Garden progress

The rain scuppered most of my good intentions for weeding and making more progress in the garden over the last few days. However, I did manage to pull up another mini jungle of weeds, so things are at least starting to look tidier. David and I had been mid way through removing gravel and planning a vegetable patch when he became ill, so it's all got a bit overgrown again as you can see.... ......we had just about got through the digging of the right hand (veg) section but the dreaded weeds have come again, so now it all needs re digging. The left patch had been gravelled over but we wanted to return it to being a small lawn again. David was so determined to get it done that he would sit on a chair, trowel in hand, scooping the gravel into a bucket then transferring it to the wheelbarrow for me to move. He could have shifted the whole lot in an afternoon at one time, so it was very frustrating for him, but he wouldn't hear of leaving it to me.
The veg patch is being ditched now....I'd never be able to eat enough to justify it! So, I'm sketching some ideas utilising stepping stones, some of the gravel, pots and maybe a rockery area. I'll grow a few veg in containers - my tomato plants are doing okay and, fingers crossed, the slugs have left them alone.
Anyway, having cleared some of the weeds (to the area left of that in the photo) it seemed a good idea to get some plants to replace them with. So Heather and I went to the garden centre this afternoon, armed with a 25% discount voucher, and chose a selection..... .....a couple of Hebes, an Astilbe, one that I can't recall the name of (the tall orangey one) a little fern, a Potentilla and a beautiful rose which the picture doesn't do justice to. It's in remembrance of David as he always thought a garden wasn't complete without roses. It's a deep, vibrant red and I know he would have loved it.
Heather had stayed over last night after she came round to watch the Wimbledon men's final with me. David and I always loved Wimbledon fortnight, so it had been very odd watching the matches alone, and Heather's hubby doesn't like the tennis. We did enjoy it, despite Andy losing. He did himself proud but we thought the crowd were a bit slow to really get behind him and cheer him on when he had his low moments. Oh well.
After dinner we went for a little stroll down the lane with Thomas and Tara and when we came back into the garden I spotted some little beetles on the lavender bush. They were the size and shape of Ladybirds, but were a sumptuous metallic greeny bronze colour with fine red stripes. They had a real oil and water look when the light caught them. We'd never seen them before but a Google search revealed them to be Rosemary Leaf Beetles which eat Lavender and Thyme as well as their namesake. I think the few that we saw won't pose a problem and they are so pretty that I think I'd forgive them. I managed to take a photo of one this afternoon....

......I never fail to see something interesting on my evening strolls. When we ventured out again later we saw bats flitting about which is always a treat. Once again, nature manages to bring positive thoughts and emotions!
Well, no gardening for the next few days as I have to work on some Crafts Beautiful magazine projects. I'll take some pictures of my horticultural progress over the next few weeks though. Better get to bed now as I have a busy day ahead and the terrible twosome (you don't even want to know what Thomas did this evening, but he was in big trouble) will be waking me at the crack of dawn as usual.