Bank Holiday gorgeousness

Last weekend was a Bank Holiday here in the UK and it was a scorcher, which is virtually unheard of as usually a Bank Holiday means a 3 day weekend and 3 days of rain.  The trouble with getting up at stupid O'clock to go to work means that even on a day off you still wake up at stupid O'clock and nine times out of ten you can't get back to sleep.  I usually use this time to enjoy a cup of tea and a chapter or two of my latest read.  I started my weekend off with catching up on blog reading and writing of a couple of the recipes I promised to post before the rest of the house started to surface. 

I had big plans of using the extra time off to work in the garden. A stop off at a local garden centre for provisions, which included stopping at the restaurant for a full English breakfast and we were all set. I had started creosoting the gates, fences and garage doors the weekend before and was eager to get the rest finished.  

The bearded one said I was like a women on a mission and I must admit by Monday afternoon with four fences, eight gates and the garage doors completed, I was shattered but happy in the knowledge that it won't need doing again for another two years. The garden here is a definite work in progress, apart from three trees at the back there was nothing here a complete blank canvas, so I look forward to sharing this journey with you. 

During our journey you will notice a number of items that came with us from The Willows. This little bee wind chime was a gift from Jo Through the keyhole and he now hangs in the courtyard here at the farm house.. 

Along with the real thing that are loving the Rosemary at the moment.

And this year it would appear we have our little ground bees back in residence. I never knew these existed until we moved here last year and found their burrows in another area of the garden. Having contacted the Bee Conservation Trust they told us that they are harmless the queens will burrow under the soil to look after their young with the occasional siting of a drone flying around the burrow. They stayed over the summer and then just disappeared. 

The boys enjoyed the sunshine they can be real sun worshipers but equally know the best places to lie in the shade when it gets a little too hot for comfort. I love this shot of Buster he is a really photogenic boy.

Of course even when you are working out in the garden all day you need to keep your energy levels up. My Grandmother's Tea Bread continues to be a big hit both at home and at work. Its a great energy boost and good brain food, and as it contains fruit I tell people it is part of your five a day. This week I treated my colleagues to Ginger and Marmalade Loaf which was equally well received.  Whenever we are planning to work on the garden for the day I always try and have something prepared in advance for dinner that evening, as our nearest takeaway is a half hour drive away. To me there is nothing worse than having to start preparing a meal when all you want to do is get a shower and chill out in your PJ's. With the nice weather comes eating alfresco and one of our favourites for this time of year is vegetarian tart with salad and lemon tart for desert.

 And of course there is always a little time for relaxing with a little bit of crochet and a glass of something chilled whilst watching the sun go down.

Over the past few weeks I have received some lovely comments for which I am very grateful. I would like to welcome those of you who are new to Lazy Days & Sundays. You all know the time it takes to put a post together and the thrill you get when you see complimentary comments encouraging you to continue doing what you do so a big Thank You to you all.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

Mx