Gardening

I feel like I've been paying for my two lovely days of self indulgence, because I got up this morning to the realisation of a very long list of things to do!

I managed to get done most of the things I needed to do in the garden. I planted out another 12 cabbages (and put the remaining 12 on freecyle), 6 more broccoli plants, and the pink fir apple potatoes, and sowed another row of carrot seeds.

My chilli peppers are through, so I potted them on. I also planted the french beans I received courtesy of the BBC Dig It offer, as well as the basil seeds that they sent.

I've just got enough room left for the courgettes - the tomatoes will all have to go into pots!

My thyme is picking up lovely now that I have put the pot into a sunnier position, and the mint and chives are coming up.

Roarke started to take the shed down today. It isn't watertight and is very old, and the landlord said we could do what we like with it so... When he was loading some of it into the car to take to the dump, he saw a tree felling truck pull up at the traffic lights by our house. On the spur of the moment he went over to ask them to quote on taking down the tree at the bottom of our garden (next to the shed, which are both behind the trampoline). The men turned the truck around and came straight in to have a look and offered us a half price cash deal if we could say yes there and then. It was very convenient to say yes, and so within barely 45 minutes the tree was out.

Not only has this added more sun to the garden (which is south facing and sunny anyway), but also it has shown us just how much wasted space was down there. The garden is about 15 foot wide, and the area behind the trampoline is easily 8 foot I'd say.

The question is what to do with it?

The area is raised, where the sloping garden was terraced, and edged with railway sleepers. It would be really hard work to dig it all out and therefore be able to move the trampline back towards the end. The other option is some new play equipment. Argos offered us children's garden play equipment up to the value of the climbing frame that they recalled (as it was faulty/useless), so we've got a new slide and climbing frame that would fit down there.

However, looking at the area, it would be lovely with a canopy, some trellis, fairy lights.... a lovely night time nook...

The slide and swing that Argos have sent are going in Mum's garden. The remaining item is a little outdoor playhouse that we've put up on the patio and Jonathan has moved in to ;-)