A few comments & photos to update....

Very pretty poppies and the grass is doing well Whiston, tha grandchildren are enjoying their play area......

Your Dad looks a real gem! :))

It's looking really good already and the children obviously love it. All that rain has done some good.

What lovely photos of that new lawn of yours Jacquie. Your grandchildren certainly look as if they are enjoying it.

Oh WLass that lawn looks sooooooooo lush and its nice to see how the grandchildren are enjoying it. Your dad has such a friendly smile, much like yours on your avatar.

Lovely blog and the garden is looking so lovely and the grand kids looked like they loved it too:)

Nice one Whistonlass love it, it is look good.

Your grass is looking so Lush WL, and the grandkids are enjoying themself again, thats what gardens are for :) I can see your borders are filling out nicely to, well done to you both, I see your Dad was a train driver, he has a lovely face and smile. Happy Fathers Day to all the dads on GOY...

Your garden has really come on leaps and bounds - brilliant it has all come good for you - lovely to see the grandkids enjoying too :):):) Lovely thought at the end for your late father too :):):) great blog

It must be so lovely to look out and see a beautiful garden complete with beautiful grandkids!! It's looking fab, so green and lush! And those poppies are gorgeous, collect some seeds from them and I'll send you some Ladybird poppies! Your lovely Dad looks just like you! Keith's family were very involved in railways over here, during the 'romantic' steam days! By the way, Lucy is spayed isn't she? You don't want the sound of padding paws!

Your grass is like an ad. for a lawn product ... so lush & green! Your grand daughter looks happy running barefoot on it too. Lovely Poppies and great photo of your Dad. : o )

I'm blushing now....all the lovely comments on here tonight!

Just to ease Libet's mind...yes Lucy is spayed. We got her from the Cats' Protection League and they will not rehome a cat before it has been "fixed"....so no unexpected kittens will be arriving in our house.

We are very pleased with the grass...many of you have commented on how lush and green it is looking. It will be time for a haircut soon...maybe even this week :)

My dad did have a lovely smile and disposition and it was nice to see your kind comments...I do resemble my dad's side of the family as some have noticed. He was a train engineer for almost all his working life...lived and breathed trains!

Happy gardening....Lincs, Karen, Marshmallow, Marie, Stroller, Nana d, Olive, Youngdd, Paul, Libet and Shirley. You are all very kind..thanks for have a browse and commenting :) x

It looks wonderful now - as if it's always been there. You must be very pleased :o)
Nice to see the kids enjoying it too. That's what it's for.
And Lucy :o)
Lovely photo of your father. He looks jolly ...

Very kind of you, Hywel...you'll get no argument from me....I think it looks wonderful too. It still seems surreal to look out on such a nice sight. Hope you are well, Hywel. I've not been on GoY as much as usual and am so far behind with everyone's news!

It's a lovely, sunny day so the garden is where I'll be found :)

This is my first time for a few weeks. I'll never catch up with it all. I think you just have to see what you can when you can.
Enjoy your day :o)

Nice to see your granchildren enjoying your garden...its all looking very nice...... love your free poppies....

Thanks Holly....yep, the poppies are lovely. Hope you are feeling better today but taking it slow and easy.

gardens looking great w.l. wish my grass wud hurry up and green lol .............. going to cheshire show to moz ............ really looking 4 ward to that lol , and puddleducks garden on fri .............. wit wooo lol , meeting up with heron and his oh there as well ........... going to be a gud week lol .................. take care and enjoy your garden hun ............ ps has the wether taken a turn 4 the better , !!! lets hpoe soooooooooooo xx

Those poppies are a very pretty colour, definitely save their seeds, Whistonlass.

No wonder you are pleased Jacquie, your garden is looking great and the lawn is so green. Can't believe the difference it has made looks like a totally different garden.So nice to see your Grandchildren enjoying it too;0))

Your garden is looking good , love the phot of your dad :)

Cristina, I hope the rain clears for your visit to the Cheshire Show tomorrow...it's been lovely and sunny up until about 2 hours ago...now the rain is coming down! I know the rain doesn't deter you...lol....so you'll have a great time.

Xela...the poppies are such a lovely surprise and a rather unusual colour I thought...definitely will save some seeds.

PP...it is amazing that the grass has grown so well. I had hoped we would cut it this week but looking at the weather forecast tonight it appears we are to expect rain all week...may have to give that plan a miss.

Thanks... yes getting better now.. : O ))

That's how you came to be in BC, then? Your dad worked for CP? That is a lovely way to honour him, Jacquie.
Bless our Dads...mine's been gone 16 years now.
The garden looks wonderful and so purposeful...children romping, cats gathering...lovely surprises by the driveway...It's all good!

Aww thanks Lori....I was born and bred in Vancouver, B.C. and didn't leave the province until 1983 when I emigrated to the UK with my hubby and our two young children. My dad actually worked for B.C. Electric (later B.C. Hydro), on passenger trains initially for many years and later moved on to freight. He lived and breathed railroads and wanted to get over to the UK so he could see the railway museum in York but sadly that was not to be.

