This feels like a far less productive weekend than last week. Our main focus has been in the garden again, making the most of the warmer weather to catch up on jobs. Having filled the stone trough at the entrance to the courtyard last Sunday, this week we spent Saturday morning touring garden centres to get the various plants on the recommended planting list that my mum had kindly sent us. There were just a few less common ones we couldn’t find which we’ll leave space for. We even stopped off at a coffee shop like most normal people who don’t have multiple to-do lists might do!
We’d initially planned just to plant everything but as we started, we realised we needed to cut back the ivy above the bed to create space for the taller plants. It turns out that clearing ivy is addictive – two hours later, we’d stripped the ivy back to reveal the capstones on top of the stone wall and removed the moss from the wall to make sure the flowers ‘pop’ when they bloom. Even though we still have some plants to add, it already looks more complete with the new plants – it’ll look lovely once they’re established and in flower – a welcoming sight as people drive in.
We spent the rest of Saturday working in the kitchen garden – moving seedlings into our new plastic greenhouse on the level brick floor, replacing the greenhouse glass that got broken last week, and cutting back the herb pots ready to start again this year. We also potted out the seedlings that had germinated so far and planting new seeds – it still feels like we’re behind but we’ve already run out of space in the greenhouse and propagator so will need to come up with a more creative solution if we’re to keep on top of all the planting!
Our to-do list has been somewhat squeezed this week as Sunday was our quarterly village walk that John organises. It started off just being a few people and now there are about 20 of us who get together. It’s a lovely way to meet people (each time we have new faces joining us) and a good opportunity to catch up with friends we don’t see as often. And of course – finishing at the pub is a must!!
Ley Farm Cottages 