Goodbye, thermal underwear...
In two gardening days time we fly out to Savai'i, the big island of Samoa. My floating shirts, tropical summer skirts and board shorts are ready. Goodbye, thermal underwear, woolly socks, and weather-proof winter vests!
Monday 7th August
Aargh! Two days, which promise to be wet, blustery, and cold - perfect weather for newly planted shrubs to settle themselves in, and get established in the Moosey dirt. Not so perfect for the twelve or more shrubs which still need to be planted! Taking the lead from my English gardening friend Muddy Wellies, I am officially renaming myself Muddy-Jeans, AKA Muddy-Knees-And-Bottom - otherwise known as Muddy-Socks and/or Muddy-Gloves.
Plant Me! Plant Me!
And when the shrubs are in, and the labels stored properly in my office, perhaps then I can peep at the map of Samoa to see exactly which beach we are staying at! Hmm... warm sea, golden sands, coconut palms...
Later...
Brr... I'm inside, apres-mud-gardening in clean dry clothes. I've finished planting in the Island Bed - two rhododendrons and six of the - Euonymuses? Euonymi? Oh well, whatever! I shifted an original standard rose out into the open. It used to have beautiful marmalade-coloured flowers (almost the colour of Fluff-Fluff's fur) and I expect it to flower profusely again.
Red Flax :- Red-toned hybrid flaxes provide such warm colour throught the winter months.
I then placed several fountain shaped Maori Maidens (they're red hybrid flaxes, in case anyone's puzzled) in spare terracotta pots for a bit of quick, impermanent style. The Island Bed is rejuvenated, with warm winter new shrub colour!
But I am definitely not feeling very energetic - it's far too cold and too wet. Perhaps a hot coffee and a good book, with cat company, would be nice. I need to reassure silly Beige-Puss, dreadfully out of sorts with Daughter of Moosey visiting this past week. Daughter and mother, as so often happens, look similar, and B-Puss has been caught out. Aargh! Stranger alert! Mother-Cat look-alike! Impostor in the Moosey office!
B-Puss the Gardening Cat
So now he has turned into Mister Cautious, with huge blue staring eyes. Meeting the Head Gardener with towel wrapped around wet hair in kitchen - very scary. Yesterday the sight of Head Gardener in her swishy skirt and big black choir coat sent him running for his life up the stairs and out of sight. Whatever happened to B the Brave? B my Best Gardening Cat?
Tuesday 8th August
Mud-gardening is cancelled today. It is cold, wet, and windy - anything else? It's nowhere near snowing - a small weather mercy, but I have put on my best house jeans as a protest. I am off swimming. I feel sorry for Rusty the dog - another boring day with short walks around the garden, and snoozes in his kennel.
Too Wet :- Some days it's simply too wet to go outside gardening.
So yesterday was the wet Prelude, and today is the wet Fugue, dripping with counterpoint - the repetition, imitation, and augmentation of raindrops! Aargh! It's far too wet - too wet to garden.
Wednesday 9th August - Off to Samoa
Goodbye to the Moosey cats, and to Rusty (who has gone to the dog kennels down the road). Goodbye to the garden, and all my plants, new and old. Goodbye to winter, and cold things, frosts and snow. Goodbye to cold rain. See you all in eight days!