Yes, the garden seems to be a hit with everyone, Lori. I felt good this morning when I first got up but after awhile I was feeling quite yukky....back to bed to rest/read and I've just eaten my dinner, hoping all will be ok! Feels like a wasted day! Tut, tut!

It's good to know your dad was precious to you too, Lori. Not all children have happy childhood memories with their dads so we are very fortunate indeed.

Train Driver - Old School - salt of the earth... :))

Yep...no argument from me Crissue :)

Hey Jacquie, I agree with everyone else, your grass is looking lush! I'm quite envious and wish ours was looking as good! (still waiting for the re-sowing of the front lawn gah!). Glad to see your grandkids are all enjoying it though :) Love those poppies too!
I went to the cheshire show yesterday for the first time :P Was good... got to see lots of pigs and cheese, and had a nice chat with a lady about beekeeping. Like you and Hywell I am miles behind on GoY! Hope you're feeling better today and that you get the weather for grass cutting soon! It seems to have been raining everyday for weeks! xx

Jenny....thanks for your nice comments on our grass. We have been out there this morning and willing it to have a chance to dry out...it really needs a cut now. I am so pleased the turf has given us such a good growth of new grass. I'm looking forward to seeing it after it has a haircut!

It is good to hear you got to the Cheshire Show....I didn't realize it was on just now. I must keep better track of these fairly local events as we live very near to the Merseyside/Cheshire border so not too far to travel. So are you thinking of keeping bees?

I am feeling much better today....we've had fairly high humidity the last few days and I have convinced myself that was the problem! Cloud and sun today so have been able to get out in the garden for a little while and enjoy seeing things growing and feel the breeze on my face :) I'm busy plotting my next project of the rockery/shade/woodland small section at the back of our garden :)

Hi what a lovely layout and it looks nice size too. Once the borders mature it will be fantastic. The idea of a rockery sounds good, hope you will blog some pictures once you are done.

Your garden's looking good Whistonlass. Like Hywel says, it looks as if it was always there. The grandchildren look happy running up and down in the open air and sunshine. My lovely grandad was a newsagent at Stockton heath near Warrington. A busy, long day. Mum and dad used to help with collecting on Sundays and delivered the Warrington Guardian on fridays. We have one purple poppy, like your picture, in the garden. It was in bud when we went out and only one petal left when we got back! What a lovely way to celebrate fathers day.....my dad had a lovely sunny disposition too, so did his dad.....but not the ladies;-Lol

Yes John, I will blog as things progress in the garden. Thanks for your encouraging comments too.

Dorjac...it is the garden I've dreamt about for such a long time; pleased you like it too. Yes, being newsagents could be hard slog and although we miss the contact with lovely customers we do not miss the early mornings, long days and always being on a tight rein to get back to the shop if we did take a few hours off! Retirement is such a lovely reward :) Stockton Heath isn't a million miles from us....interesting that your grandad was a newsagent there.

I've had another poppy appear now that is more of a red tone, larger seed pods and a bigger bloom. I'll try and take a photo later. They are such a welcome addition and all volunteers :)

I have a very enthusiastic 'volunteer' Whistonlass (Corydalis Lutea) If you don't like yellow don't plant it. If she creeps in with something else, and she likes your garden, Cory will daintily arrange herself at the foot of any sort of plant or shrub. Some people can't get Cory to grow. I did a little blog about Cory recently.

This is wonderful Whiston.The grandchildren finish it off nicely. I love that the garden looks so much more spacious since your make over. Like the others I too like your poppies. Lovely colour. Mine are not out yet, these have fleshy leaves I think. My oriental poppies are just about at the end of their flowering period - they are orange red and the best way to propagate them is with root cuttings rather than seed. I also have a pink one but I moved it so no sign of flowers as yet. Lucy seems to be enjoying playing hostess to the chorus of neighbours.
I too had a nice happy smiley dad who always had time for us kids. It is good to have happy memories.

Thanks Scotsgran....another poppy lover I see :) Yes, happy memories are best (especially as they can triumph over the sadder ones). We are indeed fortunate to have had smiley dads who had time for us, SGran.

Hope you're having fun planning that rockery :) Beekeeping sounds like a project for the future (when I'm actually living in one place and can look after them properly), but apparently you can offer to let beekeepers come and keep a hive on your land, so you're helping the bees and the beekeepers, and maybe get some honney out of it too. I am working on persuading my father at the moment, since we have a decent sized garden with lots of bee-plants and plenty of spots that aren't used/in the way, but hes worried we don't have enough sun.... Might still be worth calling up and saying if they're in need of places they can come see if its suitable. I'm hoping he will let me :)

Its supposed to be hot tomorrow (will believe when see... but expect even if it is it will be rainy too :P). But the garden festival is on at Arley, with lots of plant stalls and stuff (we went today). The herbacious borders and 'shrub rose garden' are looking gorgeous, so if you're feeling well enough and are free/can get there, it may be worth a look :)

I hope you can get a favourable nod for the bee-keeping, Jennyfer. I can understand that you couldn't undertake bee-keeping yourself just now but it is something to think of for future years.

