Gardens are a form of autobiography - Sydney Eddison

If it is true that gardens are a form of autobiography then it probably suggests that my life is a bit of a disaster! I am not a gardener, given the choice I would always choose a beach to a garden, in fact I would choose field in preference to a garden. I don't like to see things growing in rows and I don't like big brash plants in bold colours. I prefer a gentler, more natural look, with more subtle flowers such as bluebells and primroses. 


In our back garden we have a couple of large lilac bushes, which I am quite fond of. The trouble is that they are thugs, if you turn your back on them they double in size and start marching across the garden. In the far corner is a large Hawthorne tree, I love that most of all, the blossom is beautiful, it cheers me up when I look out of the kitchen window. We have a couple of other trees too, the holly is still there because it puts off anyone who may think of coming over the back fence, but maybe I should plant a couple of Pyracanthas as well, they have some serious thorns! There is a big tree at the back of the garden, I don't know what it is, but I know it is too tall and it really should come down. The trouble is that it is easier said than done and it is one of those things that keeps getting put off because there is always a more urgent call on our finances.


In the front garden we have several rose bushes a climbing rose, clematis, forsythia and my absolute favourite a very large Philadelphus. I am fond of the roses, especially the climbing rose, but it feels as if they are in competition with the hedge to see which one can grow fastest and take over the garden. Allowing things to look natural is one thing but allowing them to take over is quite another. The rose bushes had become too tall and too wide so that it was hard to walk around the front garden and the hedge was reaching out into the garden and threatening to stop anyone walking down the path. Clearly it was time to take drastic action, so this weekend we the whole family made a concerted attack on the front garden. Robbie was incredible, he tamed the hedge next to the drive. I was really worried that he would aggravate his back and I could tell that he was hurting but he did a good job. I did battle with the roses - they fought back and they fight dirty, but in the end they were cut down to size. My daughter's boyfriend tackled the rest of the hedge and my son and daughter tamed the other shrubs. It looks a lot better now, but it will be a while before I want to do that again.

The Sound of Silence

Sunday was taken up with doing the washing and getting everything back in order ready to get back to reality on Monday. Robbie really should have tackled the garden, we have only been away for a week but the hedge seems to have moved half way across the drive and the back garden looks more like a scene from Sleeping Beauty - wild and untended for 100 years! He promised that he would deal with it during the week, but I spotted several pigs flying past!!

Monday was strange, Robbie was back at work and Sam was back at school and when I sat down to make a start on my own work I realised that I had missed something while we were away - the sound of silence! I wonder if Robbie's colleagues noticed that their peace had been shattered when he got back on Monday morning?

Only a Man Would ......................

I drove home yesterday evening, swung round and reversed my car onto the drive; a manoeuvre that I have done so often that I could almost do it in my sleep. I was surprised to find that I was at least a foot away from the hedge, someone had widened the drive while I was out! I looked again, Robbie had cut the hedge (at long last) and it made the drive so much wider. It was a relief to get the hedge cut but if he thought that would get him out of the doghouse he was sadly mistaken. Even if he had cut every hedge in the county it would not have been enough, I am absolutely furious with him. He didn't tell me that he was disappearing for almost a week because he knew I wouldn't be happy about it. Only a man would think it was better to let me find out by accident at the last minute, and only Robbie would think that doing a job that he should have done weeks ago was an acceptable apology!

When I say he has cut the hedge, he has cut the side next to the drive and he has cut the top of the hedge on drive side, but the other side of the hedge is in serious need of attention and the way he has cut the top has left it looking very odd, as if it has a Mohican hair style! He could have finished cutting it at the weekend if he'd been at home, but by the time he gets around to it, the top will be so high that it will probably require a scaffolding platform to reach it!

Oh well, he has gone now and I will only see him once between now and Sunday night, that should give me plenty of time to get rid of all his railway magazines and stash all his model trains in the loft. I have a few other things in mind too ...................... but he will have to wait and see!

Making a Start

Robbie kept his promise and made a start on the hedge. I got home from work to find Robbie outside with the hedge cutter, but he wasn't cutting the hedge, he was leaning on the Micra chatting on to a colleague - about trains! I think my presence spurred him into action and he cut the front part of the hedge. Now I need to get the hedge at the side if the drive sorted because it is gradually edging across the drive leaving making it increasingly difficult to park the Galaxy on the drive. That will have to wait for a few days because Robbie's arm went dead after cutting the hedge so we will have to let it get back to normal. I can do the lower parts of the hedge but I am not very tall and I can't manage a ladder and a hedge cutter together.

So it looks as if we are going out on the train tomorrow. He said that the people he talks to on his train journeys to Birmingham think he is mad to spend his free time going on a long train journey just to come back again, but I guess it keeps him out of trouble!

