The circle of gardening life continues...
Autumn Prunus Leaves
The red and golden leaves of Autumn are slowly dropping to the ground, as the circle of gardening life continues - chop, weed, rake, wheel, burn, chop, weed, rake, wheel, burn...
Monday 19th April
When you live with animals sometimes there are consequences - like Jerome the cat howling and crunching for half an hour under the bed at 3 am (I won't say what she caught), while nice friendly visiting rooster started crowing loudly outside. Jerome then lept up on the bed simultaneously growling and purring like a chainsaw - and rooster continued to crow.
Animal solidarity? Or was there a speck of moon showing? Had the prey been transferred onto the bedspread? Aaaargh!!!!!
Friends on the Stables Seat
Out comes the basic nature of these living things I have such deep conversations with - eek! Well, at least I talk to the animals, compared with Stephen who has crowing matches in the daytime with the rooster, and barking competitions with the dog...
Later...
I am really really tired (funny that!) so it is just possible that there will be no gardening done today.
Much Later...
I've just been poking around in the Hump trying to find some potatoes to cook for tea (don't ask). My goodness things are terrible in there - I think that tomorrow I need to make a serious start clearing it out. There are a lot of Honesty plants ready for spring, but so much mess. The paths are all blocked. Tomorrow's gardening work is already decided (wonder if it might rain).
Garden Rubbish
Tuesday 20th April
Well, the trailer is parked on the grass by the Hump ready to be filled with garden rubbish. If I have the stamina this will keep me busy all day. O boy! I am putting off the moment. It's like the cricket when we're about to lose - please rain!
A quick note on the rooster - yes, he seems to love crowing in the dark of the night, so tonight I will escort him with the two hens over the water race. They can try a warm night roosting in my Hen House.
Eek! Rooster has appeared on the house decking and is pecking at the glass door! They must be redirected at once!
Three hours later...
I am a gardening legend - the trailer is full of stuff to burn, and I've organised a small much needed path which goes through the Driveway Border to the lawn.
I am not a poultry legend, though - I took the hens and rooster over the water race, shut the gate, fed them, then ten minutes later watched them all fly happily over the water back to the house gardens (where they are sunning themselves). Hmm...
Wet House Patio
I've spent another hour clearing the house patio gardens. Thoughts - How can I stop that silly rooster crowing all night? Is he greedy enough to follow me to the Hen House?
Wednesday 21st April
Right - the trailer is empty, ready for another load of rubbish from the Hump. I am pruning the small trees so they can be walked under, and cleaning up the old flaxes. There are also several of the original Toe Toe bushes sprouting - I can't be sure whether they're the native variety, but I'm cleaning them up too.
Phormium Cream Delight in the Autumn Garden - 2004
What worries me is this - even if I work for five hours every day, I can't seem to get anything actually finished! I think that the garden got away a lot last year, with little of the heavier maintenance work done. I am sure making up for things this Autumn - the novelty of burning rubbish has certainly worn off!
Rooster Report
- Crowed four times just after midnight and then stopped.
- Crowed maybe five times just before 5 am and then stopped (it was still dark).
- Crowed a lot just before 7 am (perfect).
Later...
I have just had the hugest burn-up and have retired red-faced for a long rest. I've worked for four hours - that's a good limit, and I'm pretty tired. I've cleared more of the mess from inside the Hump, and done quite a bit of sawing and serious pruning. I've been particularly harsh on Pittosporums and Tree Lucernes. Several fantails had a lot of fun around me, including a really squeaky All Black one - seems rather appropriate for New Zealand, doesn't it?
Thursday 22nd April
Confusing times for the Moosey Animal Pet Farm. The hens and the rooster are pinching all the left over cat food (in plates on the house decking). Then the two grey sister cats will follow me with the rooster/hens to the morning chook-feeding place and join in the eating. I know for a fact that the dog eats the 'Layer Pellets' because I've caught him with his nose in the bag. And Jerome the cat loves to 'fish' a dog biscuit with her paw out of the big bag in the laundry and zoom it around the kitchen floor playing with it (a quasi-mouse?)...
Golden Autumn Leaves
Is it too wet to garden today? It's fairly drizzly. Hmm... And I had such earth-shattering plans...
Later, Apres-Gardening...
It stopped drizzling, so I went outside to continue clearing the Hump. I have burnt so much rubbish (including a lot of the tree branch piles) I never want to see a fire again. It is getting tidier in there (the Hump, that is) but I despair of ever finishing it. Oh well. A tired but legendary gardener.
Friday 23rd April
I'm not sure how much gardening I'll do today - I only have the morning, as we are going on a wee overnight car trip. It might be sensible to take some photos (not more Autumn leaves pictures, surely!) and not to have a fire (Oooo I am sick of fires).
Actually there must be a limit to the number of Autumn leaf photos a gardener can take - except that this Autumn is one of the best I can remember for colour. Even all the yellow and golden trees around still have a lot of their leaves. It's actually a very beautiful time of changes. So there!
Back tomorrow.