Comments from the Coop

L - R: Percy, Marigold, Winifred & Sophia

The new flock are much more settled these days and don't flee to the furthest corners of the Hen Pen anymore.  They now come rushing up hoping for food - which they usually get!  Egg production is up and for 3 consecutive days we've had 4 eggs.  A large proportion of the cream eggs have had double yokes - bonus!  We have Percy to thank for those.  Before the rain set in today, Chris cut their hedge and bamboos and so at least the Henclosure is looking very tidy for the weekend.  So tidy in fact, it made us realise that these hens really do have a very large garden of their own considering there are only 4 residents!

Summer Solstice + 3

Woodbury

It was too cloudy to see the sunset  on 21st so here's a couple taken on 23rd.  It's the nearest the sun ever gets to setting at the base of Woodbury.  One thing is certain: we never tire of the views from PTC.  

The shot of Martley Hillside taken from the terrace path shows Bulmer's orchard in the middle distance and the top of a dog rose in our hedge with the tip of a Photinia just visible.  The field with the long shadows is strip grazed earlier in the year, from left to right by a milking herd.

Long shadows on Martley Hillside

HAIRCUTS ALL ROUND!

Shaggy sofa before

The jobs I end up doing!  Honestly!  Did you know that Chris's hedge cutter has 84 little cutting teeth each with 2 edges??  Why am I telling you this?  Well, when he arrived we found it was SO blunt it left white whiskers on the Jasmine.  Guess who ended up holding it patiently whilst he sharpened all 168 edges? (yawn!)  

Anyway after that, there was just no stopping!  The yew hedge had a haircut, the lane hedge was re-styled; even the Yew Sofa had a very precise haircut.  We very carefully lifted the canopy of the Acer Seiryu and now it's looking super smart! 

Now that the robins have fledged, even the balls had a trim.  They had been nesting in the smallest Cotoneaster ball.  Yes, I know that trimming Chris's balls has all sorts of connotations but calling them 'spheres' sounds rather too grand!  It was, after all, his idea to create their shapes!  Anyway, moving quickly on - whilst he was trimming them, he found a nest of bumble bees exactly where he needed to stand!  Typical!  In order to avoid standing on angry bees meant operations had to move to the other side - exactly where where a very droopy white rose covered in vicious thorns had draped itself elegantly in front of ball number three.  Even in a combat jacket with the hood up,  Chris got very hung up in it.

The artiste at work!

Note the warm clothing on an English summer Saturday in June!  We dodged the really heavy showers but Barbour's were on and off all afternoon.  

All this activity meant a HUGE amount of clearing up and, after leaving a very full compost heap, we eventually called it a day at 7:30pm.........Zzzzzzzzzz! 

The apprentice with a very smart sofa!

LONGEST DAY

'This week I  'ave bin mostly............'

Evidence of work being done!

Moyesii

............. trying to keep things tidy for the Wichenford Open Garden weekend and removing yet more dead forget-me-nots and keeping pace with edging and mowing.  That meant being up early and, with help from 'he who should be retired' (who's still only allowed to mow the lower lawn and not do the edges!) all lawns and orchard were mowed by 9am!  By way of a change, the weather was unusually seasonal ie. warm and sunny.  The Moyesii rose is blooming and looks fab.  Trouble is it's down by the swing seat so it was a perfect excuse for us to go and enjoy a sundowner (or 2!) just to admire it and to also gaze across to Woodbury and Abberley clock tower as the sun set over Rob's perfectly manicured apple orchards - sigh!

Our new rose garden is looking a little more like a rose garden - the only trouble is: due to the viciously cold spring, the frost really burnt off the new growth which really held them back.  That means that the under-planted Geraniums not only caught up but are trying to overtake them and that many of the rose blooms aren't quite as prominent as they should be.

Shrub roses fight it out with the Geraniums!

The veg patch with its well rotted cow manure is doing well although very late.  If only the sparrows would stop dust bathing and eating the lettuces - Grr!  Still, with the weather is set to deteriorate with more rain and dreaded strong winds forecast for tomorrow. At least 'the dear little sparrows' won't have any dust in which to bathe!  You see, I can always look on the bright side!

More photos taken on the Longest Day

https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/PTCLongestDay2013

Chris calls in for a play with my camera

Chris's Clematis tumbling over The Hennery...

...we wish we could remember its name!

Moon daisies in our wild meadow...

...against a sunset.

..silhouetted ...

More photos can be seen at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/ChrisCallsRound1762013

Weekend Work

Weekend work consisted of removing all the forget-me-nots from the top lawn border 6 barrowfulls in all!  Sadly we took out a fairly large Camelia as it was slowly dying.  There was no visible sap and I think 2 wet winters was more than it could cope with.  As it happened, it wasn't in the best of places and surprisingly isn't missed.  

In fact this border looks surprisingly full - possibly  thanks to Chris's urns which are looking quite colourful. In place of the now deceased Camelia, we planted an assortment of Dahlias in its place several of which are Genever (Prize Winning) Dahlias whose tubers were saved in the tool shed over winter and re-potted this spring.  They look extraordinarily vigorous and healthy so fingers crossed for more prize winners!!

Walled Garden Visit

As Chris had swapped his usual Saturday to visit the 3 Counties (now very urbanised) Show, we took the opportunity to visit another NGS garden owned by Julia and Will Scott in Fort Royal, Worcester.  We found a delightfully private and tranquil reclaimed walled garden with very welcoming owners.  It was full of quirky topiary with a Wisteria to knock your socks off! We positively drooled over a beautiful avenue of pleached Lime trees a Hornbeam hedge to die for and herbs everywhere!  For more photos visit:

https://picasaweb.google.com/100788191989823327785/TheWalledGarden1563013

or, better still, check out the Yellow Book and explore this garden for real!