Pursuing Potting Up

Sunlight shadows in the kitchen beckoned me outside this morning.

Jackie has been buying myriads of bulbs and potting them up in the last few days.

With the aid of a rusting sack barrow she has transported them to prospective sites, such as

this collection on the north west corner of the patio. The pot in the first image above in the gallery above is destined for the plinth recently bought from the Efford Recycling Centre. The black paint spilled on that is presumably why it was dumped.

This afternoon we scoured the garden centres for suitable slabs to cover the plinth, and eventually found a couple at Redcliffe Nurseries. The pot may have to reside over winter in the greenhouse. An owl has been left keeping watch.

An earlier support from the dump now contains a pot of violas; the recent acquisition awaited its flowers until this evening when Jackie filled it with violas and Erigeron keeping daffodil bulbs warm. It now stands on the patio.

The bulbs are all labelled in their currently over-planted containers, such as the one beneath the Gazebo; the one spilling over with heuchera and begonias; and the one marked Tete-a-Tete.

The Gazebo clematis warranted its own photograph, as did

the view from the Stable Door, the Brick Path, and the Japanese anemones above the wooden mushrooms.

Beds worthy of attention were those named Weeping Birch and Dragon; the first waiting for climbers to cover its eponymous trunk, the second featuring seasonal Michaelmas daisies.

There are two scenes of the Rose Garden and another of the apples to which it plays host.

Later, I watched the penultimate episode of ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’.

After leaving Redcliffe Nurseries we continued into the forest by way

of Holmsley Passage flanked by moorland landscapes.

Scampering pink pannage piglets grunted and snuffled in the woodland beside Bisterne Close.

On such a sunny Saturday afternoon a number of cycling families like this one outside Burley required careful negotiation to pass giving them adequate space.

A deer speeding across Forest Road was rather too quick for me.

This evening we dined on a meaty pork rack of ribs in barbecue sauce; Jackie’s colourful vegetable rice; and tender green beans, with which I drank more of the Côtes du Rhône Villages.

51 comments

  1. The garden is for me always very impressive, lovely work, guys! I also passed several groups of cyclists this morning on my way to the pharmacy, it’s a good day to cycle on either side of the Atlantic! 😎🇺🇸🇬🇧❤️

  2. So many beautiful photos–in your garden and on your drive. I love the kitchen photo with the shadows. It looks like a painting.
    I also like the moorland through your car windshield–the sky and colors are gorgeous.

  3. Oh, Derrick … overall what wonderful article, you’ve made my day … 7.30 Sunday morning here in Geelong, and later on shall go and purchase some potting mix and plant some sunflower seeds 🤗🌻

  4. Every post of yours is such a delight. Peace and bliss. A pretty house. A beautiful garden (reward of a lot of work), magical surroundings… And a Côtes du Rhone to top it all? Perfect. Happy Sunday Derrick. (To you and yours.)

  5. Your photos today bring peace, joy, warmth, and smiles! 🙂
    I think your sunlight-shadows kitchen photo is fabulous and so very artistic! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) and Happy Sunday! Hope there is sun outside AND sun in your hearts! 🙂

  6. Beautiful shadows in the kitchen. Also, what a lot of good work in the garden. I am reminded yet again of how different our climates are. There is no way I could leave planted pots out all winter.

  7. I can’t wait to see all those bulbs Jackie planted blooming in spring!

    I agree, that is a beautiful sunlit kitchen photo. The room looks warm and inviting.

    Thank you for those forest drive photos, especially those peripatetic pannage pigs. It is hard to believe autumn is in full swing already. This year is passing by so quickly!

  8. Your garden is amazing – almost as intriguing as your vocabulary which has me constantly going to Websters! “Pannage” – hmm dictionary didn’t recognize that one. Plith: new word for me. Thanks for your constant work as a teacher, Derrick!

  9. You’ve both been busy keeping that garden looking sharp. I love the way you two find and repurpose items. I haven’t purchased bulbs this season, so your post has reminded to get busy. We’re in the middle of a heat wave so it’s hard to think about spring. Your drives are stunning always.

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