Mostly Sunny.

For most of the day it's been bright and crisp with a sea mist arriving late in the afternoon making it grey and even colder. (Hooray for central heating.)

It's been a very busy day beginning for me early as I woke before 4.00 then gave in and got up at 5.30. I felt sleepy by 7.00 but it was no good going back to bed as we had people coming at 9.00. Our first callers were the windows men come to fix some snaggings (final adjustments) that our builder had spotted. We left them to it and before they'd finished the people came to start dismantling the greenhouses. A very pleasant couple and their son worked hard to take the greenhouses apart and load them up in their van. We made then tea and coffee but mainly left them alone. In the end they couldn't fit the staging in their van today but the dad will come back tomorrow afternoon for them. I'd asked them to move the heavier planters for me which they did and the dad said if we've anything else heavy to move he'll do it tomorrow. That's good because there are still some bags of rubble by the side of the house from the boiler installation. Overall today was a win-win. We got rid of the bulky greenhouses and they got two excellent greenhouses. They live up in the mountains where it's too windy for a poly-tunnel.

At first glance the back garden may look like a complete mess but to my eyes it's wonderful. Not a lot of clearing to do to turn it into a tidy spot to run a washing line. We need to replace 5 fence panels, below on the left, and then I can work out a plan for my courtyard garden.

While the family worked on the greenhouses Peter and I worked in the front garden. More harmoniously than yesterday thank goodness. Peter's project to clear the bed under the terrace is almost done and I carried on snipping away at the sides of the hedge. Then we moved to the street and got some of the top of the hedge trimmed down to a sensible height. 

Then my day was made even better by the sight of the skip lorry bringing us yet another skip. What joy to throw in bags of horrible rubbish from the back garden and many bags of hedge/bush trimmings. It's already full to the brim but we reckon we can put a fair amount more in before calling the company to take it away.

Walking up the pavement with a bag of clippings I suddenly spotted the red kite back on its patrol. I took some photos then shortly after telling Peter about it I suddenly saw it gliding low over the garden. Wow!

Sounds heard today; the lowing of a cow reminding me of living in the country, young voices of a family group walking on the beach, the sharp tweets of an eager robin waiting for us to turn up worms and the roaring of a lion before sunset. Yes - a lion, there's a small zoo which we have yet to visit, behind the village.