Outdoors, outhouse

We’ve had a few fine days for getting on with things in the garden, and for just sitting admiring it, so when Disgustedville’s contractors finally took the collection they found a full garden waste bin.  There’s a fair bit more weeding to do before we can plant out our bedding plants: the auriculas are coming along nicely in the greenhouse, and judging by the colours of the flowers, I think each plug contains at least one plant.  The tagetes are out there to harden off, as are the leeks.

On Sunday we set to and assembled the little shed that we need for the lawnmower, which will be displaced when the building work is done.  We only had a small space for the shed, and I have to say that it looks remarkably like a privy.  The labour involved was not spectacular, but my joints are telling me all about it today.

As I write, Martyn is fitting the shed out to accommodate the gardening tools, which hitherto have hung on the wall of the big garage, perilously close to one of the cars.  We can probably rationalise things a bit: one incidental effect of marrying late in life is that we have three garden forks: mine, Martyn’s and my late Ma’s.  At least two have become a bit snaggly, so may find their way to the tip ere long.  But it’s amazing what a 4x4 shed can be made to accommodate.  Martyn has contrived battens to take hooks from which to hang the tools, and a shelf to take all the garden potions that had been cluttering up the garage.

The old raised bed is now enriched and adorned with wigwams ready for the climbing beans (which I haven’t yet sown).  I’ve sown a row of carrots between them (having stripped off the manure I’d just spread: evidently one should not sow carrots in soil that has been manured in the preceding twelvemonth).  In the new bed, the row of rocket sown a while back is finally germinating, and I think the spinach beet may be showing itself.  The leeks are now beginning their hardening off in the mini greenhouse, so I’ll get them planted out in a week or two.

[Later]  The exertions on the shed took their toll somewhat on the knees, but today I’m a bit more mobile.  Martyn has today fitted more hooks to the shed walls, so practically all the garden tools are accommodated in the East Wing.  Martyn has sown lots of beans, and I’ve sown a row of dill in the raised bed.  Spuds this weekend, I think, when I can get supplies of compost.

Just a shame I was a bit off form yesterday when we had our first visitors for over a year: Celia and Andy came round for afternoon tea in the garden.  It was unfortunately rather cool, so we had to wrap up.  But how lovely to socialise after such a long time in isolation.  Scenes from London, where pub terraces have been thronging, suggest we should brace ourselves for a fourth wave.  We have our second vaccine doses next week, and shall continue to live carefully.