A year on – how the garden grows

Back again, after being kept busy by Facebook, and hasn’t a year passed quickly.

As the last pictures were of the garden, I thought that would be a good place to start. After years of failed attempts, I’ve finally got round to developing a herb patch.

Overenthusiastic lavender

Thyme hiding

Thyme rescued

Rosemary looking fine

Although the lavender has got carried away and I had to rescue the thyme from being suffocated between two lavender plants. The rosemary has also flourished and I often have a good stock of parsley.

Parsley and chive pot

Mint pot

I even added a few flowers to add some colour: some osteoperums, after last year’s burned over the winter despite looking very healthy in the Autumn, and a pink.

Starting again

a little colour

As I was weeding (or de-weeding, as it should be described), I was surprised by a hairy red caterpillar nesting in the newly sprouting fushias…

What can I see?

It’s a caterpiller

A VERY hairy caterpillar

In the back garden hubby has an abundant fruit patch. Last year the sawfly munched all his gooseberry plants and the strawberries just spread about a bit and didn’t flower. However, this year, we have a swathe of strawberry blossom and fruit buds plus a few danglings of goose-goggs. We’ve already enjoyed part of the rhubarb crop.

Spock decided he needed to keep a close eye on our fruit patch and found the straw very comfortable, warm and dry. Even putting netting over the area didn’t deter him, nor did an alternative ‘cat bed’ of straw close by.

Spock in fruit patch

However, when he started to squash a gooseberry bush, Hubby had to act. Out came some posts to suspend the netting. Mind you he (Spock) soon found a hole in the netting as was back in his ‘spot’. Hubby waited until Spock was out on patrol to sew up the hole, much to Spock’s disdain, who still wanders round the netting to see if a new hole can be found.

On a more positive note, Spock has been enjoying his cat house. He uses the terrace for sunbathing and the lower level for part-shade part-sun for his aching pinned bones.

On the terrace

Enjoying part-shade

Just lazying around

Looking cute for the camera

Well that’s the tour for now. Let’s see when I can find time to post again and what topics may appear.

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