The little comforts...
Tiger and Me
Am so thankful for the little comforts of winter - firewood (lots of it, self-sawn and stacked), merino tops (lots of them, snuggly, cheap from the Charity Shop), and the grooviest house slippers (Ugg boots from Australia). Warm feet. Looooooovely.
I've done some good gardening today. I weeded underneath the Pittosporum screening trees at the back of my little stone-walled garden, then dumped load after load of horse manure around them. Had to restrain some Lamium (as one does), pulled out excess Euphorbias (polychroma, can become a nuisance), and dismantled the little stone wall by the wee path. Meanwhile Non-Gardening Partner started chain-sawing the next batch of felled trees in the Hump). Two busy people, doing what each does well. What delightful garden symmetry...
Sunday 29th July
Multi-facetted me? This morning I zoomed into town to sing in a Catholic Mass (a most tuneful Rheinburger, SSA), then zoomed home and into The Hump, transformed into a strong-arms woman. NGP was already chain-sawing, and I spent the next three hours filling the trailer with heavy logs and stacking them in the front paddock.
Semi-Hail!
Was in full swing when it started 'semi-hailing'. Hail (even the semi variety) is rather aggressive, and one gets too wet too quickly. But it is winter, after all, so we both stopped for the day.
Monday 30th July
Today we are both multi-facetted, if that is the appropriate word (and spelling). NGP has taken the day off work. Not only has he has gone flying in his tiddley plane, and done two more chain-sawing sessions, but he has kindly driven me across town to pick up a striped ginger cat teapot (I am still collecting them). I have taken Pebbles to the dog park, gone swimming, rebuilt the little stone wall, and heaved and stacked one trailer load of logs. Now I am off to a music rehearsal
Tuesday 31st July
Today - well, bless my dirty fingernails - is the very last day of July. I have almost pruned all the roses. Almost all. July has been the month of the 'tree fellers', and today I rolled more heavy logs over to the edge of The Hump and then raked up two barrow loads of pine mess for the bonfire.
Then I weeded properly in the Stumpy Garden, pulling out all the self-seeded Euphorbia polychromas, plus excess oak leaves. The plan is to load horse manure on top of what's left. I'd like the new rugosa (names Belle de Poitevin, Ann Endt, and Rugspin) roses to grow a bit bigger and stronger, so this seems like a good idea.
Rugosa Rose Ann Endt
It has been a beautiful day - rather balmy-warm for winter, with stunning blue skies, so I left the bonfire as late as I could. Earlier this morning when the winds were blowing I noticed smoke from next-door swirling around. I don't trust my neighbours w.r.to burning. They seem weather-oblivious, and never ever check on their burning heaps. Not like me. Oh my, I am soooooooo virtuous. All my mess has been burnt - and checked upon.
No pudding...
And now we are off to the country pub for a pensioner's roast. A wonderful reward for a wonderful day. Another little comfort of winter. But no pudding...