A Promise

Robbie is not really into gardening, after all why waste time on gardening when you could be playing trains! This year seems even worse than previous years, possibly because his only incentive to work in the front garden has gone; our very attractive neighbour has moved, so he has no reason to hover in the garden hoping to see her. The gardening situation is now desperate, the hedge is threatening to swallow the house and it is almost impossible to walk up the front path because the hedge is closing the the gap. I have to walk up the path sideways and the postman carries a machete! Robbie keeps telling me that he will get around to it, but so far I haven't seen any action. I can't use the hedge cutter because it is still lacking an electric cable since the last time Robbie cut through it and anyway I find them too heavy to hold up for very long. I have two different pairs of shears, I bought one pair especially to cut the hedge but Robbie has squirreled them away and I cant find them, I keep asking and he keeps promising to get them but I'm still waiting! Anyway I spoke to him about it again this morning and he promised to get the shears for me. I extracted another promise too, he says that he still has a working hedge trimmer and that he will make a start on the hedge. I wanted a Magnus Magnusson type promise 'I've started so I'll finish' but he only promised to 'make a start' so to add a bit of incentive I have agreed to go on a train with him on Saturday if he does a good job.

Spot the Deliberate Mistake!

Laura had her first driving lesson yesterday, she loves cars and she has been longing to be able to drive so it was a big day for her. She said the lesson went well and she is really looking forward to her next lesson. It will be nice not to be the only driver in the family.

Dave the cat has made an amazing recovery from having his teeth out, it certainly hasn't stopped him eating and he is chasing around the house like a kitten, so he is obviously feeling better.

Robbie had to replace the hedge cutter because the old one was beyond economical repair, so on Sunday we went to get a new one. The hedge was so out of control that it was almost impossible to walk up the path to the house. Robbie cut the most important bits on Sunday evening, but it is too exhausting to do it all in one go, so he planned to do the hedge at the side of the drive on Monday evening. Unfortunately I didn't spot the deliberate mistake, had left the hedge cutter in the boot of my car so it went to work with me and he had the perfect excuse to play with his new laptop instead!

High Speed Chase

When Robbie got home yesterday he was very keen to tell me about a link that his cousin Wendy in USA had sent him. It enabled Robbie to guide the cursor and view the road where Wendy lives. It isn't like google earth where you are looking down on the houses from above, it is as if you are driving along the street and you can look at all the houses. Robbie doesn't drive, and he wasn't very good at virtual 'driving' with the cursor either, one minute we were looking at Wendy's house then suddenly we went speeding off down the road into the next road, and the next - we were practically in the next state before he released the cursor! It is an amazing link and it was really interesting to experience, it was like being able to walk down a road in a country that you have never visited. Well, actually with Robbie in the driving seat it was more like playing The Simpsons Road Rage game, but you know what I mean. Robbie said he would look again later when he had more time, I think he wanted to practice his 'driving' skills in private.

I am rather glad there is not a similar site that allows people to have quite such a close look at our house, the front hedge needs cutting and the hedge cutter is still out of action after Robbie last escapade - he cut through the electric cable! We have a gardening weekend planned, Robbie plans to restore order to the back garden and I need to tidy up at the front. I think we will avoid the electrical gadgets for the garden as far as possible!

Signs of Spring 05.03.08

Robbie's injured hand and foot must be better because they didn't get a mention yesterday. Network Rail was back at the top of his list of subjects to complain about and his leg was causing him a lot of pain so that got a mention once or twice too. He has an appointment at the hospital on Thursday to test how the nerves in his legs are working (or something like that). I don't suppose we will know anything more on Thursday, I expect he will have to wait weeks to see the consultant again. By the time they finally get around to deciding what is making his legs misbehave they will probably put it down to old age!

We had snow yesterday, there wasn't much and it didn't last for long but it was very cold. When I took Meg for her morning walk she seemed not to notice the cold, she wanted to stop and sniff almost every blade of grass and she gave me the most reproachful look when I insisted on hurrying along because I was freezing. It was just as cold this morning but Meg had her strategy sorted out and there was no way that she was going to be hurried. Each time I tried to pull her lead she pulled back and when I insisted she sat down and looked at me with a defiant glint in her eye. Despite the cold there are signs that spring isn't too far away, the evenings are getting a little lighter and flowers are appearing in the garden, we already have some daffodils out, they are in a sheltered position near the hedge so I guess that makes them a little earlier. Speaking of the hedge, it will not be long before it needs cutting, so we will have to get the hedge cutter repaired (he cut the cable off last year) but after Robbie's recent mishaps I am not too confident about letting him loose with the hedge cutter!

Finishing The Day With A Bang 29.07.07

Surprise, surprise, it was a fairly pleasant day despite a dismal forecast. We were kept busy with various jobs but at about 6.30pm Robbie went out to tackle the overgrown hedge. He is well trained now and he used a circuit breaker without having to be nagged - just as well really because within 20 minutes he was back in the house having cut through the cable (again!). At least he managed to trim the side of the hedge by the drive before disaster struck. I mustn't moan, his talents are in other areas!

Slightly Singed Green Fingers

Robbie is not an experienced gardener, but last year he willingly ventured out to the front garden armed with the hedge cutter. I had shown him how to use a circuit breaker, but shortly afterwards I realised that Robbie wasn't using the equipment safely. Words were exchanged, the white flag of surrender was waved and Robbie returned to his venture appropriately protected. Seconds later there was a bang and Robbie was on the floor looking stunned. He had, as predicted, cut straight through the cable. He suffered a bruised bottom and dented dignity, but thankfully he was otherwise unscathed.