Too Many Plantains.

Not the edible sort but the weed that is so hard to dig out of grass. My aim today was to finish weeding the topmost planted area on the slope and tidy up the grass above it. But once I was down on my knees I couldn't ignore the plantain growing in the grassy path. Even with my handy daisy grubber it's difficult to get out as it has a woody tap root as well as thick ordinary roots but once started I couldn't stop.

Once the path and the lower section of the planted area were thoroughly weeded it didn't take long to clear the rest of the weeds in the London Pride. Then came what I had thought would be the easier job of cutting the grass on top of the bank. But once again there were the plantains to dig out and some bindweed in the rubus which had to be cleared. 

Finally I needed to approach the top of the bank from the other end as the shrubs didn't give me much room to get past. I'm so used to thinking of grass as a short plant that coming across several feet of growth, a season's worth,  was a bit of a shock. I cleared a bit of it but I think it really needs a whole session just to sort out that bit so came indoors for a cuppa and a shower.

As to the weather - looking out from the house it seemed gloomy and grey but once I went outside it felt much brighter and it is still quite mild. So mild that the midges have been biting and my neck is covered with itchy bumps. Today I took the precaution of wearing a cotton scarf around my neck.