Tuesday's work of art

I have spent all morning whilst my husband is out, shifting two tons of gravel and this is the end result.  Believe me - it is a heck of a lot of gravel -like moving a mountain.  (That is my next door neighbour's car and garages.)  The variegated holly bushes have finally after over ten years, thickened out, so that they could be cut down to make a nice hedge, and still leave me lots of foliage for my Christmas flower arrangements.

It was hard work and I am exhausted - but it was worth it.  The huge pile of gravel has been heaped up for a week, covering the tree stump - and what with me having a cold, and also being so busy it hasn't got done.  We used to have a huge silver birch tree which was taller than the house,  (planted before we moved here) but it had a split trunk and was in danger of crashing in the winter storms, so reluctantly it had to go a couple of years ago.  It covered this whole area with its canopy and you couldn't really see that there was any land here because it was full of shrubs.  Once the tree went,  it left a massive cut down trunk, so gradually I have cleared the land and made it easier to look after.

I rather wish this bit of land was encompassed within our back garden - as we don't get the use or pleasure from it at the side of our home - still I am sure our neighbours appreciate it.

The hedge has been pruned for the winter - in the summer it is a mass of colours and flowers, and covers the fence and hides my studio - but it really does benefit each year from a short back and sides.

My next task is to paint that blue pot dark brown to match the rest of the paintwork - and I really need to paint my studio, before the winter sets in.

I do make sure to leave plenty of berries on the hedge when it has a hair cut

Not only for their colour - but primarily for the wild birds.