Garden day

Sorry if any of you are having not so good weather....here in Somerset it's gorgeous, sunny and warm with hardly a breeze.  Perfect gardening weather, in fact.  The front garden has been a bit neglected so far this year, other than grass cutting - husband has laid half of the new patio, no rush though, it doesn't matter if he takes his time doing the rest.  The shrub borders and all the pots were in drastic need of pruning, weeding and tidying up, so that's what we're doing today.

Husband cut the grass whilst I made a sourdough loaf first, before going out to make a start.  I pruned and tidied up all the shrubs in pots, then pulled up all the weeds (and masses of rogue lemon balm that sprouts everywhere) from between the cracks in the slabs and around the lawn edges.  Gave all the lavenders edging the long shrub border a haircut and lightly pruned the shrubs that needed it.  Husband edged the lawn and dug up a few deep-rooted weeds.  

Have just come in for lunch and a rest for my aching back, then will go back out to finish weeding the borders.  As all the shrubs were new last year, I'm hoping they'll all spread this year and fill in the space in the long border by the front fence, thus meaning Betty can't trample all over the bed like she normally does.  She knows she's not allowed on there, but when someone walks up the path to one of the other houses she forgets...she's just so keen to greet a potential new friend that she runs along the bed beside the fence, snorting and tail wagging like mad, trampling everything in her path.  Little monkey.  I can't get cross with her though, she does get off when I tell her to, she just wants to be friends with everyone.

Our lawn is full of solitary bees, they're no trouble at all, they mooch around the garden gathering pollen, then tunnel back into their holes in the lawn.  Betty used to chase them last year, but thankfully hasn't done this year....I don't know if they sting, we've certainly not been stung.

Thank you again for comments yesterday, I do appreciate them.

PS  If any of you watch Countryfile, tonight Ellie will be at Steart Marshes, which is the big nature reserve near to us where we take Betty walking...we were there on Friday.  It's so beautiful, we're so lucky to have places like that nearby.