What did you do in your garden today?

[Sean Regan]

Decided to strip the dying blooms from one of our wisterias. It'll save me clearing the patio of fallen blooms daily. I do this every year. Best done before any rain as the mess the blooms make could make it slippery. Started at 9.30 am. Only took an hour.

The foliage will quickly thicken up, it provides a lot of shade for our lounge during the summer months.

The bees can still visit this one. Blooms fall mostly into the bed below so don't make such a mess. I've moved the troughs from either side of the tea-house steps temporarily, into a more sunny position, as the hebes weren't doing so well.

I like a nice tidy patio.

 

[Peace perfect peace]

Started transplanting the tomato plants, then Sam came up covered in grease. Cleaned Sam it is now late and the blood suckers are out in mass.
Start again in the morning about 9 or so after the dew is mostly gone.

blood /sweat and tears, helps make a god garden,
good luck, we have a thing called ticks here, these bugs sound the same as Sam has caught "nasty" things,

Nice talking to you all that way away .

 

[Colin]

Hi,

When Bron and I moved here about 33 years ago we did lots of planting but mostly evergreens; I've now sorted our rear garden out so at last have started on our front garden which was now starting to look dated and overgrown. The conifers we planted started to go ballistic so I "topped" them but I reached the point there was so much in the garden I couldn't move around it being like a jungle; conifers; honeysuckle; roses; ivy and lots of other things all fighting for dominance.

I've attacked the lot with a vengeance using my petrol chainsaw; two trips to the tip with a full load each time; shredded one big pile of debris and another big pile of debris ready for shredding; after two heavy days there only remains stumps and roots to remove the rest of the conifers; winter jasmine and honeysuckle will make a nice backdrop for new shrubs etc. I can certainly see where I've been.

Kind regards, Colin.

A very large 33 year old Hebe had died so this started the work on our front garden.

There wasn't any room for weeds.

This is what a 33 year old Hebe root looks like and what a job removing it.

One of the conifers; what a terrible job just getting to it with honeysuckle; roses and ivy growing through it but it had to go.

After two days hard graft just stumps and roots to remove then the garden can be dug over and planted with shrubs like assorted potentillas. The conifers still standing will remain as a backdrop.

 

[Peace perfect peace]

Hi,

When Bron and I moved here about 33 years ago we did lots of planting but mostly evergreens; I've now sorted our rear garden out so at last have started on our front garden which was now starting to look dated and overgrown. The conifers we planted started to go ballistic so I "topped" them but I reached the point there was so much in the garden I couldn't move around it being like a jungle; conifers; honeysuckle; roses; ivy and lots of other things all fighting for dominance.

I've attacked the lot with a vengeance using my petrol chainsaw; two trips to the tip with a full load each time; shredded one big pile of debris and another big pile of debris ready for shredding; after two heavy days there only remains stumps and roots to remove the rest of the conifers; winter jasmine and honeysuckle will make a nice backdrop for new shrubs etc. I can certainly see where I've been.

Kind regards, Colin.

View attachment 53748

A very large 33 year old Hebe had died so this started the work on our front garden.

View attachment 53749

There wasn't any room for weeds.

View attachment 53750

This is what a 33 year old Hebe root looks like and what a job removing it.

View attachment 53751

One of the conifers; what a terrible job just getting to it with honeysuckle; roses and ivy growing through it but it had to go.

View attachment 53752

After two days hard graft just stumps and roots to remove then the garden can be dug over and planted with shrubs like assorted potentillas. The conifers still standing will remain as a backdrop.

 

[Peace perfect peace]

Hi Colin,
Your like me just love the garden
When i first retired i felt a bit awkward going in the front garden in case anyone walked past on their way to work,
I felt like i should be at work inspite of finishing work for good and people passing might of thought "Look at that bum"
Having looked at your front garden and thinking about our home now "out in the middle of the sticks "
I can't help but remember times long gone.
Keep the good work up.

