Woke up to the beginnings of Storm Brian this morning, no breakfast in the garden today.

But yesterday I managed to do a bit of weeding in the Aquilega patch. This is a problem area that is in full glory in lateish spring when the aquilega are in flower and the bees are happily buzzing round them but is a bit of a disappointment once they finish. I keep trying to introduce things to follow on but withlimited success. One of the mistakes was putting a tiny piece of Bears Britches in, far from not being happy there he was absolutely delighted with his new home and decided to take over, so yesterday I was trying to evict him to give the lawful residents some room.

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I hope Rosemary will be a bit happier now, she was a gift from a friend and does not seem too grateful for being liberated from her pot only to have to fight for airspace.

The ground is a bit clearer now, hopefully the primroses will reward my industry in the spring with a good show of flowers. I might get some daffodils to keep them company.

Now all I have to do is get rid of this pile of rubbish. 

Maybe Brian will blow it away

At last I've got my shed up and running to make my candles again, I'm trying to build up a stock ready for Christmas.

At the moment I'm melting down old candle stubs to make new ones, waste not want not as mum used to say.

And then when melted pouring into a mould and left for an hour before topping up as the wax shrinks as it cools.

Working space is a bit cramped.

and needs tidying up .

This is the view from the window, the chair is in the way , but the ground is too uneven to move it further over. I can still see the birds on the feeder at the end of the garden.

And here's the first batch finished

Not bad for waste wax and a garden shed.....

Yesterday was a wild day with ex hurricane Ophelia lashing the garden, luckily not causing any damage to my little world although there were reports of trees down in surrounding lanes and the high street in our nearest town was closed due to falling roof tiles. Strangely one of my window boxes, the one with the spinach in , seems to have been lifted from the coal bunker and deosited right way up on the path next to it.

Today I'm gently swinging in my new chair , which I'm totally in love with, enjoying a cupof tea in the sun. There's something magical about the chair , it caats a spell over me and I can sit here for hours just watching the birds on the feeder in the willow tree at the end of the garden.

Since I bought the seed from Haiths there have not been as many sparrows out here as there used to be, (they still have the normal seed in the front garden so you needn't feel sorry for them!) It's certainly a lot quieter and there are more bluetits, great tits the odd coal tot and I think I spotted a willow tit the other day. My friendly robin is enjoying the fat robin food I got for him and the dunnocks are still mopping up what drops to the ground which I am supplemnting with golden chorus and insectivo prosperous. I even spotted a goldfinch the other day.

Rogan is asleep at my feet

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and the afternoons reading matter is on the table at my elbow with the all important cup of tea.

Perfect.

Clematis Montana, should flower early in the year in spring, I think you are a little mixed up dear.

 I cut her well back after she finished flowering because she had swamped the old archway and was stopping me getting into the rest of the garden and I wanted to put the new archway up. Since then she has decided to attack the house and is trying to pull the drainpipe down now!

A quick view through the new archway before it gets swamped again.

Just sitting in my chair, thinking about what needs to be done.

The breeze, ok wind,fairly chilly wind if I'm honest, is gently swinging me and the dolphin wind chime above my head is tinkling a merry tune.

My dog at my side, guarding the secateaurs I was using a few moments ago

I was trying to cut back some of the jasmine to give my rosa rugosa a bit of breathing space. The jasmine has gone wild this summer and over run the whole of the back garden.

I've just spotted an ash sapling that needs removing, pity really as my ash tree in the front seems to have the dreaded ash dieback. I'm sure that when the council cut her back they weakened her and let the disease in.

It's cold sitting here I'm going back inside to watch garden rescue on the telly.

Lucky birds had a food parcel today.

A selection of seed from Haiths,

And fatballs from Dog Food Dave.

One little sparrow saying thankyou,

but no one has found the fat balls yet.