Sunday 28th June 2009

Definitely time for an update! I have been working very hard - hampered not a little by a gradual and then worsening onset of arthritic like aches and pains. I am not sure if these are a long term side effect of chemotherapy or, indeed, some form of arthritis, but I will check with my specialist when next I see her.

I am making inroads into the garden ... at last. I have all the raised beds installed and bolted up and I have been around much of the garden (still a little way to go) pruning back heavily (and uprooting a few roses which simply must go) and then dumping these prunings into the base of the metre high raised beds. A week or so ago I ordered in 4 cubic metres of compost/soil and I have filled two and a half beds ... this is slow work due to not only the aches and pains but because of heavy rain recently (I am not complaining about the rain!). It has been a mild and wet winter thus far ... I do hope for some frost for those plants which need it. I will try for some piccies once it is all done.

My winter veggies are doing well. I have in all my seed potatoes (sitting in the scullery waiting to shoot) and seeds for spring planting this year. I am full of enthusiasm and just waiting for the days to lengthen a little bit more and to warm slightly - but still much more winter to go.

Here are just a few photographs from the recent gardening activity.

1. A winter stable I built for the kitties! They love curling up in the pea straw and strangely it never sticks to their coats. Every year I try to layer down lots into at least one of their enclosures for them.

 

2. Some of the winter veggies - cabbage, kale, beets ...

3. A nice autumnal atmospheric shot of the front steps and the leaves of a silver birth tree.

4. A rascally stray pumpkin that grew through a trellis and then expanded ... it was butchered and eaten first among all pumpkins. ;)

5. Two of the seven new raised beds - shown here when they were first being installed and not yet fully bolted up let alone filled. They are much, much work but should reward me come summer.

That's it for now! I will try to remember to get some more for next entry.

I do apologise for the gaps in the entries, but I am trying to live life as least stressful as I can now, and sometimes that means letting some things slide.