Hello there! I've had a really productive day working with my mother in the garden! Usually, I am a
lazy hopeless
slob case when it comes gardening, though occasionally, I have attacks of dilligence when the neighbour's overhanging canopy of immense proportions irritate me or there are cosmos plants to be grown! My darling Mummsy came over at 9.30am to come and sort the garden after I begged her to
do it help me do it since I would like some photos in the garden before the wedding as my house is NOT
remotely tidy photo territory!
She arrived and we worked together (me still in my pjs!) for about 3 hours and 45 minutes! It was incredibly satisfying what we achieved and it was SUCH a nice time for me and my Mum to spend together.
As I near having to move from my childhood home, I feel all these bittersweet 'last' feelings, even though I am excited at moving with CBC. When I move, it will finally be sold and that will be the end of an era. Aside from a year in central London and a year in Bali, I have always lived here since the age of 6 and I am now 32. It was nice to have this sort of final 'Mother and daughter' working time in this garden which has meant so much to us over the years, a beautiful haven in the urban jungle live in, a place that holds so many memories, dear and funny. This place my mother has worked so hard on over the years, made a beautiful place from the blank canvas of mud and beaten earth left by the previous owners and their rottweillers in 1988. I remember laying the turf, planting the Reverend Wilks apple tree, my own patch of corn on the cobs, the wildflower meadow bit. The pond with its frogs, tadpoles, sticklebacks and into which my friend Sarah fell, aged 14. I confess, as I type, to shedding a tear for the loss of this. I'm so excited and yet, there will always be that young girl in me that never wants anything to change. Even over the last 6 years, where I have lived here alone, I have loved this home, despite its idiosyncrasies- no central heating, faulty boiler, a recent mouse-problem, big mess of all my things. I love its high ceilings, its open-plan feel, the ramshackle conservatory, the easiest landline number to remember in the world, its tiny rabbit-hutch proportions, my miniscule old bedroom with no curtains or curtain-rail after a cat pulled the whole lot off the wall after climbing in the window and getting tangled in the net curtains and panicking, the place my sister and I made our own, rearranging it, her painting it and putting up the red,white,black and grey border which still is up, the airing cupboard with the top door coming off, the wallpaper falling of the ceiling. The Laura Ashley poppy tiles in the kitchen, the massive stairwell with the ceiling-mounted rack to hang clothes which I was supposed to pull up to be out of the way everytime I hung washing and yet I've left hanging down low so you are greeted with a Chinese-laundry feel as you come up the stairs. The top landing where the old wardrobe once stood, full of coats which my sister and I would put on, my always loving the inherited rabbit fur coat (sorry, contraversial but I did love it).I love it and will miss it.
I must stop these reminiscences. That wasn't what I came here to type and yet the words fell out with the tears.
I wish I had taken before shots! Mum first mowed the lawn and edged it. Meanwhile, I cleared up all the rampant weeds that were growing on the edge of the patio, between the fences and behind the lavender, rosemary and lemon-balm
We have 3 apple trees, two cherry trees (one self-seeded behind the shed!, a fig tree and a Victoria Plum which were really overgrown for our small garden and needed a summer pruning. Mum and I worked for an hour cutting off the growth and then cutting into small piece in the compost bin.
Next, I trimmed back my neighbours, shrubs
jungles over the wall nearest ot the house. it's like the Seeds of Doom from Doctor Who. I honestly don't think the landlord has done a thing to the garden for 3 years which is why my garden has to contend against the most immense canopy overshadowing it. He doesn't live there, just a load of tennants in different rooms and there is no front door bell so not sure how to get hold of him. The privet hedge in the front garden is taking up half my drive and is taking up half the pavement!!! Any ideas what to do about it?! I threw all the offcuts over the fence since clearly nobody uses the garden and hopefully if they have a problem with it, they will come and speak to me and I can ask them to cut it themselves!
Mum emptied a compost bin of ready compost onto the flower beds and we filled it up to the absolute maximum with foliage and weeds.
After picking up all the debris from under the trees, I weeded all around the bench which was good until I scratched my arms with twigs and scraped my cheek on a cut branch! Nice look for the wedding
Here is the newly pruned Victoria Plum which I did the majority of (mum did the apple trees). Believe me, a LOT has gone!
We weeded this flower bed and then replanted the rosemary offcuts which have taken!
The Buddlea was taking over the garden so Mum trimmed it back, but not loads because the butterflies adore it! We saw a Comma, Peacock, Meadow Brown, Cabbage White and another one I forgot!
Above the collection of stones, broken china and Celtic Cross is a dense canopy of ivy. To my shame, the last time I got furious with it and hacked at it, I had just left the pile of debris so by now, it was brown and horrid and needed moving. I chopped it into tiny pieces and then removed all the brown ivy leaves which wasn't easy as there are evil brambles amongst the ivy too which kept spiking me! We then moved the bay tree which was in the front garden to here as someone apparently tried to steal it at 1am on Sunday evening according to my neighbour who shouted out the window and stopped them!
Mum picked some delicious cherries from my tree which was a Christmas present from my Grandad 10 years ago. I will miss my own special tree
Re the wildflowers- sadly, my cosmos in the trough are the only plants that grew from my seeds and I have only had about 8 flowers so far so sadly, unless we have miraculous growth in a week, they won't be featuring in my wedding. It's been fun to have them to care for though. However, I did find an unexpected delightful present when I discovered this double daisy plant had appeared from nowhere! I didn't plant it so it must have been a bird! Thanks bird!x
When my Mum left, after some delicious apple amber from the freezer (from previous Reverend Wilks apple harvest), I finally had a shower and got dressed! Promptly to get hot and sticky again when I went to go and saw up a load of mouldy cardboard boxes that I lazily left festering on my patio for a while and bin them!
I'm still trying to get on with cleaning and tidying as I try to comprehend the task of packing up 26 years worth of stuff! I shall do it cheerfully as I reflect on a happy day and understand that life moves on
Loving one who loves you, and then taking that vow. Nice work if you can get it and you can get it if you try!