2025 - What I did today

I bought a 3kg bag of daff bulbs on Saturday so cleared out the bedding from some beds in preparation for planting bulbs. Sunday planted bulbs and overplanted wallflowers. Today will be making sure the silly old duffer doesn't fall of his ladder whilst he cuts the conifer hedge, ready to fill the green bin up for Wednesday. I'm not sure what good I am standing at the bottom of the ladder, if he's going to fall, he's going to fall, but at least he might have a soft landing if he aims properly. otherwise it'll be in the pond.

I put a bag of leaf mulch on my cut flower bed. Then spent most of the day keeping a scared collie company. As it was the first day of the local pheasant shoot.
Today will be back to insulating the house.

I bought a 3kg bag of daff bulbs on Saturday so cleared out the bedding from some beds in preparation for planting bulbs. Sunday planted bulbs and overplanted wallflowers. Today will be making sure the silly old duffer doesn't fall of his ladder whilst he cuts the conifer hedge, ready to fill the green bin up for Wednesday. I'm not sure what good I am standing at the bottom of the ladder, if he's going to fall, he's going to fall, but at least he might have a soft landing if he aims properly.   otherwise it'll be in the pond.

Silly old duffer survived to tell the tale. No elderly gentlemen were harmed in the making of this photo. This was when he was only half way up, later he was on the top of the extended ladder, leaning over the top of the hedge,  height wasn't a worry, the lack of ladder foot room was.  The hedge has gotten out of control, his health didn't allow the work last year and we're reaping the result this year. Both green bins are full, hedge has hardly been touched. Sobering.


   

I had a morning attacking a "hedge" too. Not so much a "hedge" as the shrubs that I planted along the original boundary at the end of the garden (in 1982 when we moved here). Its mostly forsythia, fuchsia, cotoneaster and a pear tree. However, honeysuckle, brambles and ivy have grown through them and its impossible to untangle it all.
Decided to cut it all down (apart from the pear). The fuchsia and forsythia should regenerate - if not, I don't care!.
It will open up the garden a bit and stop the fuschia from getting tangled in the washing on the rotary line.
Have only cut down the shrubs on one side of the pear, so far. Have filled 2 garden waste bins and there's more waiting chopping up.
It was good to be able to work outside in the sun, for a change.

Finished sorting and adding things to the attic. While Bob went to the tip. This afternoon we went to one of the houses Bob looks after, to collect some leaves. Got 6 big bags. 2 of which were quite well mulched already. So they went straight onto a flower bed. The other 4 are tied up next to the compost bins to mulch down before using. Now going to do an hour’s insulating.

Chopped up some more of the cut down fuchsia/forsythia while the sun was on that patch this morning. Most of it has been chopped now. Next job is to weed the area around the stumps - but that can wait until tha sun returns.