This weekend...
The First of the Spring Blossom
Right - this weekend ALL the Moosey roses will be pruned. And ALL the garden beds will be weeded. And we are going to look at the parents of our proposed new puppy - oops, sorry Taj-Dog!
Saturday 21st August
Last week didn't produce anything remotely approaching Olympic Gardening standards! The plan today is to completely catch up, and have so many accomplishments to write about that a reader will be riveted and totally amazed. So why am I still inside on a rather nice mild day at 10:30 am? Enough. I will be back later, to inspire the gardening world...
Head Gardener - Me!
Super Stylish...
By the way, I am wearing my stylish, new, upper-class, rugged gardening vest - with the label Kiwi Stockman... At least I should look inspiring!
Hmm... Lunchtime...
I haven't done as much yet as I'd hoped - perhaps it's the participation that counts. It seems to take ages to prune and clear away from one rose (mind you I am multi-tasking - simultaneously weeding and clearing up leaves as well). I've attacked the Compassion roses growing up the house pergola, too - hope this is OK. Now I need to have a burn-up and then start all over again.
How can I finish the winter clean up before spring?
Later, Apres-Gardening...
I actually worked for over five hours today - but why, why does it take so long to prune roses? I gave the Othellos by the house their first severe cut in several years. Rooster gurgled and followed me closely all afternoon. I burnt all my rubbish. Now I feel quite tired.
Sunday 22nd August
Eek! This month is nearly over - where has the time gone? And why is my garden so far behind? - I am theoretically a semi-retired person who can garden at will. Perhaps I try and multi-task too much - perhaps today is the day of focused rose-pruning only. I really want to finish this simple, relaxing chore.
Miniature Daffodils
I also have to find the brown hen, who has started to behave erratically - she must be hidden somewhere sitting on a clutch of eggs, and this is not part of my free-range plan for the chooks (they are, after all, only visiting).
Lunchtime...
I've found the hen and taken most of her eggs. I hate pruning roses. Do you think Dublin Bay would mind if it lost all but two of its base stems? They look older and crustier than I am...
Monday 23rd August
We went to visit the new puppy's breeder yesterday afternoon. It was too windy to burn all my rubbish, so I sort of petered out with my gardening goals. However there are now large areas of the house gardens where all the roses have been brutally pruned. My theory is that they will thank me - after all, they were fully neglected last year. Being cruel in order to be kind - that sort of thing! In moments of less confidence I hope I haven't been too brutal...
Today it's sunny and very cold. I may just enjoy the garden ambience from a sheltered position in the lounge room. We'll see if any gardening guilt kicks in...
Tuesday 24th August
It didn't... but today is another story. Today I am home all day, and I have a good chance to be super-productive. Surely there can't be many roses left to prune now! I also have a pile of rubbish to burn (hopefully the wind will allow this) and firewood (for next year) to stack. Garden work gets pretty repetitive this time of year - but the Moosey garden has so many different areas to work in. There can be no excuse for gardening boredom...
Late Morning Tea Time...
I have been cutting and pruning and chopping - dealing to several more large (or should I say ex-large) roses. I've also hacked back the overgrown Feijoa tree which grows in the (now bigger and sunnier) car lay-by garden. My hands are a mess of superficial scratches (no gloves - silly).
Daphne
In deference to my Ice-Woman-Gatherer roots I have a barrowful of nicely cut kindling wood for next winter. My homemade bread is ready, the log fire is going and Bach is burbling (as only Bach can do - what a show-off he was!) on my stereo. Country ambience abounds - the house lawns are green, rooster is crowing, and the flaxes are waving in the (Antarctic) breeze. Snow is falling not 30 kilometers from here. Hee hee!
Mid Afternoon...
That's enough! My hands are cold, my nose is cold - I've cleaned up more roses down the driveway and removed all my rubbish. That wind is rather too chilly. I am staying inside now to enjoy my new gardening magazine from Australia and listen to more Bach.
Footnote
Wednesday and Thursday were non-gardening days - I blame the winter weather.