Monday 22 October 2018

Monday

Here this morning there is a clear blue sky, a slight breeze and a chill in the air.   Inside of course, as my bungalow faces due South, the sun is warming the place beautifully and saving on my heating bill.

After living for so long on the farm (24 years) and before that in a house on the side of the beck in the village (5 years), living on an estate is very different.

But there are plus sides to it at my age.   First of all there are always people about.   Once the farmer died I could go all day without seeing a single person to speak to - in fact I usually did unless I made the effort to get the car out and go somewhere.   Now I know my neighbours both sides and we chat sometimes (neither of them are intrusive and on the whole we keep ourselves to ourselves (which is as I like it).

Then of course there is walking Tess.   This I do morning, lunch time and evening most days (Wed a friend takes her lunch time and Thurs and Fri I employ PetPals to walk her in the afternoon).  Many folk on the estate have dogs and this means I have got to know many people.   We stop, our dogs socialise for a couple of minutes while we just pass the time of day.   When you live alone these contacts are so important.

All this added to the amount of time I spend out with friends - meeting for coffee, meeting for lunch, just meeting for a chat - means that I do have a social life, which is most important.

I thought you might be interested to see my garden and how it is coming along, and also the view from the front of my bungalow and looking down the estate.

The plot that is unplanted is where I have an infestation of Mare's Tail weed.   This has been treated with a strong weedkiller and the soil has been lightened with any spare things like horticultural grit, loam, sand and such like.   Now it will be treated next year as soon as it appears - first by cutting off the early shoots and then by weed killing the long shoots.   We shall not have killed it - it is almost indestructible - but hopefully we shall begin to discourage it.   Then we shall plant lots of ground cover and shrubs and just keep at it.

In the top photo you will see that my neighbour has kindly left the last bit of a decrepit shed she has taken down (before the wind blew it down.   She has only been living there for a month) so that  there is no way that Tess can escape.
This is the view from standing on the front step of my bungalow.   Everyone is very friendly and I know - and visit - four of the houses you can see.
It is a year this week since I moved in and I am doing well.   Life goes on.

27 comments:

Tom Stephenson said...

Your garden looks lovely, Weave. Mare's Tail is a pre-historic plant, which is probably why it is such a good survivor!

Derek Faulkner said...

The garden and the estate look really nice Pat. It's satisfying to see the way in which your peace of mind and happiness with your surroundings has grown over this last year, you seem at ease with your life.

jinxxxygirl said...

Live goes on Pat even when you think the Earth should stop spinning.. Your garden is lovely .. I cannot wait to see it in the Spring! I'am so pleased that life has turned out so well for you Pat and you are content with the life you have created for yourself out of the ashes of the Farmers passing.. I admire your strength and resilience .. Hugs! deb

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Has it been a year already? I love the walls and structure of your garden. I don't know what Mare's Tail is, but I do know that invasive plants are sometimes almost impossible to get rid of. My problem is bind weed. -Jenn

Rachel Phillips said...

It has a nice wide feel about it, the road. I like that.

Sue said...

Your garden is looking really nice, and how lovely of your neighbour to think of you (and Tess) and leave some of the old shed in situ.

It is nice that when we are out walking with a dog, or two in my case, people do stop and chat or even just smile and say hello. They are really good little icebreakers when you move into a new area aren't they.

The year you have been there has gone by so quickly!!

Sue in Suffolk said...

A year already! Your garden is coming along nicely.

The houses look well spaced, not like some estates where there is hardly room to walk between the houses.

liparifam said...

Very charming! Thank you for posting the pictures - it's nice to be able to picture bloggers I follow in their actual surroundings; the picture in my mind wasn't quite accurate, lol!

Wilma said...

I like your garden - you have accomplished so much in a year. The nice thing about gardening is that there is always something to plan and do. always something to look forward to, and always something to enjoy right now.

Carol Caldwell said...

The garden is looking good. I love the natural look of the walls at the back. You do seem to have settled in very well within a year and it is great to have a social life and good neighbours.

Librarian said...

A year already! How time flies...
Your garden looks good, and so does the estate; neat and tidy without looking "clinical", and it sounds like a good place to live, with neighbours you are on good terms with while leaving each other your own space and privacy.

justjill said...

Garden is looking really great. Ours is a total mess! Shall start planning, I can still do the planning.

Living Alone in Your 60's said...

We will share our moving anniversary week. Lots of local stone in the garden. We had a garden plagued with mares tail and leather jackets. We had to use systemic weedkiller continuously for 6 months.

angryparsnip said...

I am so happy to see your garden. It was be exciting to see it is the spring.
I really can't believe it has been a year but the years go by so fast for me. I seem to be playing catch up for the last two years I was ill.Not fun.
The estate (so posh) you live on looks wonderful.

cheers, parsnip and badger

Penhill said...

So glad you seem settled in your bungalow and garden. We had hoped to retire and move to Leyburn, but things rarely turn out as one may wish as you very well know.

Heather said...

Quite a change of location for you but so pleased you have good neighbours and friends to make life more enjoyable. Your garden is looking interesting and so well cared for, and you have all those bulbs to look forward to next spring.
I had good neighbours too, but as they were all out at work we hardly saw each other. In this block of retirement flats there is always someone about and a regular coffee morning for a good natter plus the occasional special event, and everyone is friendly.

Barbara said...

I'm so glad you shared photos of your garden. It is lovely!

Bonnie said...

I love your garden and the lovely rock walls. You live in a nice area and it is so good you have friendly neighbors. It is a good place for you and for Tess!

Kathy said...

What a beautiful area you live in, love your garden, keep at it with the Mares tail, it will give up after a period of time. Good luck with your decorator at the end of the week, a few days of upheaval but it will be worth it. Take Care.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for showing us your garden. It's looking lovely and by the spring it will be even more your own.
It's amazing what you have achieved in one year.
Have you got a garden bench yet to sit and admire it?
Sue

The Weaver of Grass said...

Frugal, I am interested to read that you got rid of Mares Tail after six months of systemic week killer. My gardener followed the instructions on the very expensive tin of specialised week killer I bought (sixty pounds for a tin - enough for two applications) it was done once when the plants were twelve inches high and it killed all the top growth but I am expecting it back next year, probably weakened. The tin says it will take five years to get rid of altogether.

Jacqui said...

Your garden looks lovely - so well kept and lots of interest. I like gardening, but having one that is not too much upkeep I think is important. I have an oak tree next to mine and though it's lovely to look at, oh it does shed its leaves. In autumn I call it the great fall. Your weeding offensive sounds impressive!

thelma said...

Love the tranquil nature of your life, the garden is looking good. Didn't the Romans eat mare's tail?

galant said...

Thank you so much for showing us those views, Pat. I am now looking in again more regularly, I just think I forgot the title of your blog but now I can read of your outings again and about our dog, Tess.
I think you are marvellous the way you have picked yourself up, moved, and made new friends and how you gone out and met people. I'm sure it would've been so easy to hide away and not have gone out, but we need to see others. I think living on a small estate is ideal in later life; we need people with which to socialize if not to live in each other's pockets.
I hope you manage to dispatch the mare's tails! Fortuantely, we've not had those in our garden, but there are plenty of other weeds! Sending very best wishes from South Devon.
Margaret P
www.margaretpowling.com

Penny said...

It all looks very nice. You are so lucky to have so many friends.

GillyK said...

Walked past your house last Friday. Wandered through the estate and I was amazed at the number of new houses up there - it doesn't look like my little town!

hart said...

It is so nice to see the garden after reading about you efforts on it. I have never heard of Mare's Tail in the U.S. but I will be on the watch for it.