Somerset – Gardens. Travel. Life.

Posted on July 30, 2025 by happyretiredblog · 5 Comments

Feels like Summer

So July you have had some great highs but some spectacular lows! A month I’ll be glad to see the back of. Great weather for the first two weeks. Poorer the last two. Visits to two very different A&E units. Ian’s sister is a doctor and she once said to him ‘if you want to see all areas of life go sit in A&E. We did. In the heart of London and in the depths of Somerset. Two very different but similar experiences. One me. One ‘im indoors.

But the weather had been glorious until its not. The garden has been looking great which is weather related but also because we have spent more time in one place. We rarely go to Spain in August but this year it’s also been July for various reasons. But we did get a Spanish taste when our local village hall held their summer party with a Spanish theme. I think it was the best yet. Great food with flamenco guitar and dancer.

I had also been asked to do 12 jars of flowers for the tables. Which I was very happy to do. I nearly had a coronary on the day when I realised that the event was starting at 12.30 and not the 3.30 I had thought. So at 10am it was a little frantic in this household ! But we got there and it shows how manic I was in that I didn’t take one photo of the flowers !

Back to the garden.

I planted all annuals except for the 4 pots of salvia Nachvinder which I buy new annually. They are amazing planted either side of the front doors ~ yes plural. I’d like to say one each, but the cottage was originally two and we still have both front doors. His and His.

The plants were I have to admit cheap and cheerful. Bought at a very large outlet where on a bad day you can find plants resembling those you find at a supermarket or DIY chain store. Un loved, unwatered and unbought. We must have had a day when everything had just arrived. Good quality geraniums. Trailing lobelia. Some coleus ~ and yes I know they have a fancy new name but I still call snapdragons snapdragons. Largely because I’d be forever getting spell check to understand me.

The cosmos were part local garden centre and the large plant warehouse. Had I realised how well they would look I’d have planted more. I remember I’d grown yellow ones in London and they were pretty magnificent.

Flowered all summer. As long as you dead headed. Trained by an expert dead header ~ my mother that’s never an issue.

The benefit of the positioning of these pots is that they only get a half days sun. That means we get them flowering for longer and they in theory need less water. Which is good as jacks Shute is on point to dry out. I give it 3 weeks, unless we get a few heavy downpours.

Enough of the pots. I’m already planning tulips. Have I said I like tulips? But I’ve been planning for months. I now have to commit to my orders. Plural.

The back garden has two seasons. Summer and autumn. I don’t plant many bulbs as the ground in winter and spring is too wet. But in summer it’s a riot of colour. Even if I say so myself.

Surprisingly the canna which I heavily mulched have all come back despite the wet winter. Some a bit later than others, and the canna annei and canna Musifolia has spread. Which makes me a happy man ~ hard to believe I know. As well as that look at the new shed in the picture. That’s also a bringer of joy.

This is a new plant bought this year to add to the annei collection. It’s in a pot and is taller than me. I know that it’s not difficult as I’m no giant but it’s over 6ft and the flowers are gorgeous.

A brand new one this year ~ very tall and different shaped flowers. Big dangly red pink purply flowers on long stems. I’m intrigued.

Golden orb is another favourite of mine and I’m glad to see that I have another flower spike coming especially as I knocked one off.

Another favourite and yet another purchase from my friends Mark & Emma at Todd’s Botanics is Canna Panache. I’d foolishly left one behind when we moved so had to replace it. Of course I couldn’t just order this one.

There are more but I need to save something for August!

It’s been rose heaven. I butchered them this year on the basis they do or don’t. If they don’t they are gone. But it’s worked. Not for all. But the majority. Some have been in the ground for decades and need to come out. I have made a note which ones.

One grown in my parents garden. Gorgeous colour. Not a very healthy grower. A bit prone to disease. But it’s one of my favourites, and I’ll tolerate the disease if I can control it as best I can.

New last year it has flowered like crazy and is about to have its second flush.

I have quite a few of these rose ‘Unkown’ in varios shades shapes and sizes. I’m a rubbish labeller and every year I say I will be better. It starts well.

I replanted the border around a small pond this year. It’s been here as long as we have ~ 30 years and I think it’s leaked from day one. It’s on the list of things to do. And has been for decades. Next year. Along with the falling down greenhouse.

The wild carrot has self seeded and is spreading nicely. Salvia hot lips isn’t as hot as in previous years and Royal bumble isn’t as bumbly. Even Amistad is a bit slow to the party this year. I have planted a number of new salvia this year which hopefully will be in full colour in August.

I planted Persicaria polymorpha two years ago next to a clump of red persicaria which was here when we bought the house. Both have gone bonkers. In winter and spring the red looks like it’s totally dead never to recover. But it does. The polymorpha is cut back on a regular basis as it’s overpowering, maybe the wrong plant in the wrong place. I knew it was a grower but ….

There are a few plants I’ve had in the past which I had bought at the old Hadspen House nursery when it was run by Sandra & Nori Pope. The kindest and most generous couple in both their time patience and advice to newbie gardeners. This is a fabulous book and one that I never tire of going back to.

This year I’ve replaced the salvia as I had lost mine. I will get another to add to the bed.

A bit of a weird one. The flower buds are large and a bit spooky. The stems are a bit brittle. But large and such a gorgeous colour. And tall.

There’s also lobelia Hadspen purple which survived the winter but not yet in full flower. It’s a lovely colour and is strong upright plant.

You’ve got to love a flash of pink in the garden.

Bought off a plant stall in castle Cary two years ago this has gone mad. Bit catkin like with big fluffy pink tails wafting about. I had never grown it before but it’s a firm new favourite.

There are a few more sanguisorba dotted around but none as showy.

I planted some chicory at the bottom of the garden just above the river bank and it’s done really well. It’s a great colour boost. Little did I know that the flowers open in the morning and disappear at night. A great purchase from Pepperpot herbs

I’ve also put one in the top bed which has gone a bit wild. Maybe a move for it next year.

Last year I grew a lot of dahlia from tubers. It was a disaster year for me. It was slug city. I lost most even after I’d repotted fresh tubers. So I decided not to bother this year. Which was a mistake as it’s been so dry and slugs so far haven’t been an issue. I have only two of these, bought as large plants. I suspect I may buy a few more encouraged by my partner in purchases Siobhan, whose garden is fabulous and always has some new to grab my attention.

It’s not all been flowers. The falling down greenhouse that I was going to replace when I retired 10 years ago and which is stuck together with sticky back plastic has been saved for another year. Every time I think yes. Now is the time it’s time for something else first. But it will happen.

This year we have a glut of tomatoes and cucumbers. Cucumbers are like buses. You wait for one and then you get three at once.

Ian has taken to growing veg. He’s very proud of his onions ! Exhibition quality they are as well.

The renewal of the old circular table which never really fitted in to an oblong table that sits nicely on the terrace has been a game changer. For us and for Fred the geriatric cat ~ that and a dry summer so far has meant we have spent more time sat in the garden than we have ever done.

The use of an old French stripey bit of fabric to give some mid day shade has made Fred very happy. At 21 he can have whatever he wants. For a few years we have been saying that this maybe his last summer but he continues to amaze both us and the vet.

There is still more summer to come. But it does feel that we are weeks ahead of previous years.

Flowers have bloomed earlier. Yet some vegatables are not as far advanced as last year. We are only now picking our runner beans. It will be an interesting round of Horticultural shows this season.

Apples are almost breaking the trees. The thud of dropping apples is a constant. A new juicer has been bought as the local farmer has been putting out bags of early apple beauty of bath. Sweet and great juiced.

We have had a ready supply of plums from grandad who’s not my grandad. Like the roundabout that’s not a roundabout in Spain which I’m delighted to say has had its summer haircut. The fear of wild fires is real.

So another early morning sat in the garden listening to the rooks morning chorus with Fred the geriatric cat before a trip to Bath ~ the city not the tub later today.

Posted on June 12, 2025June 12, 2025 by happyretiredblog

With a blink of an eye …June

With a blink of an eye we are back from Spain to the Somerset garden. There are obviously lots of differences but the biggest change this time ~ The temperature. It’s a massive 21* difference. I’ll be honest. We lit the fire. Fred the geriatric cat was very happy. I’m not sure if it was because we were back or the fire.

In Spain we had ceiling fans and open windows ~ apparently the last few days in May were the hottest on record for Spain for that time of year. For me it felt like a Mediterranean August. Which for me, August 2,000ft up the mountain is almost impossible. Back in one of the lockdowns I was stranded at Casa Verano. Trust me I’m happy to be stranded there. Just not in August. Early morning coffee in the pueblo blanco. Then home to shut the shutters, put on the aircon and watch Netflix in my pants until late evening when it was cooler to venture into the garden. Avoiding the mozzies.

I digress ~ as usual.

