Garden – Page 15 – derrickjknight

What We Turned Into A Rose Garden

This morning Jackie continued preparing pots for planting, some of which she put in place. I carried out light weeding, such as pulling up swathes of sticky willy; dead-heading, mostly of Welsh poppies; and transporting trugs of weeds and clippings to the compost bins.

When postprandial gloom requiring lights indoors to be switched on turned to hammering rain I set about more conversions of Classic to Block edits, and categorisation to Garden of the following posts:

Does Anyone Recognise This?

Sam Had The Answer

The Watchers Watched

Not Fit For Purpose

An Alfresco Bath

The last two of these posts from 2014 feature the beginnings of the conversion of a tangled dump to the Rose Garden we have today.

This evening we all dined on a small but perfectly formed roast chicken; crisp roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding; sage and onion stuffing; firm Brussels sprouts, carrots and cauliflower, with which Jackie finished the Zesty and I drank more of the Moerbei

Roses Coming Into Their Own

This morning I recovered two pictures for the post: https://derrickjknight.com/2019/11/19/the-dental-riskits/

After lunch I carried out a weeding and dead heading task before

photographing a few flowers, each image of which bears a title in the gallery. Scented roses are now coming into their own.

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s tangy lemon chicken and colourful savoury rice with which she drank Dellie Venezie Pinot Grigio 2022 and I drank more of the Rioja.

Garden From 2014 To Today

This morning I converted the following posts from Classic to Block edits, changing the categories of Fag Ends and Gauntlet to Garden:

The Siren Deer

Fag Ends

Tales From The Window Sills

The Gauntlet

A walk in the garden sunshine this afternoon produced

these photographs, each of which bears a title in the gallery. In particular we have rhododendrons, peonies, aquilegias, wisteria, ajuga, and ferns; and I must point out that the shrub with clusters of white flowers is not a philadelphus as I recently incorrectly named it, but a viburnum plicatum.

The featured image did not exist in 2014.

Beckie joined us this afternoon to stay for a few days.

At 7.30 p.m. Jackie is preparing mozzarella sticks, halloumi cheese, and salad to accompany her own baked potatoes and Flo’s coronation chicken for us all to eat on plates on our knees while watching the Eurovision Song Contest which Dillon and I have been prevailed upon to watch for the first time in our lives.

Rapid-Fire Heavy Showers

This morning I converted three more posts from Classic to Block edits. These were:

Wagons Ho!

Enough To Patch A Dutchman’s Trousers

The Car Wreck

I gave the first of these a different header picture;

Wayback Machine was useful for the second. The correct pictures were all in my iMac Photos on the relevant date, but since they were missing in the post I didn’t know which of those I had published. Wayback provided the answer. One image was irrelevant, so I deleted it.

I was encouraged by a phone call from James of Peacock Computers saying that he and Owen are continuing to work on some of the issues and tackling the posts from the most recent backwards, whereas I am working forwards from the older ones. This means we are quite well coordinated.

This afternoon I ventured out on a dead heading session but was

soon driven in by the first of a series of rapid-fire heavy showers, spattering patio paving and windowpanes with explosive precipitation.

I read some of Lawrence Durrell’s novel Justine which I had begun a few days ago, then nipped out during a moderation of the deluge to finish the gardening task.

Between periods of darkening cloud sunlight buffed the surface of the

dripping plant pearls, with enough respite for me to capture them with my camera. As usual, each image in the gallery bears a title.

Within seconds after each deluge the brooding skies would change to cloud-scudded cerulean blue.

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s classic cottage pie; firm carrots and Brussel’s sprouts with which she drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Bardolino.

Garden Delights

This morning I converted the following posts to Block from Classic edit:

The Camperdown Elm

Tour Guides

Bamboo, Brambles, And Ballerina

I Have Written Down The Process

Ache

I gave The Camperdown Elm and Ache header pictures, and changed the category of the last two to Garden.

Later I carried out a little dead heading and weeding, and after lunch focussed on the delights I had noticed on my way round. These images all show titles in the gallery

This evening we all dined on tender roast lamb; crisp Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes; crunchy carrots; firm cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts; meaty gravy; mint sauce and redcurrant jelly, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the shiraz.

Dead Heading, Weeding, Garden Views

In order to provide detail of the ending of this short story, following requests from several readers, this morning I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2023/05/01/droll-tales-29-complete-text/

Today’s sunrise was bright – for a while.

