Rushing headlong into the season

My camera has not resurfaced since the move. Bother, I must get another one to document what's going on here at the very least.

A hectic week, I spent a couple of days at the herefordshire gardens noting all the thousands of plants I still want to dig up, but with no room to bring them this time as I had to load up with heaps of floristry kit and caboodle I hadn't brought last time. The van groaned with one layer of composts and moss, milk churns, buckets, vintage pedestals etc, and another layer of plants as I just couldn't leave the magnificent hellebores at one end of the top garden (Looking slightly less magnificent today but next year they will be happy again) and the healthy looking clumps of perennial scabious, plus heaps of centaurea and willows for the wedding hoops, but I forgot the other things I had intended to grab. There will be many other trips.

Back here it's dry at last. So I've been rotovating like mad, hurling leaf mould at the freshly turned clay soil more in hope than expectation, and starting to plant. I do so wish I was a more systematic planner. I got one bed largely planted yesterday afternoon then lay awake half the night bemoaning my choices (and suffering from the usual annoyingly painful resurgence of carpal tunnel which has more recently become dead arm syndrome if I do too much). Where am I going to put the veronicastrum for example? What on earth has become of the boxes of veronicas? Are those purple leaves penstemon or something entirely else?

Then I had to get stuck into finally properly clearing out the old potting shed, something I only half did a while ago. There was evidence of rodent infestation, probably old, in one corner so I didn't wear the now rather necessary glasses or contact lenses which meant I couldn't see it as I really really hate rats. It was a good solution! Next stage will be whitewash or whatever the equivalent is then I'll have a lovely flower storing shed, finally a cool old stone building. And I started shelving out the garage but this was more problematic as it's currently home not only to all my boxes but also loads of really heavy black metal candelabra and candlesticks. Which are very heavy when they fall. I can be very clumsy so today I am hobbling and have a disgustingly blackening toenail as a result. I hope I'll still be able to get into killer heels next weekend.

And now I have to concentrate on gathering things together for the wedding. I already know I can't get everything into the van as I had two braziers made on stands that don't pack down.... Luckily Joe and Daisy have said that whatever I do will be fine so it is going to be a very random collection of containers and decorations. Must make a note to remember my dress as I know space is going to be very very short!

Oh and a very pleasing response to an ad for a part time gardener/grower. I look forward to meeting some of the people who have expressed interest next week. It's so different from herefordshire where it was really difficult to get good people to work outside, I did find a great team but it was quite a struggle to get there, I'm quite excited by the response here.