The garden in Spain was better than I’d hoped. We had had plenty of spring rain. The garden was looking great. But with the rain comes growth. So the roundabout that’s not a roundabout had gone bonkers so we have arranged for it to be cut.

The big worry is fire ~ the grass is so tall and so dry and it’s only the beginning of June.

Back to Somerset. Ten days away and the grass has grown. Obviously but like grown a lot. I didn’t mow most of it in May ~ a little bit of no mow ~ but I have mixed feelings about that. Second day back the grass was mown.

The one thing we don’t get in Spain as bad as Somerset are weeds. No ground elder. No bindweed. No major back ache.

Another difference in the gardens is that at this time of year there is plenty of colour in the Somerset garden. In Spain it’s kind of in between colours. The next big flush of colour will be the agapanthus of which there are many and the many oleanders dotted here and there.

In Somerset we are awash with colour. Roses, salvia, poppies, geraniums and geum. Annuals like calendula and lobelia. Coleus and cosmos in the front pots.

This border was full of aster. I’ve wanted to take them all out for ages as they weren’t particularly attractive , but hadn’t got around to it. With more time this last year it happened. Not my decision but Ian’s. He dug them all out and we had a new border to fill. A great opportunity for new purchases, although I don’t need an excuse. Six new climbing roses, 3 new steel obelisks with two on order and salvia and annuals planted.

Another new border

We have a small pond in the garden which was here when Ian bought the first cottage 30 odd years ago. It is due to be replaced but it’s on one of the lists. It has newts and the occasional frog. We’ve sorted the borders at the front and the back of the pond. Last year the front border was great, lots of daucus carota, some grasses and some sweet peas . This year it’s slightly different, but equally lovely

There are odd chairs and things dotted about the garden, which looks a bit odd when the plants are growing but look so much better when largely covered in plant growth

There have been new roses this year. Growing up my parents garden was full of them and I have bought some of the ones I remember from their garden. I also remember a lovely row of pink floribunda at the library opposite where they lived. So I have bought 3 Queen Elizabeth floribunda. They are yet to flower.

The above is Piccadilly which is just opening and is one I bought locally.

I planted this rose decades ago and typically didn’t label or remember its name, but known as the pinky rose with rose hips. It needed a good old tidy up which I did last year ~ but wasn’t sure it would survive. It did and flowers like crazy. I reached out on Instagram to see if anyone could identify it and luckily I was told it was Rosa Bonica. So another was bought and this year has also gone mad. A thank you to Michael Marriott for helping me out. The King of roses to the rescue.

I looked and looked for superstar ~ it was always a favourite in my parents garden. It’s pretty but not a great disease resistant rose. But I love the colour and it reminds me of my parents.

The roses so far have been pretty spectacular this year. A mix of the weather. Hard pruning and a good old feed. I’ve also turned into my mother ~ she was a prolific dead header. Didn’t matter if it wasn’t her garden ~ she couldn’t stop herself. She would walk up any path and deadhead. I’m not that bad. Honest. I won’t do it in your rose garden Siobhan.

The rector is having a good old ramble in an old largely dead apple tree. Another rose hugely cut back hard – and almost all ~ dead wood cut out. It’s certainly a prolific flowerer. Shame it’s not a repeat flowering rose. I’m greedy I know. I want colour. Scent. And repeat flowering. Throw in thornless and I’ll be happy. Hard to please~ me ?

There are a number of roses which are unnamed. Not actually unnamed just not labelled! If I admit to one bad gardening habit it’s labelling. Or the lack of. Siobhan my tulip partner in crime will ask ‘ what’s the name of that Astrantia. That rose’. She really knows what the answer will be. 🤷‍♂️

This year’s new ones will be written in a diary. and will be documented in a blog I’m sure. Ask me next year.

It’s been a good year so far for Geum. Geum Totally Tangerine has been a firm favourite and flower continuously. First seen on my favourite stand at any flower show ~ Hardys plants ~ always beautiful plants and such helpful and informative growers. But whilst deadheading helps ~ on small flowered plants it’s a pain in the butt. Which I can do without as I have a massive flare up of sciatic pain ~ so I need no more pain.

I left most of the canna in the ground over winter. Heavily mulched. Whilst slow to get going this year and sometimes hidden by the wild growth of the other plants they have been fed well and are now on their way.

This is one I brought from London. I now wish I had brought them all. But I have been buying new from my regular supplier Todd’s Botanics.

Ignore the background in the canna annei photograph. It will be sorted. But I love this one. It’s two added to the annei collection It’s one of my favourites and one I grew in pots in London.

This is a new one bought a few weeks ago and is on the terrace. There is one which is a bit behind this in the terrace border.

Some new canna have gone in as well to add to the ones we have ~ and I’m sure that they will be on their way too. I just need to make sure they are well fed.

You know when you plant something and kind of ignore the prospect of how large it may get. This was one of them. We have one clump of a red persicaria in the garden which was here 30 years ago and it has grown huge. Always reliable and also great for a bit of a cut flower to add to whatever is available at the time.

This one I bought 2 or 3 years ago. Its a great structural plant but make sure you have the room. A glorious bit of brightness but can be overwhelming.

Another plant that grows well in this garden are Astrantia. There are a number of them dotted around the borders.

You will notice that they are all called Astrantia. See what I mean about labelling.

The tulips have all gone replaced by summer bedding. Last year I grew dahlia for the pots. It was a nightmare ~ slugs slugs slugs. With this year’s dry weather I’m sure it would have been better. But I have only two dahlia. Both Octopus sparkle. Quite where they go is another question.

The planting is colourful although a bit municipal ~ but it works in the space available and will get even more colourful as it develops.

At long last ~ the new shed is going up. Placed on old railway sleepers to let some of any flood water go under it’s a long overdue addition.

When we first had the cottage there was a bit of a decrepit summer house there which was taken down decades ago. We desperately need storage for garden stuff. There are windows on both sides which will give light through it and I can see the greenhouse still from the house.

Next year’s project will maybe be the new greenhouse. That’s been on the list for the last 10 years. Each year there’s a bit more sticky back plastic holding it up. But every year some other expense crops up.

The veg is coming along nicely. Runner beans and climbing French are doing their thing. Ians planted onions, leeks and kale. The tomatoes and cucumbers are in the greenhouse and Ian’s herb bed is already full of parsley coriander and chives.

So they say we may be in for a dry summer. Which will mean it is likely that Jacks shute the spring at the front of the cottages may dry up. It’s already running slowly, and I have only known it stop once in 30 years. Which is a disaster for me as I use it for watering the plants.

There is still plenty of flowers to come ~ the funky sanguisorbia lilac squirell which I love. The canna, although for now the leaves are interesting enough, gladioli, pink and white phlox, red persicaria with others.

Now it’s time to get back to ordering tulips.

My partner in crime has already shared some of her wants for this year so it’s started !

Have I said I like tulips ?

Posted on February 27, 2025May 14, 2025 by happyretiredblog

SIX DOORS DOWN

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged but there has been a lot going on over the last few months.

How is it the end of February already. I know it’s the shortest month but this year it’s be an oddly strange and exciting one.

After 43 years ~ me ~ 37 Ian and 21 Fred the geriatric cat we have left London. It’s been a while coming

I’d forgotten how stressful selling and moving house actually was. We were due do exchange and complete before Xmas, but that never happened. We just sat back and waited. Would it or wouldn’t it happen after the Xmas break. After a hiccup further down the chain – there were only 3 of us it eventually happened.

To be fair the last time we moved was 23 years ago and then it was only 6 doors down the road but that little move meant we changed our post code and had to change our telephone number ! At least this time it’s just the address.

How I hated having potential buyers looking at your house and the feed back. We don’t like the colours. ( excuse me but you can change the colour)~ it’s on 3 floors. Then don’t go up to the third. the gardens small ~ yes and there’s a park at the end of the road.

So we spent more time away whilst it was being viewed. But it’s been sold to a young family who live ~ 6 doors down the road !

But it makes a huge difference having a great team at the Estate Agents and a great removal company, with a particularly efficient and helpful Conveyancing lawyer.

Top tip. If you put things in the attic you don’t need them. So don’t put them there in the first place. Wise words. Which I probably will in part continue to ignore. When Ian’s father died we brought things from Scotland to our flat. They went into the attic. When we moved 6 doors down they came with us. And went into a new attic, and remained there.

The joy of it slowly being emptied. The downside is you find a box of old photos and spend more time looking at them than sorting them out.

Trust me. There’s no wonder some of them went in the attic.

These weren’t the worst.

Some of the things that went in the attic have followed us to Somerset. And have gone into a storage unit to be sorted out at a later date. I’d forgotten that we had a large Rold Harris original print. A fabulous painting of Ayres Rock. Not a cheap purchase but was removed to the attic for all the obvious reasons. It’s unlikely to ever see the light of day again.

A picnic box of my late mother and sisters piano sheet music. Music from the 194o’s for my mother ~ with my mother writing on the front page which were hers and which were her twin sisters.

