My Garden Tidy-Up

13 Sep '06 2:13 am

Lovely Liza, you are right in that everything in nature truly is, as you say, Divine Art. Every creature and every plant has its place in this world and plays a vital part in it, so I love them all - I can never blame the lion for killing the gazelle any more than I can blame the snake for killing the mouse, as it is all part of Life.

In the same vein, I can't blame my cats for being curious about the snakes, but we do keep them separate because (obviously!) we don't want harm to come to any of them. Four of the snakes are still babies so they are very small, but our adult corn snake, Mrs Hudson, may give them a "run for their money", as the saying goes, but the cats would probably win in the end if it came down to it and Mrs H didn't slither away under some furniture or something! I think the main reason for this is that cats are very inquisitive and keen to explore, whereas snakes are more likely to run away and won't necessarily attack unless they have to. This is because, being reptiles, they need to conserve their energy as they only eat about once a week whereas, as we all know, cats (especially when they're semi-adult like my two) sometimes have more energy than they know what to do with! Smile

There are always going to be things that a wife loves but a husband doesn't understand, and the other way around. Life would be very dull if we all liked the same things! I think the important thing is that we respect each other's thoughts, as your husband does yours, and I'm sure you do his. In my case, it was my husband who was interested in snakes first (and sharks, in fact, but that's another story!) and it has sort of "rubbed off" on me over the years - he still knows much more than I do about these amazing creatures, but he has passed his love for them onto me.

I'm going to post some pictures of some of my favourite snakes for you all to see and appreciate! Smile

13 Sep '06 3:51 am

But,.....I still admire you... I know, it is so stupid of me since I know, that humans can be the worst and most dangerous of all beasts...

Thank you, dearest friend, for the excellent photos!

15 Sep '06 5:16 am

You're truly amazing and sooo...brave with your pet snakes. Like our dear Liza, I'm also very afraid of snakes and will keep a very far distance should I encounter one. However, I do love to watch them only on TV or magazines, captivated by their beautifully designed skin which are as beautifully coloured and shinning too. Those are awesome snake shots you've posted Wink

Thanks dear Bambi for initiating this wonderful thread showing your beautiful garden scenes (before and after clean-up) and sharing so deeply about your love of snakes. I'm delighted and enriched! Thanks to all who have posted too, delighting me with your humor, poem, etc. Very Happy

16 Sep '06 12:58 am

First of all I'd like to thank Liza and Jaqueline for their posts and say I don't deserve such admiration!! Believe me, there are plenty of other things I'm petrified of, and with less reason than yourselves - daddy longlegs, for example, terrify me and make me scream and run away! Wink

Now onto the practical side. I had the day off work yesterday, so I had a nice long time to devote to the garden. First of all I had a potter around the local garden centre and, as I'm working on a budget, I didn't pick anything up until I'd been around the whole place to see what was available (v restrained of me, I think; it was really quite difficult not to have one (or ten!) of everything!! Angel

). The main purpose of my visit was to get some nice shrubby/perennial-sort-of-things (not sure that's the perfect word, but thought Moosey might appreciate another small twitter from me!! Rolling Eyes

), so I got a lovely purple heather, a rosemary as I've wanted one for ages for its scent and its culinary uses, and I also got a lavender, inspired by Eggy's roof terrace. These I've put into pots for now but I may plant them straight into the beds at some point.

My other purchases were some seed trays for all my seeds I'm going to be sowing in the Spring (onion, tomato, etc and some cyclamen too) and some hyacinth and tulip bulbs as I just love all the colour that bursts forth from them in the Spring (I already have two beds full of daffodil bulbs which give a glorious display!) - these I've put in patches around the garden which should give interest all around.

Lastly, I transplanted a little cyclamen which had popped up and of which I'd had no previous knowledge! It was in the top right-hand corner of the garden, hidden behind the corner of the garage, so I've put it under my acer tree and hopefully it will be joined by lots of its little cousins next year when the seeds come through.

Well, the first stage of re-stocking the garden has begun! I can't believe how fun it is, and quite a challenge to pick out things that are both favourites and will suit my small garden. Roll on the next bit! Very Happy

16 Sep '06 2:47 am

A lot of creative gardening work awaits you, my young tender friend....Happy gardening, Bambi!

22 Sep '06 2:02 am

I've been going a bit bulb-mad recently Rolling Eyes

I think it's because I keep reading about all my southern-hemisphere friends looking out for the first spring dafs and other flowers that I'm getting rather nostalgic for that time of year (even though we're having something of an Indian Summer here with temps of around 28C!!) Anyway, after my tulips and hyacinths last week, I've now gone and bought myself 20 each of dwarf irises, Mr Fokker anemones and some beautiful crocuses!! I didn't have any choice on the number of each sort as they come in packs of 20, but I am starting to wonder where I'm going to fit another 60 bulbs in my tiny garden, along with all the other plants I'm planning on getting Wink

I don't suppose you can keep bulbs for any length of time? Think

Maybe I'll give some to my Mum. Yes, I think that's the thing to do - she's got a much bigger garden, and maybe the irises could go next to her pond - that would look lovely! Aha, good plan Bambi Idea

22 Sep '06 2:13 am

...I also bought myself a new cactus to go with the one I already have on my kitchen window sill. That one was a wedding present from an old school friend (it's in a presentation jar-thingy with different coloured sands in the bottom, etc.), and it's doubled in size since I've had it (six years). I thought it was about time I expanded my cactus collection a little (well, I have doubled it, haven't I!) and I got one that's about the same height and they're now in pride of place in my kitchen, which gets the best sun in the house!

I have NO idea what species they are, although my Dad could probably tell you straight away - I'm sure Eggy could too! The first one is your classic cactus shape and the new one is one of those furry cacti - I've always loved them and when I saw this one in the little shop down the road, I just had to have it! Rolling Eyes

I'll take some piccies of them so you all know what I'm wittering on about! Very Happy

22 Sep '06 9:13 pm

I'm following and enjoying thoroughly your gardening, flowering , exciting thoughts! I fully agree!! Just do it! Start painting your Springtime garden!

27 Sep '06 12:20 am

Here are my two cacti I was talking about the other day...

I know they're probably pretty basic species, and nowhere near as spectacular as most of Eggy's collection, but it's a start, isn't it?!?!?!?! Wink

27 Sep '06 2:54 am

Dear sweet friend! Thank you so much , for making me enjoy so much your posts recently, that always have this very distinct , lovely humor of yours!

And, yes! Your new Cacti babies look lovely, happy, and healthy, especially where you placed them to live! You should be very proud of them! And,... just forget about this ... dissagreeable pink artistic detail (... but pink, is a lovely colour, anyway, no??)!

My Garden Tidy-Up

They are gorgeous!

I salute you, Bambi!

The fun bit has begun!

What an Autumnal energy!

Bulbs!

Oo, almost forgot...

Cacti

I love your special humor! And your Cactus!