Relief!
Double Daylily
Finally we a getting some wet - wettish? weather to bring relief to the mid-summer Moosey Garden. And I am already planning my giant clean-up - before the Garden Club visits in April. Aargh!
Wednesday 11th February
There was horrible clucking and hen-screeching in the middle of last night. I came so close to getting out of bed, grabbing the torch, and wandering off into the darkness to find (so I thought) a hen savaged by some unknown assailant.
Egg Laying by Moonlight
Nope. Just a broody chook on the wrong side of the chicken run, laying an egg in the moonlight. This morning I found my missing black hen sitting on a dozen eggs in the Daylilies, hidden in the middle of the Hen House Garden - sneaky bird!
Minimus the Kitten :- Here is one of Minimus's early photographs - playing in the Olearia hedge.
Finally, a whole day to stay home and garden. And it's drizzly outside so energetic kneeling and weeding will be challenging. I'm going to work for an hour back in the Wattle Woods - I will get drenched by the wet foliage, but who cares? Having an outdoors kitten (Minimus) is good (like this drizzle) for the garden - it gets me out in all weathers!
And crikey - I have to start getting the garden ready for the April visit by the Garden Club. It's eight weeks away and I'm scared already! Now I have more dwarf Agapanthus to shift, a path to re-route and widen, and much rubbish to rake.
Dark Blue Petunias
Lunchtime...
Minimus and I have been gardening for two hours - and we have accomplished much. But there is still much to do... A dollar for every time I've said that!
Thursday 12th February
It's raining properly! Yippee for the garden - boring for Minimus the woodshed kitten, and Rusty the dog. A boring non-gardening day? No problem for the other Moosey pets - just food-fill your tummy and then squash yourself into the tiniest cat-basket or box. Snooze all day, half-listening for the fridge door. Maybe stretch legs, recurl tail, and swap sides every hour?
Wet mornings for human gardeners (?) are a little slower - they even have time to read the titles of their spam mail. It's anti-aging week! Last week was watches. Playing with time again... Right. There's certainly no need to waste time twittering on about spam mail! I love my garden.
Friday 13th February
I've already had a light breakfast sheltering in the woodshed with Minimus. Dog and kitten have slowly sniffed noses - so begins another (hopefully) good cat and dog relationship. Rusty is so very kind to all his cats.
+10Today, after swimming, I am going gardening, no matter how wet I get. But first, helped by a passionate ginger cat (Percy) who is sitting and leaning on me, I will write a short list.
- 1. More river stones.
- 2. Finish clearing the Wattle Woods paths.
- 3. The back of the pond is disgracefully messy. Act appropriately.
- 4. fgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
That last entry was Percy's contribution. Minimus the kitten will enjoy the back of the pond. OK - Fluff-Fluff has just arrived with soaking wet cat-body and legs - time to leave, before the Moosey lap gets too involved.
Much Later...
Oops. But it was cold as well as wet. And Minimus the kitten came into the house and slept underneath Mugsy's chair. And so I pottered on the website, tidying cosmic things up.
Saturday 14th February
Yippee! I have a gardening kitten. Minimus and I have worked for four hours together in the Wattle Woods. Well, I've worked. Some of my big cats have wandered over to make their contribution - which has involved scooting up the tallest, fattest tree trunk, just to show off. No, no, Minimus! Too high!
Minimus the Kitten
I've trimmed a lot of my Fountain grasses, making the paths more passable. I've weeded and pruned Pittosporums. Huge piles of gum tree rubbish sit along the fenceline. The whole area looks quite magical - the fountain grasses shine in the sunlight, and look wonderfully feathery.