A sparkly jacket from the 1982 west end show ‘The sound of music’. A memory of a dear friend who was in the show and with whom I shared a flat when I first moved to London. Sadly no longer with us. That has gone into the wardrobe ~ a bit of a Cinderella moment~ it fits it fits. Yes said Ian. . ‘One arm only ~ but some things you just can’t part with. The jacket. And the arm.

Ian has a leather jacket he bought in Kensington market when he first moved to London. He says it fits. Like me. One arm only. That too is in the wardrobe.

The last time the cellar was clear was 23 years ago ! Like the attic if it goes in there it’s likely you don’t need it. Like the boxes of jam jars. Now in the Somerset attic . Which is fine as we have two. One is totally clear. For now < only because it’s all in a storage unit.

The house had changed a lot since we moved in 23 years ago. It has been the longest I have been in one place.

But the way we used London has changed hugely. Particularly after buying the house in Spain and lockdown.

Were we sad. No. Even though I am a creature of habit and don’t really like change. But we will still be back and forth just not as much.

We will keep our dentist. Our hairdresser and we will still be back to see friends.

Out of the loft came decades of theatre programmes and handbills. One in particular reminded me of how I came to live in the street. An old theatre programme of a Nell Dunn comedy. ‘steaming’ which my next door neighbour appeared in.

I have known Cate for around 46 years. We first met when she was in Pantomime in Cardiff and we became friends. In a previous life I lived with a friend who ran ‘theatrical digs’ and Cate came to stay for the panto season. It was a hilarious few years meeting the actors staying for a week or longer.

In 1987/88 I was living in west London but ventured south of the river to take her out for her birthday.

When I dropped her home she said there are two flats for sale next door. So I looked at them, sold my flat in west London and moved in. To one of the them. We then moved 6 doors down in 2003 and were street neighbours until our move in February.

Cate is also responsible for the cottage in Pitcombe. We came to stay with her and her partner in Wookey Hole , where Cate and I would go riding. Ian tried it once and hated it ~ but o continued to ride at Mrs Masseys riding school in South London for a time. Now I would need a brewery dray horse a step ladder and Velcro.

The cottage next door was for sale but was out of our price bracket. We loved the West Country and after a hunt with many not hitting the mark and this cottage being last on the list Ian decided to buy the cottage. So Cate is responsible for where we have lived both in London and Somerset.

The move is a new chapter and one to be enjoyed. It means we can spend more time in the Somerset garden, travelling and in Spain.

Sadly we left the London garden behind. Ian wanted to bring the tree ferns. I wanted the agapanthus and canna. But it was all too difficult. The weather here too problematic for the three ferns even if double wrapped in winter. Everything was in pots and we would have needed another removal van.

The garden when we moved in but after we had unearthed a cooker.

The tulips are in and are just poking through. There are 20 large pots at the front of the house ~ another year of multi coloured planting done.

Just a few of the colours. Ignore pot 12. By the time I got to pot 4 I gave up on my plan. But the pressure is on for another good show this year.

It’s not been all focused on the move. We have settled well into village life. But there again why wouldn’t we. We have had the house for 32 years. Another 40 and we may be accepted as locals. But it’s great having people pop in for coffee. Today we have grandad who’s not our grandad call in. ‘I won’t stop’ he said. Over an hour later he left. We then went to friends for coffee before we went to a farm shop. It’s great to be able to go to the markets, the farm shops , and there is a huge social life here. Jazz at the village hall. Dance class at the village hall, ~ no, we aren’t. Two villages have film screenings in the church or village halls, a great folk duo in the church with drinks and nibbles after. The acoustics for these events are great and gets people to the church who wouldn’t normally go. Like me. One of the vicars once told me I was a festival worshiper. Xmas. Easter. Harvest festival.

Lots of local Restaurants, plenty of NT properties to visit. Closer to my tulip partner in crime who has garden adventures planned for us. The first scheduled for 5 April.

It’s an easy drive to the coast for breakfast. The Hive Beach cafe is right on the beach with a cliff top walk next to it and it’s a big favourite. Just don’t stand too close to the crumbling cliffs.

A drive to Beer where the weather didn’t get any better. When our god children were young they came with their parents to spend New year with us. New Year’s Day was always a visit to Beer to blow away the cobwebs.

The weather hasn’t been great but it’s expected. But. A big but it will get better. It’s the wet country ~ with a silent S.

There hasn’t been too much walking. I have had hideous sciatica which has limited my walking. But I managed the walk to St Leonard’s church and back along the church path with its wonderful snow drops. Beats the one clump we have in the garden.

I won’t mention the fall I had leaving a funeral at the church. The vicar told us all that Biddy’s request was for the congregation to recite a particular version of the Lords Prayer.

When I fell flat on my face on the road after the funeral cutting my head, hands and probably cracking a rib ~ Ians sympathetic comment was. ‘ That’s Biddy pushing you as you didn’t say the right words.’ We laughed as I know that she would have too.

Biddy was part of a group of ladies who knew how to have fun. My vivid recollection of her was at a village hall Christmas party decades ago with two others miming on stage to 3 little maids. They were all in their 70’s then. Sadly she was the last of the surviving 3 little maids.

These appear year in year out. I don’t know where they came from. Not me as I hate planting small bulbs. I don’t have the patience. I have given up on drumstick alliums ~ I love them but too small. Give me 1,000 tulip bulbs and I’ll plant everyone. Eventually. Even the bag I found hiding in the pantry last week.

Fred has settled in. As long as you light the log burner what ever the weather he will be happy. When we left London we left behind Christine and Bruce who looked after Fred when we were away. For 20 years. But he’s very happy with his new carer ~ he should be ~ We’ve been friends for decades and she is my goddaughters mother.

There have been crispy morning walks ~ or me hobbling through the fields < along the footpath obviously. The few really frosty days.

It’s a lovely circular walk. From the house to the church. The church path to fields.

I love the garden when everything is frosted. I have only now cut things back so that the new growth can get a bit of sunlight. When we get the odd day. But things are pushing up. Slowly. A bit more sun and it will be all systems go.

There will be fewer trips along the A303, this was our last drive to London early morning. We have been up since the sale but by train. Not always reliable but an easier way than driving. The last trip with a stay at a premier Inn. It does what it says on the tin. Comfortable bed. Good breakfast. This one a decent view. Other brands are available.

So we come to the end of February. It’s also been a month of tying up the loose ends following the sale. Getting refunds has been interesting. Refunds on overpaid bills , the joys of negotiating the various notice periods, the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing ~ theirs. Not ours. But you need your wits about you. A refund on my parking permit questioned. Oh yes. We’ve missed you parking vouchers. Have another £75. But unlike the overpaid council tax which was paid back to our bank account they will send a cheque. The alarm company. Oh yes. We’ve billed for the whole month. Here’s £50, again payable by cheque which will take 15 days.

Changing addresses. Some are easy. Some are a nightmare. But we are there. Time ro relax and enjoy the changes we have made.

Next stop. Spain. Which has been on hold for 6 months ~ more gardening. Sunshine. And catching up with good friends.

I have just had a message from our friends who check the house and garden. . ‘Will check again on Monday as I am nearby. Rain forecast so garden will be able to host the next Jurassic Park film soon’ .

Posted on October 31, 2024 by happyretiredblog

Tick tok clocks go back

How have we got to the end of October already. The year has come and gone in fits and starts. Some months have dragged. Some have whizzed by. People are already been mentioning the C word.

Joseph doesn’t even know Mary’s pregnant yet.

It’s been a wet month. Our local farmer ~ Grandad who is not my grandad says the ground is like it’s February. So wet. Which isn’t a great start for the coming months.

The beginning of the months started wet so out came my impersonation of ‘Vera’ – I donned my Vera hat.

The month started in London. Colour was drained in the garden after a hot summer. The tree ferns were looking great and had done well with a bit of neglect. I’m an overwaterer at best. But restrictions on Spain have made me think about how much I use.

Views from the kitchen window with the blinds down into the small London garden ~ stripped right back this year.

A start on the tulip plan for London and Somerset began. I’d already made the decision that there would be no tulips for Spain. The timing of planting wouldn’t work this year and to be honest the results for me are patchy at best. I’ll stick to glorious freesia along the path in Spain. They do so well and the scent in the spring heat is fabulous.

I love the process of the planning for the Pitcombe pots. I say I don’t but secretly I do.

What I don’t like is the planting ! I have a plan of sorts. But this year the plan has gone a little haywire. I was told early on that there was a shortage of tulips due to poor crops in Holland. Of course I listened. Not ! So when I came to order, a number of my choices were not available. But I got there in the end. Now it’s planting. I’ve bought more pots again this year. Two to replace smaller ones and two additional. Not that I really needed more. But…….

