Fruits of our labours...

Spoiler alert: If you don't like gardening then don't read on...

Way back in March the Supreme Being and I started a project to transform the garden. We planted many, many, many plants. There was lupins, delphiniums, phlox and gaillardia. There was rudbeckia, heleniums, eryngium and echinacea. And that was just a few of the flowers that got planted...There was plums, apples, cherries, kale, spinach and beans. And that was just some of the fruit and veg. We hacked, dug, transplanted, raked and watered. And that was just some of the toil we put in.

But do you know what? It nearly all grew :-). And this summer has been an bountiful display of colour and tasty delights. Each week has seen a different slant on what is an ever-changing picture. I'm hooked.

And it's got me thinking...there could be so much more to be done. I think the fruits of this years labours are just the start of our gardening odyssey. Gardener's Question Time here we come :-).

 The cottage garden in the making

 And the wildflower meadow wasn't bad either

Me and ma garden helper

Infestation...

It all started a few weeks ago when we visited a lovely little fairy village in the woods near Killearn. It was really quite magical and educational at the same time. We learnt all about fairies - that they like shiny things and buttons - and that whenever you smell strawberries it means that fairies have been near. We saw where they live and found out all about their names, and how different each fairy can be. We got to write letters to the fairies and we even got to make a wish at the magic tree. It was all really rather lovely...

 Doors for Big and Wee People

 Posting letters to the Fairies

 The Fairy Village

 Wishes floating away

A story-telling fairy

And then it all went a bit awry. It appears one of the sneaky little people must have snuck into our car for the ride back. And then it appears they decided to make themselves at home. I wouldn't mind that much but they've made some pretty big holes in the skirting boards to get in and out and they keep pilfering all the paper clips and other shiny things around the house. Emily loves them so at least she's happy, but we are starting to become infested by them (three so far but we've only been introduced to one - Nixie).

Unasked for visitors they might be but the supreme being is definitely besotted. She writes letters with questions every night and rushes towards the fairy doors in the morning to find out the answers. She even asked Nixie to help find her missing finger light - which magically appeared the next morning. Beautiful! But let's hope they don't completely take over or we really will be away with the fairies...

 Holes in the boards, now fairy doors

The latest message to Nixie