 

[Sean Regan]

Hi Colin,
Your like me just love the garden
When i first retired i felt a bit awkward going in the front garden in case anyone walked past on their way to work,
I felt like i should be at work inspite of finishing work for good and people passing might of thought "Look at that bum"
Having looked at your front garden and thinking about our home now "out in the middle of the sticks "
I can't help but remember times long gone.
Keep the good work up.

It's pretty common when you retire, when you're doing something you really enjoy, to get a feeling in the back of your mind, that you really shoild be somewhere else.

It soon passes, usually within six months. It's important to keep active. Now as I often say, I wonder where I found the time to go to work, "I'm that busy."

As it was once said, "When you retire, you wake up in the morning with nothing to do and go to bed at night with only half of it done."

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks PPP and Sean.

Bron and I have worked so hard for all we have with very little thanks to anyone and we've paid all our dues so now in retirement we don't really care if anyone thinks ill of us we deserve our home and car and most importantly we're still together being married 43 years this July in spite of my family being nasty and trying their utmost to prevent us marrying. I divorced my family a few years ago they being selfish vultures; when my mother died leaving a detached bungalow my inheritance was £zero the vultures have the lot and welcome to it; a small price to pay to be rid of them. When my father died both my brothers and sister were fighting over what to do with his car whilst he was dead in the bedroom. They've lost the best brother they could ever have in fact I think I must have been adopted at birth because I'm just the opposite of them; we've found over the years people don't like anyone being happy and content so we have very few real friends but the friends we do have can be trusted.

I retired at the age of 53 in 2000 after 24 years in a very highly stressful job; it was difficult at first but we paid into my works pension so when I retired I didn't retire letting the state support us in fact I could have claimed six months unemployment benefit but didn't. We've not had an holiday away from home for 42 years instead our money has been used year on year to improve our lifestyle. Bron's not just my wife she's my best friend and we stick together.

We tend to keep ourselves to ourselves going about our business; if we want to go for a run out in the car then we do but never at weekends; about the only time I go out without Bron is once a month weather permitting to visit Rufforth Auto Jumble; we like each others company.

Whilst I work in our front garden or to the front of our bungalow I'm very aware of being like a goldfish in a bowl but have got used to neighbours copying my ideas taking it as a compliment.

Anyway enough rambling; it's raining and I want to dig up stumps today so its another wellie day; the stumps are coming out whatever is thrown at me; 71 years of age and I can run rings round many far younger than I; I'm not scared of getting my hands dirty or of a bit of hard graft; I'm happy with my life.

I've already done the three supermarkets this morning and have enjoyed a mug of tea so it's time for me to get off my backside.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[DirtMechanic]

It may be a drier summer than last year so I made it rain.

 

[Peace perfect peace]

Sean,
I must remember that one,
I offten go into my work shop and an hour later come out and wonder what the hell i went in there for

Hi,

Thanks PPP and Sean.

Bron and I have worked so hard for all we have with very little thanks to anyone and we've paid all our dues so now in retirement we don't really care if anyone thinks ill of us we deserve our home and car and most importantly we're still together being married 43 years this July in spite of my family being nasty and trying their utmost to prevent us marrying. I divorced my family a few years ago they being selfish vultures; when my mother died leaving a detached bungalow my inheritance was £zero the vultures have the lot and welcome to it; a small price to pay to be rid of them. When my father died both my brothers and sister were fighting over what to do with his car whilst he was dead in the bedroom. They've lost the best brother they could ever have in fact I think I must have been adopted at birth because I'm just the opposite of them; we've found over the years people don't like anyone being happy and content so we have very few real friends but the friends we do have can be trusted.

I retired at the age of 53 in 2000 after 24 years in a very highly stressful job; it was difficult at first but we paid into my works pension so when I retired I didn't retire letting the state support us in fact I could have claimed six months unemployment benefit but didn't. We've not had an holiday away from home for 42 years instead our money has been used year on year to improve our lifestyle. Bron's not just my wife she's my best friend and we stick together.