Arley Hall would be a lovely day out....can't budge hubby today for love nor money! I did notice there is a NGS open day next Friday though....so I've got that in mind as a possible excursion :) It is our 40th wedding anniversary on 1st July so it would be a nice way to spend the day. It is great that you got there this weekend...just my kind of event!

Our daughter is having a number of trees taken down in her garden today and I've got first dibs on some of the stumps and shredded bits....a good addition to my shade woodland rockery (just can't decide how to describe the small area I am now dreaming into place...lol). Gotta love the freebies!

hehe, sounds delightful! Is it growing massively in your imagination? maybe it could be a bit of a stumpery-cum-rockery? I hope you're having lots of fun planning it :) Have you decided on any plants yet?
Shame about missing the festival, but its an annual event, so there are always other opportunities. I think I saw a sign for the NGS day... I hope you are able to go and have fun :) and a happy wedding anniversary! 40yrs is an amazing achievement... crikey :P Hope you have a wonderful day whatever you do :)

Thanks Jennyfer for your good wishes. It is growing in my imagination and as you say 'stumpery-cum-rockery' is an apt description.

Our daughter has just emailed me some photos of a few stumps so I could explain what I'd like her to save. I've picked out 3 (2 are actually joined together...side by side so that should be an interesting feature). It's really going to be just a border area but it's fun to create it in my mind! lol

Lol, well I'm glad you're having fun, and good luck!

Garden looking really good Jacquie that grass looks fantastic! I like your bird table too...now to enjoy!

SK...we did our first cut on our lawn and it is so lush and green. I am very pleased. It was very long and we used a push mower (hubby's choice; we have a Flymo but he wanted a manual one). It does need another cut at a bit lower height adjustment but we will let it grow just a bit more before we do that...there are just a few spots where the grass isn't all the same level.

I've almost finished painting my bird table and will likely have it in situ tomorrow. I'll do another blog as I've got some more plants at the GC today and will take a pic of the bird table too. Thanks Jennyfer and SK for your kind comments.

Just catching up with your blogs Whistonlass :)
I love your garden design....the curvy lawn and paving are great....really lead the "eye" around the garden. You must be so pleased with it...it's lovely :))
I love the poppies...I grow loads of papaver somniferum...will give you a few seed heads when you visit, lol (you'll be cursing me in years to come;))

P.S. Just read your comment Dorjac about the newsagents in Stockton Heath....can you believe I live about 5 minutes away from the village? I remember buying sweets for the kids from there when they were little :)

Right....we ARE going to arrange a visit....and I'd welcome some seed heads from your poppies too :)

I'm excited to get into the garden tomorrow and start planting up....just have to order some more topsoil and I've got some tiny weeds poking up in the borders so they are gonna be history come tomorrow!! hehe

I'm a bit puzzled Puddleduck is papavar somniferum an opium poppy and legal to grow in UK?

I'll save you some seed heads Whistonlass....so now you'll have to visit, lol :) Have a great day planting tomorrow...I think the forecast is good for us :))

Hi Scotsgran...yes, papaver somniferum is an opium poppy, and yes it is legal to grow it in the UK :)

Lovely...thanks PDuck :) It's really late now 2.20am on Thursday!!! I should be in bed or I'll not get up in the morning and make a decent start on my planting!

Yep, a visit is on the cards...will be in touch. x

Thanks for the info PD. We live and learn with our friends on Goy.

You're welcome Scotsgran :) It's legal to grow it as an ornamental flower, and for seeds in this country.....but it's illegal to extract the opium (not quite sure how you'd do that, but never the less ;))

Looking forward to meeting you Whistonlass...do you like cake? lol...I've been baking all day for my visitors tomorrow evening...if they don't like the garden, then "Let them eat cake" that's what I say, lol :))

Yes, PDuck, I like cake but cake doesn't like me. :( You've been busy with your baking today....what have you been making, can I ask?

We'll arrange a meeting very soon...looking forward to meeting you too :)

I've just worked my way through your 'garden make over' blogs and am amazed at the transformation. What a brilliant job. You must be thrilled :)

Yes Gee...it's been a wonderful experience for us and we had been waiting for so many years to have a garden to enjoy...and now it's reality :)

Lovely to relax in your new garden after all the hard work before retirement. Let's hope the weather is kind. The sun shines and just the right amount of rain at night.

Wow! What a transformation, sure looks good now, was worth the wait. Jackie :o))

Thank you Dorjac and Ladyessex....it certainly is a lovely space to enjoy...and tomorrow my tiny summer house is being brought here and erected (that is so exciting). I've not seen it so it will all be a big surprise :)

It getting better all the time LOL :o))