Being in Somerset more this year has meant we have had time for growing veg. Both growing and eating. Ian has been more visible in the garden and has been instrumental in the veg decisions and has done much more of the heavy work ~ I’ve been suffering with sciatica for months so have been a bit of a wimp in the garden. No. It’s been agony.

The Somerset garden has been fun. Spending more summer time here has enabled us to make changes to the garden. Some new borders ~ some extended borders. Cutting back ~ cutting down. After over 30 years it’s still a work in progress. I have planted a sack of mixed daffodils by the river bank.

I rarely plant daffodils in the garden here. Winter and spring is quite wet and often bulbs will rot.

Dahlias were pretty much a disaster for me this year. I grew new tubers in the falling down greenhouse and they started well. When planted in both pots and the ground they were mostly ravaged. A few of the honka and two lovely octopus sparkle were the stars, and continue to flower, but not for much longer. Will I grow dahlia again next year. My head says no. My heart says yes. Surely it can’t be as bad as this years efforts. Can it?

The canna have done well. They are still in flower waiting for the first heavy frosts I can’t be bothered with the trouble of digging them up so as I did last year I will mulch like a mad man and wish for the best. A shout out to my friends Mark and Emma at Todd’s Botanics for the canna. Especially the canna annei which has been spectacular.

We have been road blockers for sheep ~

owned by grandad who is not our grandad and also for farmer Paul’s cattle. Farmer Paul who is not related to us but is to grandad. Don’t be confused. It’s village life. My goddaughter is granddad who’s not my grandad’s granddaughter.

We would never get a call in London ‘ Jonesy ~ what are you doing ‘ ‘ depends what you want ‘ ~ one day it’s cattle. Another day it’s sheep.

There have been trips to London. Hospital appointments. Hair cuts. Nothing like a message to confirm that your consultant has booked you an appointment at 6pm. On a Friday.

It wasn’t the 500ml of blood that they had taken off that scared me. That had been done. It was the young nurse who came over to check after the process and asked my name. I told her. She replied in a scary excited voice. ‘That’s my father’s name!’ Long lost family flashed past my eyes. ‘ what’s your middle name’ came next. I told her. That’s spooky she told the other nurses. That’s my dad’s name. You aren’t from Wales are you?

Stop !! You are scaring me. It’s like long lost family. She said I’ve been looking for you for ages. Not funny ~ though I have no idea why. There is not even the remotest chance.

The worst part. I was told this year the venesection was a one off. The bad bit is I have to go back next week for another 500ml drain. I hope she’s not on shift.

So back and forth to the temple of doom on a train that ran to time. Or when prices are good the posh line. Castle Cary to Paddington.

We haven’t been devoid of culture. The lovely parish church ~ St Leonard’s Pitcombe often has concerts. This months was a folk group ~ an accordion and cello which was excellent. I love the acoustics in a church and it was something very different to the norm. Plus the wine and nibbles are always a treat. We also get to see people we don’t run into often.

There have been walks around Bruton. Walks through the green lanes ~ as muddy as they are. But lots of stops and sit downs to alleviate pain.

We may or may not have had a few visits to The Kitchen at Kimbers ~ that’s always a given as is shopping in the farm shop. The joy of being here is that there are so many small independents to shop at ~ Kimbers. Lievito bakery ~ the best jam doughnuts. Super bread. ~ Gilcombe farm shop. Bill the butcher ~ who really is Phil. Bill was his father who was here when we arrived 30 years ago.

My goddaughter passed her driving test at her first attempt. It’s not surprising as you can find her behind the wheel of a tractor or a quad bike. We had every confidence in her ~ she may not be speaking to me though. Many years ago she had to spend the day with me ~ and she was in a mood. I took some photos of her which I remind her of often, as I do with her brother.

I included one of them on a congratulatory card. I’ve taken my life in my hands now. She will get her own back.

If you don’t see a blog in a while ~ send help.

The months not been without some sadness as we had to say goodbye to Bob the cat. Bob came to us from Battersea Dogs and cats 19 years ago a year after Fred.

We head into November which means bulb planting ~ some fresh compost. Fleecing the London tree ferns ~ and more trips up and down the A303 past Stonehenge. Guess what. It’s still not finished.

Posted on October 9, 2024October 9, 2024 by happyretiredblog

Decisions decisions.

How hard can it be choosing bulbs to flower in April and May 2025. Let me tell you this year it has been a complete nightmare. Why? Me being so late in making decisions. Or making them in July and not ordering.

Sometimes life takes over and things get in the way. Some out of your control some that aren’t. There’s been a lot going on. Some good. Some not so good. Some still unresolved.

Have I said I like tulips? Of course I have. From now until March I will occasionally mention them. Come April and May as long as things go well ~ and one never knows ~ I probably won’t shut up.

We only have a narrow bit of space at the front of the cottages to do any planting. We took up the flower beds a few years ago as they made the walls damp. Put some gravel down and started with a few pots which seem to have grown in number. Both in pot number and the number of bulbs which I seen to stuff into them year after year.

In the early years I was a little more reserved. Both in numbers of pots. Of number of tulips and certainly of colours.

How it continued

Then the number of pots increased as well as the number of bulbs I managed to stuff in them until I couldn’t get any more in. How many do you plant I’ve been asked. Depends how many I can shove in each pot is my reply.

This year there has been an added problem. Some bulbs are in shorter supply generally due to growing issues and to be fair I was warned early on in the review process. I generally start looking at this years bulbs as soon as the previous years bulbs are in flower. Checking out on others choices from Instagram posts making a note of the ones that catch my eye and tickle my fancy. And the list is started.

Later come the discussions with my partner in crime ~ Siobhan and a check with Benjamin to see what his thoughts are too. It’s a process. May sound a bit OTT but generally it’s fun. Which this year has gone a bit belly up. Whose fault~ mine. And if it’s going to go belly up make sure it’s a big belly.

There’s no point in making a list in July and not ordering then. I came to order last week to find twelve of my first choices were out of stock. I rejigged the order to find a further four became out of stock.

Ian thinks I’m bonkers. I look at the tulips I like and make a long list. Chosen on colour and shape ignoring availability. Then the early flowering varieties are discounted. I prefer my tulips flowering in late April and May for the cottage pots. We only get sun for half of the day at anytime of the year at the front of the cottage and they brighten up the drab corner of the hamlet.

Then it’s a look at height. Too short are discounted. Unless I really like them and then they go to the London window box list. A much shorter list.

Then I discount some I have grown before. It’s good to have some changes ~ says a man who hates any change. I like to have some old reliable favourites though but this year I have been stumped on one. I love tulip brown sugar which is out of stock with my main go to supplier. I have looked elsewhere and quickly said no. I found some but at a price I’m not prepared to pay. I may like them but not at any price. I will miss their colour and scent.

Then comes putting all the colours together to get the mix I want. Putting photos together to see the effect. To be fair it’s a process which I enjoy. But to be honest when I get to plant I have a plan. Which starts well.

Three pots in it’s like I never had a plan ~ the rest of the pots are thrown together. Not literally but the planting is a bit haphazard. Colour-wise at least.

The only thing I try is to get the height right and that the left and the right pots are largely symmetrical.

My orders are in. I’m not looking at anymore websites. Catalogues. Friends Instagram pages. Nothing. ~ I can’t order any more.

Unless I see ‘the’ one I must have. At a cost I’m happy to pay. Or ones that I’m lead astray with by Siobhan. But I am equally guilty of that. I’ll message. Have you seen this one ~ it’s fabulous. The next thing she’s ordered 30. And vice versa.

I did realise after the final order went in I had missed a new one from last year. Of course I had to order it didn’t I? That was the last last one. For now.

But I’ve ordered it from a supplier I don’t usually use. Fingers crossed I get what I’ve ordered. Fingers crossed I get the delivery’s too. The first has arrived. The second is on its way with a delivery company I only use if I have to, or are forced to by the supplier.

I’ve not ordered many parrots this year ~ mine weren’t great last year to be honest and as I like to have a great show of colour and need reliability then it’s best to ignore past failures.

Some new favourites for this year.

Whilst saying no parrots this one has gone in the order.

I’ve liked Angeligue in the past but it’s not been great in the last few years. This princess has multiple flower heads. Let’s see how it grows.

I could go on and on.

There are many colours. Many shapes but I’ll leave it until April when hopefully they will be in flower. As the lovely Karen at Peter Nyssen says when the dolly mixture colours are all in full show. Peter Nyssen have been my go to supplier for many years and Karen is awesome.

One year I may take the problem down a level. Order all the same tulips for 15 large pots. Maybe. But I doubt it.

Posted on August 9, 2024August 29, 2024 by happyretiredblog · 4 Comments

Could it be Summer?

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog. Not one specific reason stopping me but many. None earth shattering but sometimes life just gets in the way.

We have decamped to the Wet Country for the summer. Wet with the silent S. I know it rains here in Somerset but usually it’s not all the time.

