Reflecting on my week #121

Well. I think I have to take it back for all the weeks that I’ve said it’s been a bit of a week. This week just gone, has I think, topped them all. Who would have thought everything would have changed so quickly. I haven’t quite processed all of the information from today’s Boris-conference, and living in ignorant bliss is quite nice for the time being. Inevitably the events of the week will slip into this post at some point, but it’s my intention to skew it to the positive things that have occured in the last week.

And there’s nothing more positive than an apple cinnamon chelsea bun, even if it meant a very-early-for-me-start. Thursday saw me meet a work colleague for an early ‘breakfast’ meeting close to home, before heading to work. Add in a window seat, which our work bus goes past, was a great vantage point to plan how to take over the world (we might have failed) and to wave to colleagues on their way to work - this at least, was much more successful.

I do wonder what our colleagues thought though, I’ve not seen them yet to discover. Friday was supposed to be a day off, but with work ramping up in a way I didn’t think possible, I ended up logging on for half a day before we packed up the car and headed to Norfolk for the weekend. We left home about eleven, and I’d already managed half a day’s work, yes, on my day off. This virus (yes that one) appears to be trying to convert me into a morning person.

Saturday didn’t turn out quite as planned either.

Work kicked in then too. And it took much more time than I first thought. Which given we were at my parents was trickier than being at home, well for me at least. They were ever so accepting of it, and we changed our plans several times during the day. There was a lot of tea and cake, which helped. Well it would, wouldn’t it?

MOH managed a couple of bike rides, which given the weather seemed optimistic when we left home. Even though he sent me the sunset picture above, rather than me seeing it for myself, it helped. Well it would, wouldn’t it?

On Sunday we did get out - in the rain - to pick up some shopping for essentials and to the hat shop. As you can see I left with one, but so did MOH. Now we just have to hope that the wedding can go ahead as planned.

It is very strange times though at the moment, isn’t it?

Reflecting on my week #120

It’s been a quiet weekend after a busy week, and I’ve relished not being online and even more so, not being in demand. It’s been a weekend catching up on chores, though at a relaxed pace to counter the breakneck pace of the week that passed before, where somehow i forgot to schedule my regular Friday linky post.

It’s been a weekend of keeping up with the news, and the shocking statistics of how coronavirus is marching across Europe. And of seeing how people have reacted, I’m sure I only need to say ‘toilet paper’ for you to know what I mean. It’s worrying, especially with parents in their 80s (don’t tell them I shared their age), but I don’t think we’re quite at panic stage yet. Though I think things will deteriorate before they improve.

MOH has recovered well from his crash, he let on how much it hurt earlier in the week. I told him I knew, as it was the first time I’d ever known him follow recovery advice. He also realised that his cycle helmet had a crack down one side from the impact, so a new one arrived to replace it this weekend.

I know he’s on the mend too as yesterday he took himself off to Kent for one of his rides, clocking up about eighty miles, getting wet, muddy and then dried by the sun throughout the day (though not always in that order). So while he was off doing mad cycling things, I spent some time on my own recharging.

I planned to do all sorts of things, but in the end my day involved catching up on some household chores, drinking tea, reading and marvelling at the weather - for once from in the dry. I also got all of my photos from Barbados edited and so you can expect a bit of sun here over the coming weeks. Our visit to Hunte’s Gardens blew me away at the time, and then did it all again sorting my way through the photos - it really is a special place.

I captured the heavy rain - from inside - and I quite like how it turned out (and in case you’re wondering, the pink oval you can see at the bottom of the picture is my phone cover)

I’m hoping for a slightly less crazy week, though I’m not sure that will happen. But I’ve a couple of nights out and a day off too, so we’ll see how that goes…

My garden in February

Things are still quiet in our garden. There’s glimpses of colour, some not from where you’d expect like the geranium pictured below. It’s spent its winter nestled under the tree and is clearly quite happy. Elsewhere the ornamental quince is adding a dash of orange, along with the orange flowers of the berberis. Both are, for some reason, shy in photos never showing their best side.

