Unless things reverse, which is always possible, it looks like July will see some return to normal life, so I’m preparing to go back to work.
Of course, having moved to the Scottish Highlands mere days before lockdown, this will entail a totally new ‘normal’ for me. I will now be travelling hundreds of miles for a few days of intense work, interspersed with periods of no work at all. This was always the plan, so now to see how it works!
So before we exit lockdown here in Scotland, I thought I’d take you on a wee tour of our (outdoor) lockdown endeavours. I’ve posted some pics of the amazing (even we are amazed) transformation we’ve wrought on some areas of the garden, and now it’s time to sit back and reap the rewards. Yesterday we had our first (socially distanced) visit from friends, and it was so delightful to sit and enjoy our garden, instead of working in it!
To the tour!
As you enter our gate, this bed is to your right – still to be sorted out, but fairly well stocked already
and to your left is this larger bed
Most of our work so far has been at the far end
And looking straight forward from the gate
Along the right hand side of the house, the delphinium planters about to explode with flowers
Walking along with the big bed on your left, we come to the main flower gardens
Walk between these two raised planters into our sanctuary garden. Still a lot of work to do in here, but we made a start with the central bed and some hanging baskets. We have plans for the bank, and for the bed at the far end…
The pea poles and string arrangement is to keep the dogs off, and so far, it’s working!
And then alongside this, we move into the veg garden
Inside the poly tunnel now
Just a glimpse of the main veg beds here – as you can see, they are growing well!
And the Lollo Rosso is doing marvellously in front of the pink fir apple potatoes!
Moving on, another raised bed
And then looking around to the right
Opposite the red hot pokers, this used to be a hugely overgrown soft fruit bed
And so we move on around the rear of the house (or the front, depending upon how you look at it – the front door is actually on this side of the building, but we never use it).
There was a small bed on the left which is also a project for another day
And then finally, the last area, back around to the side of the house – another project in the making, we are planning a rock garden on the right hand side to cover the roots of the tree, and then some decisions yet to be made about the remainder of this area.
I hope you’ve enjoyed your virtual tour, I have no doubt there will be further updates this summer, but for now, it’s back to work!
deborahjay 
Beautiful! I love how your hard work and hours of effort are coming together with such harmony.
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Thank you Connie – I can lose myself for hours in weeding and planting. Fortunately that clears the mind for plotting!
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You have a lovely garden, Deborah. Gardening is a lot of work. I hope that your return to work goes well.
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Thanks Robbie, I’ve always loved gardening but never had anything on this scale to play with before – it would have been daunting, but lockdown was ideal! I’m actually rather sorry to be returning to work, even though I love my job.
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A wonderful trasformation! In spite of the canine help…
Oddly…or perhaps not.. my Ani always goes into guilt mode when I ask if she’s been digging again 😉
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😀 😀 😀 Ours do that too! All bar one of the hounds, who just looks at us with an ‘and your problem is?’ expression. He’s the classic gorgeous male with not a lot between the ears…
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Ah… there is nothing you can say to those 😀 😀
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No indeed. Still, they all have their charms, all nine of them 😀
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Nine…. that’s a lovely pack to have 🙂
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It is ❤ – that's why we need so much space!
Some of them are quite elderly now, so I expect it will shrink a little sooner or later, but we also foster, so it's never going to become a small number!
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I have to say I’m envious… ❤
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❤
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Wow, your gardens are amazing!
Congratulations on bringing so much beauty into your/the world.
Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for joining me on my ramble, Icky 🙂
We took coffee in the garden this morning again, so we are finally starting to allow ourselves to enjoy the burgeoning colours.
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I can’t even imagine how much work that was, Deborah. And thank you for pointing out the pup. They always cheer me up.
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10 weeks, at least an hour a day, sometimes half a day. The added benefit is that although I ate more during lockdown, I’ve lost weight!
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Spectacular work Deb. The fruits of your labor are paying off beautifully. Had to wonder about the dogs until you displayed your beanpoles- brilliant! I commend you girl! ❤
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Cheers ❤ I wasn't convinced they'd work, but they have done so far. The only recurring culprit is no matter how fast we fill in the huge cavern beneath the escallonia, the collie digs it out again. Currently trying to decide how to proceed with that one.
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Lol, you have your work cut out for you – dogs not digging LOL 🙂 xxx
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You are so right!
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🙂 🙂
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A beautiful garden. Your photos bring such a feeling of wellbeing, Deborah. Enjoy your piece of heaven.
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Such a lovely observation – thank you ❤ I am thoroughly enjoying it, and glad I can share the pleasure.
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