For the first time in years the geriatric cats have travelled west too and have settled well.

The Somerset garden has been a challenge even though we are here full time. I have said before that we have the national collection of bindweed and ground elder. It’s been the bane of my life for over 30 years. We get rid of it. It comes back. Turn around and it’s 4 feet high again. Two of us constantly weeding. Constantly moaning about it, but to be honest enjoying the country life.

There have been results. We have colour in the garden at long last. Some things have done really well with the weather. There have been losses ~ not a penstemon survived the winter. No echinacea have appeared. There have been new plants purchased obviously to replace those that have been lost.purchases because I have seen things I like. Not need. But like.

The astrantia as always have thrived. Huge clumps in parts. Smaller clumps in others. Someone asked me to name them but as I’ve said before I start off well with labelling. Then fall off the cliff. It’s an astrantia ~ a pink one ~ there are white ones. A Shaggy. A Hadspen blood ~ and others. Just don’t ask me the variety.

We have One agapanthus in the garden which is unusual for me. Have I mentioned I like agapanthus? But they rotted last year after the flood. This one in the photo is a new one. But then again they have gone bonkers in London. It’s agapanthus heaven.

One plant that has gone bonkers in the Somerset garden is sanguisorba lilac squirrel. A small plant last year with a few pink fluffy hanging flower tails. This year it’s tall and full of flowers. It’s become one of my favourites. Was a new one to me last year and has turned out to be a great choice. Of course I’ve bought more. I knew you were thinking just the one?

I think someone in the hamlet had this plant which spread and then they gave one to nearly every house. We all have them. Very pretty but spreads like fury. It was here in the garden when we moved in 30 odd years ago ~ and trust me there have been some odd years ~ there’s enough material for a book.

As usual I digress. I like these but they take up too much space for a flower that lasts a day. Like I’ve said for the last 20 years. They need thinning out. This year is the year.

The garden is pretty eclectic ~ if I like it I plant it. So it’s a bit of a mish mash of plants and colours ~ a bit like my tulip pots, the subject of which I’m ignoring at the moment. I’ve looked at bulbs. Done a list. Changed the list. Messaged Peter Nyssen. Messaged my partner in crime Siobhan. She was my friend. But she has already ordered her bulbs. I’m deleting her.

The canna are showing their leaves. Canna Annei one of the tallest is a favourite and one of the many I have bought from Todd’s Botanics.

The dark leaves red is flowering as is the orange. Great colours for the garden and the leaves are great for structure too.

I love these when they appear but hate planting them. The bulbs are too small for fat fingers to be planting. Also I think I’ve seen just these two out of the many I planted. Give me allium summer drummer any day. Big bulbs. 6ft tall when grown and excellent flower head. Great for drying too and they come back. There are also great in the garden in Spain.

Looking at these dahlia which are all in pots in the front of the cottage you may think oh. Look at those amazing dahlia. Well. This is largely it. I planted tubers. Potted them on. Planted these pots. Made a new dahlia patch. You know what. Slugegedon. Munch munch munch. I have a few flowers in the pots and slug eaten dahlia in the garden. Last night alone I collected 25 from the garden and 12 from the greenhouse. How come we have a mass invasion of slugs yet the pollinators are obviously away on vacation. I’ve used nematodes. Wool pellets. Coffee grounds and beer traps. I’ve been out in the dark with my torch. Yet the slugs are now all coffee addicts swigging the beer in wool coats. Whilst still munching the leaves and flowers. I have to think again for next year. But everyone has said it’s been a nightmare with slugs. I potted up 24 tubers. Grew them in in the greenhouse. Planted them out. I now have 4.

One plant used for the first time in decades last year and again this year is a revelation. My parents used it in their hanging baskets and I’ve added it to my pots again. A great colour as you approach the front of the cottages. Lobelia ~ and next year I may just do annual planting in the pots. But then again I won’t decide until the last minute

My parents grew all their own bedding plants. Spent hours in the greenhouse pricking out the plants. If I had borders along a path I’d recreate their 1980’s borders. They planted lobelia. Allysun. Godstia. Nemesia. Snapdragons.

Where have the pollinators gone. April time wasn’t bad. Today there have been two bumble bees. A few butterfly. Nothing on the butterfly bush ~ Buddleia which is usually crawling with butterflies. But they are slowly reappearing. Fingers crossed or we are doomed.

I bought a few Daucus carota at a local plant sale and they are doing really well. I need more. They really do so well in the border here.

Of course I didn’t need another plant. So I bought two new Rudbeckia from the local garden centre. 1000’s may have it but I like the colour. Yet to be planted probably in two of the pots which had dahlia. If they aren’t cutting the mustard at this stage it’s time to cut my losses. I have in fact done exactly that. It’s too late for the ravaged plants to go anywhere. Except the compost heap.

We have had a greenhouse for decades. Was second hand when we got it and it was used a lot. But then we weren’t here as often in the summer and it became a bit Steptoes yard.

This year was the year it was going to be taken down and at some point a new one may be considered. But. It’s had a reprieve. The broken glass hasn’t been replaced but I found a roll of plastic which I have used to replace the broken windows.

We planted tomatoes and cucumbers. So far so good. We have been picking cucumbers and giving them away. We have picked some tomatoes < the sungold are way ahead of everything else.

There are a few different varieties.

A plum tomato liked by chefs apparently. I haven’t tasted it yet but I know I won’t grow it again next year. It’s a bit of a thug and not a great number of fruit.

Tomato sungold. The gift that keeps on giving.

You know when you are at a garden club plant sale and you just buy randomly. This was one purchase. But the fruits are large and the blurb I’ve read say it’s a taste explosion. But they are a bit pink apparently. One is just starting to ripen.

Another random purchase at the plant sale but they are growing well. Dark tomatoes. On the large side too.

A gift from a friend who grows them every year and rates them highly. If they are good enough for nanny Annie then they are good enough for me.

Ian bought the cucumber plants. 3 different types. The jury is out on the yellow until we taste it. Apparently you have to peel it. And it’s round.

I’ve planted three sets of runner beans. 3 because the first two failed. Weather. Slugs. The last batch is climbing away up the canes. Flowers. Tiny beans forming. But I did find enough for supper last night. Hiding behind the leaves.

But I can hear my father ‘ the problem is you didn’t dig a trench. You know I dug a trench every year for my runners ‘ ‘ Um. No dad. You mean you got me to dig it’

We have apples. Two trees are excellent the other is pants. Pears. Nothing. Soft fruit ~ red currants were plentiful. So were the gooseberries. Black currants not great. But it doesn’t matter really. Because 10 days away and there are nine berries left. Pigeons. Next year there will be a fruit cage. At least we can live off frozen redcurrants. Last years crop was awesome.

The front garden pots are doing ok despite the slug damage. The three dahlia are flowering and at least it’s colourful and brightens up the front of the cottage.

But next year will be re thought and there are plans to move things around at the back. Until then it’s more weeding. More slug hunts. ~ maybe an Olympic sport for 2028!

Posted on March 22, 2024March 25, 2024 by happyretiredblog · 4 Comments

Hello again. Hello.

Blogs can be like buses. You wait ages for one then two come in quick succession.

It was an early start to drive down to Somerset from London on Friday. Early as in 5am. Mad. Yes. But it beats the traffic. The downside. 20mph speed limits from south to west London. A few little bits of 30mph. But at that time of the morning you try sticking to 20mph ~ but needs must. There are cameras everywhere.

Surprise surprise. No rain all the way. No rain when we got here. And a few hours in the garden. Weeding. Pruning. With sunshine.

I have the national collection of bindweed. You blink and more appears. It’s all been dug out at some point, but in reality you’ll never get rid of it all.

But I’ll battle on. There’s no option.

I’m easily pleased. Let’s talk logs. I’m never happier than when the log store is full ~ today we had a delivery. Probably the last until the summer months when we will stock up. Delivered in a dumpy bag on a tractor and is local. The only downside is that we have to carry it through the house ~ not the dumpy bag the wood ~ and then stack it.

I can’t remember the last time I saw blue skies. But for a while today the sun was out and the sky was blue.

The few plum trees we have are in blossom and the one by the river looks awesome against the blue sky

I’m hoping the worst of the frosts have passed and we may get plums. When we moved here 30 years ago there were wonderful plum trees at the bottom of the garden. But they too were next to the river and we are in a valley which is prone to hard frosts in usual years. The early blossom gets hit hard. But my favourite plums were the ones that used to hang over the lane from one of the cottages. Gorgeous yellow plums which if my memory serves me right were plentiful – maybe yellow pershore.

I must ask if they are still in that garden. Grandad has some awesome plum trees on the farm which made some great jam. That’s the benefit of being in the country. Gifts of apples and pears arrive when there is a glut. We spend weeks juicing the apples and making jam with the plums.

I’ve said it before and as I’m prone for repetition I’ll say it again. I’m not a huge lover of mahonia. But sometimes the colour hits the right spot.

