I’d better make
it plain from the start that this won’t be a post full of beautiful garden
photos. The main reason for this is that we don’t have a beautiful garden in Wales. In fact after two months away during
the best summer for garden growth the UK has seen for years, we barely have a recognisable
garden at all and certainly not one I want to take my camera out into.
Oh, the shrubs
and plants are still where we left them in June, but the former have mushroomed
so alarmingly, and the latter been so overshadowed by what must surely be
mutant weeds, that DH and I feel like a geriatric Tarzan and Jane as we
struggle to bring some order back into our surroundings. As for the Wild Wood, it has grown so tangled we’re considering renaming it the Wild Jungle
and only venturing in there roped together.
Luckily the
weather continues to be fine, if much colder today, but my back is starting to
creak and I keep taking breaks to catch up with my backlog of blog reading.
Meanwhile DH is doing urgent research into the purchase of a seriously powerful
brush and grass cutter before the barn across the yard disappears from sight
completely. The task of taming the wilderness has taken on a tinge of desperation, since my cataract operation is now only a fortnight away and gardening is on the
list of forbidden activities in the immediate post-op period.
Still, the
vigorous bending and stretching I’m doing will help to counteract the effects
of a summer of French cheese and wine and I’ve just put in a list of book
requests on the library website to while away the autumn evenings as the days
draw in. It’s good to be to home in Wales for a while. Now where’s that sock I’m
knitting for DD?
Image via Google
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteaaaaahhh home sweet home and the knitting of socks. Don't envy you that taming task though.
Golly is it nearly op time already? Enjoy the early autumn activity before hand so as to be able to fully relax into the deeper fall of the year. Let's hope this big summer doesn't mean another wild winter for you...(errrr 'us'..) all! YAM xx
Yes, home is sweet and when it comes down to it, Wales is home. Sock-knitting however happens everywhere. :-) The taming is something we take for granted on our return, but this year is something else. I'll probably be so tired by the time the op comes round, I'll fall asleep when I lie on that table. As for winter, don't even whisper the possibility of another bad one.....
DeleteWelcome Home?
ReplyDeleteWhere is home? Here there and everywhere. Serve you right to find a wilderness wherever you land for a few months. Gardens hate being neglected and they’re paying you back.
I hope you manage to impose order before the eye op and that your creaky joints stand up to the strain.
That's telling me, Friko. :-) We've always accepted that there'll be more than a touch of wilderness to deal with when we get back from France, but this year it's worse after two months than it usually is after three. As you say, the garden is taking its revenge.
DeleteStill there's something very satisfying about pulling up weeds and cutting back brambles and overgrowth. If the weather holds it will all look much better in a fortnight.
This year has been strange everywhere, it seems...but I don't envy you coming home to taming the Amazon, especially as you have the op timetable to consider.
ReplyDeleteThere's always the dread of cutting down a treasured plant by accident too when using machinery...or there was for me, so I'd be using the sickle and fork which was slower, but I felt happier about it.
I now...having had the chance to see photographs of you both on your blog...have visions of the two of you swinging from branch to branch - but not in leopardskin loincloths you will be glad to hear.
We've never seen it as bad as it is this year. The weeds and brambles have just exploded and we weren't even away as long as usual. Odd conditions as you say.
DeleteThe brush-cutter won't be going near any treasured plants as it's intended for the grass and weeds around the barn and behind the house, which an ordinary mower just can't cope with. The rest will be laboriously weeded by hand by yours truly as usual. It's a good job the weather is fine. :-)
As for swinging through the jungle, with or without loincloths, I doubt our joints could cope with the strain.
Enjoy your return to Wales, hope the taming goes smoothly, knitting grows swiftly and eye op successfully.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to be back, thanks. The taming is proceeding in fits and starts, but at least I can see where I've been. The knitting likewise, though there's no deadline there, thank goodness. As for the op, I'll be glad when it's over as I really can't see a lot now with this eye.
DeleteThat thicket looks like an excellent way to work off that French wine and cheese, Perpetua. But just looking at it makes me tired. Good for you for tackling it in good spirits!
ReplyDeleteThankfully the thicket pictured above is a Google image and our garden isn't quite as bad as this, Kathy. Nevertheless there's enough of it to keep me out of mischief until the op if this decent weather holds. Mind you, I have to pace myself nowadays. :-)
DeleteI flicked back to your post on your Wild Wood which looks delightful (although at least one tree looked very close to your house in the photo anyway).
ReplyDeleteHope you get most of it tamed before your 'op'.
The wild Wood is great fun, though you're right about the tree just above the house. Thankfully the prevailing winds come from below the house which is comforting in a storm. :-) DH just didn't believe how tall they would grow when he planted them 35 years ago.
DeleteIf I dared, I'd take some photos of my Tryfidd plantation but the brambles would scratch me to death.
