Almost winter?
Crabapples
The seasons they are a-changing. I reckon it's almost winter, but I've only just raked and bagged up the first of the autumn leaves. I have trimmed and dumped my first load of dead dahlia stalks. The sun is noticeably lower in the sky. The first almost-frost has been and gone, causing many of the Gunnera leaves to turn brown. There's an extra duvet on the bed at night, and my super-snuggly cat Minimus burrows in between the layers, with just her pretty grey striped face peeping out.
I'm loving the log-burner. Having recently spent hours log-splitting and stacking wood outside the back door, one feels very rewarded. Have also collected dry pine cones, which make the nicest kindling. Home grown warmth - the very best kind.
But the garden is messy. And - aargh! The hedge-trimmer is due soon to trim all the big shelter hedges. That means lots more mess. Everywhere I look there's mess. But it's good honest mess, and anything that can be composted has been redirected.
Friday 21st May
It's Black Fred's third day home from the vet. He's shut in the house (hopefully those tummy wounds are healing). If I were a romantic I'd say that the dogs sense Fred has a wee problem (they keep popping over to lick his face).
Middle of Herb Spiral
Gardening properly again...
Finally I've started gardening properly again. This afternoon I weeded the Herb Spiral and one of the borders by the back lawn. Trimmed the herbs, removed self-sown chives from the wee path, scattered annual cornflower and cosmos seeds for next spring. I got a bit garden-sad : there are so many weeds, and clover has spread everywhere. So has the marjoram, and I don't know whether I want it to. And I can't find my hand digger. Oh woe is me! Wondered if I was wasting time and finger-pulling power. Perhaps everything needed to be attacked with the spade? Gave up and stacked a trailer-load of firewood instead. As one does.
Some news that fills me with garden-dread : the fire ban has finally been lifted. Luckily it was too windy today to do anything. My date with the late-autumn bonfire has been postponed. Stacked some more wood instead.
Sunday 23rd May
The weirdest of musical days. This morning I sang in Arvo Part's Berliner Messe. Really groovy. Tonight my Bob Dylan Tribute Band (The Bob Tits) performed - quite a different way in which to knock on heaven's door. In between gigs I cranked up the bonfire. What else? Burnt about eight barrow-loads of mainly gum, flax, and cordyline leaves. Non-Gardening Partner took a photograph. OK, I may be smiling, but this does NOT mean that I like bonfiring.
First 2021 Bonfire
And while raking leaves near the big hedge (they go into bags for leaf mould) I found my new expensive hand digger. There it was, lying in the grass. Felt like a reward, which of course it wasn't, because I shouldn't have lost it in the first place.