A week away at a beautiful wedding in Sicily reminded me how quickly things can change in the garden back home..

After a hectic, but oh-so-enjoyable, week in Taormina with friends, we arrived home so late last night that dawn had broken as we drove up from the airport, and it was fully daylight when we finally dragged our weary bones into bed.

A gentle, meandering day was required as part of our recuperation – so a stroll into town along the river; some coffee, and a take-away salad lunch brought us home to sit and wander in the garden.

The front garden which faces south, and gets all the attention, was becoming its usual lush summery self. The Laburnum will soon be in full yellowy bloom. The maples have put on their magenta coats, and the weeds are making their presence felt – after a few half-hearted pulls at some of them, we decided that it was a job for another day!

The Fluffster, glad to have us home :)

The north-facing back garden offered even more excitement. The gooseberries are certainly on their way. If I don’t pick them quickly as they ripen, we have some very fat pigeons who’ll do it for me!

And the blueberries are coming along nicely too – Is it totally unacceptable to think of my habit of freezing some of our own blueberries for our special Christmas Morning Blueberry Pancakes? Yes? Oh, ok..

I know they’re green, not blue, at the moment, but it’s only a matter of time..

Our lovely old Hawthorne tree (growing in our garden long before we moved here) was in it’s full, scented glory, after its rather worrying failure to flower last year. My policy of talking to it, and being nice to the Fairies has obviously worked! In Ireland, Hawthorns are known as Fairy Trees, so I’ve been very careful over the years to ensure that no harm comes to it.

Only a week’s absence has also changed the character of the weeds in the garden – the Dandelions all now sport their beautiful feathery heads.

As children we used to blow at the dandelions to see how few puffs could empty the head! And the little daisies kept us occupied for hours as we made crowns, necklaces and bracelets from daisy chains, so it’s hard not to be sentimental about these old garden perennials.

In the absence of our lovely Roy, who normally keeps our garden in check at this time of year, I’ve been learning to love all the wild flowers which appear to have popped up in the week we were away..

Apart from the Buttercups, I have no idea what the others are called!

Answers on a postcard please..

Some people would be ashamed of my weedy garden, but I’m not! As my Mum always said ‘a weed is just a flower growing in the wrong place’ – Thanks Mam

Have a good gardening week xx

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