What a glorious day. A million jobs to do in this ole house but the sun is shining which makes the choice of tasks easy. Let’s tackle the garden.

If only the job itself was as easy as the choice. The garden looks fairly tidy but like the house it’s been neglected.

We got busy. Weeded every bed, dug out the bigger weeds. Alpha Male got a bit carried away, ripping out everything in sight. I got alarmed when some nice ferns were torn from their roots so tried to keep him under close observation. I did miss him binning some strawberry plants but salvaged some others and replanted them in a pot. Who knows if they’ll survive but definitely worth a try.

We have a tree that has cast a carpet of catkins just about everywhere. Strange little fluffy catkins. Hundreds of them. And no sooner had we raked them up than a little breeze showered  us with the same amount again. Could be tidying these things up for a few weeks yet.

A few weeks ago we had beautiful clematis flowers all over the back and side walls and growing up the tree. They looked lovely at the time but when we looked up close it’s clear they have been growing and tangling around themselves and everything else in sight for years. Dead, tangled, thick, woody branches tied in knots. Jumanji. It was a massive job cutting them back. And digging out the trunk and roots was an ordeal. They were so deep we nearly ended up under the fence and into the neighbours’ garden. I’m worried some of the plant might have been holding the fence together. Time will tell. We’ve still the back wall to clear. That can wait for another day.

I’ve tried to saved a rose bush. I use the term bush very loosely. A few sprawling strands that were trying to escape from being strangled under the crazy clematis. I’ve cut back back the dead bits and there’s not much left. The rose looks very sorry for itself indeed. Maybe not worth saving.

At least now the slugs and snails have nowhere to hide. We must have thrown about 50 of them over the wall into the wild. Hopefully they’ll find plenty to munch on there and not make their way back.

We have a raised patch full of potato plants. I don’t know if they’ll be kept. I think I’d prefer a herb garden and a salad patch, we don’t even eat many potatoes. I made a start on my herbs – rosemary, mint and basil planted in pots. I’ll keep the mint in a pot to stop it growing out of control.

I got a great birthday surprise when I received a large box from my parents a few weeks back. Inside was a honeysuckle plant and my favourite rose, the Albertine. I love the Albertine, a rose that actually smells, not many do these days. So they have been well watered after their travels and are ready put into beds. And I’ve started some sweetpea seeds, my absolute favourite flower. The garden is looking very bare at the moment but these three beauties will soon have it looking a whole lot healthier. I hope.