My order from Riverside bulbs arrived today ~ well packed and labelled. Well arrived at Granny’s as it safer to leave parcels there.

Now to pot them up. Along with the new canna. Canna Wyoming and Black Jack. The canna did really well in the garden last year and look like they may have survived in the ground. I like the tallest ones I can get and both of these are tall. With great flower colours.

Oh and I need to plant the acindenthera ~ all 100 of them. To be honest why did I buy them? I am no fan of small bulbs yet I do it regularly. Drumstick allium are another pet hate for planting. Yet I love them when they flower.

Talking is small bulbs can I mention Bessera Elegans. To look at the bulbs it wouldn’t be wrong to think hello. What on earth is he waxing lyrical about the lovely flowers. Then you get the growth. Again you’d think I was bonkers. I know. Don’t say it. Tall thin blade like bits of grass. The first time I grew them I was about to ditch them. But forgot and went away for two weeks. They are really fab when they flower. But another small bulb.

This doesn’t look like your average dahlia but that’s what attracted me to it. That and the colours. It’s a bit echinacea like. I have grown to love Dahlia after hating them as a child. My parents grew them and I hated them ~ mostly cactus dahlia which were brilliant for hiding earwigs. I’d shake them when asked to carry cut ones into the house to get rid of the earwigs. Sometimes so hard I snapped the flower. But a question. Where have all the earwigs gone? I can’t remember the last time I saw one. Not just in a dahlia but in the garden.

The ferns at the bottom of the garden are beginning to multiply in a patch that I’d love more. It’s shaded. Damp and next to an old apple tree smothered in rambling rector. Which last year was fabulous but needs a serious prune this year. The rector. Not the apple tree which is dead.

The most vicious rose in the garden. I’ve never seen so many and such large vicious thorns on a rose bush. I swear it moves when you are near and jabs you.

The dandelions are appearing and are one of the first pollinators available for the emerging butterflies and bees. Along with

The pulmonaria is another great early pollinator ~ some patches haven’t fared as well this year. I suspect some on the river bank may have been washed away when we had a few occasions when the river was high. I’ve noticed varying degrees of colour in the flowers. From lilac to pink.

I planted quite a few allium in the autumn ~ I don’t have a great success rate in this garden with them. Too wet in the winter and spring but somehow this year a lot are doing well. Allium summer drummer a really tall one is running away with itself. In the garden in Spain it is the most reliable one every year. Let’s see how they fair at flowering.

One of last years poppies which has survived the winter. I think it’s a red and I bought two. Both of which have survived. I’ve added three Pattys plum which we had in the garden decades ago and bought from the old Hadspen gardens (now The Newt) from the wonderful Sandra and Norrie Pope. The poppy was found growing on a compost heap at a Somerset nursery when Sandra Pope was working for Patrica Merrow and named after her.

So a Somerset poppy!

If you can get your hands on the Popes wonderful book colour by design do.

I bought a new sanguisorbia at the plant fair last week. Another lilac squirrel which did so well last year and I’m happy to see that the various varieties I planted last year are already showing their leaves. It’s such a distinctive leaf which is good for me as I don’t easily recognise some plants !

I’ve finally realised that lavender is no good in this garden. It is too wet in the winter and too cold. I’m going to try rosemary along a path this year, something I have done in Spain.

The first of them to go in. A couple of upright and a couple of creeping.

And so it begins. Much earlier than usual to be honest. My tulips don’t usual appear until mid April but then again a lot is earlier this year. I can’t wait to see the colours as of course my well thought out and structured planting plan went out of the window. As it does every year.

Back to the back garden. I have to ignore the lower half of the garden by and large whilst I concentrate on the upper part getting c it ready for the spurt of growth for the perennials. I have pruned and dug over the fruit bush bed and the black and red currants have started into leaf. So have the red and green gooseberries. Note to self. Plant more red ones. They don’t get from the bush to the house. I eat them.

The perennials are forcing their way through. The astrantia always do well in this garden. I’d like to say the Astrantia Hadspen blood have come through. But I don’t know. Would be good if I kept a plan. Or labelled better. But I don’t.

This one is Astrantia beenthereforever. As in it has been there since we moved in here. 30 years ago.

Another plant that has been here for decades is this clump of persicaria. It should really be divided but that’s a job for another day. Or week.

There are quite a few clumps of white phlox in the borders. Always grows well here, great for cut flowers along with the pink phlox. I keepM

A ing to add a few more colours.

Something else we lost over time ~ the black elderflower ~ sambucus Nigra ~ so I planted a new one in a different spot last autumn. I love the colour of the leaves and the I love the pinky black flowers. Makes a lovely pink elderflower cordial. .

There are a few areas that are a problem. The ground elder has gone crazy and that is a challenge for when I feel up to it. I have dug an area for a dahlia bed but keep changing my mind. Maybe here. Nah be there and one has been dug over. The other is a work in progress. A huge one. Like climbing Everest.

So by the time I am back there will be more weeds. More growth on the perennials. But. There was a window of opportunity for one of my favourite jobs. The first grass cut of 2024. We had a good dry day on Friday and was hoping for another Saturday. But. Short bursts of torrential showers with spells of sunshine and heavy hail made me think it would be a big no this weekend. But Sunday proved to be a belter. A bit cold but with a drying wind proved perfect. A huge surprise in that the petrol mower started first time and I managed to get a decent first cut. Yet another thing in life that makes be happy. Next job. The edges.

All in all a really productive few days.

Posted on February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 by happyretiredblog · 2 Comments

Let’s get ready to ramble. On ~ & ~ on.

I can’t quite believe we are already two months in to 2024. How did that happen. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind two months. Christmas in London. Finally a new floor laid at the cottage. And endless rain. It never seems stop. That’s in the UK. In Spain it is the polar opposite. In Somerset the ground is so wet that whenever it rains it just runs off. I have had enough now.

In Spain we haven’t had enough. And when we do I cheer. It’s bonkers how different it is. The reservoirs are low. It’s winter and the Costa has water restrictions. It has rained. But it’s few and far between and the forecast there looks like no rain for weeks.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Somerset. Work has finished on the new floor and whilst that was happening we has some dry days to get out into the garden. To cut things back. To clear and tidy. The birds had stripped most stuff that could be eaten and it was time to cut the perennials right back. A little earlier than usual I think but with the weather ~ have I mentioned rain – you have to do things when you can. And when we are here. Not there. Or over there.

There’s nothing like a hard frost to make a dull garden look pretty. Not that we have had many frosts to be fair. Not enough in my opinion. But with Ian’s help the garden has been tidied ready for a spring awakening. Roses pruned ~ some within an inch of their life. Apples and pears pruned. Gooseberries and currants pruned. With all the garden waste ~ well nearly all taken to the dump. Which is under threat of closure with council cut backs. Don’t get me started on the logic of then having to drive 13 miles to the alternatives whilst reading the councils green policy. Not whilst driving. That would be foolish.

The grass is green. Still growing but far too wet to cut. The ground is ripe for growing rice this year but at least I can turn the soil over easily unlike in Spain where I need a pick axe to do the same.

I am not keen on mahonia ~ but throw a bit of frost on the leaves and it makes for a good photograph. It’s planted by the river bank and to be honest has never done very much. Possibly due to my neglect but I have given it a bit of TLC and I will see how it goes. It’s only been there for about 25 years.

I’m pretty desperate to get a cut on the grass ~ I’ll keep the bottom of the garden longer and let the daisies stay with a path down the middle. You can’t call it a lawn ~ it’s too embarrassing for a lawn. We have talked about reseeding it. Take out the lumps and bumps but a perfect lawn wouldn’t look right. It’s not a formal garden. It’s a higgledy piggly cottage garden with random planting. Pretty. But random.

It’s a shame the constant rain doesn’t drown the bindweed and the ground elder. It’s a constant battle and one I’ll never completely win. I’m a bit more relaxed about it when the plants hide it but watching it start to poke through is a constant irritant ~ and weeding does my back in.

Things are starting to show their leaves. The phlox is through , the alliums are romping away. Especially summer drummer which is one of the tallest. The pruned roses are showing their leaves. There are buds on the fruit trees.

This is one of a few small clumps of crocus that come year after year. I can’t even remember when and if I planted them. But I’ve obviously moved soil around as they have appeared in a few different places. Always the first thing or one of the first to flower. Bulbs and corms aren’t great in the back garden. The ground is very wet. Very frosted and if they do flower in year 1 they rarely get past that.

The primroses are starting to flower. I remember as a child walking the rusty line ~ an old disused railway line and picking primroses. I’ve planted a few more in the last two years and I’m hoping they will spread.

The only clump of daffodils in the back garden which come back year after year and are planted under the really ancient apple tree. But. They opened and the water from the river flattened them. I lied. I’ve just looked out of the bathroom window and have spied a lone daffodil in another part of the garden.

