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Two days ago views along the kitchen window and bed opposite featured a sawn tree trunk at the far end. Here Aaron is with the last of the stump he further sawed and removed. As usual, I printed him an A4 copy for his collection.
This has provided a little extra space at the end of Jackie’s current work area.
Here is another view of the gap, taken from a hebe on the corner of the Dead End Path.
Removing a tree is always a last resort. The branches of this one, however, were very brittle and constantly breaking when strong winds beset this whirlpool of a corner. The extra foot of space is also needed for the expected greenhouse.
To the right of the above picture the yellow bottle brush plant has now turned brown. On the other side of the gazebo path a bright red variety has drawn its attention.
Swarms of bees gather in the attempt to transfix themselves on the beds of nails that are its blooms.
Other strong reds of snapdragons, geraniums, and petunias blend in the plastic troughs forming the barrier at the start of the back drive.
Equally vibrant are the marigolds and black-eyed Susans now clutching the orange globe.
It is almost a relief to encounter the cooler hues of this foxglove,
these hostas,
or the hebes, this example of which has attracted a tiny flying insect I can’t identify.
Although its floor is of gravel, the patio at the South end of the garden is termed the Concrete one. That is because the surface beneath the pebbles was probably where the Post Office vans were parked.
That is where our mid-afternoon water was taken and we enjoyed views looking towards the Rose Garden;
towards the potting shed;
of this cluster of yellow day lilies flanked by geranium palmatums;
and the New Zealand flax that has flowered for the first time since our arrival.
I haven’t mentioned the wind in the last few days. I thought that if I ignored it it would go away. It hasn’t.
A couple of hours after we had been sitting beneath this parasol a sudden gust wreaked havoc. Admittedly the parasol had not been fitted tightly into its base, but it took off like a kite, smashed down into the bed, tipped over the stand supporting the recently planted red geraniums, and dragged down the string of overhead solar lights.
We began by lifting the parasol over everything and slotting it securely into its stand. Then picked up the pot and pedestal. Chucked broken bits onto the compost, and placed what would be salvageable onto one of the tables.
It was, I thought, very sensitive of the owl not to give me the benefit of his wisdom as I placed him on a chair and used his table to take the gravelly earth I scooped up and, with fingers and sieve, separated the two ingredients, so The Head Gardener could repot the remains.
This evening we dined on a fusion of more of Hordle Chinese Take Away fare with vegetable samosas. Jackie drank Peroni and I opened Jessie’s delicious Georges Duboeuf Fleurie 2016 and drank some of it.