It was a beautiful day today, so at lunchtime I decided to get started on my spring pruning.  Thirty minutes later, three clematis and a climbing rose and been pruned and I had had a lovely dose of sunshine :).

It is always hard to cut back the clematis since it seems wrong to remove all those green shoots higher up the plant.  But this is the way to produce the strongest plant and the most buds for this year – so I do it.

Now that the working day is over and with it the sun has dropped below the roofs of the surrounding houses, it is now time to go out back to the garage and put the trimmings through the shredder, one job that can be done with the help of electric light.  

I know that I have trained the dogs to stay outside the garage, but it never ceases to amaze me that they do so, without any command what so ever.  They stood there tonight on the threshold, knowing they shouldn’t cross it –  them in the dark and me in the light. 

Only another three weeks to go before the hour changes :).