Neighbour nosiness...
This week's plan involves a certain level of neighbour nosiness. The huge orangey-yellow tree-grabber machine is supposed to start cleaning up and felling all next-door's pine trees. The fate of my bunting hangs (ahem) in the balance. I was planning to hang nearly two hundred little coloured triangular flags along the driveway boundary, between five sad, isolated pines. But these are destined for 'the chop'. Aargh! What will I hang it on now? I have already asked Non-Gardening Partner about erecting a couple of power poles. I think he laughed.
The Pine Trees are Coming Down
Might be a better plan to hang out the washing, methinks! Anyway, a warm belated good morning to February, and good morning to a cute Concerto Grosso by Handel, which sounds oddly like ballet music. Somehow Handel has created dancing people-characters. Hmm... Maybe my morning coffee isn't quite strong enough...
Monday 3rd February, Much Later...
I spent most of the morning 'bunting-ing'. I'm very sorry, but it's been rather too hot to garden properly. This afternoon I've cleared up a small portion of the Frisbee Lawn Garden and put the watering hose on (the big irrigation somehow misses it out). Dry and super-sunny - a few years ago I thought this would be a great place for my big bearded irises. But no, oddly the irises haven't performed so well after their first year. A thought - divide them up and replant?
The Tree Grabbers at Work
And regarding the big super-tree-grabbers, it's still early days. I've watched one decimate a few of the trees deep in the neighbour's forest, with no idea of the scale at which it works. How long before it trundles nearer to my boundary? I haven't a clue. It seems to stop a lot. The operator needs lots of cups of tea, or something? Anyway, I've compiled a group of yellow-orange flowers, to complement the colours of the machinery. Enjoy!
I might go outside now and start sorting out those irises now. It's nearly five o'clock, so temperatures are cooling down. I'll take a tennis ball with me (to tempt Rusty the dog) and a shovel. This garden could do with a rethink and a replant. For example, all sad dahlias could move on out, as could a clump of lilac phloxes - and the clump of day-lilies which has never ever flowered.
How dull life would be if one didn't ever leave anything unfinished.-Moosey words of wisdom.
Right. It's now Tuesday, I am home alone all day, the temperature is destined for 28 degrees (Celsius), so I'm starting my garden push early. If I can make it until lunchtime I'll be super-happy. I'm continuing that which I started - the story of my gardening life, hee hee. But imagine how dull life would be if one didn't ever leave anything unfinished.
Five Hot Hours Later...
What a legend! And I only came stopped to come inside because the telephone was ringing on and on, and I figured it might be somebody nice. I've been working in the Frisbee Border, trimming Prunus suckers, trimming Clematis montana (I can think of stronger words), pruning the Senecio shrubs and pulling out weeds. This garden is desperately dry, so I've rigged up two hoses and I'm slowly shifting them along.
Sunny irises and Aquilegias
Those irises (see the above photograph, taken a three years ago) are divided and replanted, by the way. They're a subtle orange (yes, orange can be subtle), and definitely needed seeing to. I'll throw the long discarded tubers over on one of my new gardens along the driveway. They may decide to sprout for me next spring!
My New Bunting
And a short comment on that super-tree-grabber which is supposed to be cleaning up next-door's mess? How about 'huh'? It's just sitting there in the forest, big and yellowy orange, doing n-o-t-h-i-n-g. So I've hung up my first string of bunting between trees on my side of the drive. It looks absolutely gorgeous.
Next Morning...
The big machines next-door (now there are two of them) have started up, and it's hard not to be nosy. There's a 'little person' inside me who loves to stand and stare at 'big things' (like diggers and cranes). Aha! I am getting in touch with my masculine side! I am rather torn, though. The plan was to go straight back to bed and try and rid self of an annoying mild headache - by sleeping.
Rusty the Dog in the Garden
What I should be doing is burning all yesterday's rubbish. I blame yesterday for my headache, too excessive gardening in the sun, plus reading my hugely serious book for a couple of hours and not wearing my reading glasses.
Yellow-Orange Dahlia
I am an online auction failure, too. An outdoors rustic table and chairs that I rather liked has sold for over a thousand dollars (my 'price' was about three hundred). And some cute cat teapots seem to be going the same way. Blast!
Later, Lunchtime...
Aha! I've burnt the rubbish, which involves raking gum leaves from the Frisbee Lawn while others gently flutter down to take their place. I've taken lots of photographs. The super-tree-grabbers next-door worked for twenty minutes, then the trundling and smashing noises stopped. Silence. Reminds me of that silly question : 'If a tree falls in the forest and no-one is there, does it make a sound'? I'm obviously missing something regarding this tree-clearing business. Perhaps a camouflage team goes in on foot...
+3Hey - my headache seems better (the powers of fresh air and/or Panadol). And the garden has so many flowers to delight my tired eyes. Lots of roses are reblooming. Rain is threatening, and the sky keeps switching from light to dark grey. I'm taking Rusty the dog for a quick walk.
Back From Our Walk...
Aha! A repair van has arrived next-door and three hi-viz-vested men are crawling over one of the tree-grabbers with rather small spanners. And now I hear rumblings... we have lift-off! And I won the auction for those cat tea-pots. Things are definitely looking up...