A Pittosporum No More

When I moved in I inherited a very tall tree-like pittosporum, in the centre behind the table in the picture below.

before (2008) - doesn't the garden look narrow?

Over the last 2 years I've had to periodically cut branches off that were too low or causing too much shade.  This year I wanted to let more light into the garden without having to loose my lovely snake bark maple, so I decided the pittosporum had to go.  I used various brute force and ignorance techniques with extendable loppers, a step ladder and, once most of the height had been reduced, an electric saw.  It took the whole afternoon, and was much taller than I'd realised (between 15 and 20 foot), but I had a great feeling of satisfaction when I finally sawed through the trunk at ground level.  

I can't even attempt to get the roots out so I've painted the stump with stump killer.   This whole area of the garden is so much lighter now, and I hope that the plants will be much happier.  I will add some height with an obelisk that a clematis can grow up, but that's a whole other tale! 

after (Aug 2010) - no tree and the garden seems wider!

Working Hard

It's raining, so gardening is on hold at the moment.  That's not all bad as it's given me time to catch up with work for The Treasure Tree and I'm hoping that I'll have another animated story starter ready for the new school term. However not all occupants of the study are working quite as hard!

 Anyone would think that chair had been put in here just for her benefit!

Today's Favourite Clematis

As I've said before I love clematis (and roses).  At the last count I had over 30 (of each - I know I must stop buying them!) but as of today this is my favourite:

 Clematis Triternata Rubromarginata

It is so delicate and pretty, and not at all like the more blousier ones which scream out "come and look at me", this one just sits there, silently, waiting to be aspied.

I do suspect though, that in time, another one may inch its way to the top of the favourite board, but we won't tell that to this one, will we?

Can You Hear A Donkey?

When I asked my neighbour "Can you hear a donkey in the distance?" she looked at me with a slightly worried expression as though I'd really lost the plot!  "No," she replied, "there are no donkeys round here."  When I asked my friend (who knows me well and understands how I think) the same question, she didn't bat an eyelid as she replied "No, but I can hear the cattle on the water meadow, it's probably them you can hear."

I didn't know there were cattle on the water meadow so I went for a walk down there to investigate.

It was a lovely evening and the thistles were beautiful - 

The swans were enjoying the river -

But the cattle were shy!  I could see them in the distance, and hear them mooing, but they wouldn't come close enough for me to take a decent picture.  But I found this one of them on the internet when I got home, and they really do look like this.  How could I have lived here for over 2 years without knowing they were there?