I have been a little distracted of late, which has resulted in a deficiency in the blogging department. The reason for being even more away with the fairies than normal is that we are moving house. To be more accurate, we are attempting to. Yes, you heard me right, we trying to sell our house in the middle of a pandemic. We wouldn’t want it to be too easy. For this reason, my mind in the last few months has often been elsewhere; wondering if anyone is actually doing anything constructive to further the cause and would someone please remind me how much an hour our solicitor gets paid for doing exactly what? In a sublime piece of synchronicity, several of my clients are also moving on, or have done already. Times are very strange on Planet Gill. Of course, to everyone in the else in the world all this is of meagre consequence, and quite rightly so. I bet our leader, The Prop, doesn’t even mention it. So, without further excusing, let us get on with the task at hand.
First, we have a plum pudding. Not really, it is a well wrapped Grewia occidentalis. This tender, cos it’s worth it, plant stubbornly refused to flower this year, possibly due to inadequate protection last winter. Slightly shamed by my short-comings I have made a special effort. Others thereabouts are quite rightly feeling a little miffed. Hopefully I will get around to them before too long.

Last Sunday I had a good clear out, horticulturally speaking. I rearranged and titivated The Step and surrounding area. The glass door opens out from the dining room, but is (luckily) seldom used. Sneaky slugs were dealt with, the disappointing dahlias put to dry and chosen pots snuggled together ready for their fleece as and when necessary. It was a cathartic experience and a start. Choices will have to be made; only the strong will survive.

Now, a lone, valiant, battered flower of Erigeron karvinskianus. A shadow of its heyday self, but still a daisy is a daisy is a daisy and always welcome.

Then, another lone survivor, the last leaf on our peach seedling. Whether this tree-ette will ever amount to anything is doubtful. Still, we don’t care, which is all that matters.

Onto, a spilling seed pod of the big blue agapanthus. It is big, it is blue and it is an agapanthus, any more I can’t tell you. Except it is liable to seed itself all over the place, which is both a blessing and a curse. I am hoping one will lodge in a pot to be carried to pastures new. Or I could just collect the seed, which doesn’t seem quite as romantic.

