Whoooooooooooooosh.....

.....that's me flying through the last, goodness me, seven or so weeks since I last spent time with my blog. I never planned to have a break, I have simply been happily engaged with my life. Distracted from blogging as it were.

I warn you now, this is a very photo heavy post of flowers. 46 photo's of flowers. It's all or nothing I'm afraid!

Poppies from my Bunny Mummy seed swap

A big distraction has been the garden. We have a lovely garden, it's big, quite private and safe for the boys to run amok in. We have lovely views as we are right on top of a high hill. The downside to all this is it is a windy place where weeds are rife, it could be a stunning garden but I haven't had a clue what I'm doing.  This year I decided, having been inspired and encouraged by bloggers and instagrammers who have beautiful outside spaces, to get a grasp on this gardening lark.

The dahlias survived another winter and have been stunning (though FULL of earwigs)

Helebores? In September! Is that odd?

This grew from an out of date Cottage Garden perenial seed mix..

...and this little lot.

I have subscribed to Gardeners World magazine, I have the program on series link, I make notes in a pad, I have a folder with pages printed off the web and torn out of magazines, I have been reading Alan Titchmarsh's and Monty Don's books. I have been busy with it all.

That's the brim of my sun hat

It's paid off too. It has been a good year in my garden and I have optimism that next year will be even better. I have looked at what has done well and I'll plant lots more of it next year. I have a vague plan of what I need to do for earlier Spring blooms. I really feel I am getting there.

Made for me by Big Cuckoo ♥

The Beastlings!

I have to point out that I only do the fannying about in the garden. Lucky (oh so lucky) for me I found a chap from in the village who comes up each week and mows the grass and does the hacking back and weeding. Over Winter he is going to continue coming up to remodel parts of the garden, deal with some mad bushes, pop in a new border for me to plant up and dig out the things that I don't really like. His work in the garden has given me enthusiasm to keep trying hard and to learn more. He doesn't have much actual gardening knowledge, but he will do what I ask of him. So I am forced to learn. It's a great partnership.

The constant supply of posies in the house has been a treat. I doubt I'll ever tire of snipping blooms and bunging them in a jug.

Shelf from Simply Scandinavian

I gave this bunch to the lady I do my school run lift shares with.

I adore flowers in a dented tin

Flowers in an old Lazy Garlic jar is just darlinggggg! Ha!

Having a little posy by my bed has been my most favourite thing.

I have even managed to harvest enough lavender to make a small bag to put in the wardrobe. I'm super pleased with myself about this. I have high five'd myself all around the kitchen!

I can't say that I enjoy gardening. To me it is like housework out doors. I call myself The Furious Gardener. On reflection I feel happy and proud of parts of the garden that have worked out nicely. Yet I welcome Autumn whole hearted because I feel there will be less do do out there in the way of fannying about. Through the Autumn I'll be The Pointy Gardener. "Please could you dig that up?" I'll say to our Chap from the village. "Please could you chop that down?" "Would you mind bagging up the leaves to make leaf mulch?" "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" Yes, that's the sort of gardener I'll be now, maybe A Grateful Gardener would be a more accurate nick name.

Today. Right outside my front door.

Right, that's me done for today. I hope to swing by more often now the garden is slowing up...but then again with the C word less that a hundred days away, who knows!

PS. You didn't really think it was all glorious did you? This is my failed veg patch. The raised bed furthest away has been commandeered by a bleedin' badger who has turned it in into a latrine. Yuk. And that bleeding badger ate my hen, Oliver Foxy, during the day time. Not happy.

PPS. This post was done for Karie and Marleen ;o)

PPPS. Fee is not in Spain, She has NOT been mugged. Don't send money to rescue her as the phishing gits'll get it. Send it to her paypal account! Ha ha hahahahahahahaaaaaa!!!! Just jesting.