April 7

Awake at 6:10 after a good sleep. Overcast, no birds singing, no wonder I slept so late. Tim picked me up at the bus stop again. Today I worked on the west gardens behind the estate. There are 13 of them; 7 rectangular (12x8) and 6 circular, about 6’ diameter. First I hand weeded all the large problems, and then used a sharp bladed forward hoe, that you pushed through the soil to loosen and cut off smaller weeds. Then using a long handled shear I cut the grass around the inside perimeter of the bed and finally used an edger to give a crisp face to the edge of the bed. My instruction came from Jim Buckland, Head Gardener and the man really knows his stuff. He is very concerned about the smallest detail, which makes for a great job and lots of compliments from people passing by. It was very warm today and I had to take my coveralls off, working only in a t-shirt and sweatshirt. Of course I had pants on. That job took from 8:00 until 3:00 and then I started working on the hedge behind the gardens and expect to finish that tomorrow. Worked until 4:15 and Sarah Wain, Jim’s wife drove me to Lavant, to see where I am staying, as she will pick me up tomorrow night for a dinner at the James Estate tomorrow night. She and Jim will host me and the Dutch students. Should be a good time. Home at 4:30 and cracked a stout, my first, Read and listened to music on the computer until I fell asleep. Going to dinner at the Earl of March at 7:00 and will post yesterday and today to my blog and check some email.