Okay - I've Not Given Up

I just get side-tracked.  Work and diving sucks up a lot of time.  I have been neglecting the garden more than usual this year.  I hate that I don't get out more.  I only saw ONE orange-tip butterfly this year.  I know there were more of them, I just didn't stop and look.  I did manage to hear a couple of cuckoos.  Now the cuckoos are silent and the orange-tip butterflies are gone.  The tadpoles in the pond have thinned right out and we seem to now have a whole load of snails.

While I was busy, spring arrived here at Whitelees.   I obviously still need to pull the weeds out of that gravel path.  In our defense, we have tackled the lawn-beast.  With the lawn mower not feeling well, the grass didn't get cut for a long, long time.  When we finally got to cut it, the mowing had to be done in stages.  First a rough chop (mower blade on the highest setting and collection bag off).  Let the first cut dry a bit and then do a second cut with the bag on.  I hauled 15 wheelbarrow loads of grass clippings to the forest.  The grass is now smooth and carpet-like.  The house is being painted by The Man of The Place.  He's doing a lovely job.

Julio our cat has been busy killing small rodents and the occasional migratory song bird.  We picked up two shrews and half a vole in the house just this morning.

It seems that everything is in bloom at the moment, even cacti .

One of the things I love about fuchsia is this:

The flower buds dangle so temptingly.  I just want to pop them between my thumb and forefinger.  I don't do that though..  I love the flowers.

I have two large baskets with fuchsia on either side of a back door.  This one is called Dark Eyes and the flower buds are even fatter!

The morning was warm and sunny.  Polly is still here and still an enthusiastic walking companion.