ReplyDeleteSeriously this has been the very worst year I can remember for burgeoning jungles and here it is so dry that any attempt to pull up weeds results in their snapping off.
One thing intrigues me Perpetua, knitting a sock. What has happened to your husband's feet that you have failed to tell us.?
Ray, when I read about your struggles with your garden in your reply to a recent comment of mine, I knew just what you were going through. Everything has been growing like mad, so strongly and luxuriantly that there are thistles and rosebay willow herb taller than I am around the barn!
DeleteThe sock in question is for DD rather than DH and is the first of a pair I'm knitting for her. I'm glad to report we are all still in possession of a full complement of limbs. :-)
I think that you need to invite your local farmer in with his combined harvester - it could have been worse, if the rain had arrived in larger quantities the growth would have been even taller. I like the idea of you two being roped together when you venture into your jungle - alternatively you could practice your Tarzan yells to one another.
ReplyDeleteNo combine-harvesters up here in the Welsh hills, Rosemary. We're dairy and sheep country here. :-) Actually the brush-cutter DH is looking at will do the job beautifully and be able to get into all the awkward corners. You're right that the lack of rain is a blessing. It's very dry here, but some of the weeds are still extraordinarily tall.
DeleteAs for the Tarzan yells, have you been listening to us?
I too went back and read your previous post about the Wild Wood. I think DH's idea to plant the trees and have your own private little grove an excellent one!
ReplyDeleteAnd as for your being back in Wales, I have to say that the one time I visited Wales, it was delightful. I do remember we stayed in a 300 year old farmhouse outside of Hay on Wye during the International Book Fair. I think it was called "Cilfodig Farm" and it was in Ponde (maybe?)
We love the Wild Wood and it's a good use of that bit of land which is so steep that it would be very hard work to tend it as a garden.
DeleteWales is a beautiful country with very varied landscapes and a marvellous coastline. I know Hay on Wye of course and have visited the secondhand bookshops, but not the Book Fair. There's a Cilfodig Farm at Llandefalle, about 9 miles from Hay. Would that be it?
Probably. Note in my journal says, "headed out for Hay - beautiful scenery - love Wales! Ended up here in Ponde, right outside Hay, north of Brecon at a farm B&B called Cilfodig (large old farmhouse- floors slope, but large and comfortable). Ate at Granery in Hay. Darling town. Bookstores everywhere. Visited castle. (Read 'Lady of Hay' a while back - great book)"
DeleteIt sounds like you had a marvellous time. I don't know of a place called Ponde, but by Texan standards Llandefalle could probably be described as right outside Hay. :-)
DeleteIt seems to me that Nature likes to prove to Mankind that no matter how much we try to manicure our space she will return it to its original state the moment our back is turned.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for your forthcoming op!
Meanwhile, out of the jungle, back to turning another heel.
Thanks, that's it in a nutshell! Nature takes over as soon as we stop work, just to put us in our place. :-) I can't say I'm looking forward to the op itself, but certainly to its effects. As for the sock, the heel is turned and I'm merrily working the instep.
DeleteThe problem with having good weather is that it does makes things grow rather quickly, and in particular weeds. It's a never ending chore isn't it? I'm just about to do a post about our garden and the attempts at tackling it.
ReplyDeleteThis summer has been the proof of that, without a doubt. I've never seen such luxuriant weeds. But I won'rt be beaten and I'll be back out again today. I look forward to your post on the subject. :-)
DeleteYou and Ayak seem to be having similar problems today.....although I suppose the 2 gardens couldn't be more different. It is amazing how a few weeks away can cause such chaos. We were only away from Hebden Bridge for 3 weeks last time...but it had gone wild too. It is such a small patch though that I have a strict regime of cutting back once in the autumn, and a tidy up in early spring.....and that is it....nothing else. That sort of regime does not work in Caunes though....there is always something to do, and I couldn't manage it without help from a local gardener who does all the heavy stuff for me. Take care....don't over do it, and good luck with getting it tamed again. Jx
ReplyDeleteI remember your post about your garden in Caunes and the work you were doing to tame it back in the spring. You have a big patch there, so how sensible to have a small one in Hebden Bridge. Our problem is that we have big areas to look after in both Wales and France. Ho-hum.... At least our farmer neighbour in France grazes young stock in our orchard while we're not there, but here in Wales we're on our own. I'm glad you have someone who can help you with the Caunes garden or you'd be swamped with all those terraces.
DeleteThe problem with gardens is that we just want to sit in them and enjoy them or pick the fruits. In order to do this we need to work in them. As you have a number of gardens you have more work to do. I do enjoy sitting back after a days work and just admiring what I have done though.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the sock. Oh and there is a free book on Amazon that I contributed to called "Of Words and Water" in aid of Water Aid.
