Sunday 2nd September 2007 - Weather: humid and overcast

I didn't get to the allotment today but I have been spending the last week in my own garden which has been great!
On day one I emptied the shed, sorted it, refilled it, neatly and in a sorted order of course. It was then painted, Somerset Green, and had trellis attached to it to support the grapevine that grew from within the bowels of my compost heap! I dug up half the garden strawberry patch, re-edged and turfed the 'blank' area, giving the urchins more play space. I tidied the greenhouse and made the working area of the garden look neat and tidy, tidy and neat.
On day two I sorted out the urchins play house and gave that a coat of paint, Somerset Green. I removed a small flower bed on the playhouse side of the kids play area and turfed that, making even more room for their little tootsies. I now went about raking and cutting and cutting and raking the woodland garden. I hadn't gotten around to cutting back the aqueligias, so the foliage had a nice dose of mildew and the flower stems were dry and brittle and seeds had been shed far and wide. Amongst all the jumble, the ferns burst forth looking stunning. I think I need to get three more as there are 3 obvious gaps in the woodland.
On day three I continued cleaning the top end of the garden, the area around the back of the greenhouse and around the pond. Painted the new trellis, Somerset Green, to be attached to the ballistrading along the front of the deck. Good job I like Zummerzet!
Missed a day, yesterday, but today, day four, Hubby took all the rubbish I had accumulated from the shed, greenhouse and garden, to the dump. I am being quite rutheless with a lot of the shrubs and trees and giving them a serious hair doo. I have removed a third of the hazel as it is yet to flower and go nutty, have also removed any forward facing branches on the medlar tree as I am attempting to grow it as a loose fan to provide privacy in the garden from the neighbours and the houses that are in the distance. I also cut several drooping stems out of the Leycestaria (pheasant berry) and as the stems are merely hollow tubes, I have cut them into 8 inch pieces and am going to tie them altogether and poke them somewhere safe to act as a ladybird/bug house for the winter. I have done this before and we have had small bees using the stems, so I know it works.

This evening I cooked down a box full of mixed apples and intend to make chilli jelly and garlic and apple jelly. I also made a pan full of Marrow and Ginger jam, a real favourite for us and a good way to use oversized courgettes, which I imagine there will be lots of on the plot when I get up there on Wednesday, when, wait for it, the urchins go back to school!