For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving I hope you had a peaceful and happy day filled with the joy of having your loved ones near. It is a funny old day for me, for having lived in America, and around Americans, for the best part of twenty years I now mark the day on my own as I don't know anyone who celebrates in my little corner of the world. When I lived in America our home was always full with the Single and Unaccompanied from the barracks. We welcomed as many as we could, cramming and jamming everyone in with never enough chairs to go around, and calling on sturdy paper plates for the food, but these things didn't matter, what mattered is that we managed and it was always a great time of sharing food and friendship. This year, I did not feel alone at all for I had the well wishes from many friends on Twitter and Facebook who shared their day and made the day special even though I wasn't there. Love is an amazing thing to give and receive.
The week started out with the tail end of our first named storm, Angus, hitting our shores. The south of England bore the brunt on Sunday, but Monday and Tuesday saw us with winds of fifty and sixty miles an hour and lashings of torrential rain. An early sign that autumn will soon turn into winter ~ sigh ~ and this will be our normal weather once again for three or four months. There will be more on this in my next entry in a few days.
Meanwhile, my plans to get work done in the garden have started in earnest. On Tuesday, despite the atrocious weather, the tree surgeon came along and began the work. I told him I'd understand if he didn't come but, as he said, it's his job and if he doesn't show up he doesn't get paid so he works in almost all weathers. Fair enough, but rather him than me!
Here are some photographs so you can see what he did. Because of the weather I didn't get proper before photos, and I hope that the after photos {sometime in Spring} will show a marked improvement on the mess there is now.
Here is the rockery. I was not able to maintain it myself because I am too short could not reach into the middle to keep it clean and tidy. Clambering around on top was just too dangerous and several times I nearly had a nasty fall. Consequently, after a summer of neglect due to two episodes of my back being bad, it was horrendously overgrown with brambles and honeysuckle. There was a tall and rather dangerously whippy cottoneaster tree in the centre, the unwanted gift of a seed dropped by birds, which was cut down last year, however the roots were still in there and it was sending out new shoots aplenty. This is after he has weed whacked away most of the brambles ~~~
I don't know what madness made me think that I would be able to tackle all this on my own!
This is what I have still to clear, it is mostly now a weed killer job {sadly} to eradicate the remains of the brambles and honeysuckle and then cleaning away the remaining mound of earth ~~~
I will need someone in to rebuild the retaining wall, but there are now plenty of stones for this job!
For here are some of the rocks and almost boulders removed!
and some really big ones! I could never have lifted these myself ~~~
I have a couple of different ideas for the space, so will mull over these through the Winter months and make plans accordingly. However, all the ideas I have so far will involve using some of the really big stones but no rockery to have to climb over to maintain!
This is the small apple tree he removed, and behind it is the yew tree which he has now cut back so it is no longer whipping around in the gales and posing a threat to the neighbour's garden. The apple tree was an untested cross and did not yield good fruit, not even for vinegar or cider; the surrounding border will be cleared of the infestation of Crow Garlic and flattened to make mowing easier ~~~
and as it is now ~~~
The yew tree will be pruned into a shape that will keep it neat and tidy. I did not want to remove it completely as I believe they are trees of great and ancient magic, and this tree came as a gift borne on the wind, but is, sadly, growing in the wrong place to allow it free reign. I'm not a fan of topiary, but will make it into a funky rectangle with rounded corners {I think} ~~~ Watch this space!
It is already starting to sprout new shoots from my earlier botched attempt last summer to remove the massive branches ~~~
It's got a way to go before it fills in the hard cut back branches, but yew is a quite quickly growing tree and it probably won't be that long before I'm starting to shape it up!
The red Camellia was reduced in height by half. Since my neighbours cut back their much higher hedge I spend many worried hours in the winter months watching mine rock back and forth frightened it is going to just rock one time too many and uproot, so I've had it shortened to where the wind won't catch it now ~~~ there are still plenty of buds on the remaining shrub so I hope there will be blooms around February ~~~
These should be opening in early to mid January for some much needed colour in the darkest depths of winter.
Well, Dear Friends, I was also going to share some sunset and sky photos with you, but I have probably gone on enough and this entry is more about the practical side of what is happening in my little corner of the world as I get the plans for the garden's future underway. Next time my writing muse will make a long overdue return! Yes, she's back!
Until next time
~~~Deborah xoxo
