Variety
<Aargh! It's almost the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, the turn-around of the gardening seasons (well, not quite - colder days are to come). With everything to look forward to. But at the same time, everything to enjoy in these winter moments, filled with so much variety...
Pebbles in the Front Driveway
Today's plans will include cleaning up yesterday's gardening mess, regardless of the cold rain. But first I will make a list. Be prepared to be astounded at the variety of things planned for my day.
Firstly, Non-Gardening Items :
- Finish knitting pink sweater for 'Yellow Bear' (a teddy who isn't really yellow at all).
- Practice Josquin de Pres Messa Langa (alto part, singing it on Sunday). Very sneaky rhythms.
- Do my Silver Swans ballet class (Youtube). Try not to wobble too much.
- Barking Friday is back! Visit flute playing friend, play Bach.
- Coffee with 'oldest' friend - our first post-Covid catch-up.
Winnie on Leasg
Of course, take dogs for separate walks in the rain and gloom, and then do that gardening clean-up. And then a hot shower, dry clothes, a warm log-burner, and maybe a wee train trip (Youtube again) in the Swiss Alps. Choose one in their winter snow, just to imagine how much colder and wetter I could be, hee hee.
Much Later...
A totally successful day, where every single item on my list got done, and done well. Cleaning up the old mess was the most annoying thing - I didn't feel I'd made any progress. Should have done it the day I made it. OK. I knew that!
It was so uplifting 'Barking' again with my friend. Ironically I'd left most of my Bach music at home, so we mainly 'Handeled'. Quite quirky, Handel.
Knitting news...
Now I am knitting woolly tights for all the teddies. Am a bit shy of seeing bear bottoms, hee hee. So all the bears can be warmly and modestly clad, ready to face the winter.
The Water Race
Saturday 20th June
After a couple of cold hours back in the water race trimming Phormiums etc. I've come inside to warm up. Only took me half a minute to get out of my wading suit - flexibility must be improving! Now a nice hot cup of tea and a muffin - for mental strength, which is needed. Because I've made a serious garden decision.
The idea is to completely replant the waterside trip of garden by Duck Lawn. At the moment it contains a huge green Astelia (half alive) and old stumps of dead Cistus and Hebe shrubs. There's also some old weed mat (hopeless stuff, for me, this) underneath a layer of soil, with lots of lush, thriving weeds covering it.
Properly dug...
So this garden is to be properly dug, and all unwanted things removed. Then clumps of Japanese Irises will be moved in along the water's edge, plus other shrubs nearer the lawn edge. Thought : If I could find my sharp spade (oops) I could make a start this afternoon - there's still about an hour of daylight left.
Later...
I started slicing through the old Astelia root clump. Laborious work, muddy too. Hoping the part that's left will dry out and stop - rotting? Whatever it's doing to die slowly.
Then I zoomed inside, prepared some schnitzel and salad, hopped on a train to St Moritz in the snow, and started knitting some pink bear tights. With a large Fred cat on my lap, purring loudly. Oh yes. Life is grand when it's varied.
Bears in Knitted Clothes