Preparing......

Yesterday felt so good.

A day sorting out the garden.

As I've said many a time before here, I really am a pants gardener. We have a very small, and very manageable sized garden, yet I still struggle with it.

The sun unexpectedly came out......and I was encouraged to get things prepared for the onset of Autumn/Winter. Everything had pretty much all died off (I can just about manage spring and summer flowers but that's it.....zilch to take me into Autumn), so I thought it was as good a time as any to hack it all back.

This, sadly meant my adored rambling rose bush, that had been infected with black spot.

Whilst it gave a tremendous show of the hottest pink flowers this year (and I had spent years intricately  trailing it over my arbour and all over my decking); the size of the rose bush meant I just couldn't keep any control of the leaf drop, and it was reinfecting the soil. Oh it was sad. It was hacked back to a height that I could manage next year (I'm short, so barely nothing). It's its last chance. If I can't control it next year, then it goes. Boo hoo. At least I wont feel so bad though, getting rid of a smaller bush than a really huge one altogether.

There was a silver lining to this though. The hacking back revealed all the woodwork that needed a good old lick of paint. So that will be done over the next couple of weeks and it will be ready to take it into the autumn months.

The hydrangea heads are starting to dry off now. That lovely deep plum, mixed with subtle shades of forest and rust. I'll leave them on longer until all the colour drains from them. Finally, the bamboo was hacked back and the ivy clad fences were given a good hair cut. The beds were weeded and turned over.

It looks tidy....but oh so bare.

My neighbour said 'Oh no the lovely rose has gone!' She said it was such a lovely sight to look out upon in the mornings. Oh well. I will make it great again, whichever way I have to do it.

Pots were sorted and tidied, and I was feeling really rather chuffed.

So. The garden, stripped bare. Ready for the next couple of seasons ahead. It feels good to have spent some time there. That satisfaction that you have achieved something......something quite visible. It's quite uplifting. I needed that. Although my back isn't thanking me today. I'm such a wimp.

Thank you for all your comments on my last post. It's very comforting to know others feel as you do at times in their lives also.

I'm waiting patiently for the end of the week. I'm wanting silence for more than 30 seconds. It will be nice. It will be nice to have my kitchen back. It will be nice to have the cupboards closed, instead of continually seeing them open with a kid behind them grunting 'what is there to eat, I'm hungry'.

xxx