Garden Glimpses, Pensioner Perks

What I did on the way to the clothes line ...

I had a wander around the garden.  First stop, my lovely ceanothus.

When I returned from holiday it had grown so much it had blocked this little walk through.  I've hacked back half the bush and it's already saying "thanks, but I think I need to grow some more".

I love blue flowers.  I'll soon be getting huge monstrous displays of more blue flowers in a month or two.  Agapanthus and Echium grow like weeds in my garden and self-seed all over the place.

These two cherry trees are already starting to fade.  Spring flowering is so brief, eh?

This yellow flowering plant (heavens knows what it's called!) has doubled in size, has got leggy and is spilling on to the lawn.  I'm going to have to cut it back but Grandson loves picking flowers from it so I'm going to have to be cautious with my cutting.

I hacked about 4 feet off the bottom branches of this olive tree and loads off the sides, allowing it to hopefully flourish with three main branches.  I read that olives need three or five main branches, so for the past few years I've given it brutal chop backs.   When cutting back the sides I came upon quite a few olives, which explains why the sparrows like to base themselves in amongst the leaves when feeding off the nearby seed table.   Two courses!



The palm trunks were covered in last year's dead growth.  Not now, not after my weekend's labour!

The fig tree just needed some splaying against the wall to support it as it leafs up and its fruit grows heavy.

I expect I should have cut it back, but I'm curious to see how high it grows this year as it had some tremendous growth last summer, which yielded soooo many lovely juicy figs.

On my return from holiday, this old meandering grape vine also received the brunt end of some of The Pout's "gardening" efforts, which is in essence just hacking off loads of everything in sight.

But it's been leafing these past couple of weeks, so I don't think I've killed this v. old grapevine.

I'm getting a nice flowering of wisteria in the pergola area, but I had serious wisteria envy when I recently saw the display at The Dolphins.  I comfort myself that theirs is probably 80 years old and mine is but a pup at less than 8.

So we've had a walk around the garden to show you just a little of what's been keeping me away from the laptop, away from your screens.  Me in gardening clothes is not for public consumption so I've spared you pics.  You're welcome!

And here's another way I idle my time ... with a Thursday Wine O'clock!

Before I retired proper, I did some consultancy work Tuesdays to Thursdays.  So my weekend started Thursday at 5pm and that became my new Wine O'clock.  And since I've been fully retired I've "forced" myself to keep up the tradition.

Last night. about 18.30.  A chilled glass of prosecco,

some candlelight hygge,

on a Thursday, because I can.

Yes, Thursday Wine O'clock is not a tradition I'm going to give up easily.

I look on it as one of the perks of being a poor pensioner.

Enjoy your fredagsmys, your fredags hygge, your Friday Wine O'clock.  OK, I have one of those too. 

Paying homage to my days as a working girl, when my weekend started on a Friday, as tradition would have it.   Gotta be done.  Sooo many traditions, so few bottles of prosecco ...

Hope you're having great results in your garden ... and with your Weekend Starts Here celebrations.

Enjoy!  Cheers!  Skaal!

A la perchoine