Blooming Roses

Great spring show this year of this lovely rose - of which we have no idea of it's name! The other roses have been slower to bloom, most probably because we moved a couple of them in late winter and they're still recovering from the shock. We've also planted some new climbing roses to grow along the railings (now that they are painted) and they are doing well.

The end of the pink tiles

This weekend should see more work done in the bathroom. The walls will have placo, aka plasterboard, put up and, at last, the shower screens will be installed. All of which means the last remnants of the bathroom pink tiles have been removed. We had left this final corner while still using the shower over the bath. That will now be removed and we've finally found an old bath restorer so another renovation in the near future. Very much looking forward to having a walk-in shower.

Time for a drink

Wellington is enjoying having his big water bowl back in use. Just as well the pool isn't chlorinated, but is salt-based, which clearly doesn't bother him.

More on the garden

Each year we've got better with our tomato and aubergine stakes. We take note of what our neighbours do and consider which configuration of bamboo stems works best - triangles or squares. This year we were organised enough to actually put the frame in before planting (yes, we know that's the obvious thing to do) and we've gone for the square-frame option. We think we've cracked it this time, but the proof will be: a) staying put in a strong wind and, b) holding the plants up.

We planted irises under the ginko tree, a flower which grows wild here and is very much a symbol of spring. In future the growth will become more dense and the flowering more prolific. They're a bit late flowering but here they are:

And here's the first cut of the Sweet Pea. The perfume is wonderful. We have other colours starting to come out too:

The Shed

Merv's new room, aka 'The Shed' is now fully kitted out. All of his outdoor gear, which had been stored in the original kitchen, is now in the cave in it's own room. The walls have even been painted. Just one of the pairs of boots are Jane's. Everything is in its place ...

Asparagus season is here

Our regular Sunday morning trip to St Chinian market today had lots of locally-grown asparagus available. The season is slightly later this year due to a colder and wetter spring than normal and, as the season doesn't last long, we make the most of it while it's here. So, it's asparagus with everything.

The weather has turned very summery so we've spent much more of the weekend than we intended in the garden and just sitting by the pool admiring our surroundings! We haven't ventured in the pool just yet, as the water temperature is only 20C, but perhaps next week... We're back to the vacuuming and skimming tasks of pool maintenance.