Slow gardening

I really haven't kept this blog up to date much, but then again I haven't done much in the garden. I'm still having to water the plants, but once every 4-5 days is stopping them from dying now that the heat of the summer is gone. It has only rained ONCE since September, when we had more or less three weeks of rain.
The grass hasn't grown any, yet most years at this time, I have to cut it every two weeks or so. I transplanted some of the herbs in pots into the garden, but they are not doing much without rainwater; this time last year the were growing great and I was cutting down bunches to dry and store for the winter.
My solitary chili pepper plant is still producing, but I've discovered I don't actually like chili peppers and rarely have a use for them in the kitchen.
I planted 12 babies in the spring, that I grew in pots from seed.
That very first night,the snails ate three. the next night they ate another six. By the time I found a shop selling snail-killer, all but one were gone.

More Grass

Hmmm.. we've had rain for weeks and his excuse for not cutting the grass was that it was too wet. Now that it hasn't rained for a few days his excuse is wearing thin. Truth is, some of the grass has grown too long for the mower to cope with.
As you know, I got some of it under control one day but the incident with the centipede has well and truly put me off trying again. Everytime I do some work in the garden I have to spray all exposed skin with Autun or a similar insecticide, because there is some as yet unidentified insect that bites and causes an allergic reaction that lays me up for days.

The spreading grass area

I've decided to grow a lawn unlike my neighbours who prefer concrete (low maintenance), chiefly for composting material to improve the soil.

I tried planting seed a few years ago but it came up and died the same summer.

My next door neighbour had a lawn courtesy of the builder; his was the show house for the estate. I've no idea what type of grass was laid but he dug it up and replaced it with concrete, but not before some had escaped under his hedge through to me. It creeps like couch grass!

I hated it at first, as no matter how many times I pulled it up, it came back. It's roots got everywhere. So, finally, I took some by the roots and transplanted it to the area where I had initially planted the seed, and it took off and gradually spread over the whole area.

It survives drought, it greens overnight after the rain, it's hardwearing and yet soft underfoot and it keeps weeds at bay.

I love it.

Pic above shows what a week or two of rain has done to the length of it!

Just wanted to add, I was in the process of cutting it today, when I felt something move up my leg under my denims. It got higher and higher despite my attempts to brush it off. I raced into the underbuild and pulled my denims down. Out popped the most enormous centipede I have ever had the misfortune to meet in my life. It had to have been at least 6 inches by half an inch. Couldn't photograph it for my collection as it was off like a shot. Think it got a bigger fright than me, and that's saying something!

I've been advised that I've been extremely lucky not to have been bitten by this insect, and that its sting is venomous.

Who wants to volunteer to cut the rest of the grass????