Garden

Wouter has been busy tidying up the garden. There was heaps to do and we were just waiting for the right weather - a few dry days so you don't get mud stuck to your boots and end up wearing "platforms", a bit of sun so you don't get wet while working outside, etc. So after a week of dry weather we decided it was time. There were poplars to remove - they were a hedge along the eastern boundary of the propery and a lot of them were rotten. Some we cut down earlier and already used for firewood. The latest ones removed will suffer the same fate.

The pines which contained the chenilles (caterpillars) processionaires have been chain-sawed into slices and await chopping - they need to dry and split a bit as when Wouter tried it, the axe bounced back. Obviously they behave differently here to in nz - I guess it's because they grow more slowly and therefore the timber is more dense. I'm sure if it's anything else, one of the readers will let us know.
There was/is also a lot of poison ivy growing through the as-yet-non-existent-lawn which has been and is being pulled out. It was also growing in, up, around, through, into the poplars, the ground around the poplars and so on. So Wouter has been busy clearing it all away. Whew! Quite a lot of wheelbarrow loads of rubbish has left this part of the garden. We figure it's also a deterrent against the chenilles returning to burrow into any soft soil and try and nest in our trees again. We want to make it as uninviting as possible for them.

Since the poplars were cut away we now have a view over to the vineyard on the eastern side, and further towards the Corbiere mountains. Also the place just looks more airy and inviting.

We have decided to plant oleanders along the fenceline and hedge them about one and a half meters high. This will preserve the view but give the place a Mediterranean feel. Yes, we do know they are poisonous but as we don't have small kids around we figure we are safe enough. They are on our side of the fence and we'll keep them trim. Behind the fence is a sloping garden from the council which will prevent anyone getting to close to them over there.