Peak District Trip & Garden With Scenic Backdrop.

Birthday wishes of my wife was to go to the Riverside Herb Centre, Shop and Cafe (on Castleton Road, S32 1EG), where you can enjoy views over the river and the fabulous bird table. We sat next to the window wall with our drinks and watched the river and the huge bird table which attracts Nuthatch, Siskin, Tree Creeper, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, etc. We bought another bird feeder for our garden, and I bought a bird illustrated China Mug made by Dunoon to assist with work.

Then on to Bradwell to see some friends who live on the edge of the  Peak District village - where both ladies work from home. My wife enjoyed some pampering in the beauty parlour, while I enjoyed a couple of coffees in the garden. I particularly liked their woodburner, which got me thinking, but my wife anticipated and said no before the thought even left my mouth!

New Palm Tree

Last weekend I collected a palm tree I had purchased on Ebay for £67. The previous owner told me that the tree had gone from pillar to post, as he had moved house numerous times and its current environment was no longer supporting it, due to an exposed coastal climate and because it could do with being planted in the ground, and not a barrel. He told me that he paid £360 for the plant 10 years ago.

I've bought some more palm feed for this year. hopefully it will produce some foliage and be more photogenic in the future. 

Back Garden

Front Garden

This was the Front Garden in February 2013 after our building work to extend and adapt the house for wheel-chair access.



This is the new garden a few months later, with good wheel-chair access. The hedge at the top still
showing the signs of scorching from a bonfire I had to burn all the building rubbish.

Two Yucca's I bought off Ebay for £10, and there is not much difference between what was the smaller one and the the bigger one. The mother plant which they came from was huge.

The hedge was planted a number of years ago, and finally we got it established, although some wise guy pinched one of the young saplings by pulling it up by the roots, but he made the mistake of choosing his theft from a runner's garden - I'm a light sleeper and I chased him down the road in my pajamas until he decided to  drop it.

Nice Sun Trap, South facing, where my wife does her sun bathing, while I'm at work.