Moochy morning time...

 Still surviving in the Allotment Garden.
Archduke Joseph Rose

One thing about a winter's gardening day - it's often too cold to work outside before 11am. So early morning in winter is a moochy time, perfect for doing a sudoko or a crossword. Today I have done some clothes-washing, some singing practice on a quirky Josquin des Prez Mass, and am now having coffee...

Later, 11am...

So the dogs and I have been for a walk around the driveway, and beyond. There are rather a lot of late flowering pink roses about - charming for this time of the year. It's only a couple of weeks until the winter solstice, after all. The temperature finally seems workable - time to change into my gardening jeans and go outside. Will enlighten you as to what I get up to when I return.

Much later...

Aha! I had no choice. The council had turned the water race down really low. And since one of my waders leaks horribly, I could get in there wearing my normal gumboots (which do not leak at all).

 The perfect time for a clean-up.
No Water in the Race

Phormiums and Gunnera...

I worked away for over four hours, trimming Phormiums and Gunnera, and scooping up thickets of muddy rubbish. Then tried to get my bonfire going - no chance.

Came inside, changed out of my mud-spotted clothes, and promptly fell asleep in front of the log burner. Oops. Now I have totally lost my oomph - don't even want to keep on writing, just want to go to bed. And it's only 6pm! I am very thankful I don't drink alcohol (which would make me feel much, much worse).

Next day...

The water race is still down, but I have not been in it. Naughty! On walking around the garden with my dogs I saw too many other things which needed immediate attention. The Gunnera by Car Bridge needs trimming. Leaves in the Pond Paddock need raking and bagging up. The main Wattle Woods path needs clearing of Creeping Charlie (thank you soooooo much, Charlie). And the Pittosporum branches which came out of the Shrubbery are still languishing in messy piles on the front house lawn. It all makes me feel rather like a failure. Which I am not!

So what am I going to do about it? Aha! Nothing. I am off to visit the new baby and finish planting the row of green Mondo grass in his front pathway garden. So there.