Weekending and Monday Bits and Bobs

What a big and busy weekend we have just had. DH turned 51 and our eldest daughter turned 16! I can hardly believe that time has flown by so quickly and the baby that I cradled in my arms is now taller than me!

Sunday we visited some friends in Bakewell. They have the most adorable dog which Miss J-L totally fell in love with. The feeling was quite mutual as Bertie stuck to her side all day :o)

 Today lessons started up again after the Easter break - all went very well I am pleased to say. Both girls seemed well rested and eager to get back to work. However - a certain young black cat - whom we usually love very much - has found herself out of favour with us today. She found a Robins nest in the hedge and pretty much took out all the babies. So our morning was overshadowed a bit with the emotions that come with trying to come to terms with natures ways :o(

We have had such a lovely warm day today. Warm enough to get all the washing caught up and dried outside on the line. Warm enough to entice us outside and into the garden. I have many gardening jobs that need to be done at the moment and not nearly enough time. But today I have managed to cross off one major job that has been bugging me for ages...

I cleared the bed that runs down the side of the drive of weeds and sprinkled the newly dug earth with summer flowering seeds. Yay! I have an aching back but a wonderful sense of achievement :o) - Can you see the hedge in the background? It is finally starting to green up - Yippee!

Another heavy job that got crossed off the list today was the moving about of summer foxgloves. I sowed foxglove seeds last spring (they are biannual's) and to be able to move them into place for the summer puts me in a good mood :o). I love foxgloves, for me they are the signature of an English garden. 

My pots are beginning to establish themselves nicely, the pansy's are very happy and doing well.

After all my heavy gardening, I rewarded myself with some light 'instant gratification' gardening by planting up two new pots for the patio...

Now I do have to watch the one with the Dahlia's as we are expecting a frost later on in the week, so I will have to bring them indoors for that night - but aren't the colours just wonderful?

Last little thing to close off today, look who has come to steal the birds food! What a cheeky fellow!