We tend to keep ourselves to ourselves going about our business; if we want to go for a run out in the car then we do but never at weekends; about the only time I go out without Bron is once a month weather permitting to visit Rufforth Auto Jumble; we like each others company.

Whilst I work in our front garden or to the front of our bungalow I'm very aware of being like a goldfish in a bowl but have got used to neighbours copying my ideas taking it as a compliment.

Anyway enough rambling; it's raining and I want to dig up stumps today so its another wellie day; the stumps are coming out whatever is thrown at me; 71 years of age and I can run rings round many far younger than I; I'm not scared of getting my hands dirty or of a bit of hard graft; I'm happy with my life.

I've already done the three supermarkets this morning and have enjoyed a mug of tea so it's time for me to get off my backside.

Kind regards, Colin.

Hi Colin,
First your thread above is one of the most honest threads ive read for a very long time and a lot of it i can honestly understand ,
We've been married 44 yrs this august 30th and we married while i was in HM Army, i was warned i was about to go back to northern ireland in 14 days (very short notice as i'd not long returned back to Aldershot) For some strange reason i just thought this next tour was going to be a bad one and so i asked my wife to marry me and she said "Yes' I married on the saturday and on the Monday i was on the streets of Northern ireland in yet another riot and seeing the bad side of people.
After the falklands I'd seen enough of what life could bring and decided to try my hand in the outside world and again like you we now had a home in the uk in an area we're we didnt know anyone, but it was an old house and we got on with doing it up and again like you spending every penny on the house "the home " and holidays became just a longer period to be able to do those jobs you wanted to start and finish in one go,
We ve worked for what we've got and thanks to not being in civvi street from leaving school we never really understood why work mates etc talked behind peoples backs "hence i was known as the quiet one and didnt join in, One day one of my ex-officers came to work at the company i worked for and saw me in the canteen reading (of all things the motor cycle news) the rest of the work mates we're as usual talking about their latest victim "The officer who was the new M.D of the company came over and at the top of his voice said
Oh my God fancy meeting you here, Then he said to all at the table this man saved my life when we served together,
I'd not told anyone that i'd been in the Army or anything about my career, It just opened a can of worms, and as i wouldn't join in any question's ref the time i served life became even more of a complicated form.
Because of us both working and no children plus my Army pension being paid at the age of 60, i retired at 53yr and just enjoyed life,
Ive never put my hand out for any goverment payments and so having read your blog we have had a very much the same way of life.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks for adding your interesting story PPP; yes we do indeed have a lot in common; the nearest I got to joining the forces was spending a night at RAF Wittering where I took a Morse Code test; I passed the test and a short while later was offered a choice from eleven jobs with the RAF; radio operator; radio operator special and clerking etc; apparently few could spell in those days. I declined because I wanted to join the RAF just to get away from my family but every job offered was an home posting meaning I remain in the UK; it did turn out well in the end though; I met Bron and we've not been apart since.

Unlike you PPP retiring from forces conflict I retired from active conflict my job being highly stressful; every day I saw managers and departments fighting each other; cooperation from department to department was rare; I was in charge of three departments and fortunately I had three good teams and there were little trouble in my own departments but I looked after my teams helping in many small ways; simple acts of kindness make a huge difference; when someone needed a couple of hours off to visit a doctor etc I was obliged to fill in a permission slip and hand the signed slip into personnel; what I actually did was fill in the slip and put it in my pocket letting the person leave; upon their arrival back at work I would then bin the slip; the reason my teams were so good was that I was trusted by them; I could do every job and I never made the distinction between management and shop floor always treating my team members with courtesy and respect. I only ever suffered one serious confrontation; I was walking up the yard from the timber department to Despatch and I could hear loud shouting which became louder the nearer I got to Despatch; I was horrified to find two of my team members really falling out almost to the point of violence; I walked straight to them and told them to stand outside the Despatch office where I would deal with them and then asked to rest of the team to please get on with your jobs.

