Bad Weather Creates More Work
After a really mild dry start to the winter, the weather has been horrible recently. Switching between freezing temperatures one day, and strong winds the next, all interspersed with a lot of rain. The rain is the worst, as it just makes everything and everyone so wet and muddy, especially Willow! We are thinking an outside shower is definitely going to make our lives easier for dog washing.
Over in the vegetable garden we are in constant battle with the black weed suppressant fabric. Maybe we’re not laying the bricks correctly or not enough of them, but this has been happening far too regularly. The previous owner had left both the fabric and the bricks in piles by each bed so we presumed that was the system he used but we’re going to look into better ways of doing it next year. It’s a real chore having to re-do the work you’ve already done every time there’s bad weather.
The strong winds have also brought down a lot of branches, mostly smaller ones, but plenty of big ones too. We spent a few hours over the weekend picking up a lot of these, especially the ones that had fallen on the grassed areas. It’s not even like we need more wood for burning. We have a huge store of it from when the tree surgeons came late last year. and currently no working wood burners!
The general garden waste is really starting to mount up now, what with all the branches so I think we’ll have to have a bonfire next week - another task added to the ever-growing list! The kids will enjoy that and it looks to be drier for a few days so that will help.
Since we moved last year, we’ve noticed and commented many times on how much more time we all spend outside now. The combination of the way of the house is set-up with all the garden to the front and the fact we really love the grounds makes it really easy to get out. This, along with the addition of a dog and the sheer amount of work that needs doing means our life balance has definitely shifted outside. Everyone seems more in tune with their environment already and we are much more mindful of the changing of the seasons and the daily light shifts. There’s not much more special than the kids messing about in the garden with the pup as the sun is coming up. Oh and the stars, wow! There’s another whole post right there when we get the telescope set up…
We knew that winter would be tricky at times - house renovation and the chaos that goes along with it, a new puppy and the worst of the weather. If we can get through the harshest months here, then spring, summer and autumn are going to be an absolute joy.