Spring is here

It’s always a pleasure when spring arrives in the Former Residence of Xun Ma. The colours start to bloom and the days start to brighten.

Tulips facing the sun

Okay, that’s all a bit poetic. It wasn’t that long ago that we had snow in April and it’s only March! Still, it doesn’t mean I can’t luxuriate in what was a beautiful day.

I spent most of it in the garden. Mirinda went off to guitar while I started on the water feature. The goop that had replaced the water was quite rank and needed scooping out.

This was the sort of manky muck that Day-z particularly liked and I’ve noticed Emma and Freya taking an unholy interest in it as the smell levels rise. As well as the unsavoury nature, the pump had stopped working because of the leaf litter in the bowl. This is from the Crazies’ rubber trees running rampant against the fence just behind the raised beds.

It took a while and quite a lot of exorcising but, eventually, I had it clean enough to refill and set off a-burbling again. It’ll need another clean in a few weeks but at least it won’t intoxicate the dogs now.

Muchos better

I then dug up a few hebes that are in need of hospitalisation up the back. We are going to erect a Hospital and Plant Care Facility (Ceres’ Bed perhaps?) up there but for present it’s a load of pots with scraggy looking plants in them.

For reasons known only to the plants (and maybe Ceres) the hebes were not happy where they were planted (two by the water feature, two alongside the steps off the terrace) and so, in a bid to save them, I dug them up and moved them away. Mirinda will now need to find something else to plant in the spots left vacant and gaping.

I then planted four foxgloves in The Garden of One Thousand Yaps. This was to replace the ones I planted last year – they are annuals and therefore need replacing annually.

Freya ready to inspect

It was then on to the Wild Flower Patch (which really, really needs a better name) and an all out attack on the weeds and clumps of grass. When Chris the Gardener said I’d only need to cut it back with the whipper stripper once a year he neglected to add that I’d also have to weed and de-grass and mow it a couple of times. Still, the results are worth it.

Eventually…

It was the perfect day for spending in the garden and so that’s what I did.

Magnolia in bloom

Mirinda took the girls to Hankley late on while I slaved away in the kitchen making a Michelin starred dinner of special lo-carb chicken schnitzel with lemon and caper sauce. It was really, really good.