I was walking along to the shops a few days ago and I don’t know if it was the early morning sun (yes it was sunny!) hitting the dew on the plants or what – but suddenly everything smelled of springtime, all fresh and green. It seems that spring is here and for once we really can’t complain about the winter because it was an unusually mild one. The only snow I’ve seen was at a distance, a smattering on the Pentland hills behind Edinburgh.
I know, having said that we’ll almost certainly get inundated with snow at Easter, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. But for now I’m just grateful for the sunshine and winds which don’t feel as if they’re whistling through my bones.
My garden shouted to me to come and redd (tidy) it up. So my brown garden rubbish bin is now full to the brim. This photo was taken before the big clean up.
This is the path from the other end. I’ve always liked paths with the slabs placed diagonally and it’s very easy to do. I laid weed suppressing fabric before laying the slabs and then bought bags of river pebbles from a garden centre, although I must admit that I did nick some bigger stones from a nearby beach. Too naughty, but I can’t stop myself from scanning the shore for pretty stones. For me it’s the best thing about going to a beach.
The reason I was out taking photos was because we just had our old cast iron guttering replaced last week with nice new shiny black guttering – and not before time. Half of the old guttering fell down during that second big hurricane which we had last month and as you can see the back wall has been getting really wet. That wall is now part of the kitchen, which was originally the old wash house, the small square window used to be covered with a wooden shutter instead of glass as it was the coal hole/bunker. Unfortunately we couldn’t get the right size of guttering in grey to match the guttering on the left and right sides of the house but I don’t think it looks too bad as they are offset and don’t adjoin the black stuff. As you can see our house is an unusual design, almost as higgledy-piggledy as the ones I was taking photos of in England.
The weather hasn’t been good for the plants in my garden, they haven’t coped well with the mild one day and frosty the next. The snowdrops lasted no time and the crocuses resembled burst balloons after a couple of days of dodgy weather. But these primulas are nice and bright, even if my photo is blurred.
Your house is beautiful! A higgledy piddledy house makes me think of O. Douglas and Penny Plain!
Peggy Ann,
I suppose our house is a wee bit older than Penny Plain, it was built in 1903/04, so it has seen a lot of history. We have been its longest inhabitants, 24 years next month!
what a great garden! hope you enjoy it very much!
Patty,
It is very nice once everything starts growing, gardening is my main hobby – along with reading.
I think the black guttering blends in really well with the stone, which I love! I also love your diagonal pavers.
Isn’t it nice to be out in the sun, even if you are doing yard work?
Anbolyn,
Thanks, I’m quite pleased with the look of the path. I love gardening, it gives you so much exercise and a great feeling of satisfaction. It’s far better than going to a gym!
Your house looks lovely, lots of nooks and crannies I am sure.
It is nice to see colour in the garden after the grey weather. Fingers crossed none of the white stuff will arrive.
Jo,
Thanks. Yes there are loads of places for the dust to pile up if you don’t keep at it. We had frost last night but the morning sun got rid of it quickly.
Your garden is lovely and so is your house. I have no garden now, only several pots on the patio. I was excited that the Cream Beauty crocuses were starting to bloom and then it rained. They never had a chance to be in their glory. But there are tulips coming up, so there’s hope for a little color in the next few weeks.
Joan,
It’s good that you at least have a patio. I think our house looks much nicer from the front, it’s definitely unusual at the back. I have some tulips in a pot in the greenhouse and they should be blooming soon, there are a few coming up in the garden but they probably won’t be very good. My soil doesn’t seem to suit bulbs.
Love the path you did! Your garden is lovely even in early spring. We’ve got snow on the ground here yet but spring is in the air and I am itching to get out in the garden.
Stefanie,
Thanks, I know how you are feeling, I was desperate to get stuck in and tidy up after the winter. Now I can’t wait for the gardening programmes to be back on TV, just another week or two I think.
Very nice!
Is the structure at path’s end in the first photo your summer house? The kids just did one up quite nice last year. I’d never heard of such a thing before. But they seem to enjoy it.
Pearl,
Yes, it’s really just a glorified garden shed but it’s good for sitting in and reading esp. if it’s too sunny for me to sit out in, I burn very easily. It’s also handy when we get one of those short sharp showers. I lined ours with tongue and groove cladding and paint washed it a pale aqua green colour.