Quality dog-time
Throw the Stick
Remember my New Year's Resolution? Oops. It's nearly two months old now, and already I've forgotten all about it. I was going to be 'kinder' (obviously to all my humans, etc) - but specifically to my dogs.
The dogs are bored
Well, for three days now they've been bored - either shut in their kennels, or accompanying me gardening. I've been barrowing mulch from the fence-line pile to some paths near the house. The same trip, back and forth, back and forth. Old dog Rusty plods along mindlessly, but Winnie (my young black and white Border Collie) is not so easily fooled.
Remembering that resolution, I'm going to try to be a more interesting dog-owner. My dogs need their own quality daily 'dog-time'. So even though it's the weekend, and our friends won't be there, we are going to go to the dog park. Winnie can chase and catch her moon ball for an hour. Rusty will strut alongside me with his firmly in his mouth. Drop the ball? No way! Then and only then will I continue my gardening.
Later...
Right. We are back, we've also walked round the orchard and thrown sticks into the pond, and now I am going to do some good gardening. Actually, I'm finishing the washing line path mulching, then I'm going to dig large holes and drop in (but planting them properly) some dahlia clumps which have been (prematurely) shifted out of the driest garden in the world (my personal garden world, that is).
Smoky Blue Hydrangeas
I will also plant some of my cutting-grown Hydrangeas which are still squashed into pots. They have shown much patience, and deserve to be liberated.
And Later...
This planting lark hasn't gone to plan. But I've divided up a New Zealand native Cortaderia, and intend to plant the pieces near the washing line. But on my way over to the fence-line to get the dahlias I kept on stopping - I trimmed some Lychnis here, some Shasta daisies there, nipped at dead Phormium leaves and stalks from the finished Delphinium clumps, removed weeds, dead-headed roses...
And so this one trip seemed to take forever. So I've come inside for the quickest of 'affirmation paragraphs'. I will, will, will plant everything. Properly. I will water everything that I plant. I will get this wee garden sorted. I will. Or else!
And Later Still...
I did it. I did. Then I photographed lots of beautiful flowers. Enjoy!
The New Garden
Tuesday 28th February
Aha! Today I did even more planting. I found more hydrangeas sulking in pots behind the glass-house, and they've been planted. I found lots of Lychnis in pots and they, too, are in the ground, to flower next summer. I've put all the hydrangeas together on the shadier side of the path, and sprinkled a lot of old, wet potting mix around. And of course I've thrown Winnie's ball a hundred times.
Thursday 2nd March
Right. Today the dogs and I have been super-productive. We have been busy doing things. Dogs love to think that they are doing things. I am very proud of old dog Rusty for keeping up, and staying in such good spirits.
The Dog-Path Garden
My weeding fairy came to help, and brought us sushi for lunch. She always puts me in a positive mood (it's enjoyable having a minion?). We sloshed around in the Dog-Path garden clearing the little entrance path and the water-side dog-path. We trimmed lupins and pulled out broom seedlings, leaving the Berberis. I found the healthiest head-high gorse bush. Oops. It is no more.
Yeay for my Weeding Fairy!
Then later in the afternoon, feeling extremely rejuvenated (empowered by my weeding fairy? It doesn't take much, hee hee), I did some random things :
- Shifted some Cream Delight Phormium pieces into the Allotment Garden.
- Planted a Lemonwood along the boundary with my other Pittosporums.
- Tipped a load of stones on the dog-path.
- Trimmed yet more Shasta daisies.
Dogs in the Garden
Then I took some photographs. Yeay for the kinder version of me! And yeay for my lovely dogs!