Happy New Year
Dogs with Tennis Balls
Happy New Year for 2014. So how am I going to start my new gardening year? Aha! I know! I'll do some weeding. Then I might do some more weeding. It's mid-summer here in my garden, and the weeds (like me) are enjoying the warm rain and sunshine. OK, you weeds. Time to be very afraid...Wednesday 1st January, Lunchtime...
Blast! It's raining in Queenstown, where the cricket should be playing. On the weeding front, so far so good - one heavy, wobbly barrowful of weeds removed from the gardens by the Pergola, including rogue Ligularias which have seeded and spent the year growing in the wrong places. I'm also annoyed with the self-sown purple potatoes, so I'm pulling them out and gathering up any of the spuds big enough to eat.
Escher the dog is spending New Year's Day with us. He, a brown dog with a super-nose, is fast becoming a wild-life connoisseur. He's already discovered a duck and ducklings (phew, no casualties). This morning, deep in the orchard, he came upon a fledgling baby thrush on the ground. Again no harm was done, apart from me disturbing the rural tranquillity by booming 'NO, Escher. NOOOOOOOOO!' amidst the agitated swooping of the alarmed parents. Escher! That dog-nose! What an amazing dog-nose you have...
Happy New Year, Minimus
Good news regarding Non-Gardening Partner - he is (finally) building my last year's Christmas present, a garden obelisk. Ooh goody - as long as he bothers to buy a circular knob for the top I'll be happy.
Flowery Annuals
Right. The order of the day is weeding. I've noticed more potatoes smothering some newly planted David Austin roses nearby, so as soon as I've had morning coffee I'll make a start on them. Hmm. Where's my book of '101 Tasty Ways with Potatoes'? And in the middle of the Island Bed that ghastly 'Cleavers' weed is going around hugging every other plant in sight. I'm off outside.
Thursday 2nd January
Yesterday was the best gardening day I've had all year, hee hee! Seriously, I did some proper gardening, where I venture deep into the middle of a border, properly pull out weeds and trim things, throw barrowfuls of rubbish out, and manage to land it all in the wheelbarrow. Yes!
Later...
Aha! Peace is restored to the Moosey House and Garden, according to the cats - Escher the big brown dog has gone home. But Rusty the dog has really enjoyed the company - lots of happy exercise followed by lots of deeply relaxed dog-snoozing. I've done a small amount of weeding and edge trimming, and I've picked up pieces of gum bark from the lawns. That's about all.
Big Red Daylilies
There's a new summery look to the garden - dahlias, hydrangeas and summer phloxes are starting to flower, while the daylilies continue. It seems there are mad, random colours everywhere, and I love it. It's all rather nice and lush, and colourfully casual.
The New Obelisk
It's Finished!
And the obelisk is finished, ready to paint some alarming colour. Nice work! This only took Non-Gardening Partner a couple of lazy days, so now I'd better think of something else for him to do. Perhaps some patio furniture? I need to replace the ten dollar cane patio table and chairs (the legs of which are finally collapsing). Hmm...
A Serious Cat Question
I have a serious cat-question. My cats are rather alarmed by Escher the big brown dog - he's boisterous, noisy, and nosy, and, after all, he's not their dog. So they all quietly and carefully disappear whenever he stays over. But...
Two minutes after Escher has left the property they'll all turn up, happy (and, in the case of Tiger, desperately hungry). Maybe there's a quick look through a door, a peep around a chair, but they seem to know that the big brown dog has gone.
I'm certain they watch him leave from high in the garage rafters, somehow understanding the implication of the car door shutting. Clever cats! Two magic sounds - slam! Vroom! That annoying dog is driving away! C'mon, we can all go home again...
+5
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+5I think all the cats deserve some bonus Most Valuable Pet points for being so adaptable...