"Hello! Nice to meet you, my name is Suet." Suet's Profile

A quick update on the animals we have seen in the garden 2011:

Fox, grey squirrel, vole, stoat, white tailed deer, muntjac deer, badger, otter, rabbit, field mouse, dormouse, poodle, bichon frise, human.

Frog, toad, adder, grass snake.

Hubby has invested in a rather wonderful camera trap which is tripped by movement. It takes both stills and film in daylight and at night, which means I don't have to sit up all night with binoculars and freeze to death waiting for something to come along so that we can record it in the wildlife records. Neither of us would be any good at all sitting up all night waiting to shoot a man eating tiger.

We do most of the birdwatching from the study window and the back conservatory as we feed the birds all year round. There are many nest boxes around the garden, although strangely, some birds nest next to the box rather than in it.

I think the absolute crowning glory of filming in the garden would be to spot The Beast Of Roslin, a black panther captured on film one summer evening in the village. Imagine presenting THAT to the papers!

I have had the pleasure of many visits of guests and VTers to the house over the years, I hope that you will be one of them in the very near future.

These pictures were taken a couple of summers ago, so, if you would care to join me.....

Let's walk around the main lawn. It's a lovely day, which is rare in Scotland.

It's a spring day, the rhododendrons are out now, they flower in succession. This is a spring and autumn/winter garden. To bring summer colour I have to fight the rabbits for every bloom.

We have been working hard on the garden to minimise the basic day to day upkeep and now have a tractor to help with the mowing. I like it a lot but am slightly confused as the instructions say *don't use at night* but it has headlights....

Bottom Lawn

The bottom pond is fed by an underground spring which runs through the garden, we never have to fill it up even during very dry summers. A haven for frogs and dragonflies. If you look carefully you can see tadpoles and the odd baby froglet. This is a sculptural bed, each plant in it was put there for shape and winter colour.

We separated and planted up the candelabra primula a couple of years ago. They stand like little soldiers, pink and yellow. I'd love to have newts in there.

It's cool down here, even on the hottest day. Watch out for the dreaded scottish midge... I 'm not talking about Alex Salmond.

Orange and yellow rhododendrons

Let me show you two species of Rhododendrons.... the yellow one is very spicy scented, quite delightful. The orange red one is a delicate scent and they are both set off by the tiny white flowers...

Tell me, how is your garden? I like small ones, they are easy to keep and the container ones are even better. I once had a house where I had nothing but window boxes and hanging baskets. It's easy to make it look very pretty like that. The French can do a wonderful display with just one species of geranium.

Can you hear the birdsong? As it is Spring, all the birds are getting ready to nest. We live on the edge of a country park, so all the birds and animals come into the garden for food. We have deer, fox, rabbit, squirrel, all the usual garden birds, but lately we have had buzzards nesting here.

I keep the garden as chemical free as possible and grow the plants the birds like. We have woodpeckers too.

Day Irises

We planted this bed up last year. Brought the plants up from the bottom area. Rabbits don't like them, so they grew and flourished. I like the purple and various blues in this flower. They last quite a while, a few weeks at least.

Tell me, what is your favourite flower? one particular colour or do you like a variety? We change the colour schemes here in the summer beds each year. However, in the perennial beds, I am favouring red and yellow. Yellow flags and red crocosmias. Tall elegant plants.

Delicate Pink rhododendron

I love the delicate colour on this one. If you look closely you can see the pretty markings. It has a sweet scent, care to smell it?

This is part of the big central bed which has lots of different shrubs in it. The garden was planted with scent in mind, nothing here doesn't have some kind of perfume. It would make a good garden for a blind person or one with little sight.

Too many species of rhododendron here to exhibit, perhaps it would be better to come and see it yourself!

a shady corner

I was thinking as we were walking. What are you going to do with your life? How will you teach the next generation? What legacy will you leave behind you? Actually, these are questions I ask myself from time to time. Probably the best plan is to do the best you can now. Just go and do it. if you want to go and see gibbons, then go. Gorillas? do it while they are still around. I have travelled and lived all over and count myself fortunate to have done so. I think travel makes you a *rounder* person, don't you think? Makes arguing and fighting a really silly thing to do. Life is so short, we need to enjoy it and pass on our knowledge to others. I always believed in being compassionate to my fellow human being. I try to protect my small portion of the earth and encourage wildlife to flourish.

Yes! I am an old hippie! I really do believe we are here to help and encourage, protect and nurture.

Sparky Dog!!!

My Sparky Dog died on Saturday 8th May 2004. He was a wonderful dog, a gentleman, the perfect companion and friend. Had a good sense of humour and loved babies and children..... I miss him so much. He is now laying next to Mickie 2 in the garden, wrapped in his favourite blanket and presumably dreaming about chasing rabbits in the Long Sleep. My Sparks...

Mickie 3 now thinks he is Top Dog since Sparks died. Miss Fat Molly Dog has quite a bit to say on the subject and at times I need to separate them.... it's extremely difficult to sleep when there is a severe dog fight on your pillow and you are in bed at the time.... sigh however, I would not be without them despite biscuits in my shoes, bones stuffed down the sides of the sofa and squeaky toys in the ear at 2.00am.... Puppies are the BEST things ever!

Peony

It was a short tour, around an hour. I hope you enjoyed it, the respite, the calm and the peacefulness of it. I hope that one day you will find time to visit your own local haven, or if you have it, the garden at the back of your house. Take time to smell the flowers and forget the lists!

Have fun!