The day progressed in a changeable manner – overcast until rain put a stop to my sporadic weeding and dead-heading; heavy rain;

sunny spells, enabling me to inspect the views with my camera – then more of the same varieties.

All these pictures bear titles in the gallery. The first is Flo’s Fairy Garden in progress; others include wallflowers, bluebells, Welsh poppies, magnolia Vulcan, Jackie’s recent planting of the iron urn, budding rhododendrons, Japanese Maple, tellima grandiflora, cammasia, and various beds.

This evening we all dined on baked gammon; roasted potatoes, including kumara, carrots, and runner beans, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank Cumulus Climbing Shiraz 2018.

Garden Flowers

This afternoon I watched the Women’s Six Nations rugby matches between England and France and between Wales and Italy. I lost a bet on the first game, the penalty being that I have buy a curry.

During the half time break in that contest I photographed a few flowers in the garden. Each image is entitled in the gallery. They include Welsh poppies, daisies, tulips Lilac Wonder, rhododendron buds, Camass,hellebores, euphorbia, wallflowers, heuchera leaves, and libertia.

Later I converted the last two posts of May 2014 from Classic to Block edits and changed their categories to Garden:

‘Last One To The Chimney Pot’s A Sissy’

Over The Fence

This evening we all dined on pizzas and fresh salad, with which I did not imbibe because I had drunk Doom Bar while watching the rugby.

The Garden And Tanners Lane

This is the view that, a couple of days ago, prompted me to wander round the garden with a camera. By the time I got around to it the sun had fled along with its shadows.

So I had another go this morning.

In particular I was keen to capture such blossom as had survived last week’s gales. These include the towering Amanogawa cherry; a more normal pink one; and burgeoning crab apple.

After lunch Jackie and I took a forest drive where there was not much

sign of life until we came across a trio of somnolent donkeys adorning the verge of Tanners Lane.

All bore small patches of skin exposed from torn tufts of hide;

one carried a cross upon its back.

I wandered a little further down the lane, photographing

blackthorn and

bluebells on a bank beneath a tree from which emanated sweet birdsong, the ambience being somewhat soured by the oppressive pong of muck spreading.

The most awake donkey ambled down to join me in the shade.

This evening we all dined on moist roast chicken; flavoursome pork and apple sausages; crisp roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding; soft cabbage; crunchy carrots; firm cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, and tasty gravy, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Côte’s du Rhône.

Equine Stand Off

This morning I upgraded the following two posts from Classic to Block edit, changing the category of the first to Garden:

Destruction Of Tulips

‘Get Two’

On a breezy, largely overcast, afternoon with glimpses of peeking sun, I wandered around the garden with a camera, pulling up the occasional weed. Each image, including daffodils, tulips, wallflowers, primroses, cowslips, and fritillaries, bears a title in the gallery.

Late this afternoon we were able to collect the repaired Modus and celebrate with a short forest drive in light rain.

At the top of Holmsley Passage a bunch of ponies appeared to be settling down for the night.

One persistent mare had made it rather difficult for me to disembark as she persisted in trying to replace me in the passenger seat. She then stalked me closely, until I managed to escape,

when she turned her attention to scratching on the wing mirror,

and expressing her feelings about being photographed at this activity.

Still stubborn, she planted herself in front of our car until Jackie managed to get round her and drive off up the road, returning for me when the coast was clear.

This evening we all dined on a KFC Bargain Bucket, sweetcorn, coleslaw, and baked beans, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Fleurie.

More Smoke Than Fire

Possibly because the washing machine is currently in constant use the grey water is not leaching into the hidden soakaway in the garden as it should. Greg Mouland of Mouland Drainage visited this morning to have a look at it. The solution seems to be to insert a small channel to the near manhole where the overflow will join the drainage pipes from the kitchen.. He will fit this towards the end of the week.

We are still without a car, for which a part has been ordered and will be fitted as soon as possible.

This inspired Jackie over the last three days to make some inroads into the piles of soggy garden refuse for burning.

I spent a good deal of time today reediting two posts from Classic to Block:

A Sad Sign Of The Times

A Day Of Two Casseroles

The first of these has been recategorised as Garden.

This afternoon I took my share of attempts at incineration – more like uncontrolled smouldering in an old wheelbarrow.

This is what the piles for burning look like.

Once I had the initial burst instigated by one match and one fire lighter, we enjoyed

more smoke than fire.

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s classic cottage pie; tender runner beans; firm broccoli and carrots, with meaty gravy. The Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Fleurie.