You're right about the temptation to just sit and enjoy, but if I did that here I'd probably disappear from sight for ever. :-) Actually I've always enjoyed tackling a clearing job like this, though with the passing of the years I have to pace myself or suffer for it later. As you say, at least we can see where we've been and what we've achieved.
DeleteI already have the books thanks, as you kindly sent me an email earlier in the year to tell me about it.
Dear Perpetua, you must be wonderfully fit, to be maintaining three gardens in your life! If you two get lost in the jungle, you could try a good old-fashioned Australian 'Cooooooeeeeeee!!!!' - sure to find each other then.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck for the eye op, and I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible. xx
I wish I were wonderfully fit, Patricia, but sadly I'm not, hence the creaking back and joints when I get really busy. Luckily we have someone to cut the grass for us in Scotland, so that is always tidy when we visit. As for the "Coooooeeeee", it has been heard before now. :-)
DeleteThanks for the good wishes. A fortnight tonight it will hopefully all be over.
Although your image to accompany your post is not of your garden (I was going to say the photo makes a lovely abstract picture, at least) I can imagine the real thing and hope you get it under control before your op. Trusting all will go well with that.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. It's a lovely image, isn't it, and certainly hints at what greeted us when we arrived home. It's already looking a bit better and the new brush and grass cutter will probably be with us by the weekend. All I need now is another week of good weather and the place will be transformed.
DeleteI laughed when I read that you might need to rope yourself together before entering your "wood turned to jungle." Good luck with getting it under control again. It is so discouraging to see how quickly a neglected patch of ground can become overgrown.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't entirely joking when I wrote that, you know. Small children could vanish without trace in there and even adults could play hide and seek very successfully. Still, I'm gradually making inroads into the area around the house, though the Wild Wood may have to wait for a while.
DeleteI love the image of you two roped together to enter the garden. I'm going to see mine tomorrow for the first time in 3 weeks.
ReplyDeleteAfter 40 years of living up here, we're hardy adventurers, DH and I. It's just that we're not quite as flexible and energetic as we used to be and I'll swear everything grows faster too. Good luck with your garden tomorrow.
DeleteDear Perpetua, this line of yours brought a smile to my face: "we’re considering renaming it the Wild Jungle and only venturing in there roped together." I can just see you setting out for the trek through the wild weed jungle with flashlights, maps, sandwiches, and thermos in hand! Peace.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, Dee. I'm pleased to be able to announce that after a hard afternoon's work the steps up to the Wild Wood have been cleared and DH and I can now venture in there, with or without expeditionary supplies. :-) I really enjoy this kind of clearing, though with the piles of cuttings mounting rapidly, we'll have to have a giant bonfire once the promised rain has been and gone. At the moment it's far too dry.
DeleteIt sounds like a lot of garden work! Here we have so many pine trees that even weeds barely grow and with all the mosquitoes I don’t like to be outside in the yard in summer. The phrase I liked was “the effects of a summer of French wine and cheese” that sounds so wonderful – I’d love to remember a summer of French wine and cheese. Last week I did find a piece of Port Salut – a small one as it was exorbitant – and ate a small piece with a glass of fine Bordeaux – yum!
ReplyDeleteOh, it is, but I enjoy it. Up under the trees we don't get many weeds other than brambles, but out in the open they have run riot this summer. Luckily we don't get mosquitoes here and there don't even seem to be any midges, for which I'm very grateful.
DeleteThe wine and cheese are an important part of our summers in France and I enjoy trying different ones every year. This year I particularly appreciated a rather fine sheep's cheese from the Pyrenees. We always bring a stock of French wine back with us, one of the advantages of travelling in the campervan. :-)
It is amazing, isn't it Perpetua, how quickly a garden to resort back to a former life. We are in dire need of some serious weeding here - and we weren't away for much of the summer. The rewarding part is the sense of satisfaction that comes each time we make a dent. Good luck, and enjoy the cooler weather.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to take no time at all for nature to start reclaiming a garden, Penny, but this year has been exceptional. I'm starting to be able to see where I've been working and the new scythe mower will help a lot once it arrives. Until then it's a case of secateurs and a pair of stout gloves. :-)
DeleteI get the feeling that winter will be a welcome season for you - you'll finally be able to curl up in a corner, read a book and knit socks..... I loved the image of you two romed together cluching machetes..... :-)
ReplyDeleteIt almost came to that, MM. :-) I like all the seasons, but really don't want winter to arrive TOO early after its length last time. Autumn is a great season for working in the garden, so I soldier on, but not continuously.....
DeleteI agree that it doesn't take long before a garden starts to get out of control even after you've left it for a few days let alone a few months. So glad you enjoyed your trip to France and I have to say that I love travelling but I love coming home again even more.
