Wet morning, cold morning...
Little Mac in the Garden
Good morning, wet morning, cold morning, with more than a few coloured leaves fluttering down and the yellow perennial Heleniums (or are they Helianthuses?) about to flower. Eek - this is 'it'! I think proper autumn has begun.
Monday 19th March
I plan to lurk inside, drink coffee, and play the piano until the day warms up. Last night the rain splattered on the cottage roof, polyrhythmic beats of nature's hand drums... I did that childhood thing (I do lots of childhood things these days, hee hee) where one listens to noisy rain and giggles, snug, warm, and safe in bed. The cold wind whooshed around, so Minimus the cottage cat decided not to go hunting.
In-House Matters First
In-house mornings in autumn feel rather nice. There's no desperate rush to leap outside into the wet greenery. Some Handel concerti grossi are tootling on the stereo, Rusty the dog is slumped on his chair snoring melodiously, and Little Mac the kitten is snoozing in his cat basket on the dining table. Cats come before people in this household!
Little Mac the Kitten
I'm excited to have discovered more Schumann violin and piano pieces (including a concerto) for Non-Gardening Partner and me to play. And there are no fools like a pair of older fools. We are going to attempt the Bruch, the Gertrude Jekyll of perennial violin concerto borders (and that makes sense?) This afternoon, if all goes well, I plan to have a bonfire and try to get rid of the remaining rubbish on the fence-line. It's all to do with the wind direction smoking out my house and not that of my distant neighbour's. Nice.
Later...
Well, it's been a little cold and drizzly, but I've had my bonfire going all afternoon. Little Mac the gardening kitten has been 'helping' with the barrow wheeling. I reckon I've burnt at least ten barrowfuls. I also took some random photographs of the garden, which have no connection with the text on this page. My bonfires always look the same, anyway. Seen one, seen them all...
Autumn Strawberry Ice Roses
Oh dear. Another rose mix-up has occurred. Back in 2005 I planted a Strawberry Ice rose in the back of the Stumpy (AKA Willow Tree) Garden - or so I recorded. Over the course of a few years I've changed its name to Raspberry Ice. And lately a couple of recycled roses have looked exactly the same. Raspberry - Strawberry? Google doesn't really help, apart from offering me the most delicious recipes, hee hee. None of these roses has been terribly tall, so research suggests Strawberry? Hmm...
Tuesday 20th March
It's going to be a beautiful day, all day. I just know it! The autumn light makes my garden look soft, peaceful, and thoughtful. A thoughtful garden? Hmm... Is this what people call 'transference'? I'm playing chamber music this morning, so I'd better practice my Bach (the B Minor flute sonata, one of THE best Bachs ever).
Tiger Cat's Tummy
Much Later...
Well, there I was, sitting in the sunshine with my cup of coffee watching the most delightful display of cat-tummies (thank you to Little Mac, Fluff-Fluff, and Tiger, who has rather a lot to show for herself). Even Rusty the dog, not to be outdone by two fatties and a kitten, stretched and rolled around, legs kicking at the air. Yes, Rusty, I can see you are much furrier 'down there'. Thank you so much.
My musical morning had gone really well, and time was just floating past. Blast! The dreamy moment was shattered. I suddenly remembered 'it' - the Lamium ground-cover in the Septic Tank Garden, which wasn't completely dug out and eradicated. And never will be, do I hear you say? Unfair!
So I changed into gardening gear and went forth. I am pleased to report that Phase One of my Lamium Extermination is now complete. I've also dug out the dahlias, trimmed dead canes off Constance Spry, and tied her closer into the fence. My goodness, there is a lot of bare dirt here now - surely there's room for some proper shade-lovers. On the house-side of the border I'm going to plant some of the recycled roses.
The Cottage
Now I need to take a pencil to the Bruch violin concerto (I am the orchestra, and am allowing self to trim the transcription) and dazzle my violinist when he gets home from work.
Wednesday
Another of my March Rules: I need to get out more. So I'm off walking all day today with the walking group. We're climbing one of the easier stroll-in-the-park routes up Mount Herbert. Good news for kittens - Little Mac can now use the cat door. He's been following and learning from his favourite big house-brother, ginger Percy.
Later...
Low cloud, poor visibility, keen wind, no photographs, and we stopped short of the summit. It was a very refreshing day out, never-the-less. Good to get away from the Lamium.