Saturday fun

The plan for this morning was to give the back garden a major overhaul. I am ashamed to say it has become a bit of a dumping ground of late, especially with old flowerpots, dying plants and random bits of wood taking up space and making our already tiny garden even more cluttered. The largest problem (at least I should imagine our next door neighbour thinks of it as a problem) is a grape vine which has a mind of its own. It grows rapidly each year, and despite severe haircuts, takes over the entire fence and wall, snaking into crevices, behind the compost bins and over into next doors' garden as well. So I decided that it was time to take action!

My Dad came over to help (Rob is no gardener- he made the tea and hoovered the lounge instead- I am no hooverer) and did a fantastic job, bringing over strong sacks and dustbins to fill with all the debris. I actually found it all very therapeutic, ripping vines off walls could well be bottled as a stress therapy and sold. We found HUNDREDS of snails, and here are a small party, enjoying the lido.....

They had a lovely time! And if you don't believe me, check these guys out!

Think it may have been a last request?! (no animals were hurt in the making of this blog. Obviously) So anyway...after watching the antics of the snails, we swept, tidied and threw out, and as a result the garden is looking bigger, but bare. I managed to save a handful of blueberries from the shrub I bought earlier this year. It has done brilliantly considering it's still tiny.

We are very lucky with privacy in our garden in that we back onto a high school and have a run of mature trees across the back which provides a lot of wildlife and greenery. Each year I forget that come the end of summer the men arrive with their chainsaws to do some serious pruning. I am in no doubt that this is to our benefit as local residents, as obviously the school don't want great branches falling into our gardens. However each year when it happens I know that summer is over, as the garden suddenly seems stark. It no longer has shadows from the trees cast across the lawn, and the green shrubbery is replaced by grey skies instead. It all looks rather sad. Perhaps next year I will remember to do a 'before' photo as well to show what I mean.

Yes they are gingham curtains in my shed windows....I was also pleased to save a summer pattypan squash from the hoardes of caterpillars that have also decided to use our garden as a breeding ground. They look like little UFO's and are quite tasty chopped up and thrown into a pasta bake. I haven't yet got around to deep frying the flowers as Mr Oliver keeps recommending. Maybe next year.

So this is the rear view- just to the right of the black compost bin is the wall where the creeper was, and the trellis behind the plastic greenhouse was covered in grape vine. It was all just getting a bit out of hand, and now I can have fun trying to decide what to plant next spring to take their place. I have a lovely bluey purple rambling rose to the left of the compost bin which will actually be able to ramble now that the other plants have gone. Speaking of rambling I think I have done quite enough.

P.S- thanks Dad xxx