Transformation

A week of fine weather saw us industriously developing our former parking space into what will largely be a vegetable garden with a few ornamentals around the edges to screen it from the lane. It's hard work digging up the compacted road base and amending it with good soil, but we are making progress.

The raised beds, made with lumber left over from repairs to the house exterior, may not be elegant,

but the veggies don't seem to mind.

We've already had one small meal of rapini and spinach sauteed in a little oil and garlic. it was delicious.

In the long bed behind the car. I've planted a Mahonia 'Winter Sun', which I chose because it is reputed to be smaller than the other popular cultivars. It looks a bit lonely now, but will eventually fill out that end of the bed, and its yellow winter flowers will, I hope, attract any hummingbirds in our vicinity.

 Even without flowers, the foliage is pretty.