Sore backs and gardening

                                           

Holly berries and La Ferme des Vallots

Well that certainly sounds like a boring title but that is exactly what I have and have been doing all week. When we first moved to our farm there was no garden and the removal van was able to drive straight up to the front door. Over the years depending on my enthusiasm, time and money, the garden has been created, evolved and enlarged. There was never a plan, no colour scheme and absolutely no knowledge of plants.  I tenderly looked after seedling which turned out to be nettles in the first year! Since we had very little money, most of the garden was started by cuttings and bits of plants given by friends. The branches that were stuck in the ground with much optimism have grown to be enormous trees and cuttings and twigs of roses planted have grown enormous and returned to the wild. However gardens do like love and care and if they are not loved, the plants that are the strongest and most invasive take over and that is exactly what has happened to mine! The borage and geraniums have taken over and plants that I know used to be there have disappeared including most of my irises. The dreaded elder weed and brambles which I am always fighting against have spread and no doubt the nettles and bindweed will appear in force when spring appears. Andrew and Patrick made a valiant attack on the garden during the summer and cut back lots of shrubs, trees and roses and so my challenge is to recover the flower beds, bring new life to them and allow every flower to have an equal chance of survival.

A branch turned into a tree!

Roses still blooming

  So basically I have been digging out  wheelbarrow loads of  weeds and bringing back wheelbarrow loads of well rotted manure which I am blessed with from previously keeping sheep.I am hoping that this will rejuvenate the plants and the next step will be to start raiding my friends' gardens for new plants. Most gardeners are very generous with plants that they have too much of and so I'm hoping they will not be the same that I'm digging out.  The weather is turning colder and the autumn colours are becoming more vibrant. The fire has been lit for the first time and I have been trying to be inventive with the glut of fruit and vegetables that are around - chutneys, crumbles, soups and cakes are filling the freezer and shelves and my most successful is a beetroot and chocolate cake - well worth a try.

Chestnuts

Blackberries

  Whether I continue with this blog is another question as the title is already very misleading. I met with a couple of friends on Saturday who were a part of the small writing club that used to meet monthly before I left for Borneo and they asked the very same question. At the moment I know that there are people in Sabah who are reading it and some family and friends and I also know that writing my blog has become an enjoyable habit that I never thought I would continue. So the question is unanswered for another week........