What a wonderful treat.

Last weekend we visited Mum and were hoping to stop by at Cothay Manor but the weather was appalling and we never got out of the drawing room where we had a lovely autumnal fire going. Today I have earned myself a day off having worked two twelve and a half hour days in the last two days. This morning, pulling back the curtains I was thrilled to see the sun  was finally out; what luck. The garden looked so good with it's neat edged veg plot and the different rows of green and purple veg leaves. I haven't been home to pick the raspberries so there are luscious fat jewels about to drop off their stalks and which I've greedily hoovered into my mouth with just a cursory wipe. Our lovely Shakira is going through a serious moult (chickens moult annually to replenish feathers) and she now has an oven ready patch on her back with only one stray tail feather holding on, looking like the solitary survivor of a manic hair dresser. She has lots of tufty grey down and looks thoroughly embarrassed of her appearance. She should be a beautiful chicken ready for the winter chills.
All I have done is mow the back and front lawn and protect the fence wood (for the back fence) whilst the rain abates. This afternoon I hope to plant up my bulbs. Oh, the joy of being able to do something just for me. 

My day off.

Oh gosh, was I ready for a day off? I've not been sleeping well at all recently. There's a big project at work that I'm heading and it's so much more work than I have time for hence the sleepless nights with me awake thinking about it. Evenings have been spent at work or at the computer so there's been no real  time to even walk around the garden. Apart from a quick trip to the compost bin I haven't enjoyed my green space at all. So today, after a lovely leisurely meal with Luke at Jamie's Italian last night, a stroll through town to the train station and eventually a good night's sleep I could spend the day outside.
I realised at 5.30pm that not only had I not brushed my hair today but I hadn't brushed my teeth either. My clothes were covered with dirt and I looked a complete ragamuffin. Poor Luke, he may have a manicured lawn but his girlfriend needs a makeover!
So,back to the lawn, that still needs a weekly once over to tidy it up and that is actually a pleasure because it makes everything look so much sharper - it's such a quick cheat to make the garden look good.
I also decided to get the veg patch slightly extended. I had to paint a few more  log borders and cut along two lengths of the patch with my edger; a great tool which really gives a crisp edge before I lifted the grass and did my usual mean trick of recycling the grass to a different part of the garden. I've given the chickens a green carpet straight outside their run and got the mallet out to bash the wododen border in. I just got it finished before the rain came. The chickens ran back into the shelter of their chicken house, crossing the path of the cat who was dashing towards the house. That does mean that the grass will settle down very well very quickly. There is always a silver lining to every dark cloud.

Oh to wear a dress again!

Well, we did have our Sunday morning routine of tea and cake at The Waterloo Gardens teahouse where I got to wear a dress but then it was back to change into my scarecrow clothes consisting of paint splattered trousers and an unironed top and my old faithful gardening shoes. It quite depresses me to always be in my scruffs. I end up making the surroundings nice but I myself look a complete state. Anyway, after stripping, washing and repainting the hammock base and vegetable log border in a lavender colour the rain lashed down so I had to shelter in the greenhouse whilst painting the wood again.. Once the rain stopped I put the boundary back around the veg patch. I never got to finish waterproofing the fence posts for the back fence or mow the lawn again as the rain was not long in returning and I retreated back into the house as did the chicks. So I took the opportunity to get out of my filthy garb and get into girl clothes. Bliss..