Oh the end is Bill Nighy...

Hmmmm, seems this year is determined to attempt to piss me right off, what with the rain, rain and more rain. But what the hey, we're all still alive; we're all having the proverbial laugh; Boris Johnson, well, err, just Boris Johnson really (cripes he's a twat isn't he, don't get why people love him so much, oaf); still have a roof over our heads (the windows and doors are a bit of a struggle, but at least we're dry); we have a number of parties to go to in the coming weeks; s'nice.

So, the last few weeks have been very busy, Saturday working to try and catch up on stuff so I can at least leave my regular smaller gardens in a tidy state until next March. It's a desperate race to do this in time for the beginning of November. Did I say desperate? Pah, just do it Murray is all!

Anyway, here are a few picture to show what's been happening:

The view from the roof at Quainton, looking down to the stables. It was very windy that day and I was holding on to the scaffolding for dear life - never been good with heights.

Lots of trimming and shaping of hedges over the weeks, this is Pat's place in Berkhamsted. My new Tanaka hedge trimmer is picture on the left and is a splendid addition to the Murray tool box, I actually love it, bizarre!

...a bit of topiary at Julie and Andrew's place in Buckland. No really enamoured of that sort of thing but I do actually quite like doing it. I think it appeals to my sense of putting things in order - bit fascist...

A newt. This is something I am generally in complete accordance with most Friday nights - and Saturday and possibly Wednesday or Tuesday too. I had disturbed this poor little fella while weeding the rockery at Buckland, she/he was very sleepy, so I made a new nest for him/her and sang, to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it": 
Oh, I wish I was a naughty, little newt.
Oh, I wish I was a naughty, little newt.
Oh, it would be all right,
To stay out every night.
Oh, I wish I was a naughty, little newt.

So onwards to the end of another gardening year, my third and it has gone from strength to strength, even with the rubbish weather. The best thing of all is that I will have more than enough work for the winter too, four lovely big gardens with lots of lovely big trees and shrubs to tend to.

The newt lived by the way...

Happy happying...

Dear Lord and Father of...

...humankind, forgive our cockamamy ways...


Listen, there must be something going on. It's obvious isn't it? All this weather we are having, it just can't be right. Too wet, too windy, but most of all too naffing cold. Quite frankly I am now pissed off. I can't work and if I don't work, blah blah blah...


Strangely though, on Monday this:

23-04-12

Turned into this:

30-04-12

What a difference a week makes, but then again I am not working today again, which is the third week on the trot that I have missed a day of work. It's becoming an obsession, I should learn to relax; ommmmmmmmmmmmmm...


Seriously though, I don't mind the wet or even the wind, it's the cold that gets to me. I reckon I haven't yet got used to the cold since coming back from our three year sojourn in Oz - that's the Antipodean rather large island as against the wonderful land of... OK, it was all of 42 years ago we got back, but I continue to not appreciate having me nutz frozen orf.


Anyway, Pat's on Monday. It was actually quite nice all day. I even cut the grass and doesn't it look nice:

The wisteria continues to flourish

Nice tulips, new this year. I think they are Tulipa viridiflora, 'Spring Green' - isn't that nice?

I believe this is Clematis 'Montana Rubens'. Masses of flowers every year and never fails...

The partare at Pat's, with freshly trimmed box hedges. I love trimming
up hedges, it's what I go to bed dreaming of!

Another post later on with a rather sad welcome for me at Rebecca's on Tuesday this week, a la this:

This is the horse chestnut at the top of the drive in
Quainton. A branch was lost in the storms at the weekend.

Laters! Or should I say L8rs?


Happy chopping!

A Lovely Day today...

I know I have this obsession of going on about loving being away from the corporate world, but today was a day I would have thought was only possible in my silly dreams just 3 years ago - can't believe it's three years since SchmArgos "did the dirty on me", but it is and what a relief!


Who would want to sit in front of a computer staring at JML Fast Fit Ironing Board Cover - Pawprint, catalogue number 850/1116, checking it for colour just so Mrs Miggins won't be disappointed and return it? Yep, who would want to do that as against looking after this?

Finally got rid of the roots to a poorly placed hedge today, it's taken me forever, but the area will be planted with lavender to match the other side of the steps.

Moved all those hellibores and ferns middle left of picture a few weeks ago, they've settled in well. That whole area was pretty much over grown with ground cover, I want to reproduce a sort Jekyll (Gertrude that is) effect in the shade if I can. There's anemones in the back and I want to plant up some foxgloves as well, few more ferns too...

Also dug out a couple of medium sized shrubs from a small ornate-ish border in the main lawn area (NB: don't know why this has gone to double line spacing). I have also been working on this for a while. A tree specialist moved the two ash trees on either side, I did the topiary(?), ha ha!

Nice bit of work that should look really good come the summer - I hope!

This is where I moved the shrubs to. It's at the top of a little hill that drops down to an area we are going to plant up as a wild flower meadow and then down to a dried up stream.

The wild flower meadow is inspired by Sarah Raven's series, Bees, Butterflies and Blooms. Her best bit of work ever I think. If you didn't see it it is actually worth doing an iPlayer visit, at least on the last episode shown last night. Suffice to say I am really looking forward to starting work on the meadow, I
feel a song coming on:


Ohhhhhhh, There's a bright golden haze on the meadow

There's a bright golden haze on the meadow 

The corn is as high as an elephant's eye, 

An' it looks like it's climbin' clear up to the sky. 




Well there we go, you even get a blast of Howard Keel on here! Also cut back 


some grass from the edge of the pond, so it truly was a busy day, but so worth 


it. Oh and a bay tree that blocked a view across Aylesbury Vale towards Oxford. 


This is another area of the garden that will be worked at some point this year. 


Exciting stuff.

Front door - there are plans to make it more obvious!

Finally, some lovely flowers in the front garden:

Exquisite hellebore - I really think they are my favourite flower and not just because they are so easy to grow!

Beautiful iris in amongst my obsession at the moment, some snowdrops

And after the digging and moving and re-planting, here is a picture of the sky between a redwood and a yew tree - yep, I was flat out on me back!

Happy, happy!