Outdoor chores put spring in my step

We have made it to April, which is great news in my book. I’m not a fan of the first three months of the year, which always seem to last the longest.

Many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder and many of the rest of us have degrees of symptoms.

I’m happy when the clocks finally go forward. We might lose that hour in bed, but I love the lighter nights with the promise of summer and sitting in the garden. Up there in north-east Scotland you are having sunsets as late now as 8pm.

Although this week has been a bit dreich, I think most of us scored with the Easter bank holiday weekend.

We did exactly what the weather said on the tin and spent it gardening, jet washing patios and generally making ready for summer outdoors.

Ollie was in control of the jet washer, I was pruning and clearing up borders, and Gordon was filling barrowloads of leaves and gardening debris and overloading the green bin.

It’s a great feeling to spend that first spring afternoon back in the garden, and as you know, I love getting chores done, so I’ve been in my element looking at clean patios, scrubbed garden furniture and tidy borders.

I’m no gardening expert, but I’m happy to have a go at most things – although I’m sure I make a lot of mistakes.

For example, I love hydrangeas but mine vary a lot from year to year and I think I’ve planted some in beds that are too sunny, others where there is too much shade, and some where it’s just right.

Like Goldilocks, it’s had to be trial and error.

Unless you are on speed dial to Jim McColl, you just have to do your best.

In the autumn, hydrangea heads turn brown and I’ve read that you should leave them like that until spring.

So, armed with my secateurs, I deadheaded all my hydrangeas now that spring has sprung.

Have I done the right thing, though? Who knows? Time will tell.

There are so many varying bits of gardening advice online that it’s sometimes hard to decide which ones to listen to.

But that’s part of the joy of gardening, isn’t it?

Some things don’t survive and others flourish, but it’s such a fabulous feeling when you see your hard work paying off.

We had a typical new house garden when we moved here almost 20 years ago and, with young children, we only cared about room for a climbing frame and plenty of space for kicking a football around.

It’s just in the past five years that we have spent time turning it into what now resembles a mature garden and, of course, the time spent at home during the pandemic helped a lot.

I’m so proud when I see pictures of how boring and empty it used to look and how it looks now.

Gardening was not the only outdoor pursuit we took part in this week.

Ollie and I put on our wellies at nine o’clock one evening and went to a frog-spotting event at the local pond.

With the only light from torches, a few villagers – young and old – had congregated at the pond and, although it’s the first time we had heard about it, this has been taking place for years.

It was such an unexpectedly enjoyable thing to do.

Ollie and I found ourselves kneeling on the little jetties getting excited over spotting different types of newts, water boatman and snails.

The funny thing was that we couldn’t see any frogs and the organisers said: “Oh, no, we haven’t seen any for years.”

Despite the frogs being absent from their own event, we will definitely try to go again next year.

Thank you so much for all your lovely messages over the past couple of weeks about me burning my leg.

It’s starting to heal now, and after having to have it dressed every few days by the nurse, this week I’ve been signed off at last.

One YL reader, Norma Breathet, advised me to break a match because this hopefully stops bad luck coming in threes.

I’ve never heard of this before but I took your advice, Norma.

Thank you, and I loved hearing that you and your mum chat on the phone about this column every Saturday night. Have a good week everyone, Yvie x

IN HER ELEMENT: Now that spring has sprung, Yvie’s been busy in the garden – pruning plants, cleaning patios and tidying borders.