Another gorgeous day here with wall to wall sunshine. I really wanted to get out and go birding, but I need to get this house finished by Autumn migration and all my boxes unpacked. Spent ages filling the two sideboards (as planned) with rugs, blankets and bed linen for guests. You are supposed to attach the sideboards to the wall, but they are now so heavy, I doubt very much they will tip over, plus there are no children in the house to pull them over! I can now start to hang some of my paintings above the sideboards, but this is difficult to do when you are on your own, I really need someone to hold them up to decide where they look best. My only other option is to lay the pictures out on the floor, which is what I will have to do. I wanted to paint the house this year and the long wall alongside my drive, but don't if I will have time or not, I'll maybe do this in July or August.
Vivien visited Lucy today and we all did a WhatsApp video call which was nice, although Lucy didn't look particularly excited to see me on Vivien's phone. Went to Planticrub and bought a few more plants. Last year I bought a Osteospermum "Purple Sun' from COPE, which I absolutely loved as its so vividly bright with pink centre and orange petals and flowers from June until October – COPE didn't have any this year and neither did Planticrub until today! I bought three and put them altogether in one turquoise pot – can't wait for them to all come out in flower.
On route through Loch of Tingwall, there were lots of Tufted Ducks and all the lovely yellow irises have started to come out. I have decided to sacrifice the small lawn in my front garden and fill with plants. A Hebe I bought last year and potted has got too big for the pot, so planted this out in the front lawn, a new buddleia, and a very hardy shrub that I can't remember the name of right now, but it has holly shaped leaves with daisy like flowers. I was gardening until 11.30pm!
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Love that Osteospermum.... you have got a glassed in veranda, you should be able to keep them going [or better still in the spare room - it's what spare rooms are for in winter!]
ReplyDeleteGlad you are getting rid of the lawn.... you can add things like Black Tuscan kale and Red Russian kale for both effect and eating.... Black Tuscan is sold over here as a decorative plant because of the Prince of Wales feather-like foliage.... 12€ a plant!! WOT??????
The nursery I visit has trays of twelve plants for 3.90€ [and the larger plants for decoration at a more reasonable 6€]
With your eye for graphics, yes, lay them out on the floor and use your step ladder to look at the layout.... then hang them....
Your local wildlife pages popped up on my Facebook feed... it would appear that you have Phalaropes (plural) in your neck of the woods and it was illustrated by a male feeding.
Perhaps that female has a number of nests and suitors to sit for her.
Hi Tim, yes I was thinking about using a step ladder to view the layout, thanks! My little bit of front lawn is not big enough to be growing veg, unfortunately. The Grey Phalarope was just passing through and wasn't seen the next day, but who knows! Thank you for your long and enthusiastic support and advice for my ramblings Tim!
DeleteNo, you don't grow them for veg in your front garden... you grow them for foliage that you can pick and cook if you feel like it... here the French have a lot of hosepipe bans so the growing of Black Tuscan kale and Rainbow Chard and Cut&ComeAgain lettuce in flowerbeds is very common because hosepipe bans very rarely include any bed growing veg... sneaky, wot??
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