The Taming of the Meadow

The garden is finally doing very growing-y sorts of things and looking rather more like a garden and less like an abandoned meadow.

The beautiful weather we've had over the past week or so has done a lot to help, not only with getting everything growing, but also making it all look a little more inspiring.  Not much looks inspiring under growlingly grey skies and pouring rain.

I did some general neatening and tidying, particularly in this little spot which spent all winter collecting leaving and mud and wouldn't stay tidy for love nor money and has therefore been horribly grubby for months.  It looks soo lovely now the edges are all neat and the concrete swept, and it is shaping up to be a perfect breakfast spot as it catches the morning sun until at least eleven o'clock and isn't too far from the toaster.

I have managed to mow the lawn several times now without too much disaster, apart from one major crisis when the mower started smelling like hot plastic and then quite suddenly gave up the ghost, (in the middle of some particularly haphazard mowing patterns) leaving me with half a lawn and half a meadow.  Not very helpful at the beginning of the summer.  Luckily I borrowed one from one of my lovely neighbours and managed to finish the job, but I can't wait until Edward comes back and takes over, mowing is definitely not my forte!

Once it was done however I was able to do a bit of this:

The chickens joined me:

(Not, as it first appears, a dead Honoria, but in fact a sunbathing Honoria!  Margot annoyingly got up from her sunbathing to come and see why on earth I was creeping about the garden all stealthily.)

I have a fruit section at the end of my bed, with raspberries, strawberries, a gooseberry bush, blackcurrant and redcurrant.  All seem to be doing fairly well considering they had a but of a rude unearthing and shifting across the country last October.

My radishes are coming up; they are so easy to grow and very rewarding because they're ready within three weeks.  Planting a new row every week gives you a rolling supply all through the summer.

My herb bed is looking less than perky, but I'm hoping it will fill out a bit once the plants get settled.  The bald patch is full of thyme seeds.

I'll keep you updated on progress!