The trouble was racist between a white and a coloured guy; this was definitely a sacking offence but I'd known both guys for years and both were good so I had a major decision to make; I asked the coloured guy into my office leaving the white guy to cool off outside the office; I calmly asked the coloured guy to sit down; I explained what I had witnessed and such an outburst would never be condoned by me whomever was involved; I didn't want any explanation as to who started it because from what I saw and heard both were to blame; I then asked the coloured guy what he would do if the white guy was ill or injured; he replied he would help him; I asked the coloured guy to wait outside the office whilst I repeated the same with the white guy; the white guy much to my relief also said he would help if the coloured guy was ill or injured; I then invited the coloured guy back into the office and with both seated I said what you two have done is a sacking offence without requiring verbal or written warnings and it's entirely up to me if you both are escorted by security from the premises or you both retain your job; had one of you stated you wouldn't help the other in a crisis then I wouldn't have hesitated in sacking either or both of you but because you both gave the same answer stop behaving like kids and shake hands which they did; a short while later they were both laughing and joking. The problem simply died and nothing else was ever to come of it.

I'm sure you have similar experiences PPP; unfortunately though as people get more money they seem to leave behind friendliness and think nothing of stabbing someone in the back for even more money; my family of two brothers and a sister will by now have spent my inheritance and have little to show for it but they've lost me forever as a brother; I never ever want to see them again.

Now what was this thread about; this morning I loaded the car with tree stumps and garden debris and was back home from the tip by 8:30; it's raining a bit so as usual everything was wet but most of the heavy work is now behind me in the front garden; just two more stumps to remove then I can dig over in readiness for planting. I felt rough when I got out of bed with aching hips and feeling very tired but today with a final big push I'll then be able to ease off.

I've rambled on as usual but now aged 71 I've seen the best and worst in life and there's little best left.

Kind regards, Colin.

Some of the stumps ready for disposal at the tip.

The last stump I'm about to attack again in a few minutes; I won't be sorry to get this heavy work behind me.

Almost cleared with just the final stump to remove; the rubbish is cleared but I still have a big pile of brash to shred having carried it to the rear garden.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

At last our front garden is now ready for planting. What a week of hard graft; three trips to the tip with full load each time and two big piles of brash shredded. I cleared the big stumps yesterday the final one I removed using my 9 ton bottle jack and trolley jack. this morning I was on hands and knees riving lots of ivy from beneath the conifers it being an horrible job; with the ivy bagged up I set about using the Hyundai rotavator and went over four times. After dinner it was a trip to the tip then back home and get stuck in again this time trimming and digging up lots of small stumps mostly holly. More bagging up then a good rake over and I'm happy.

Kind regards, Colin.

No one would guess what hard work went into achieving this.

The shredded material makes a nice pathway up to the new garden hut. I ache and I'm tired but better than sitting in front of the TV like a zombie.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

cut all the grass, started at 11AM done at 1:30PM. as its Sunday I might just call it a day and relax . have a new garden mag to look at .

 

[Esther Knapicius]

It may be a drier summer than last year so I made it rain.View attachment 53774

That is some serious garden there. with your sprinklers and all. good job.

 

[DirtMechanic]

That is some serious garden there. with your sprinklers and all. good job.

Thank you. My FIL and I rented a ditch digger and ran his 5 acres and my 3 one Saturday. He is dead now and I miss him.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

A busy morning. We visited the garden centre early this morning and came away with a car load of plants including two nice acers; they are all now planted and after dinner I'll water them with the hose. more plants due to arrive on wednesday that I've ordered online so once all the plants are in I can find another heavy job to do.

Kind regards, Colin.

One car load of plants.

The plants look a bit lost but in a year they will look a lot different; gardening is patience.