What a weekend!

This long weekend was Labour Day weekend and the LOML and I used it (along with most of our neighbours) to get out and physically 'labour' in our yards!  I usually describe myself as lazy and while this is true 99% of the time, this weekend (indeed this whole last week!) I wasn't!

The magnificent Ponytail I found amongst the weeds - it is well over my head!

I spent three days of last week getting into the jungle that was our front yard (2m high weeds - who knew what was hiding in there!) and cleaning it all up.  Two trailer loads of green waste later and wouldn't you know it, we have a tap, a gate down the side of the house and a path to the front stairs!  I also found the letterbox and the front gate!  Woohoo!  And I am happy to report that no neighbour saw the massive stack I had when pulling on a stubborn weed and it suddenly gave way!  Funny but embarrassing!

The front yard now - before you couldn't see the stairs or the palings on the bottom of the house.  My back hurts just thinking about how much I pulled out!

It's all still bit bumpy and rocky (and in places a bit muddy) but that's what you are left with after a guy in a bobcat gets free reign to 'clear the place out' (as happened about 18 months ago when we planned to renovate the unruly gardens and cracking paths.  After the bobcat fella left it started raining and didn't stop for about 10 months hence the weeds took over).

The Mulberry tree out the front, at last all mulched and free from weeds....

So Sunday was spent getting trailer loads (7 to be exact) of mulch (more free dump mulch though not as smelly and without any face planting or dump lip) and spreading under trees and on garden beds.  Nice.  Still not finished (!) but certainly more presentable.

Mulch, glorious mulch!  Last week this area was covered with a nasty succulent 'noxious' weed.

The pine tree at the side of our house - to give you an idea of scale, that fence is 6ft high....I love this tree!

And then, because we are suckers for punishment, we spent all of today at our investment property trying to reinstate a level of control over the grass and weeds that have grown through every garden bed, up every wire fence and in between every paver on the place.  We only managed to get the house yard (about an acre) under control before collapsing from exhaustion - took about 6 hours so good effort really.  If our tenant wasn't such a lazy %$@^#* we wouldn't have to be spending our one day off together busting our butts.  As you can tell, I'm not happy. 

Anyway, I'm now all relaxed from a hot shower, have a glass of wine in hand and am sitting in front of the fire staring at the flames (well, actually, right now I'm staring at this computer screen but you know what I mean!).  Tomorrow, muscles I didn't know I had will be hurting as well as all the ones I do know I have - I'm not looking forward to that.  Maybe another glass of red will fix me.....!