Tuesday 21 March 2023

Time for some Gardening...


I had a couple of hours today earmarked for gardening.  February has proved very cold at night although not as cold as in previous years.  I had put some plants under one of the gazebos for safe-keeping but of course no rain can get to them here.  There have been a couple of casualties but nothing too much so far.  Everything is in need of a tidy and today it was good to make a start.

My main focus was on the bit of garden which is outside the kitchen window.  The osteospurmum border had gone mad and this plant can get woody very quickly.  No harm then in cutting it back now so it can flower later when we are more likely to be able to see it.  

Directly under the conservatory windows is an ivy which was now crawling across half of the footpath and directly under the kitchen window two small lavender bushes were no longer small and again they do get woody quickly.

The annuals are in evidence - I leave them to flower and pull them out when they are done - it is easier that way.  There are pretty blue Love in the Mist and vibrant orange Californian Poppies and, every year at this time. the aliums start to grow and then for some reason they seem to disappear - I wonder if something is eating the bulbs.  I have no idea if the fish have survived in the little pond - last year we had two that did but then it did freeze over twice with about a centimeter thick ice.  

I managed to fill three huge buckets with waste clippings - fortunately they can be lobbed over the wall for the goats to munch on!

I moved around the garden following the tiled area around the pool cutting back anything which had strayed too far over the path and anything which looked like it could do with a haircut.  Sadly the Poligala which I gave a massive haircut at the end of last year shows no sign of life even though tintyweb says that it can benefit from a hard cut back.  I may well have to think about something to replace it.

So here is the garden looking just a little tidier.  Whilst I was out there I decided I would take a trip to the Garden Centre - John had John Wares coming for lunch and to watch the Milwall v SUFC football match so I was happy to make myself scarce.  It is a good job I like my own company!!

John had planned pizza for him and the other John and was making them himself.  He had found some new pizza bases in Paps the other day and so was using them.  He had made a tomato base and was topping that up with onions, peppers, chili, pastourmas and pepperoni and cheese and lots of it.

John went and picked up the other John and I set off to Agia Marina.  It closes at 2pm currently on a Saturday and I was later leaving than I had banked on so decided I would go straight to the cafe and have something to eat and then have a quick look around the garden centre itself.  I will need some things but it is still too early - I need to see what has survived and what has not and sometimes things take a bit of time to make in an appearance after a cold snap.

The garden centre was really busy - not surprising as the snack food there is excellent.  I had a toasted cheese bacon and chicken sandwich with a salad garnish and that was only 5 euros.

I did buy something - I couldn't resist - they had advertised fruit bushes and Marinos said that they would do really well up in Droushia because they actually like a cold snap.  I plumped for a raspberry - not any old raspberry but one which will fruit in the autumn with a golden fruit.  I just need to decide where it is going to go - I already have a passion fruit and a kiwi fruit - these have survived but are yet to bear fruit.

On my way home I stopped off at one of the beaches for a little walk.  These beaches house turtle nests and as a bit of a reminder the waste bins are fashioned in the shape of a huge metal turtle.  The sea was the most amazing colour and it was really pleasant walking along the beach picking up a few pretty coloured pebbles en route.

The boys had had a good afternoon together although the football result was disappointing.  Good Old Blades they like to make a fight of things.  I took John home - the view from his house is absolutely amazing and particularly so tonight when the setting sun was swathed in clouds.

We have to say a big thank-you to Liselotte for the home made 'Ryvita' style crackers that she had made and sent with John - they were absolutely delicious and even more so with a smear of my lemon pickle and some slices of brie.

This was our supper - we fancied just a bit of something early evening whilst watching the box and this fitted the bill.

I am all ready for Sunday lunch tomorrow.  Mum is coming and we are having a pasty pie - we have asked John to join us again (LL is away) and he is more than happy to come and see Mum and have a game of something with her after we have eaten.  She will love that and that extra person for her to talk to makes a big difference whilst I am cooking and John is on drinks duty.

Mum is happy or at least happier as she was out with Lilian today.  Lilian returned from her trip to the Middle East yesterday and they went out for brunch together this morning.

We kept having to do a head count of the cats this evening.  Mohammed had been round to get one of his workers to spray the green area with weed killer - presumably at the behest of 3b which really annoys me because (a) they don't own it and give us no warning (b) they killed the trees we had planted in there when they had it sprayed last year and (c) it is so toxic to the cats - not that they are bothered because they don't like cats but last year after the spraying Minnie was so very very ill with pancreatitis which we think was caused by the weed killer and we also think weed killer caused Chivers organ failure during lockdown.  


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