In the garden

Hello everyone!  How are you?  Today I decided I needed to be either creative or active and activity won out.  The front garden has been needing attention for some time as I didn't do very much work out there last year.  I also hadn't quite finished raking up all the leaves at the end of autumn so despite the chilly winter weather, I went to work.

I do like my chooks to free range a little bit each day so I thought they could come down with me to the front garden, scratch around in the leaves for insects, bugs and slugs and keep me company at the same time.  Getting them down from their run to the front yard was quite funny.  I use the leaf rake to guide them in the general direction, but I must say herding chooks is a little bit like trying to herd cats.

Here are Missy and Eagle enjoying a lovely chook brecky.

The old tyre swing the girls use to play on made a handy storage spot for garden tools so they didn't get lost amongst the leaves.

As well as raking up leaves, I stacked fallen twigs and branches, pruned two camellias that had finished flowering and pulled ivy that had gone rampant on the ground.

You can tell by the colour of these photos that it was a cold, cloudy and miserable winter's day.  But I warmed up quickly from working and had to dispense with my beanie.  Of course these days I have my own internal combustion stove working to the max every 1/2 hour or so and then I feel like I'm having day in the tropics!

A couple of months ago I transplanted a Poor Man's Rhododendron, 'impatiens sodenii' in the back garden.  As a number of pieces had broken off with roots attached, I decided to plant a piece in the front garden to see what would happen.

Here is the cutting in front of the agapanthus and Missy.  I was delighted to see new growth and will be looking forward to see how it survives during summer as the two sycamore trees in the front yard suck up all the water.  There is more work to do down the front but at least it looks tidier now with three massive wheelbarrow loads of garden rubbish in the green bin.

 I have one final photo to share.  I think Stripey must have missed me while I was away because he keeps climbing up on my lap at any opportunity for a cuddle.

Wishing you a wonderful day/evening,

Anne  xx