It may not feel like summer what with the endless rain this last couple of weeks and cool evenings but everything is growing at an alarming rate. The weeds in particular have been very difficult to control.  My two helpers have been unable to work for me this year, one is doing child minding for her two granddaughters and the other has some health problems. Last year I had someone for a few hours and she was extremely good but I just couldn’t afford her very expensive hourly rates. Consequently I have suffered some anxiety about the weediness of the garden. Then I had a brain wave (don’t get many of them these days) and rang a friend of a friend to see if she would be interested in doing a bit of work for me and she leapt at the chance. So, for the last two weeks, (in between the showers) she has worked with me for a total of ten hours and what a difference its made. We’ve removed barrow full after barrow full of weeds and I’m feeling a lot less worried. We pull and dig out rosebay willow herb which is just starting to flower, creeping buttercups, wild grasses and some vetch. All the time we are chatting and finding out things about each other. A real bonus is that she reads and has already brought me a book to borrow which I’m completely hooked by. Its by Rose Tremain and is called ‘Restoration’ and each time I have a coffee or when its lunchtime I read a bit more. Might finish it tomorrow!

Today there were some heavy showers but in spite of that there were quite a few customers so I didn’t get any gardening done, maybe tomorrow….