Real love!
Winnie the Dog
I love my autumn garden. I love working in it, looking at it, thinking and writing about it. But it's not just my happy place. It's my wonderful and worrisome place, both at the same time. This is real love, after all.
Friday 11th April
Sitting in the autumn sunshine drying my hair, listening to the bellbirds whistling to each other each other high in the trees. Late monarch butterflies are gliding around. There's a gentle hum of distant country machinery. A bumble bee buzzes past, interested in my blue gardening shirt. A miaow as one of the Fred cats arrives for a smooch.
Some lists...
It's time I did a mental stock-take. I love doing these. First of all, a short list of good things :
- Personal grooming : I got the nasty matted knot out of my hair. Took ages. Remember : brush hair every day.
- The dahlias : vibrant flower colours, pollen for the bees. Bigger, less floppy, more colourful than ever.
- The trees : They all look big and beautiful, and autumn colours are starting to show. Music : my two choirs have had great rehearsals this week, and Chamber Music this morning was so inspiring.
And, for balance, here's a short list of things that are slightly not so good...
- Sometimes when I'm tired I feel a bit wobbly walking in the garden. But I'm still really happy.
- Winnie is a bit wobbly, too, and both my dogs are stinky. But they are happy.
- I still don't catch sight of Foxie, the new ginger stray cat I think I'm feeding each night. I think I am!
So yesterday I collected a barrowload of trimmings etc, from the middle of the Hump Garden, either side of the main path. Beautiful rose hips are covering the rugosa rose Corylus and Rosa Moyesii.
This afternoon I sat down and weeded in the Stables Garden. Regret planting the miniature Agapanthus clumps nearby - they've brought an annoying lime green annual grass weed with them. But they're easy to dig out.
Saturday 12th April
Another great garden day. I cleaned up the garden in the middle of the back lawn while Non-Gardening Partner took away the ash from the bonfire. I re-loaded the burning heap with four barrowfuls of mess - slightly wet grass weeds layered with dry gum leaves from the driveway. Burnt it all.
Gardener Wearing Her Cat Shirt
Am going to go apres gardening in my new cat shirt (see above). I will have an early meal, then go trekking in Nepal with a groovy film-maker (the wonders of Youtube, hee hee). I so deserve this.