Tag: rose garden

Working The Rose Garden

Listening to the tinkle-trickle of the water fountain and the tuneful trilling of a red-breasted robin’s deceptively sweet-sounding war cry delivered from our southern neighbours’ garden, Jackie and I worked together in the Rose Garden this morning dead-heading, weeding, and sweeping in the warmth of the summer-sunshine. With an eye to next spring the Head Gardener also continued planting the vast array of tulips and daffodils she has been collecting from garden centres in recent weeks.

By a now sweltering mid-afternoon, the direct sun having moved around a bit, I photographed some of our results and the

bustling bees still working over the Japanese anemones.

Later I read more of ‘The Berlin Diaries, then watched the next episode of ‘Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams’.

This evening we dined on baked gammon; piquant cauliflower cheese; boiled new potatoes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts, with which I drank Reserva Privada Chilean Malbec 2023.

88 Degrees Fahrenheit

We began the day leaving Martin in the garden while we shopped at Tesco for general stores.

It was probably hotter than this title today, and, apart from spending the day staggering up and down the garden plying him with drinks I reflected that in my not so distant youth I would have done as Martin did and worked all day. Now I was completely washed out.

This led me to search my archives for a reference to the Bolton marathon. Inserting the temperature in this title I came up with https://derrickjknight.com/2012/08/11/a-welsh-interlude/. The said race is only part of a post inspired by a hot day in France.

The Bolton course is described, the hottest one of my three events at it being the one mentioned in addition to my diversion in honour of my grandmother. On the train down from London I had met a young man of 18 proudly claiming to run a fast race. I warned him, especially in the heat, to take it steady. He wouldn’t listen. I passed him at the 5 mile point. He was walking and wringing wet. I doubt that he finished the course.

Today I have no choice. It wasn’t until 5.30 p.m. that I could face going outside to admire Martin’s work,

some of which was further clearance of the Rose Garden paths. It was no cooler in the evening.

In the meantime I began reading “The Nibelungenlied”, Part One of Book Two of Legends of the Ring.

This evening we dined on pork chops in mustard sauce scattered with almonds; pigs in blankets frozen since Christmas; boiled new potatoes; firm carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli; and meaty gravy, with which I finished the Tempranillo.

Doctor Ruppel’s Cricket

This morning I continued my dead heading race with the plants and some gentle weeding, while Jackie concentrated on clearing out spent compost from hanging baskets, planting up more, and redistributing the compost.

These baskets are some of last year’s which will receive her attention.

Here are two of the clematises that border on the patio, the second of which is a Doctor Ruppel;

ascending the Gothic arch is another one such, today providing a resting place for a minuscule cricket.

The climber, Paul’s Scarlet occupies the Wisteria arbour from where similar coloured poppies can now be seen half way along the Gazebo Path.

We have lost the label for this white rose in the Dragon Bed, but

I remember this one is Winchester Cathedral, situated in

The Rose Garden, where we will also find

Rhapsody in Blue and this pale pink climber.

The rhododendron in the Cryptomeria Bed is now in full bloom,

as are a number of aquilegias and a few day lilies.

Finally, Erigeron festoons corners of the patio.

This afternoon we shopped at Tesco and I read more of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain begun yesterday evening.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s wholesome chicken and vegetable stewp with fresh crusty bread; I drank Almocreve vinho regional Alentejano tinto reserva 2020.

Waiting In The Wings

On a chilly, largely overcast morning, occasionally lifted by sunlight peeking over the sometimes fluffy cotton clouds, I wandered around with my camera enjoying the general views opened up by Martin’s dedicated winter’s work.

It was difficult to ignore the red Japanese maple,

even when the collection of trees featured both the doomed Weeping birch tree and its foreground gingko waiting in the wings.

The second image in the first gallery features the Brick Path.

Here is another, followed by

one of the Gazebo Path, from the far end of which

can be seen this view west.

Whichever way we look we benefit from Martin’s work.

These are from the Rose Garden.

This morning Jackie shopped at Ferndene Farm Shop where she enjoyed the Gloucester Old Spot piglets at their trough.

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s spicy penne Bolognese with Parmesan cheese with which she and I drank more of the Tempranillo Rosado.

All Hands On Deck

Soothed by today’s gentler avian chorus, Jackie, Martin, and I all worked in the garden this morning.

The Head Gardener freed a couple more metres of the bricks on the eponymous path of their green packing, leaving a few more for future treatment.

After loading the rest of the refuse on the Back Drive into his van to remove when he left, Martin completed his meticulous weeding of Fiveways and the Shady Path;

then opened up the completely overgrown Head Gardener’s Walk for wobbly legs, enabling me to reach more spent roses from The Generous Gardener, in addition to which I did the same for Arthur Bell

and New Dawn;

then snipped secateurs, strapped straying stems in the Rose Garden, extracted weeds, and transported trugs of further refuse to add to Martin’s van load.

Later, working backwards from 6th July to 28th June 2014 I changed pictures to the normal Gallery, thus recovering them to the posts, which results in cropping of some images on each post which can nevertheless be viewed in full in the galleries. This is more annoying than excessively time consuming.

This evening we all dined on beef and chicken burgers, fried onions, and fresh salad with which I drank more of the Appassimento and Jackie drank Hoegaarden.

Weeding Plants And Postage Stamps

Warmed by a climbing sun; my paths eased by Martin’s clearance work; ears soothed by sweet birdsong, occasionally accosted by raucous jackdaws; I dead headed roses and Welsh poppies and pulled up weeds this morning.

