Piles

I’ve been helping in K’s garden for almost five years now, and this is the first year we’ve needed to rake up autumn leaves from the lawns.

She has three mature oak trees which tower over the garden, providing the most beautiful shade in summer and oceans of leaves in autumn. In the last four years we have had northwesterly gales in May and June, which have successfully emptied the garden of leaves. Not so in 2023. 

I spent two hours raking this morning, and there’s more to do tomorrow when I return with both the rake and my special red leaf-picker-upperers. 

I have left numerous piles of leaves around the garden, secure in the knowledge they won’t be blown apart overnight. I’m less secure about the possibility that their crazy dog, or the cat, will find the piles irresistible though. I anticipate some re-raking will be required.

At least it’s a good activity to warm myself up on a chilly morning.

A postcard arrived this morning from #2 brother and his wife, posted three weeks ago when they were enjoying a happy holiday at Treshnish. It’s the first post I’ve had with the king’s head on stamp. The first ever. It’s weird.