Where are the Spades?
Found One Spade
Here's a great tip for evaluating the state of the garden paths. Lose the spade (needed urgently by Non-Gardening Partner) out there somewhere. Better still, lose three spades, including the special sharp one that Non-Gardening Partner himself bought.
Then disappear all day Sunday for three singing engagements, leaving NGP home alone. Aha! Arrive home at dusk absolutely and utterly drained of all mental energy. Welcome home? How were your concerts? Are you tired? Not a bit of it.
Where are the spades?
Where are the spades? One is needed for a delicate digging operation. There should be three spades. Where are they?
Humph. So out I went in my flash black musician's clothes to check out likely locations. Trudged through overgrown paths in the Hump Garden, got sticky biddi-bids all over my posh trousers. Plodded around the pond, feeling more and more hopeless. No sign of any spade - even the special sharp one with the bright orange handle. How can something bright orange possibly be lost? Felt very gloomy, and down - not just the spade situation, the anti-climax after performing.
First thing this morning, trudged around again. I can visualise the spades lying on a path somewhere, all covered over with sprawling Alkanet and mildewed Forget-Me-Nots. The worst case scenario : I might trip over one and fall flat on my face. Reality check : it's time for a total path tidy up.
Too many paths!
Sooooo many garden paths to check! Too many - started to feel really droopy. Finally - success! Saw a spade leaning rakishly (?) against the Choisya Ternata Aztec shrub by the Henhouse. Surely one will be enough? Rang NGP at his work, trying to sound contrite.
So if I clear absolutely all the paths of drooping Alkanet and forget-me-nots etc. then the other two spades will turn up. Won't they?
Three Hours Later...
Put on my shorts and started pulling out forget-me-nots and Alkanet. Have been working for five hours - very restful, meaningful work, though I haven't moved very far. But I've also been planting out flowering annuals, mainly around the Herb Spiral. AKA the Annual Flower Spiral, hee hee.
Fred on the Driveway
Fred!
On one of our many dog-walks one of the Freds ran up to me and went to leap up my leg. Naturally I jumped out of his way. But he kept on coming, actually chasing me over the lawn. Eek! Fred is a cat! The look in his eyes was rather naughty - even feral.
Spade News...
Nothing to report as yet. But I've only been working around the Herb Spiral - three hours pottering in the gardens around the back house lawn. I am now having a small break.
Then, taking a deep breath, I am off into the Hump Garden, wherein I hope to uncover the remaining two garden spades. Alkanet beware! Old forget-me-nots - start trembling!
One hour and three barrowfuls later...
The heading says it all, really! Armfuls of old forget-me-nots, a few determined bees following the wheelbarrow, all dumped by the fence-line. A mountain of mushy mess. And, alas, I am still relatively spadeless...