Don't drink the daffodil water!
Sunny Daffodil
I must be the silliest intelligent gardener on the planet. I know which plants are poisonous in my garden. But this morning in the cottage, too lazy to wander over to the house, I used water out of the daffodil vase to make an early cup of tea. Hmm...
Monday 27th August
I'm OK now. But what an absolute goose! Idiot! Well, I'm going swimming anyway, and when I get home I'll garden delicately. And no more drinking the daffodil water. What was I thinking?
Tuesday 28th August
After mildly poisoning myself yesterday, and spending the afternoon snoozing in a sulk in the cottage, I have a new personal plan. The moaning part of me is banned. Everything that is vaguely grump-making is to be immediately balanced with something good, kind, and outgoing.
- ‘Stop moaning! It's spring!’
- -Moosey Self-Advice.
For goodness sake - stop moaning! It's spring! My singing friend (poor woman, stuck in my car, a passenger on the way to choir rehearsal last night) heard all about my problems - woe is me this, and woe is me that. This is just ridiculous. Yesterday is the last of my 'poor-me' days. NO more grumping.
Creamy-White Camellias
It's really spring now, with delicate blossom in the trees, and lots of different daffodils in flower. And no - I'm not going to be munching any part of them, let alone drinking any more daffodil water. I have learnt my lesson.
Right. I'm off to chamber music, and then hopefully I can buy some picture frames to fit two wonderful New Zealand native bush photographs (a no-reason gift for equally long-suffering Non-Gardening Partner) from the Ecostore. Then into my garden - putting woodchips on more of the paths and enjoying every flower, whether from shrub, plant, or blossom tree.
Prunus Blossom and Wattle Flowers
Later...
My new personal plan is working! Well, I've had only one day, but I'm pleased with myself. I hope the plants and trees in my garden agree. I've been incredibly polite - nodding 'good afternoon' and smiling to the beautiful blossom trees, telling the bellbirds they're all whistling beautifully, telling my dog he's being good, and so on...
And such industry! I sowed more seeds, watered the seedlings (which are looking great), and potted up more Stachys. Then I started spreading the woodchips in Wattle Woods and cleaning up old leaves from the Renga Renga - what a scruffy mess they've made!
Trundling my wheelbarrow in a dream over to the bonfire, I noticed that the water level in the water race was well down. Alas - my afternoon had to be immediately diverted, and I dived in. Well, I stepped gently in, and started doing some maintenance on the subsiding soil bank, shoring it up with large stones. Cold, cold feet - the water is snow-melt from the not-so-distant mountains...
MInimus Cat Up a Tree
Wednesday 29th August
Yippee! My gardening heart races with a warm flush of spring spirit. What shall I do first today in the garden? More seeds? Ha! One can never sow too many seeds. Unless they are lettuces? Hmm... I'm also going to clear and organise my glasshouse benches, then go for a wander for appropriate cuttings - I'm thinking Penstemons and Catmint.
Young Minimus will probably be keeping me company in the glass-house again. And no doubt she will wait there until I reappear to 'collect' her for bedtime. Silly cat
Later...
Cuttings of Nepeta Six Hills Giant are now in a pot, where they'll hopefully take root. I've also collected more lupins - I love their flowers. Minimus has followed me faithfully here and there, fighting invisible soil-monsters and zooming up tree trunks. Am I, her doting cat-mother, watching? Of course I am, and I've even had my camera handy...
Moosey Cats :- All of the Moosey cats have their own web-pages. Here is a link to B-Puss's page, with those very special photographs.
Now, after re-reading my 2007 journals and seeing all that year's cat photographs I'm overwhelmed (in a nice way) with memories of dear white B-Puss. Dear, dear B-Puss, a one-in-infinity cat, you are always with me. But remember, you other Moosey cats - there's room in my heart for all of you.
Friday 31st August
Yesterday I went hiking. Well, I climbed a mountain, actually. My companion reckons that since we went up Mount Richardson, over 1000 meters high, the words 'climb' and 'mountain' are apt.
Woodchips on the Path
Earthy Connections
A brilliant day, great legs (pity about the knees on the descent). On the trail I'm so happy thinking slowly and surely, making earthy connections with the groovy green mosses, the sooty-barked trees, and all the foliage in between. Then, sitting on top of a (moderate) mountain surrounded by ranges and valleys - oh, how easy it is to gush the deep-and-meaningful. At such times anything seems possible - even gardening issues like how to get rid of all the weeds.
Today I've been in the glasshouse with my seeds - sorry, but I've committed Lactucacide, having far too many lettuce seedlings. I've also been working on the path behind the glass-house. The rugosa roses have had dead bits trimmed off, and the path is now properly stone-edged and covered in woodchips.
Oops. I nearly forgot. Goodbyeeeeeee to August.