Enjoying the roses
Enjoying the big roses, filling my garden with colour and beauty. Crepuscule, you darling, with your pretty little white clematis friend. Paul Transon on the woodshed - hello! And greetings to Alberic Barbier and Monsieur Tillier. Big is beautiful in a country rose garden.
Winnie Underneath Crepuscule Roses
Have also been bonfiring, not enjoying this, but the dry hedge trimmings need to be burnt. I should go back outside to do some weeding, but I'm feeling lazy. I might just soak and clean my fingernails, then curl up in a chair with a book. Gardeners have been known to do such things in the afternoon, hee hee...
My poor dogs!
Non-Gardening Partner is away, so I am in charge of the animals. While I was out late yesterday a stray black Labrador came cruising around my garden. I arrived home to see the Lab at my gate, caught by a neighbour. My dogs, of course, had been in their kennels, in a barking frenzy. I let them out - oh boy! They ran over the lawns and around the gardens, barking They ran in and out of the house, barking. Barking. A quarter of an hour of barking while we checked the whole property and they pee-ed everywhere.
Black Fred
Where were my cats?
And where were my cats? Minimus slunk out from underneath her cottage, looking very peeved, but I couldn't find the Fred cats or Buster. So we walked around the garden again, I called the cats, and the dogs barked some more. That dog whisperer trick : calm voice, 'Thank you dogs, for letting me know about the interloper' finally worked.
Phew! Black Buster finally appeared, but at the cottage window about 4am (hiss, growl from Minimus). This morning both Freds were snoozing on the dog couch, after a hard night out.
OK. So what should I do first today? The dogs and I have already been for two garden walks, and I think they've forgotten all about yesterday's dog crisis. I know - I'm going to look at my latest photographs. A great time waster, and I still think I'm doing something worthwhile, hee hee.
Three Hours Later...
I've been properly good. I've been clearing around the dog kennels, pulling out forget-me-nots (for mulch) and assorted weeds (hello, Cleavers, you're going on the bonfire). But this area is - ahem - a dog toilet, so it's been pretty stinky work.
Dogs in Kennels
Time for a cup of tea - my bonfire has reignited with a bundle of dry Cordyline leaves, two barrowfuls of hedge trimmings, and loads of Alkanet. Not feeling very energetic, though. Might look through more photographs. But the more time I spend taking photographs (and writing my journal) the less time I spend gardening. Hmm...
Winnie in the Garden
Here's an idea. I return to my garden and work for another two hours. Then I have a shower, wash my hair, put on some lovely clothes and take myself down to the local restaurant for a meal. Why not? Just hope there are no unwanted dog visitors while I'm out. Poor dogs, stuck in their kennels while the naughty dog-visitor trotted here and there, rudely pee-ing on all their plants...