Retirement Resolutions

 Visiting the old fashioned rose garden in the Botanic Gardens.
Head Gardener in Rose Garden

Ha! After years of bleating, and cheating, and sneaking off to work part time, I am finally properly, honestly, and terribly officially retired! I am finally a full-time gardener!

Think of how much gardening I will be able to do! Think of the plans and schemes which I will have the time to follow through! Think of the fun I will have! No more frantic weeding frenzies in the weekend because I have to go into work on the Monday. No more moans and groans. No more energy channeled off-property. I will be a 'Strictly-Moosey' Moosey - a full-time gardener!

Retirement Resolutions

Retirement Resolutions will be necessary - after all, I could easily meander into a lame retirement routine and spend all day dabbling at little things - watering the decking pots, sweeping the gum tree leaves off the patio, dead-heading roses, and so on. My first real resolution must be to think big. A second pond? The ill-fated shrubbery by the Pump House re-invented? A stone wall? New paths?

 Walking away from all my work commitments! Yippee!
Off on a Retirement Adventure

Boring, routine things, like the soil quality of the garden, can be given some much-needed time and energy. I can collect horse-poos and cow-poos every day, and make a smelly pile. I could even make some proper compost. I can organise my garden tools, sort out a storage system, clean out my glass-house, stack my pots...

Thinking Ahead

I must start thinking ahead and propagate more of the plants I need, to fill future garden expansions. The bargain bins and sale tables will obviously require a little financial restraint. If I need bigger plants I could advertise - offer a kind home in the country for unwanted city roses, camellias and rhododendrons, then organise non-gardening partner's weekends with trailer and shovel.

 One of the Moosey Retirementent Home roses - name unknown.
A Retired Rose

I could even learn to use the Moosey Lawn Mower! Now my time is my own, this pleasant task could be done any day of the week. Lots of trim semi-grey-haired ladies in denim gardening shirts do their own lawn-mowing - I've seen pictures in the advertising pamphlets!

A New Gardening Image

That reminds me - I think my gardening image could be tarted up a little. At the moment I am technically classified as medium-old, in reasonable working order except for slightly sore knuckles (on-going treatment is at hand, so to speak). I am short sighted - this is excellent for creating distant illusions of garden loveliness. My personal grooming details reek (unfortunate word) of the serious gardener - for example, hands and fingernails are rarely scrubbed clean enough.

 My favourite blue deck chair is waiting!
Retirement Beckons...

I need some colourful retirement bandanas, and some new, crisp, freshly ironed retirement gardening shirts. I could even get my hair cut - a stylish bob might look better than the non-brushed English Sheep-Dog look I am sporting at present. Retired gardeners have time to soak their hands in aromatic oils, and treat their tired feet to soothing foot-baths. My goodness - a swan-like transformation!

Most of all, though, I will have time to organise, weed, plant, trim, create, enjoy - and most importantly give love to my garden every single day. Twenty-four-seven. Yippee!