This morning I received our invitation from the NGS to a "bit of a do" which is held at the County Organizers home in March.  Here the garden owners get together for drinks and nibbles, collect paperwork, see presentations which are made to gardeners and generally catch up.  After the summer we had last year I know that some gardens opened in such terrible weather that not one person turned out to see them.  All that work and all that worry and then to be totally rained off, it makes me realise how lucky we were, however this letter is a wake up call that time is moving on at a pace and we have just six months to go.  Now I know that six months may appear to be a long time but with the list of things we want to complete by then it is not long at all. It is yet time to panic I ask myself. 

It has broken my hart today to see the snow drops doing their very best to pop up from under a carpet of ivy and old leaves that cover the bank at the front of the cottage.  My broken hart is down to the fact that for the second year running I had no option but to walk over them in an effort to clear the bank of all the over grown tangle of shrubs and trees who call this area home.  We had intended to put in a solid two hours on this work but in the end we spent over three and a half hours chopping and clipping and chain sawing everything in sight!  Then there was the mammoth task of hauling all of this up the drive towards the composting area ready for processing.  The pile is almost as high as the garage and if the weather holds we will start processing tomorrow.  I must say that all this work has opened up the area and when the Ivy has been cleared then planting can begin.  A hot bath and some aspirin now beckon. 

Why is it called the blues?  This month has just been grey but this morning a little piece of spring appeared.  Whilst walking down the drive to let the under gardener out of the property on day release I noticed that some Aconites were flouring just on the edge of the woodland garden.  I ordered just five plants three years ago.  The first year I thought that they had failed, then I noticed some leaf that I did not recognize, rushing to our neighbor opposite to look at his plants confirmed that they had survived and were coming thought.  The lack of flowers was disappointing but the following year we did get a couple of flowers and now 8 or 10 little yellow flowers are peeping through the leaves.  This has quite brightened my day and imbued me with new vigor.  On the strength of this the Doberman and I are off to walk the garden and make some plans for when it finally stops raining.

Does not matter as both are a pain, I have so much I wish to get on with but cannot go far from my sinex spray not to mention feeling as weak as a kitten.  Spent a little time this week clearing up where the under gardener had been cutting down the western boundary hedged.  Clearing up all the bits took nearly two and a half hours.  We have taken it down a good deal and I have posted pictures on the web.  I think next year this will be brought down further to help thicken the base but for now this will be as far as we go as the next project beckons and that is the bank at the front of the cottage.

Being up able to get into the garden I have contented myself by sorting out my tin of seeds and shall start sowing some of the as early as next week.  I am trying a lot of grasses this year, both for the garden and also to sell at our open day. Got quite excited at the prospect. Very sad! 

I am looking forward to my birthday next week.  Not looking forward to getting yet another year older but the fact that on day day two young fit men will arrive to work on two of the trees in the woodland garden.  It is the work I am excited about not the young men!  This will allow more light into this part of the garden and when they have finished I shall be able to start more planting of ferns on the fern bank which is behind the had rail to the steps in this part of the garden.  I have had the ferns for some time but decided to wait till the tree work was completed till I planted them as it would be my luck for large pieces to tree to fall on the newly planted ferns if I had not waited. So trowel in hand all I can say is roll on next Thursday!

New years day find the head gardener a little tired after going to "a bit of a do" last night.  The under gardener and I have decided to take the day off!  Tomorrow we start work on reducing the height on the western boundary of the property to allow more light into the orchard.  This will also allow the damson trees that are in this boundary hedge to make more of a statement.  We have both enjoyed a short break over the holidays but now it is time to get back to work.  We only have six months to go till we open again for the National Garden Scheme!