Expansion plans...
Isn't one of the best parts of a holiday coming back home! I love my garden, and I have the hugest plans for its expansion. Oops - how about sticking to general maintenance and burning all the gum tree rubbish?
Middle Bridge
Saturday 8th March, Quite Late...
Right. I'm back in my house and garden, I've checked the waterwheel (it's still going) and my tadpoles (they're still squirming around in the bath-tub), and I've had words with rooster for pecking the hand that fed him while I was away.
- 'The best part of a holiday is coming back home.'
- -Moosey Words of Wisdom.
I love being home. I've patted each cat, and talked to my dog. The lawns already need mowing again - aargh! And the garden borders definitely need my full, undivided attention. Tomorrow I am going to be very busy!
Sunday 9th March
My oh my! What a mess my garden is - surely this has been building up slowly. I've only been away for four days! So I've started with the patio and decking, sweeping gum leaves, weeding and watering the house gardens, and dead-heading my late flowering roses (like The Fairy). I have even cleaned the house windows! Yippee - the view from the breakfast chairs is once again clear and beautiful. The cricket is blaring on my cricket radio, and Rusty has been woofing at distant dogs, though his dog-voice has risen in pitch since I went away. Oops.
Purple Annual
Right. I will return for a short swift blast of weeding, before I roar off in my maroon robes to a singing choir engagement. Tra-la-la and blast, because I'd rather be staying home singing to my shrubs and plants!
Fluff-In-A-Box
Later...
I've laid out the stones which will form the base of the new wall. So far, so good! The front of the wall will follow the natural slope of the grass lawn, and I'll fill in the back with whatever I can find - compost, horse manure, shredded material, and so on. Then I'll water the new 'soil' madly so it all sinks down nicely.
Monday 10th March
Good morning to Percy my ginger lap cat and Fluff-Fluff the fluffy, squashed into his ridiculously small cardboard box on the table. Good morning to my clean patio and gum-leaf free decking - and my soon to be erected new stone wall.
Today I have big plans. First I will take my squeaking groaning dog for a cycle ride, and then we will go down to the river to collect some more stones.
Promises, Promises...
The wall will rise slowly over the next few days, hopefully to be completed in time for the return of Non-Gardening Partner (he is away) - who will be sooooo impressed that he'll promise to help me clear all the rubbish out behind the pond, build the new rustic garden benches and table, AND...
Curved Bridge :- I like this style of bridge, which I spotted in Attadale, a garden I visited in Scotland.
... and draw up serious plans for the curved Monet-style bridge - which I haven't forgotten about, even if he thinks I have - I'm just being understanding and polite by not nagging him... Long sentence, that!
Now it's lunchtime, and so far, so good - it's nice 'beautifying' an area which is so visible from the house (I'm glad I cleaned the windows). I need lots of filling material, though - Rusty and I have already made one sneaky trip in NGP's car to pick up more horse manure. Aargh! My disgraceful dog couldn't resist a tiny taste test.
The Start of the Stone Wall
So my stone wall progresses slowly but surely, and Daughter of Moosey has promised to help wheel in some compost after lunch. When my scruffy compost piles on the fence by the Wattle Woods stream are dismantled, I'll be able to plant some screening flaxes there - nice!
Tuesday 11th March
Good morning to Percy the cat who completely understands the etiquette of sitting on someone at a computer. Step carefully and slowly over the keyboard. Don't bang into the cup of tea. Don't smooch and bunt the hand that's manipulating the mouse... Today I am going swimming and gymming, and then the building of the Great Wall of Moosey will continue. The wall at its deepest place will be knee high - wow! Drainage? Oops.
Much Later...
The stone wall is longer, and now it curves around more than the photograph. It is a really boring thing to talk about, though. Five barrowfuls of compost, two bags of horse manure, two barrowfuls of ash, and Rusty the dog's lawn messes went in today.
Wednesday 12th March
I have given up walking the Rakaia Walkway today with my walking group for two reasons - to finish the stone wall and to spend quality time with my cats and dog. I'll start with a dog-cycle ride, then a car-trip overland (actually, only ten minutes) to the supermarket for cat food. The poor things had to have rump steak this morning - and Percy turned up his nose at it. It was my way of apologising to Tiger for inadvertently shutting her in the hot-water cupboard for twenty-four hours. Naturally Tiger is now being extremely friendly...
Tiger the Bully Cat
Wanted - Head Gardener Clones
Today the garden needs four of me - one to do general maintenance like weeding and watering, the second to build the stone wall and wheel in all the filler material, while the third clears all the fence-lines, dragging all the dry gum tree rubbish to the burning heap. The fourth is the lucky one - she gets to finish reading her book on the garden seat by the pond and lightly supervise the other three.
Much Later...
Ha! Five hours building the wall - and it's still not finished! It's repetitious, and there was only one of me, plus the dog and ginger cat Fluff-Fluff providing fairly laid back company. Hmm... Of course I am clearing the fence near the Wattle Woods stream at the same time, not just pointing at a tip truck to show the man where to dump the infill. I now have four barrowfuls of stuff on my burning heap, too, and maybe I'll burn this just before tea.
Busy Bee
Random Flowery Images
Apologies for all the random flowery images on this page, which have absolutely no relevance to this wall-monologue. I'm just trying to brighten things up!
How funny that a quick visit to the Orari Station Garden has inspired this new magnificent wall. It is quite a feature, and uses the contours of the land well, even if I say so myself. There will be room in the new garden for a small paved area - where my new rustic garden benches and coffee table can sit. Ha! When NGP gets home he will be very, very busy!
Thursday 13th March
Ha! Another wall day. I'm running out of compost for the infill, but so far I have enough stones - I'm burgling them from paths in other parts of the garden which have been closed down through lack of use. My current path policy - use it or lose it. I am synchronising my lunchtime with that of the cricket (second test New Zealand versus England). The wall has gone on hold - I've been burning madly all morning. Oops - ten minutes to go. Short lunch break! Where's my coffee?
Afternoon Tea Time...
OK. The wall is slightly longer and higher, and I've dumped five bags of horse manure and six loads of compost in behind it. My Wattle Woods compost has run out, and I'm going to have to start on the opposite fence-line. But some silly gardener has dumped non-compostable flax leaves and gum tree mess all over the composting heaps. And I am tired of wheeling my wheelbarrow round and round the garden from one edge to the other.