A spot of gardening

I think we were all suffering from Sunday syndrome today, even though Keith doesn't work! At least the sun was shining again, though! That managed to lift our moods a little!

Keith and I went out into the garden and chopped down two bushes behind the garage (the ones that had been affected by the caterpillars). We cut them right down to give them a chance to grow back healthily. I would love to have an outdoor kitchen in this area, as the grass is patchy and we store mostly rubbish here, which needs to go to the tip!

We then turned our attention to the hibiscus tree, which hasn't flowered for years and is spindly and weedy. We managed to get the root out, and we took out another spindly tree that wasn't doing a lot. I want to gravel over this border and place a bench here, as it's shaded in the summer. We left one tree alone and started to tear down the rampant ivy that has completely taken over the fence. 

Too late, I remembered that I come out in a rash if I have contact with ivy and I could already feel my hands starting to itch... We carried on, though, and cleared a large section of the fence. I was very surprised that the wood was still intact, buried under the leaves and hadn't rotted! It looked a lot better, but we left all the prunings on the lawn to be taken to the tip on another day. It felt great to be out in the garden on a mild, dry day, and although we made a complete mess, it will look better soon!

While we'd been working in the garden, Sophie had cleaned the house, which had helped! I made lunch for Keith and me, leftover mashed potatoes mixed with grated cheese and crispy bacon bits. We had been doing laundry all day, so that needed to be sorted out, and the twin beeping of the washing machine and tumble dryer nearly drove us mad!

The plan for dinner tonight was paella, but Sophie asked if we could postpone the meal until tomorrow instead. We readily agreed, but Sophie and I still drank a lovely Rioja!