The rat noises have quietened, my insomnia is still apparent, and I have a new sieve made by my other half to riddle weeds and stones out of my soil. It’s hard bloody work though! He has taken the dog out while I continue! Why don’t I like Astro turf and plastic edging? Could lay this garden out in minutes! I was told to do exercises after my surgery a few years ago and riddling is making those muscles sing! Blimey!

And the rain came on! But we have roses out again and the scent is amazing! Hubby is right when he says we should try to keep them, I just have to find ways of planting round them and making areas round them accessible without pranging myself?

I’ve bought so many gloves to try to find the best pair for me. Fact is I got a lovely pair at Wisley, thorns go through. And another two pairs from a local shop which work (ish) so I’ll have to be selective and get the long ones out when it’s pruning time!

We’ve had a lot of fun developing ways to work the garden. Now it’s graft to keep on top of it.

Speaking of which I’ve just pulled a load of couch grass/dead grass so that we can lay the tarpaulin we bought yesterday and lay it beside the area we have set aside for the slabs and I spent endless hours digging last year. It’s an area that gets a lot of sun, the bushes are predominantly yellow flowering so I need to add black? Maybe a sambucus nigra or a fatsia japonica? Suggestions please? Must be sun loving and appreciate neglect as well as random windyness? Must pay more attention to the names of plants on redesign programmes! Though I am building a list in my head, often it disappears when I am seduced by alternatives in the garden centre.

I love it when a plan comes together!