Lots more to write about...
I love my garden! I am so much enjoying being in it. It's a pity one can't retire every week, just to experience this lovely, head-spinning feeling. Hee hee - lots more gardening, lots more to write about...
Autumn Comes to the House Gardens
Sunday 19th March
Right. Daylight saving ended this morning. Which means that I think I am up an hour early - and will be able to do an hour's more gardening (joke!). So what shall I do first? I think I need to categorise the different gardening activities that I do - headings like planting, propagating, pruning, raking, and general maintenance spring to mind. Spring! The purchasing of new bags of bulbs! Oops - I am getting deflected from the immediate needs of my garden.
Then I could have a gardening form (for writing on, not sitting on) to fill out, ticking each category. Ha! It could be part of a gardening survey, to see what percentage of my time is spent on what. And I could produce a graph of the results (an exploding pie chart would be nice)... Aargh! Stop! Gardening is for the free of spirit! Gardening should be non-mathematical! Random gardening rules!
Monday 20th March
What a great day I had yesterday on the garden! There I was, determined to enjoy myself, listen to the cricket, and clear and replant as much of the Wattle Woods as I could be bothered with. There was no pressure - after all, as a fully retired gardener I can take a more measured approach to time management. Well, well, well! Goodbye, scruffy Iris confusa - hello, Renga Renga! Welcome to the Wattle Woods Path.
Black Mondo Grass :- This is a super stylish little grass for the edge by a path.
Which leads me to the said path - would you mind if I shifted you a little here, widened you there, and found some lovely round river stones for your rough edges? Black Mondo grass - there you are, lurking underneath straggly Valerian and creeping Ajuga, your beautiful black leaves smothered in greens. Prepare to be uncovered and breathe again! Bergenias - it's high time you were divided and replanted.
Thus the Wattle Woods have had their biggest make-over since they were first widened, back in the dim distant days of the year 2000. Time seems to have resized itself for me - I worked away, not really noticing what I was doing, and suddenly I was finished. Still full of energy - hee hee! It's all mental.
Sedum Frosty Morn
Today - well, who knows? I will definitely shift the hoses and glide triumphantly through the new Wattle Woods path. Musically minded gardeners might like to peruse my piano play-list - I start seriously practising later today. I reckon with a couple of hours every day I should get quite good!
Moosey Retirement Piano Programme
- Mozart Sonata in A Minor, KV310
- Beethoven C Major (Waldstein) Sonata
- Bach Prelude and Fugue, Book 2, F# Minor
- Bartok Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm
- Brahms Rhapsody Opus 79 No. 1
Eek! Another bird rescue! Sorry, Beige Puss - I feel guilty, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again! Lovingly patted, the gentle murmuring of 'Clever cat', then whoosh! The fantail disappears into thin air! Well, actually, into the safe hands of the big Moosey Mother Cat. Another successful rescue! My fantails are too human-friendly, following me around in the garden (movement might stir up some flying insect food).
The Wattle Woods Stream Flows Again!
It's now late afternoon, and - yes - I have got the little Wattle Woods stream going again! It has a new route which zigzags nearer to the path, past the green-leafed Astelia. There is now only one pond, and I am boosting the water flow with one of my hoses. The new stream bed has again been covered with stones, and I've cleared away as much of the gum tree debris as I can (without raking up all the purple and white Honesty which will flower next spring).
Green Astelia
What a satisfying day! We have won the cricket. A roast chicken is cooking. Rusty and I are off for a short walk (breaking in my new tramping boots). Then I will play some cool Bartok on the piano. I love being retired. It's quite simple really. I feel so much better - that's head health as well as body health.
Tuesday 21st March
Piano first today - I am waiting for the drizzly weather to clear. Then - who knows? More compost? More clearing ready for the big autumn burn-up? Buy some grass seed for the lawns? Definitely a dog-bicycle ride - maybe around the biggest country block in the world!
Fluff-Fluff at Four Months
Further to my March Cat Report - Fluff-Fluff is finally putting on weight in the right cat places, and starting to look really good. Of the two kittens B-Puss is the fiercest hunter - he pounces while Fluff-Fluff is still stuck in the jaw-shaking and teeth-chattering cat-mode. Autumn is the rodent catching season, and the Moosey pantry (behind the spud bucket) is still the favoured hiding place, followed closely by the inside of the dog's bed. Aargh!
Much Later, After Two Hours of Wet Walking...
As an intrepid mid-week autumn and winter tramper, one needs to practise walking in all weathers - one should still feel comfortable, for example, in the driving rain. So Rusty and I have spent two hours walking around the country block. Rusty has turned orange, and looks very thin. I do draw the line at wet gardening, though - that would be far too muddy.