Clearing more veg beds.

I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to see the polytunnel area so tidy and organised, I still couldn't help smiling to myself when I went round there this morning.
Todays agenda was to make a start on the greenhouse area and veg beds - it's a smaller area than the polytunnel but has much more weeds and the grass was going to take a lot of mowing.
I maybe didn't get as much done as I had hoped but I didn't berate myself because I was a little stiff from yesterdays weeding and because I went out for quite a hard run last night - don't know if I've mentioned before that I run? I talk about it on my running blog but basically I have 2 10k's this month and I've even roped Mr TG in to running them with me and Leanne, in fact he's my trainer because I don't like running! I want to like it and I want to be good at it like I was when I was younger but my joints and age make it quite difficult!
Anyway I digress, back to the gardening. The veg beds are currently in this state

Poor old Bob the mannequin, he's become quite undressed and lost a few limbs from the wind. I think I may have to make him new snazzy clothes and maybe some kind of straw hat, his builder clothes have about had it now

But look what I did find among the weeds, a few climbing french beans on plants that I thought had given up the ghost weeks ago because they never grew and I basically deserted them

I also found a few potato plants thriving, though I haven't actually grown potatoes in this bed for the past 3 years

And this is an Apple tree that was grown from a pip, it's a few years old now

Here's evidence of just how little rain we have had this year. This is a natural pond and we've never seen the water level this low  in all the 10 years we've been here. Please excuse the fact that Mr TG put a formal fountain in a natural pond, I really don't know what goes on in his head sometimes (it's not even centred) but just to give you an idea of the lack of water, it usually covers that fountain right up to the bottom layer. In fact in winter that far wooden bridge is usually covered right up to about 3" from the top - we seem to have lost a serious amount of water this year, I'm just hoping it's the dry weather (though it's usually dry in the summer) and there's not something else going on (like all the willow I planted at the side of the pond sucking up all the water before it drains into the pond).
BTW that fountain is coming out next year and it's going to be filled with succulents to give a waterfall effect and have pride of place on the patio I intend to build. Mr TG still needs to be talked into helping me with this though because it will take 2 of us to move it and he isn't keen on fountains being used as plant holders.

Having done all that weeding yesterday at the PT veg beds I was quite pleased to see that the Cabbages are actually doing better than I've ever managed before and there's no sign of caterpillars despite them growing outside and uncovered.