Desliming day

Some months before he died, my neighbour Pat gave me his power washer (along with his stepladder and wheel barrow). A nice thing to have, but I didn’t know how to use it. Before our walk this week, Joe came round to give me a demonstration.

As yesterday did not actually have rain in the forecast, decided it was time to tackle the deck.

First job is getting everything off the deck which gives me a chance to worry or be annoyed.

I’m worried about the butterfly bush. 

Other than a few down near the base (and hidden by the parrot), there isn’t a single leaf to be seen. It’s April. Surely there should be new growth visible by now? I know it was a cold, snowy winter, but… Could it actually be dead from the bottom up?

I’m annoyed about the tulips.

Or rather, lack of same. I planted ten bulbs in these two pots last autumn. And I put the pots in “cages” to protect them from the deer. Two sad sets of leaves, which seem unlikely to produce a flower, in one pot, none in the other. Humph. 

As disappointing as the bag of crocus bulbs I planted in the window boxes last year. Lots of spindly leaves and two actual flowers (both white).  Is this the fault of a harsh winter or down to the fact that there is little sun to be had out there? Whichever. It’s bloody annoying.

At least the star gazer lilies are coming back.

Time will tell if they are going to produce flowers in the summer.

Deck emptied of everything except the very heavy butterfly bush pot. Time for action.

It’s not 100% effective, but it’s pretty impressive.

An hour later, despite wearing wellies, my jeans are soaked, but the deck has been mostly deslimed.

Forgot to take a picture yesterday, so I’ve just been outside in the rain to do so.

It did look better dry in the late afternoon sun yesterday. Wet again now I feel like I need to get out there with a bucket and sponge and stiff brush to get the last of the green slime.

If five of the deck planks look a lot cleaner than the others, that’s because you’ve forgotten (or weren’t around at the time) that two years ago Mr Fixit expanded the deck I’d originally had built ten years earlier.

I had been planning to fetch the table and chairs from the shed today, but, you know and as I just said, rain. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon the summer room will be reopened.

Oh, and PS: Joe did such a good job of screwing the hosepipe into the power washer that I can’t budge it. Guess I’ll have to get him back here.