Before a trip to Ferndene Farm Shop this afternoon in order to buy three large bags of compost,

I photographed more flowers and garden views, each of which bears a title in the gallery.

Something else has gone digital is our postage stamps. I have been doing my best to ignore this leaflet from Royal Mail, but bit the bullet today and followed the instructions, filled in the form on the reverse, and posted to the recycling centre 32 first class stamps which will soon be regarded as weeds ready for composting. We are promised replacements bearing the relevant barcode.

Becky turned up just before dinner and stayed over.

We all dined on pizzas, salad, and sausage rolls our daughter brought with her. Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank Collin-Bourisset Fleurie 2021.

Robin In Attendance

Jackie and I put in gardening stints early on another warm and sunny day, while Martin continued throughout the day.

Continuing my war with velcro-stemmed sticky Willy, I weeded and dead-headed a little.

Martin came to us on the recommendation of Jackie’s sister Helen. One of the last jobs he carried out for her included extracting a clump of geraniums from her front wall. She gave this clump to Jackie. Today

the Head Gardener separated this into individual plants and positioned them in the soil around the patio border – one can be seen at bottom left of the first two pictures in this gallery.

Accompanied by a pair of Nugget’s progeny

our gardening friend spent the day clearing and tidying more of the Rose Garden. Where’s Martin? (4) is the subject of the first in this gallery.

Here we have pink Festive Jewel with white Madame Alfred Carrière; magenta Roserie de l’Haie with yellow Laura Ford; white Winchester Cathedral; pink Schoolgirl before a yellow climber; pink Shropshire Lad beside Gloriana; peach Crown Princess Margareta; red thornless Zephirine Drouhin; a close up of Roserie de l’Haie; and bright red Altissimo.

This evening we all dined on succulent pork and apple sausages and creamy mash; flavoursome carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and tasty gravy with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Bardolino.

Baby Species

On this morning of largely overcast skies and warmth to which we have not recently been accustomed, I carried out dead heading and the easier weeding whilst Martin occupied himself with

the heavier clearance work in the Rose Garden

and cutting the grass.

After lunch Becky gave Ellie one of her regular walks round the garden.

Later, Jackie and I took a forest drive.

Beside Holmsley Walk Campsite we spotted two foal colts somewhat younger than our great-granddaughter.

The first of these, still clinging to his mother, grappled with the problem of pesky flies;

the second, a more recent occupant of the womb, slept through our visit. The last two images in this gallery are by Jackie.

At Norley Wood we observed both roadside pink may blossom and rich golden moorland gorse.

King Charles III, his mask having slipped a bit, still occupies his celebrity seat in Robert Gill’s Everton Road garden post his coronation day.

This evening we all dined on Red Chilli’s excellent takeaway fare. My main course was prawn Madras; Becky’s, vegetable curry; Dillon’s, chicken dhansak; Flo’s, chicken pasanda; Jackie’s, chicken saag. Mushroom rice, pilau rice, special fried rice, peshwari naan, and panir tikka were shared. Jackie and I both drank more of the Zesty.

A Stream Of Cyclists

Yesterday Jackie put in more work perfecting the Rose Garden clearance. The path leading to the white seat had been weeded by Flo.

When she noticed the bag of recycling material outside our front door ripped open this morning with its contents distributed round the garden, Jackie wondered what had done this. After she cleared it up and stepped out the back the answer became clear.

Badgers had returned. The Waterboy arrangement, the corner pots on the patio edge of the Pond Bed, and the stumpery had been wrecked. Before I photographed the damage The Head Gardener had righted the second two sites although she had missed the ornamental mouse trampled into the patio gravel, and the earth was still strewn across the Brick Path. In the process Jackie had disturbed a wasp’s nest, one resident of which stung her.

Later in the morning Dillon, straight off the plane, arrived with Flo and Becky who had collected him on arrival soon after 7.00 a.m. None of the three had slept during the night, so the young couple went straight to bed and Becky rested on our sofa for a while before setting off back to Southbourne. She later texted to let us know she had arrived home safely.

I scanned 14 of our granddaughter’s colourful drawings before Jackie and I lunched at

The Rising Sun. The allegedly Light Bites we enjoyed were

a Ploughman’s Lunch for me and tuna salad for Mrs Knight.

The photograph of the pub above was taken from the cracked and hoof-pitted-concrete-moulded terrain of Wootton Common opposite.

The extra large photograph albums I ordered for the wedding photographs arrived this morning.

New Forest Cycling Club had gathered by the stream at Wootton Car Park. As we arrived they trooped off down the road

and left the increasingly shallow shingle bed to other visitors.

This evening we dined on Red Chilli’s excellent takeaway fare with which Jackie and Dillon drank Hoegaarden, Flo drank water, and I drank Chassaux Rasteau 2019.

South End Back In Order

Martin finished the work on and around the Oval Bed –

pictured in progress

and on completion.

The Rose Garden has been rather neglected during the last week or so. Our friend just had time to shave the rampant red carpet rose and bag up the clippings before it was time for him to return home. He has certainly got the rest of the south end of the garden back in order.

While Martin gardened I printed – another 59 of the wedding photographs before I ran out of ink this afternoon. Becky ordered me some more on line while I sourced the albums myself.

In order to keep an eye on the printing process I do not leave the machine which takes quite a time. This has enabled me to make a very good start on reading “The Moonstone” which Becky bought for me for my birthday.

Topped up with a little of Jackie’s rice we dined this evening on the last of the Red Chilli takeaway with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2020