This morning I e-mailed Ray Salinger a set of the photographs taken at the ‘Seventy Years On’ party.
After this I joined Jackie in the garden, where we continued yesterday’s tasks.
I edged the front garden gravel path with rocks dug out over the last couple of days, then spread the transported earth around the flower beds fronting the house. The thick, stubborn, root behind stone near the front of this section of the path is of lonicera, an overgrown hedging of the honeysuckle family that I did battle with last year.
Jackie further opened up the Weeping Birch Bed. In the process she took down the golden arches that we had erected last summer to support honeysuckle and passion flowers that festooned the bed. Anyone inclined to follow this link will be treated to the original state of what became the rose garden. The moss-covered stone edging the bed is tufa. We dug much of out last year, but there was much more still to be removed. These rambling climbers have been reduced in size in readiness for a more suitable frame.
I dug out a thick clump of trimmed libertia in readiness for its division and replanting.
Colchicums are spreading nicely in the triangular bed, and
Red Admiral butterflies are having a resurgence.
This evening the lowering sun burnished the back drive fence and the wall of Bev and John’s house that we had cleared last year;
and inflamed the Virginia creeper, calibrachoa, and fuchsia.
Cumberland, chilli, and pork chipolata sausages were included in Jackie’s divine casserole this evening. She served it with ridiculously creamy mashed potato and crisp carrots and cabbage. Treacle sponge pudding and cream was to follow. The Cook drank Bierfest and I drank more of the chianti.