Daunting chores

Blazing sunshine now at 8pm, but we have had one of our tremendous Ardèche thunder storms. Tropical intensity rain, lots of lightning and thunder, and all the little blue tits where whirring about the trees racing to escape the worst. I had hunkered down – all appliances off, all windows open and marvelling at the show. Fortunately it has cleared up enough for me to plant up the three pots of thyme we bought from the garden centre, and place string markers over the rows of seeds I have planted. With all this rain almost all trace of the rows had been obliterated. So now it’s time to settle down to tidying this desk, resizing the digital pictures, and maybe, just maybe, starting a garden plan.  The colour combination for the border beside the house needs to be green and a dark red. That way it won’t clash with the green of the mulberry tree and the incongruous red of the rose bush. But then the roof tiles it will abut are orange. Oh dear. Did I even mention the visit to the garden centre? It wasn’t the way it should have been. A rush and dash and I was whimpering with desire to slow down and linger over the gorgeous plants. I did manage to scoop up the chard and the salad and the thyme. Plus lots of seeds. But I really wanted to get some purple sage – not to be. None in stock. I may need to search better, or just bring things over from

London.Monday garden chores – added rich, rich compost to the barn border. And even started on the future asparagus and raspberry beds at the top potager. Before the heat and the humidity defeated me. The compost is that which has been mouldering under a bed of straw for what seems like years up at the top potager. And it’s as rich as chocolate cake. If I can persuade Tony to do some more heavy digging, I would love to add lots to both top and bottom potagers. It is in the wrong spot right now it would be great to get the old structure dismantled. There is also a wealth of chicken compost to get out the coop. But that’s a ghastly job. All dust and gasping and yech.  Actually I got a bit scared about the amount of work today. The terraces above the pool are in a very sorry state. And I just can’t see how we are going to easily stabilise them. Let alone make them attractive. We received the quote for the landscaping today. It’s more expensive than the pool itself. But the quote is the most ambitious and M. Vivion included all elements so we can pick and choose. We may back out and choose M. Pontgerard instead. He comes on Saturday morning at 9 to discuss. I know we have house guests then, but we have to forge ahead with these appointments. I’m just so grateful that anyone will come in August. Watered my little rows, pruned the rose bush as much as I dare. It really needs a good sort out and that will have to wait until autumn. It really is confounding me by producing so many buds. That’s what deadheading will do I suppose.