The littlest things in a day can bring the greatest joy...
Apricot Patio Rose
The littlest things in a day can bring the greatest joy. Half an hour of robust Brahms piano practice, half an hour planting pink and white daisies, half an hour zooming around the local recycling store (called The Ecostore to appeal, hee hee)... And a choir concert to sing in tonight with an orchestra. Wow!
Thursday 24th November
I've arrived home from with car full of goodies, most costing one or two dollars. Let me list them: three large terracotta bulb bowls, two large terracotta garden pots (one is huge), a corner cane thingy for Pond Cottage (behind the armchair), some little knick-knack cats for my collection, a wooden cat-faced bread board and a rimu bowl, two groovy looking sci-fi books, two outdoor doormats, a 1500 piece Christmas jigsaw, some 'saucers' to go underneath pots, another large plastic pot, and the piece de resistance - a new garden gnome. He's a brother of Rupert, who lies down fishing by the pond, and I'm calling him Murdoch. That should be easy to remember!
- 'Many bargains lighten the purse.'
- -Moosey Friend's Words of Wisdom.
As a budget-minded charity shopper this is heavenly booty, and I don't care about that wise saying regarding spending money on super-sale price items. Now how does it go? 'Many bargains lighten the purse'. Anyway, now I'm off to do some freedom gardening. Who knows what I'll do, but I've found (phew) my sharp spade. This opens up several opportunities...
Three Hours Later...
Aargh! Aargh! The first exclamation is for the thousands more forget-me-not plants which I've found in various gardens, all needing to be pulled out. And after I pull - oh dear me! Weeds, weeds, weeds. Next time I rave on romantically about those little blue spring forget-me-not flowers, let me remember their legacy - biddi-bids all over my dog and my best gardening socks, impossible to remove without shaving.
Blue Forget-Me-Nots
The second exclamation is for this - it's been one of those gardening sessions where I've seen much, much, much, much, much (get the picture?) more that still needs doing than I've actually got done. I'm sure there's a more succinct way of saying that. Blast. My words are running all over the place, just like the weeds.
Bellbird Drinking
Bellbird
So I've come inside, not to sulk, but to have a cup of tea. I can proudly report that three new gnomes are now lurking by the huge Alder tree, staring over at Pond Cottage. And I've created a dirt path around Rusty's dog kennel. His little pink Lavender hedge is looking very healthy - I trimmed it in winter and didn't give up on it when it looked so dreadfully dead. Lesson learnt and point taken?
A most magical nature moment today - I watched a bellbird drinking nectar from a flowering Phormium. Tried to take quiet, sneaky photographs of the beautiful bird enjoying itself. Sorry about lack of focus. Seize the moment, seize the camera...
Friday 25th November
What a wimp - put off, demoralised even, by a host of sticky old forget-me-not plants. Well, let me put the record straight. As soon as I return from the dentist (aargh!) I'm going to put on expendable socks and pull them all out. Eek! Must go brush my teeth properly. Am not a dedicated flosser of such, either - oops! Do dentists notice?
MInimus in Her Basket
One Hour Later...
Easy! This dentist stuff is a breeze! New teeth will arrive in time for my Christmas smile - how exciting!
Now, to the serious garden business of these annoying forget-me-nots. They're easy-come, easy-go plants, and I am grateful for their generosity. My love for them does not wither and decline when their season is finished. I celebrate the circle of forget-me-not life, hee hee.
Cats...
Minimus last night made me giggle. I was woken by a short, sharp howling altercation outside Pond Cottage in the night, so I grabbed the torch and opened the door. In shot young Minimus, absolutely drenched, having fallen into the pond. She was calmly puzzled, dropping water all over the floor rug, flicking great droplets off her legs. We had a cuddle in a towel. Oh dear.
Today there is no need to panic. I have all day to do all the things I love doing. And that includes having a slow morning coffee, writing up my journal thoughtfully, gardening gently - and making quality connections with big Fluff-Fluff, Cat of Grand Passion.
Fluff-Fluff, Cat of Grand Passion
Lunchtime...
How nice - cricket commentaries for the local one-day series are finally on the radio. Now the garden even sounds like proper summer. I've made serious progress in the Jelly Bean Border and the Pond Garden. After lunch I'm off to plant annuals in the gaps. I've been very responsible, too - after dumping my compostable load of forget-me-nots I raked up a load of burnable mess to take to the bonfire. Doing a little of something often really work wonders. And I've tied the rambling rose to the big Alder.
Gnomes Don't Do Much at This Time of Year...
The pond Gunnera looks happier this year, since we've had more rain than usual. All the gnomes are just hanging about, peering into the water. They seem happy. Gnomes don't do much at this time of the year.
Gertrude Jeckyl Rose?
Afternoon Tea Time...
Oh boy - it's truly summer-hot out there, and the roses are enjoying the warmth after the rain. I've been busy clearing heaps more barrowfuls of forget-me-nots out, planting daisies, salvias, lupins, and pelargoniums, and raking the paths behind the pond. The hoses are on.
I'm going to rest up for an hour or so. Hmm... Maybe a book and a cold drink, under a shady tree. My dog is hopelessly hot and keeps collapsing on the garden plants. All that fur...
And Even Later...
I went outside to gather up all my tools etc. and made a quick and instant decision to start clearing another small garden, full of Campion plants as well as those delightful forget-me-nots. So that's just about a record for me - four completely separate gardening sessions. Tomorrow Non-Gardening Partner has promised to help me dig out the unwanted roses I've won. This means we will take the trailer, and NGP can wield the long-handled shovel while I poke around with my lightweight lady's spade.