Scratched to ribbons!

After my little jolly yesterday there was work to be done! We spent a very pleasant three hours in our garden late morning and early afternoon cutting back a number of shrubs and bushes; in particular our two Westmorland roses that grow up either side of our rose arch. We bought them a couple of years ago and chose them because they were good climbers; sweetly scented, disease resistant and not particularly thorny!

Well, they have grown really well, an abundance a lovely soft apricot coloured roses that smell beautiful BUT they have suffered from brown spot and have constantly shed most of their leaves throughout the summer which has been a real shame! Worst of all, having cut them back today, they have masses of thorns and I have the scratches and itches to prove it now!!!!

This shot is what was left of the last rose after I'd pruned it and removed it's last petals!

I think it is still very beautiful :-)