hurtling along .....

.......................through May and before we know it it's June!

My 'gardening' exploits are the talk of the neighbourhood. The designated area is now known as Steptoe's yard for obvious reasons. Two unwanted tractor tyres hold my potatoes and runner beans. Old tin baths are resplendant with peas and French beans while a collection of sheep feed buckets hold courgettes, lettuces, leeks, squash and tomatoes. Metal wastepaper bins are full of sweet peas and a dustbin has been sown with carrots. A large galvanised water tank has radish, rocket and lettuce plus a patio rose. Toby planted an old car wheel very carefully with radishes then got excited and threw two handfuls up in the air over us both - bless! You can guarantee at least a couple of folk leaning on the fence in the evening having a bit of a larf - but bless 'em they have crept back and left me some spare plants - I think they are trying to see what they will end up in. Thanks to the weather everything is growing like mad, these photographs were on day 1 - it's a lot different now!

The shepherd has taken up fishing with a vengence, I end up as the ghillie but in these beautiful surroundings I don't mind, its just the precarious balancing on a slipping bank with a net full of a writhing fish starts making me feel less than comfortable. He can't do a thing wrong this year the fish seem to jump at him shouting 'take me - take me' (nice change for the poor old shepherd)

The swans have had six cygnets this year but dear me she has been a careless mother in the past - sometimes she has hatched nine only to finish up with two. Fingers crossed.

The street party season is upon us again - so we just have a nice little local one just to get some practice in so to speak. - look what the drinks table is - a cable reel. Its catching on this recycling lark. It was a lovely evening and as dusk fell we all had a go at playing the violin whilst the more musical played classical guitars. A tiny little girl sat with her arm around our dog telling her long and convoluted stories about unicorns, Kim listened to every word and never moved but probably had nightmares.

nother practice party next weekend for a joint birthday, I think trout is on the menu - well there's surprise.

I have decided - Big groan from the dining table whenever I utter those three words - it usually means work. But no - nobody else is involved just me. I need to finish things wot have been started. This week I finished my course of physiotherapy on my shoulder, I sent in my last assignment for OU course -( we'll see if that comes back with 'whimsical' splarted all over it.) I have rooted out two half made garments that I got fed up with and have restyled them and FINISHED them all bar the hems. THE IRONING BASKET IS EMPTY! Now just the bathroom to do, scrub the patio, a lot of work on a local history project and then I can go on holiday before a new grandchild makes an entrance. Never a dull moment here.




Mountainear - its still flowering - pic taken today!