Lastly, a festive primula. Bright and joyful and all the things we need in these dark days.
Keep the faith, my friends. Now the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, I will attempt to shield you from the worst of our conveyancing traumas. Which I know are inevitable. And hope that sometime in the near-to-middle future we will have a new garden to dissect for SoS. Although sometimes the prospect seems a long way away.
Good luck. Moving a garden is traumatic (let alone the house bit). I hope you find somewhere nice to take your pots and self-seeders.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, I am hoping for a slightly larger garden, but we will see.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Selfishly, I’m hoping that move doesn’t take place before we’re allowed to have a proper hug again. But then I’m also looking forward to hearing about your new garden. Gill without a garden? Never!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too Mags! Not the “no moving” bit, but the hugging bit. x
LikeLike
Take heart, some friends have recently sold their house, all done during the pandemic and it seems to be going ok. Hopefully yours will work out too. And I hope you find your bigger garden!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks TT, I am sure nothing will happen for a few months yet, plenty of time for a meet up. x
LikeLike
Good lucky with house move. I argued with ours as they gave us a cost and I made it very clear that I wanted to know did this cost include everything. They later sent a bill for an admin fee which I refused to pay on top of what we’d already paid. Luckily I had it in email that their initial price included everything. I mean an admin fee! The whole job is admin and I don’t believe that many hours work for the price they charge but you have to go through it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is crazy isn’t it! We will be keeping a careful eye on them. And thanks.
LikeLike
?! Just like that? I mean, I know you mentioned the difficulty of it, but I was not at all aware that you were relocating. Goodness, you have been through a lot, and are still going through it! Well, that is my perspective. I do not relocate easily, so I assume it is a major undertaking for everyone else too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Tony, you are quite right, it is a bit of a trial!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Best wishes with the move – house and garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Paddy
LikeLiked by 1 person
Moving is the most stressful thing, then as soon as you have done it all the stress disappears and you forget why you felt like that. Hope you manage to take your precious plants with you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am depending on that! I have most things in pots, some larger bits I am donating, I have taken cuttings of other things. Trying very hard not to strip the garden!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Moving house, shudder, I have done it three times in the last twelve years (expat life). Good luck. I think your photo of the Agapanthus seed is very pretty, may it self-seed happily!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gosh, you are an expert then! Thank you.
LikeLike
Best wishes for the mig move, Gill. How are you feeling about leaving your existing garden? Are you excited about putting your stamp on the next one?
On a less (more?) important note, the primula is go h-álainn ar fad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, I don’t mind too much as I’m taking my garden with me (cuttings, pots etc) ;D I am very excited about a new garden! And yes, she is very beautiful. 🙂
LikeLike
A positive mindset, indeed! Go n-éirí an bóthar leat & an ghaoth le do dhroim… May the road rise with you and the wind be always at your back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 😊
LikeLike
Patience and perseverance, and a willingness to steer the process even though you have agents and solicitors, is required in my experience. All the best. Nice to see you have plenty in pots to take with you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I am sure you are quite right, a little pushing will definitely be necessary. 🙂
LikeLike
Good morning everyone.
Good luck with the house move!
My six: https://peerlessgardening.wordpress.com/2020/12/11/six-on-saturday-12-12-2020/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ignore my link – meant to put it on main SoS
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Adrian 🙂
LikeLike
Moving house is always so hard. I do hope you are successful at selling. The property market in Queensland is just booming, with many wanting to relocate out of the cities. I do hope the ‘plum pudding and your lovely potted plants survive the winter chills.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, yes it is the same here, we are hoping to move from ruralish to ruralish. 🙂
LikeLike
Moving house is always so hard. I do hope you are successful at selling. The property market in Queensland is just booming, with many wanting to relocate out of the cities. I do hope the ‘plum pudding’ and your lovely potted plants survive the winter chills.
LikeLike
So that offer you had? Solicitirs, like authors, are paid by the word. They do little themselves other than raise a bill. They pay some random word generator a pittance to assemble a collection of boilerplate paragraphs (the “legal executive”), then someone to proofread (the “articled clerk” who might even be an unpaid intern!) Clients are merely a handicap.
Don’t let yours call you an “important client” – those two words will cost you £50! 😏
Meanwhile, I await the arrival of my new gardening intern. 🤓
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are top of my list John!
LikeLike
Best of luck with the house move. I hope the new one will come complete with a lovely garden – well looked after, with choice plants and plenty of potential.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And a greenhouse would be very nice!
LikeLike
I didn’t know the Grewia occidentalis and I had to google to see the beautiful flowers that you didn’t get from this year. Fingers crossed for that to work … Good luck with the move…Not easy with covid.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is lovely, worth a try if you can find one over there. And thanks Fred 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t miss to send me your new address by email which will allow me to delete the old one. (Just in case for new seed swaps)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Will do!
LikeLiked by 1 person
May your new home bring you much joy (and new Agapanthus) and may it not rain on moving day. Looking forward to photos of a new garden….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Chris, those are fine wishes. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, what is the purple flowered plant hiding behind the lovely fuchsia? The foliage looks like a melastoma of some kind
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is Tibouchina ‘Groovy Baby’ and it is!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice! When I have grown Tibouchina, they have grown enormous and I didn’t have enough room to store them in winter. Is this one naturally compact, or do you prune?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is naturally compact, but on the edge of hardiness here so I think the weather helps as well. I’ve another T. urvilleana, again in a pot, which is only about 1m tall. Such a flower colour!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck to you Gill! Surprisingly the house market is very ‘hot’ here. I found it to be a stressful experience but the new larger garden space compensated for all the trouble!
Fingers crossed for you 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Gabby 🙂
LikeLike
Best of luck with the move – I hope it all goes smoothly. You’re right – a daisy is a daisy, and always very lovely to see too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, I have a feeling it will be an ongoing saga. Glad you like the daisies too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Gill – that step looks so pretty with that congregation of pots. Plus you used the word titivating which is a big bonus – what a word! Good luck with the conveyancing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, and thank you 🙂
LikeLike
I hope your solicitor pulls their finger out soon and gets things done and gives you enough notice to split any perennials or take more cuttings, etc. And, you know, pack up the shed and house. Good luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a (mental) list of things still in the garden that I would like a piece of. Glad you have got your priorities right! Thank you x
LikeLike
Moving? Nooo!!! Are you going far? I shall miss you hugely if so. I do hope we have an opportunity for another ‘horticultural awayday’ before you go..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just across the water to South Wales, but not for a while yet. We will definitely get another trip out in, and I shall miss you too. x
LikeLiked by 1 person
I seem to move on average every five years so on that record it looks like next year we will be putting our house on the market. I loathe the buying/selling process and the costs, but needs must and all that… Have you found another house? Is it still in Devon?
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are an expert! We are hoping to move closer to mum and one of my brothers and his family in South Wales. Unfortunately we are not allowed in at the moment, although we don’t really want to go as they have one of the highest Covid rates in the UK! We are planning to rent in the gap. Fingers crossed.
LikeLike
I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet, I was hoping to get to rosemoor at some point. We’ll probably move back eastwards to be closer to some of the children. We know from experience how crap it is looking after elderly relatives from afar. And we are pretty far from anyone down here. Good luck with the house hunting, when you can. We considered Wales before moving here. Saw a lovely barn conversion in Laugharne.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Never say never, we haven’t left yet!
LikeLike
😊
LikeLike
I was stopped in my tracks at your first photo! I have an identical fleece situation in my garden and the very same pegs! Mine are helping to protect an agapanthus which you then go on to feature. But there the similarity ends. No house move here, did that a few years ago now. I hope you find something beautiful very soon. Mr K will be pleased, won’t he?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! We must have attended the same fleece wrapping class. 🙂 And thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wishing you all the luck in the world for the move, lovely six today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you and thank you 🙂
LikeLike