These are looking sparse around the garden this year. Usually the river bank is covered but the only thing that it’s been covered in over recent months is the river. Not all the time. But I think they have been washed away. Sad as they are great early pollinators. Pulmonaria ~ common lungwort

I always am a little anxious with the tulip pots. Usually right up until flowering. Have I planted enough ~ probably yes as I stuff the pots with as many as I can. Have I planted too many ~ as in have I stuffed them too full. Will they grow ~ have I planted them upside down. At times when there’s no sign of them I think they will flower in OZ.

But they are through and now I’m worrying about ‘are they growing too fast’ and have I been bonkers with the colours. Only time will tell.

This is the difference between a few weeks growth. So far so good.

I was late in planting the tulip pots and window boxes in London but they too are starting to show through. Obviously not as advanced but they are on their way.

I had a spell of buying old chimney pots to use in the back garden in London. It gave some height to the planting. There are now two planted with tulips and three with rosemary by the front door. Recycle reuse. Replant.

I am not a galanthophile ~ we have only one clump in the garden. Which reappears under the old apple tree every year. Yet never bulk up. Every year I think I’ll buy some in the green. But don’t.

The one thing that bulks are the Spanish bluebells. Another must do. Replace with British. But the list is endless. Maybe next year.

It’s a waiting game now. Waiting for things to slowly appear. To flower. To dry up. Or in Spain. To have a soaking.

It’s not been all rain and gardens. There has been some walking. . A visit to the Newt ~ a walk cake and coffee. Once it dries up it’s a nice walk from the cottage along the green lanes but at the moment there is not a chance.

I love this bridge ~ for its shape more than anything else. Not withstanding there’s coffee and cake at the end of it. Or the start depending on which way you approach it.

We ventured further making use of our NT membership. a short drive on a cold and frosty morning to Stourhead.

So there is time now to do some garden planning. The tulips are in and there is nothing I more I can do. Except watch for the poo bags being lobbed into the pots. Yes. It happens.

I’ve dug over what may be a dahlia bed. So spurred on by my friend Siobhan I’ve been on the look out for new dahlia for 2024. Last year I loved the honka’s. So I’ve ordered more from my go to supplier peternyssen

I’m hoping that some of lasts years will have survived. They won’t have died off from frost but they may have rotted. Another waiting game.

More reds and oranges to be bought form Toddsbotanics

The canna last year were excellent. A little late to the party but flowered until the first frosts. Then in a blink of an eye the foliage was mush. I didn’t lift but mulched heavily so again it’s fingers and toes crossed. But whispers I’ve been on the World Wide Web again looking for some new tall ones.

So we head into March. Today’s is a leap year. I wouldn’t mind leaping to sunnier drier days to be honest.

Posted on May 22, 2023May 22, 2023 by happyretiredblog · 2 Comments

Did I say I like Tulips?

I started this blog two weeks ago. But it’s a long story. A lot can happen in two weeks and the blog was put to one side. So as Magnus Magnissson used to say ‘ I’ve started so I’ll finish!

Have I ever say I like tulips? Ok. Maybe a few times. Like a few hundred. I don’t like them I love them. It’s not always been like this though. Once upon a time. A long long time ago I was pretty indifferent. But my fascination has grown. And grown. A bit like dahlias. Without the earwigs.

Back in 2016 it was a sedate few in window boxes in London and the Pitcombe pots. Just a few. At that stage I didn’t realise I could stuff the pots with as many bulbs as I uncoils get in.

In 2017 the pots were stuffed with a few more tulips. Not stuffed really just a few more than the previous year. 2017 was a good year. I liked them. Good colours and a limited palette.

Somewhere in between helping at Common Farm flowers where Georgie grows row upon row of glorious tulips and a visit to the National Garden scheme open garden of Ulting Wick where Philippa plants thousands of tulips each year my addiction gained momentum. . There. I have admitted it. My name is Andrew and I’m tulip addict. . Or as when I was introduced to someone at the annual carol concert at our local church ‘ so you know Andrew? ‘Of course I know Andrew & Ian – the tulip men. ‘ at least it wasn’t the Flowerpot men. And at least they knew Ian’s name. He has been described as Andrew’s friend. Which makes me smile. As does being called Mr Jones in the local butchers where I have been going for 30 years. It made me feel old then. But then again I am now. 30 years older than when I first went in.

It didn’t stop. I found out that Peter Nyssen delivered to Spain and post Brexit I could still get them direct from Holland. No issues with the paperwork and customs. That’s a big deal. No company wants to deliver to Europe from the Uk. When we first bought the house we could get John Lewis delivered. Not any more. It’s too much hassle and too expensive. You lose the will to live with customs forms and customs charges.

In 2018 the first full year in Spain I planted some pots around the terrace. To be fair that was probably the best year for tulips in Spain. This year they have definitely been pants. The pots in particular. I think that the only ones I will grow going forward is in the white wall.

The tulips in the white wall which came on leaps and bounds after a shaky start. A bit short ~ like me ~ but that didn’t matter as they didn’t get snapped in the wind. The problem is water. They need two things. A cold spell and my only option is the fridge in Spain. And water whilst establishing. Which in Spain has been an issue.

In Somerset last year I went a bit bonkers ~ and at it’s full flow the bulb supplier described it as a dolly mixture of colours. It made up for the year before when I had planted the bulbs but didn’t see them once as we stayed away during the pandemic. We did get photos sent by neighbours and I randomly saw photos on instagram. Oh look. It’s our tulips in Pitcombe.

My attitude was I didn’t see them physically that year so I’m going over the top this. Grandad who’s not my grandad ~ you know like the roundabout that’s not a roundabout said early on as they were just getting into their stride ‘ not sure about these this year ~ not up to your usual standard. He’s nothing but honest is grandad. But even he had to eat his words. They took their time but were bloody lovely. Even if I say so myself.

I went a bit overboard as well in London. The front garden in London is small ~ oh. There is no front garden in Somerset it’s just a three feet bit of gravel onto the road.

I spend ages planning. Choosing. Changing my mind and then finding that the ones I want are out of stock and have to start again. It sounds like a lot of thought goes into it. It does. I talk to a few people where we share our favourites. I plan. I buy. Then leave it until the last minute to plant. And the pot list goes to , well pot and the bulbs are thrown in. Not literally. But I start off the best intentions. A bit like my approach to diets. Good start and then it’s all downhill. Except at the end with tulips the comments are better.

The truth is I don’t learn. Planting in late 2022 was late. So late some pots were planted in late January. When I first tried to plant the compost was frozen. I needed more compost. It was frozen when I bought it. My biggest fault ~ well as far as planting is concerned. Ian will give you a list of others if you ask – is the same whatever I’m planting. It’s labelling and sticking to the written plan. Which means when I’m asked what the flower name is it’s usually the same. Tulip unknown.

The London pots were filled with leftovers from the Pitcombe pots. Tulips. Not compost. Again grandad who’s not my grandad said. I’m not sure you’ll get as good a result as last year. Someone from the neighbouring village drove past the cottage and rolled down the car window and said the same. Just wait was the reply …. He did. She did And they were pleased. But not as pleased as me.

The most commented on tulip was West Point. A yellow lily tulip. It was lovely but I think yellow in Spring is for daffodils. I liked it. Ian loves it. It will be in the London pots as a compromise next year.

The London pots were a little thinner on the ground this year. Unlike Fed the geriatric cat who matches the path. The window boxes were pretty poor. Out of the three the small one with tulip royal virgin was ok. The main one was rubbish. I realised too late that it was an old window box I was using which had poor drainage. Schoolboy errors still continue and gardening isn’t all perfect despite what we see on social media.

I have already starting the planning for 2024 and I haven’t even emptied the 2023 pots yet. I’ve added names to a list. The colour. The height. Whether it’s early or late. I’ve decided solubles are ok for the window boxes but not right for the Pitcombe pots. I’ve decided that whilst I tried Angelique again this year it’s a non runner for me again. On its heyday it was stunning but it’s lost it for me. Tulip brown sugar remains a big favourite but maybe I’ve used it too much. Tulips pretty woman is a runner. I like oranges and some pinks. People love the dark tulips and black parrot grew on me tho I’m not a parrot fan. Oh. But Rococo is a stunner. See. I’m all over the place. Here. There and everywhere.

I have told a few people if they want any of this years bulbs for their gardens then they can dig them out but don’t take the pots!. I have emptied all of the London pots as they had gone well over and looked rubbish.

This year I planted some lovely reds, which may form the basis for next years pots. I have the names of the ones I want for the London window boxes as I randomly planted a large pot which was lovely. Really big and blousy so will form the basis of the window boxes. That’s a start. Oh. And if you are asking. Peter Nyssen is my go to supplier. Great service. Great bulbs.

So the tulip spam for 2023 has come to an end, unless you go visit my instagram account 😂.

