Olympics and gardening
Gold Medal - Red Camellia
I've been using good gardening time sitting on the TV couch, watching The Olympics - often sports that I don't really understand, or follow. Unfortunately my garden is slightly out of medal contention!
Monday 2nd August
Today has been almost spring-like - perfect for gardening. So I've been Olympic-watching instead. IN the afternoon I went off to the doctor for a quick check-up, and spent half an hour wandering around the shops. I never go shopping in proper shops! Resisted the huge boxes of Lego, bought some cheap secateurs instead.
A waste of money...
I know this. Sometimes I try and double bluff myself by buying expensive ones - of course I'll look after them, because they cost sooooo much. OK, they work better, but they get lost just as quickly...
Got home feeling so guilty, decided to do some rose pruning. But the cheap secateurs lost their spring on the second nip. Got the silly sulks, went back inside and put the Olympics back on. Watched some volleyball.
Gold Medal - Takanini Camellias
Next day...
What is it with me and garden hand tools? My second new pair of secateurs (which has a little internal rod) have also lost their springiness. This makes pruning the roses really annoying, as one has to use extra finger action to reload them. On the plus side, I love my new hand scraper, and I've used it in three different locations without leaving it behind or losing it. And only two hours of Olympic watching today.
Lilli-Puss on the Lawn
Thursday 5th August
Oh dear. Went out for a quick coffee with a dog friend (dog-owner friend, that is). The Fred cats were snoozing in the house, so I shut them in and opened Lilli's door and window. She might like to wander around outside - get some fresh air and exercise. Got home an hour later, and couldn't find her. Went around the house and garden calling and making encouraging noises. Not a whisker. Went around again. And again. No luck.
Felt awful. No TV watching for me - did lots of noisy gardening, hoping that she'd hear me and check back in. Two hours passed - no sign of her. Imagined the newspaper headlines : Cat found after six years on the run is lost again, thanks to careless attitude of owner. By dusk I'd pretty much given up. Checked her room, just in case, and there she was on her snuggly blanket. Eek!
Saturday 7th August
I took Lilli-Puss outside to do some controlled cat-gardening. This time she followed me around, climbed trees, and did 'relaxed outdoor cat' things.
Lilli in the shrubbery
I cleaned up the Shrubbery. The Shrubbery soil has been fortified, and I'm wondering if some roses could be replanted on the sunny side. Hmm...
Ash Heap
Onto the bonfire...
Then Lilli went back into her room and I cleaned up a different garden, over the water race. Everything went on the bonfire - Miscanthus trimmings, dry ferns, pieces of gum bark, and so on. I pruned more Iceberg roses, and added the trailer-load of hedge trimmings to the fire. Whoosh! Lots of steam.
Last day of the Olympics...
Tomorrow is the last day of the Olympics, and it's forecast to be quite cold with possible snow flurries. Eek! THE perfect day for lounging on the TV couch. In a way I'm glad that the Olympics are over. Garden sprints, synchronised weeding, and bonfire marathons only.