Border patrol

I know, I know -- it's been ages! But I've been busy, really busy, succumbing to the lure of the garden. We've had a couple of weeks of beautiful weather, and now that the clocks have gone forward, it's possible to spend two or three hours digging out ivy or hacking away at brambles after work. As we did this evening. And Tuesday. And Monday. Wednesday, we went to the dump to deposit the fruits of our back-breaking labour. Sadly, I must have been one of the only people who woke up yesterday and thought "Goody! It's April 1! The Eastleigh dump is now open until 7 each evening!"

It may be hard work, but it's also hugely rewarding -- as long as you look back at what you've done, rather than forward at what you have yet to do. However, we've cleared two large borders that were completely overgrown; we can now see the fence panels (and start to repair them); and I've even planted out an "evergreen collection" in the border by the front door, which we'd cleared on Boxing Day. Ordering plants on the Internet is a new and dangerously appealing hobby -- better than ordering books because the plants don't need storage indoors. I have busy lizzies and diacanthus coming later this month, and have sent off for some free, late-flowering bulbs. My onion sets are coming along nicely, the herb garden is going wild -- mint to the left of me, parsley to the right of me -- and after some hard pruning over the winter, the roses are coming back. Yay! Of course, I will feel far more despondent when all of these things have died in a couple of months' time, but for now, I'm taking photos and feeling happy.

I never thought I'd enjoy gardening as much as I do. Perhaps it's because it's such a contrast to my day job -- in which I sit in front of a computer and read tech reports. To then go out into the fresh air and get my hands muddy (and scratched) while the cats gambol around us (and then use the freshly dug soil as a deluxe toilet), well, it's just wonderful. I've also abdicated responsibility for the lawn to a local firm, which is killing moss, scarifying the thatch, and generally making it look top-notch. In just a few weeks, our garden has come on enormously; instead of making me feel depressed, I'm pleased to go out into it. Pictures to come.