ReplyDeletePatricia x
We had a great time this summer and the out-of-control garden is the price we pay for being away so long. Thankfully we don't have lots of flower beds to weed, but the shrubs and trees have gone into overdrive and some serious pruning is in order and the grass is a hayfield, but opne which the new mower should soon tame.
DeleteI've gotten quite a kick out of the thought of you venturing into your yard roped to someone else, for fear of getting lost.
ReplyDelete:-)
Pearl
We didn't nickname it the Wild Wood for nothing, Pearl. :-) The grass isn't quite prairie height, but we have some serious weeds this time.
DeleteWe've just got back this evening from 6 days away - too late to look and see what awaits in the garden, but I fear the worst. Although BH has done more gardening than usual this year, so it mightn't be too bad, at least I hope so, as BH has got a nasty attack of plantar fasciitis and is having great difficulty in walking at the moment, let alone driving - and we drove back from near Falmouth today having both had a really bad night last night!! Hope this last week has seen great progress in taming the wilderness, and that neither of you is suffering too much with backs, shoulders and legs. See you soon, I hope. Hxx
ReplyDeleteHope you had a good trip. Things shouldn't be too bad in your garden after just 6 days, especially as it hasn't rained in the interim. Even the promised rain overnight hasn't materialised here, so I'll be out with the secateurs and lopper again after lunch. We're making some progress and DH is getting to grips with the new scythe mower which should help a lot.
DeleteTarzan and Jane indeed - no wonder your back's playing up! Sorry it's taken me a while to get here - can't think what's kept me busy...
ReplyDeletePerhaps now you'll have been able to make a bit of progress and you'll be posting lovely photos of the results of all your hard work soon. But no rush...easy does it!
Axxx
The back's fine again now, thanks. I just have to remember I'm 67 not 37 and pace myself better. :-) No apologies necessary. I've hardly been the most prompt of commenters recently, so I know just how time slips away.....
DeleteI doubt I'll be offering you garden photos, even after all the work, as the views are what makes this place special, not the garden which is very basic. Mind you, the eventual bonfire of the mountain of weeds and cuttings will probably be worth a photo or two!
I'd settle for no garden at all if I had the right view. And wild gardens are the best kind anyway. Why not just cut paths to the bits you need to get to? For now at least. Winter will then do a lot of the work for you.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up we had a huge raspberry patch that was so overgrown and had been that way for so long, according to the people my parents bought the house from, that my Dad used to say he reckoned we'd find chaps in there who thought WW2 wasn't over.
Your second paragraph made me laugh out loud! I know exactly what your Dad meant and his lurking soldiers would feel urttetly at home in our Wild wood. :-)
DeleteIf I'm honest I'm overdignifying what surrounds our Welsh house by calling it a garden. It might be more accurate to call it a transition zone between architecture and farmland, but it still need to be kept in check, so the new scythe mower will certainly help until winter starts to do its stuff.
How rude of the garden not to wait for you to return before it completely took over! A garden is a garden in my books...even if it's wild grasses and runaway weeds. It's just an untamed garden! Hopefully you're beginning to fully settle into your Welsh home routines and you can slowly tame the outdoors! Although, you did work hard all summer taking care of those moles! You must be tired. :-) Welcome home, Perpetua! Debra
ReplyDeleteThe garden obviously decided to make a bid for freedom as soon as we disappeared up the lane in June, Debra. :-) It's looking rather better than when we arrived home, but with my cataract op looming other things are starting to take precedence and progress has slowed. Still, as Annie said above, if we just wait for a bit, winter will do a good job of reducing the weeds and we can then simply clear the debris. Sounds like a plan to me....
DeleteI don't envy yours & DH's task dealing with the jungle. Much as I would like to have a garden to sit in, I still remember the constant battle I had over 15 years, to keep the large garden in Finmere under some sort of control. We always used to refer to the far end of it as 'set aside' :-)
ReplyDeleteSorry for not visiting here recently but I did want to offer my best wishes & prayers for your forthcoming surgery. I trust that the eventual outcome will make the intervening pain & inconvenience, all seem worthwhile.
'Set aside' is the perfect term to describe most of what surrounds us, Ricky. :-) We are making progress and the new mower is helping, but life is busy in other ways too.
DeleteThanks for the good wishes, which are much appreciated. I'll be glad when it's all over and I can stop worrying....
I can empathise on all counts! My garden has been sadly neglected too though has had SOME attention so not quite so much of a wilderness to tame. re cateract surgery - I've only heard good things from folk I know who have undergone this so fingers crossed you have such success too.
ReplyDeleteYes, you've been gallivanting quite a bit this summer too, haven't you? :-) It seems as though we only have to turn our backs for two minutes and everything runs wild. Sigh....
DeleteThanks for the reassurance. I keep telling myself everything will be fine, but still have a few collywobbles at the prospect.