized plant. They look wonderful after the rain:
Alchemilla Mollis, centre, miniature hebe to the left, alyssum on the right
Once it has had some flowers, hopefully they'll spread all over the place.
Tonight Jim made tortilla, which I love. We sat and watched Ashes to Ashes while we ate it. Then it was rhubarb and apple crumble and custard. Rhubarb from the allotment, of course. Aren't you jealous?
I do hope no one is in the vicinity of the nasty swine flu that's hit Mexico so hard. They keep warning us that we're overdue a pandemic. Let's hope the powers that be are wrong this time.
