Blue skies and winter morning sun...
Blue skies and winter morning sun are so deceptive some days. I've been outside trimming more tree branches, my trusty dog and Little Mac the black and white kitten by my side. Brr... Cold, cold fingers.
But I am not a winter wimp, so I've checked the thermometer. Five degrees Celsius! Aargh! Too cold for digital dexterity...
Pale Blue Polyanthus
Thursday 26th July
Wisely I've retreated inside to give the sun more of a chance to warm up my garden. This is its job, after all, and if we all did our jobs properly...
Little Mac the Kitten
Little Mac the gardening kitten enjoyed our short time out there, though she will climb the very tree that I'm pruning. I'm using my latest garden maintenance toy, the long extension saw, which I am finding really easy to use.
Wild Flowers Embroidery
But... Sob, sob, sob. It's OK to fail sometimes. That fine linen cross stitch wild flowers embroidery - I just can't do it. I've tried and tried, even using a big magnifying embroiderer's mirror, but I can't even get started. My eyes are just too old. More sobbing. It inspires me that someone has done exactly half of this magnificent picture, with such skill. And the reason they stopped exactly halfway will have its own story. I wish I could have been the one to carry it on.
Little Mac the kitten jumping up and all me hasn't helped, either. My hands move and the kitten pounces. This is such good fun! My embroidery mentor has a good suggestion - I could restart a much bigger one, with a stiff easy-to-see grid, and use fatter embroidery silks. Or employ an experienced young cross-stitcher with decent eyesight.
Right. Now the temperature has gone up to six degrees - still a bit nippy. I've got a trio of scruffy garden gnomes to repaint in the meantime. They're waiting expectantly on the decking...
Later...
I'm back, after dragging and carting loads of rubbish from the Hump and burning it on the bonfire. I've trimmed lower side branches off the pine trees, and now there's more light for the foliage plants.
Pink and White Polyanthus
Paths, Groves, and Chainsaws...
All paths are raked clean of pine needles and gum leaves (my bonfire loves these). The Cordyline grove is growing nicely, but I've found another huge gum tree that needs chain-sawing down - and up, so to speak. Non-Gardening Partner will go completely AWOL this weekend when I tell him.
I've finished painting the latest batch of gnomes. The two pipe smokers now have moustaches, which make them look a bit grubby and degenerate - male readers may wish to take note of this. My dining table is completely covered in beaming, blushing, bearded blokes. Just as well we're eating in front of the TV tonight, methinks...
Friday 27th July
Oops. I'm still inside the house. I've spent the whole morning painting more gnomes. They are standing all over the dining table (which is getting the tiniest bit speckled, if you know what I mean). Wonder if NGP will notice the difference?
Freshly Painted Garden Gnomes
+10Wandered down the driveway a few minutes ago with my ginger cat Percy, and though there's sun and blue sky - my goodness, it feels cold. It's just possible that I am having an indoors day today... But wait! This is a daft idea. Luckily my Twitter-friend has inspired me to do proper gardening - even if I just do some more cleaning up in the Hump. Better than loafing around. One can only derive a certain amount of satisfaction from painting the second and third coats of red hats...
Polyanthus in a Pot
Later...
Aargh! I've had a duplicate day, a replay of yesterday. Morning: gnome painting - jackets and trousers, faces and hats. Afternoon, in the following order: sawing tree branches and wheeling dry rubbish to bonfire, coffee, beards and eyeballs (those gnomes again), then bonfire with Lilli-Puss, Miss Smoochy, for cat company. A quick zoom into the house to get her some sneaky pet meat and pet milk.
Ouch!
Then lots of poking and prodding at smoking bonfire, while Lilli-Puss threatens to climb up me. So my legs look like tree trunks? Nice one, Lilli. Ouch!
No, wait! I did do something new. I planted some red lilies called America and the remaining polyanthus plants in my new pots. Phew. It has been a new day, after all...