I’d like to say that the next flower spamming would be the agapanthus but we lost a lot in Somerset and some of the large ones in the London pots don’t look encouraging. So you may be spared. I’m sure I will find something. Don’t worry. I will warn you to look away. But on a high note . The tree ferns have come through the winter pretty unscathed. But I was sensible and wrapped them early. Changed the straw in the crowns when it started to freeze . And yes. I have already poo’d my plants having had a delivery of Alpaca poo feed from Arches at the Larches.

I said I had started but hadn’t finished. The blog that is. . There was a reason. Water. Not like in Spain where there is the lack of it. I could write about the three days off and one day in and the man in a motor cycle driving around the camp turning valves on and off but that’s for smith we day. Where reservoirs are being declared dead. Where the water table is so low the shallow rooted pine trees are dying. But in Somerset we got more than we wanted. Needed. Every house needs running water. Just not through the house. The garden was so wet I was planning to grow rice in the garden. I’ve always said that good neighbours are great. Awesome ones are the best. The clearance for us was done quickly and the community comes together in times of need.

We were in the centre of a storm. One minute I was checking the river. It was where it was supposed to be. 4 bricks down and nowhere near the road. The next it was coming at all angles. The one thing you can’t control. Water. I pretended to be Moses and tried parting it. I tried a Harry Potter spell. But it didn’t work. It obviously doesn’t understand expletives either. . It’s also very scary. The speed of the rise of the river was unprecedented.

It’s been an eventful week. I’d forgotten how businesses want you to do everything online. Which when it works is just fine. When talking to someone is difficult. Because the email you get says don’t respond to this email. And there’s no contact number.

But it’s only as good as their applications. We had been chased for a declaration that had to be confirmed. On an app. . We would have been delighted to confirm. Except we couldn’t. Despite telling them. We got reminders. they told us it was an IT issue. We emailed them. We had a nice bit chat in the app. All recorded. On the app. So two weeks later it’s still an IT issue. I did politely suggest to them to turn their system off and back on again. That usually works for me. Action 13. Turn it off and on. Calls to London when it should have been Somerset. Calls to tell us they would call tomorrow to make an appointment ~ quite why they did that still baffles me. I gave feedback. They listened. They agreed. It’s now better.

But we got off lightly. Neighbouring villages had front walls down. Cars washed away ~ 5 feet of water inside their houses and they are nowhere near a river. They sadly will be out of their houses for months. We won’t be. Thankfully. .

I arrived back in London to have a video call from our neighbour in Spain. Look at this he said. Look at the bloody rain. It’s awful. Not want I wanted to see ~ whilst we are desperate for rain in Spain this wasn’t mainly on the plain. It was 2.000 feet up the mountain. Over head. But the rain is welcome. The gardens need it. The reservoirs need it. But a week after a flood rain is the last thing I want to talk about.

So it’s been eventful. Thrown in with my goddaughters 16th birthday. Grandad who’s not my grandad haymaking. Lunch and supper with friends and our Somerset family.

Oh and I forgot the MG rally going through the village where the cake stall under the arch made over £300 for various charities.

What did people mean when they said to me. What will you do in retirement? Won’t you be bored!

Posted on March 10, 2023March 10, 2023 by happyretiredblog

A bit of Black and White.

It’s no surprise to many but I do like to take a photo or two. Just ask Ian. He will tell you that all my photos of him are ones of him walking ahead. That’s usually because he continues to walk on as I stop and take a photograph. Then when catching him up I take another. Usually of his back. I even had a photo book printed of a number of those photos. The funny thing is that he can say where each one was taken.

Since retiring I have rekindled my love of the camera and latterly taking photos with my iPhone. I always have my phone with me. Not glued to my ear but ready in hand in case. Not for a call but an opportunity. Years ago I took a lot of black and white. On a camera. No. Before yo say. It wasn’t a box brownie although I remember one in the house growing up. Mine was an Olympus trip. I didn’t realise that the Trip bit was a marketing reference As the camera was aimed at people who wanted a compact, functional camera for holidays. During the 1970s, it was the popular British photographer David Bailey advertised the camera. So that’s why I now realise why my mother used to comment when I was taking a photo ~ ‘ who do you think you are David Bailey!!

But with that camera photos were taken with real film with the added excitement of not instantly knowing what the picture would tell. Then the disappointment that out of a reel of 24 you might have at least one good one. If I was lucky. Then having a load of photos that were put in a box and not looked at again. My mother kept the ‘best’ ones in an old milk tray chocolate box. Now I keep them on my phone. Don’t ask how many are on here. Too many. This one came out of the chocolate box when the house was cleared. Taken in the early 1930’s and no. Not by me. Taken on Barry Island beach ~ pre Gavin and Stacey. My mother and her twin sister and brother with cousins and Granny Morgan. My great grandmother.

Back to now. My friend in Cómpeta , Dave, who is a great photographer ~ loves analogue photography, has given me the encouragement to take black and white photos again. Some on a digital camera. Some on iPhone. Some on both. Dave shoots on proper film and develops the photographs in his darkroom. I wouldn’t be allowed to be near the chemicals but more to the point I neither have the skill or the patience. It’s digital all the way for me. I envy Dave. He has more control over the finished photograph in the development stage. He exhibits his photos as well.

So this is a different blog than usual. Not a Garden blog. Not a Travel blog. But a Bit of black and white.

We have driven this lane so many times over the last 30 years. I’ve always called it ‘Pig lane’ which it isn’t. But there is a large stone statue at the top end of the road of a Boar. I love the hedges when they have been freshly cut as the road draws your eye through what could be a maze. It’s a very different picture later in the year when the hedges are in full growth. And when you meet an artic heading up to the agricultural tractor place at the top. But to me it’s quintessentially English countryside.

Hello Waterloo station. I had been in Somerset for 3 weeks and because I’m an idiot who had forgotten an appointment for 6pm on a Friday I had to get the train from The Temple of Doom up to the city. Those that know know. For those that don’t The temple is Templecombe station. A pretty little station which is handy to get back to Clapham or Waterloo. Or Exeter. Or Salisbury. I thought I had time to kill so had a wander through the concourse. Well actually above it looking down. People coming and going. All with their own story to tell. Or not.

Somerset. We can see these trees from the bedroom window high up in the fields behind the cottages. I love the shapes especially as the sun goes down. Looking back at the photos there are many shots of these.

There were some benefits of lockdown. It made us walk a lot more. We found places that were on our doorstep but we had never been to. When I was working it was home to office to home and an escape to Somerset on a Friday night. Or a Thursday when I dropped my days. This is Burgess Park. Not in lockdown but a few weeks ago. We were walking back from London Bridge through the park. No filter. An opportunistic shot. One I am framing.

Another on our walk back through Burgess Park. Quite often there are people fishing at this spot ~ little tents erected. Fishing wire. Little camping seats. Today they were the other side of the man made lake.

Competa. Trees marching up or is it down one of the mountains It’s a great sight as we drive in and out of the Pueblo Blanco. I keep expecting them to tumble down in the wind and not be there the next time we pass by. Competa is 2,000ft above sea level.

The awesome structures of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias Valencia. The buildings are awesome. Futuristic and one episode of Dr Who was filmed here. We have visited Valencia twice and will be back.

Tickets please. The beautiful station in Valencia. A stunning entrance hall. A fabulous original row of ticket sales windows. Glorious in colour. Atmospheric in black and white. This is another that will be printed and framed. Thanks to Dave I use a place in Valencia for printing as these will be framed for Competa.

Waiting for Ian near London Bridge. The shard ahead. The old and the new. After 40 years in London I still love its architecture which changes like the seasons. Buildings pop up all the time and the skyline views are amazing. The costs of getting to the skylines are amazing as well.

Valencia. I love Valencia. A walk through the narrow streets through the area with a lot of antique shops. Compra ~ Venta. We did neither. Everything I wanted wouldn’t fit in my small carry on case. But we are off to Barcelona soon and guess what. The Spanish Mr Glass has a shop there. Makes note. Take a large suitcase. Each.

This blog is like me gardening. A bit of a butterfly. Flitting from one bit to another. I do that gardening. A bit here. A bit there. A bit over there. This photo is back in Competa. Well it may be Competa. It may be Canillas. What I do know is that it’s the walk between the two.

Bilbao. It was cold outside. Cold and wet. That was us too. So we stopped for coffee. I loved the picture on the wall. We walked past the Guggenheim the night before ~ it’s such a stunning building. The people in the photo are a bonus. Currently being framed.

I liked this one so much I’ve had it framed and it’s ready for hanging. Another one in Bilbao. I just loved the street scene ~ we were staying just along the road but I never got another chance. Another opportunistic shot.

People said what would I do in retirement. Take photos. Travel. Sleep. Be bored. Never.

As a foot note. Black and white photos are timeless. Two from the chocolate box. One late 1950,s. One early 1960,s. Neither taken by me.