So sensible?
Autumn Cotinus
So sensible, am I? Oh yes? Hurt my knee in a silly wee garden accident. Did all the right things - for example, no gardening, for the next three days, and minimal dog-walking.
Naturally the knee started feeling better. So I stopped taking the anti-inflam pills and went to my ballet class (lots of stretchy, pointy feet and bendy plies). Then I spent three energetic hours digging out large grasses with a blunt spade.
Ouch!
Guess whose knee is a bit tender and sore again? Yes. Mine. Yet another of those 'I really should have known better' moments.
But I've made a good if somewhat limpy start on my new Friendship Garden. It's involved re-routing a path, removing three huge Carexes, and trimming as much as I can off a prickly self-sown Prunus tree. I've weeded and tipped out horse manure. I'm almost ready for the planting.
Chain-sawing needed...
Non-Gardening Partner now has to chainsaw three small trees down to ground level. He'll say something like 'Why don't you want them any more? Don't you like them?' I'll patiently point out that they are now in the middle of the new path.
Site of the Friendship Garden
Shuffling carefully around the garden with my camera I am finally seeing and enjoying some decent autumn colours. Wow! Some of the Dogwoods are suddenly brilliant. I didn't get any bright rich reds from the Maples, but the Prunus trees are now flaming up rather nicely, gold and orange, very pretty. Maybe I was being too impatient with autumn. Oops.
Ouch again! My knee is a being a bit annoying. Have bought a very professional looking ice pack (the bag of frozen peas doesn't quite hug the knee's contour as it should). OK, so no more robust shoveling allowed. I know.