As always the euphorbias and hostas are the main stay of the garden right now, having taken over from the snowdrops and cyclamen. The hellebores are starting to make themselves known, though they’re at the far end of the garden. Our neighbour’s camellias (both sides of us) are flowering, and as usual ours is a little way behind.

During the month I was able to get out and take some photos, despite the rain. Though the rain always helps make things look a lot more lush, especially the hostas, who seem to be repaying that with flowers. And yes, I know these are more than likely ‘Elephants Ears’ rather than true hostas, but old habits and namings for our plants are hard to give up.

These euphorbias have done well, not only have they arrived from the flowerbed a couple of metres away, they’ve also coped with the fence panel behind them being removed and then replaced during our neighbour’s building work. I’ve had several unsuccessful attempts at growing things here, including daffodils, mint and low covering ground plants, all of which tried for a bit but gave up in the narrow strip of poor soil. It seems the garden has taken things into its own hands, with the euphorbias marching on - these will be encouraged to continue their expedition along the length of the fence, as I like the way they soften the hard edge of the patio.

Our willow screening, which was a little fragile anway, has been a casualty of the building work next door. We’ve ordered a new roll and that should be arriving during the week. This time we’ve gone for a much shorter version, as it doesn’t need to reach the ground - in fact it’s better that it doesn’t, the last one rotted from the ground up. Neither does it need to cover the trellis, previously we trimmed it to the size we wanted, which was unnecessary work. This time we’ve just ordered a 1.2m version and will hang it from the top of the fence (not the trellis) and it will go, where it goes to.

The hellebores at the end of our garden are also starting to add some colour. I’d be keen to add some of these closer to the house too, so that we can enjoy them when the weather is really rum and going out into the garden doesn’t even cross our minds. Usually they self seed so I’ll hope to successfully move some into pots for planting on the patio.

Throughout the garden there’s signs of life. From the clumps of bluebell leaves, to the strawberry runners. The one below was trying to root into concrete, unsuccessfully. So the extent of my gardening this year has been to stuff its roots under the sleepers, to give it half a chance. It’s from the plant that grows between two paving slabs, so I’m hoping it’s made of strong stuff. Just not strong enough stuff to get through the concrete, silly plant.

In the sleeper bed the small Christmas tree looks to have lost it’s growing tip - and seems to be flattening out. I’ll take a closer look when we spend some time in the garden, but I’m keen on this to keep growing a little more to help screen some of the noise from another neighbour’s kids when they’re playing. There’s nothing wrong with kids enjoying themselves of course, but these are quite screechy and if we’re sitting in that part of the garden (or in fact in our front room over 100 yards away) it would be good not to hear them quite so much. Mostly because it makes me jump, every single time.

They are also growing some bamboo alongside the fence which will help, but which is also planning its route into our garden as bamboo does. It looks pretty, on that side of the fence though.

Another of our neighbour’s fences (yes another one, we have many garden boundaries) isn’t looking so good. Remember that over-enthusiastic pruning neighbour in the flat next door, well she’s moved out and there’s a new couple in there, and this is their fence. The previous tenant wouldn’t listen when we said the reason the ivy was covering this fence panel was because it was knackered, even the owner of the flat agreed this one wasn’t worth touching. When it’s less wet, I’ll climb into the fatsia and sort out as much as I can, but I’ve a feeling it may stay looking a bit bare for a while. An option might be to add some trellis over it, but I’ll know more once I’ve had a closer look. It may be we suggest they replace this panel, which was omitted from the big fence replacement programme a couple of years ago.

We also need to look at a fence panel on the other side of the garden with yet another neighbour - we share garden boundaries with five neighbours, and there’s another two who have flats in the house next door, but no garden boundaries at the back. I’ve no idea what happens to this fence panel, but it’s one we’ve replaced at least three times already, and it probably needs doing again. No other fence panel has been replaced so often, it’s very peculiar.

So while there’s been hardly any gardening this month, there’s plenty going on in the garden - not least the arrival of our first daffodil, which is something always to be celebrated. Let’s hope many more follow this one’s lead during March, then we’ll know that Spring really is on its way.