Rose Garden

"Won't you come into the garden? I would like my roses to see you." Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

We have spent nearly all day making the most of the sunshine and working in the garden.  Paul has planted seven shrub roses along Rick’s fence to make it look more attractive – Mayflower (pink), Thomas A Becket (red), Susan Williams Ellis (white) and a red Danse de Feu climber for the shed wall.  They are all repeat bloomers so we should have a good show of flowers all summer.  Rick has been helping by galloping around the garden and barking at the birds.  He is very shaggy at the moment and in dire need of a haircut.

Yesterday I went to art class and worked on my still life.  It is a rather mediocre and twee painting.  The only good bit was the plastic orange when I could loosen up a bit and allow my paints to run.  The classroom environment is rather controlled and doesn’t encourage wild creativity.

a very scruffy Rick

Village Life

It’s been a busy week.  This beautiful weather has enticed us into the garden and we have been buying pots and plants and generally tidying the flower beds.  Paul built himself a raised vegetable bed; it looked pristine until the local cats decided to dance all over it.

On Thursday we had a jolly evening at the village quiz.  It was for a good cause, raising funds for the village hall.  We joined another couple of newcomers and came a respectable third out of about eight teams.  If I had listened to Paul we could have come second.  If Paul had listened to me we would have come first.

snowdrops everywhere along the grass verges

This afternoon Rick took me for a walk along Barff Lane.  It could have been a summer’s day except for  the bare trees and snowdrops everywhere.  I picked up some eggs on the way home, one of them is a delicate blue colour.  They must have blue hens.

Back to Basics

Art class comprised a group of retired ladies painting pictures of flowers and cute animals from images on their Ipads.  I didn’t expect anything else really.  However, the tutor seems to be a very skilled water colourist so I am sure I can learn something from her.  She was very excited when I said I would have a go at anything.  After explaining the finer points of perspective she put together a still life composition of two pots, a plastic orange and some dead leaves.  I spent nearly two hours sketching it and almost lost the will to live.

Saturday in the Garden

The sunshine and blue skies might be fooling us into thinking that Spring has arrived but it has certainly given us the opportunity to get outside and do some work in the garden.  Paul has managed to replace the broken panes of glass in the greenhouse and it is now ready for use.

the dilapidated greenhouse

repaired greenhouse

He has rotovated his potager again; he thought that perhaps the piece of yellow rope would deter Rick from running across the newly turned soil.  It didn't.

Kat has been helping Paul to dismantle the strange bus shelter contraption at the side of the storage sheds.  We can only think that it was originally used as a wood store but the area underneath was filled with rubbish - an old washing line, two galvanised bins, a ladder and decomposing plastic sacks of garden waste.  It was a pit of doom.  Once it is clear we shall level the area off and turf the area; it is north facing and too shady to grow anything there.

Kat doing all the hard work!

Almost down

My Week

Kat is home for the weekend.  Last time she came home she brought her best mate, Annie-Beth.  I like Annie.  She adores Rick and doesn’t seem to mind him trying to climb on her lap and she also likes my apple pie and crumble.  This time Kat just brought a large bag of dirty laundry with her.

It’s been a busy week with coffee mornings and kitchen designers.  I’m in danger of becoming a Stepford wife.  On Monday Rick got bitten on the nose by a bad tempered Labrador so we had to take him to the vets for antibiotics.  Our regular vet was away so we saw the locum, a friendly and somewhat exuberant young chap who was happy to smooch with Rick and feed him treats.

On Monday I am starting a course of art classes at our local town.  I have dug out my old paint brushes and paints from the attic and brought some new pencils.  I haven’t used them for over a decade.  I am going to be seriously nervous on Monday morning.  I am stepping outside of my comfort zone and I’m not entirely sure that I like it.

"I'm not paying twenty quid for a pair of knickers!"

This morning we went to Gainsborough to collect Paul’s new spectacle frames and before returning home he decided he wanted to go into Next to buy some pants and socks.  He entered the store and then did a quick u-turn declaring “I’m not paying twenty quid for a pair of knickers.”

It’s been a beautiful Spring like day in Lincolnshire.  This afternoon we drove to the village of  Nettleham for Paul to see an eye specialist.  While he was at the surgery Rick and I explored the village, and what a delight it was.  We walked past the church and through Vicar’s Wood before strolling alongside the babbling brook that runs along the High Street past quaint, stone built cottages.  Then I found a bench on the village green to sit and watch the world go by until Paul joined us again.

the road crosses the shallow brook here

Rick admiring the crocuses on the village green

Paul had very yellow eyes (from the drops they used) but some positive news from the specialist.  Although there were some signs of a small bleed in both eyes (cause unknown) there was no indication of glaucoma so he just needs to be monitored on an annual basis.  He’s still recovering from the journey home; his vision was blurred so I had to do the driving.