Mustering enthusiasm

 Thank you for your comments, you lovely lot.

I've been lacking in enthusiasm the past few days, hence why no blog yesterday - nothing to write about as I hadn't done anything much!  It's a sunny start, although rain is forecast this afternoon.  We really must get on with the garden tidy today, I've been saying it for days but haven't mustered up the energy.  Today is the day! (she says, trying to gee herself up).  Husband will pull up all the dead and dying annuals and cut back the ivy growing on the fence, while I prune the roses and overgrown shrubs, empty the last few geranium pots and refill with more Spring bulbs.

We've come to the conclusion that the soil here is very poor, no doubt as a result of being totally neglected the past few years - the previous tenant was very unwell for a long time before she died 18 months or so ago and nothing got done in the garden.  So we're going to lightly fork over the soil in the beds and then cover them over with a thick layer of compost - we won't dig it in (digging is too much like hard work nowadays for both of us) but just leave it for the worms and frosty weather to sort out over winter.  Our own homemade compost won't be ready until next year, so we'll buy in a few more bags next week.  I'm still undecided over what to do with the two small gravel beds in the corner beside the patio - something definitely needs to be done there, the gravel is banked up and falls down onto the patio, the previous wooden edging there has rotted.  We'll probably get rid of the gravel, which I really don't like, add more fresh compost and make them into flower beds, with a new edging to keep the soil off the patio.  I might put roses there, I don't know yet.....we've got all winter to think about it.

We want to start taking regular walks along the promenade in Minehead or Blue Anchor bay, we've hardly done it really since we've lived here - it's generally too busy in the summer season anyway, with 100s of tourists from the huge Butlins or the many caravan parks in the area.  Butlins is open all year round of course, but it's quieter now, especially during the week.  As long as it's dry with hopefully a bit of sunshine it'll be fine, we'll just wrap up warmly - Betty needs the exercise as much as us.  I'm glad there's a lovely long promenade in both places, walking on the beach is too difficult for me now - the unevenness of the sand and rocks hurts my hip and back and I feel very unsteady.

A good day forecast tomorrow as well, so what we don't finish in the garden this morning we can do tomorrow.  Sunday will be rain all day, apparently.