Sunday In The Garden

The days seem to move so much faster when we are in the daylight saving mode. My mam tells me that when we were all wee snappers, she would have to put up heavy blankets at our bedroom windows to get us to sleep! The days went too fast back then, and they still go too fast now. Mam says that the Lord gives us all the same amount of hours, and it is up to us how we will use them.

Weeding, weeding and more weeding today. When it began to drizzle, Polly (Staffy cross with a Silkie) and I rested under the canopy of our faithfully-fruiting Quince tree. Before long, Sasha, the tabby joined us, but Polly 'smiled' at her; that is ~ bared her teeth. Sasha doesn't have to be told twice. She darted to the verandah for cover. I heard the side door to the workshop slam shut, and observed the Machinist moving rather quickly down 'Grape Walk', not wanting to get wet. On his return, I whistled to him, and when he saw me sitting under the Quince, he found it quite amusing. "You're enjoying yourself under there, aren't you?". He knows, you know....

For some weeks now, there has been a variety of weeds and miscellaneous green life, sprawled lifelessly in the bottom of our ancient hole-y wheelbarrow. Said greenlife has now turned to soil. When did that happen? How did I not see it? I passed it several times during the day, each day.... The Machinist says that it isn't good for an ancient wheelbarrow to be left abandoned with a full load. Adds to the holes. And rust. I mention the wheelbarrow, because before performing any sort of garden chore it is like opening a Pandora's box. The mis-en-plas of gardening: Gather the tools. (Where did I leave the fork?). Push (drag) the wheelbarrow, meandering past the vegetable beds, hoping contents of wheelbarrow doesn't fall into the vegetable beds. Search for the dog poo bucket and tongs (always elusive). Struggle with water fitment at each garden tap, so that the bore water doesn't come splurting out ~ usually in the direction of the mouth. Yuk!

It's still fun though. Gardening. The Machinist says that if his Ouma was alive she would be so very happy that we both have a penchant for plants (hey, that goes!). A penchant for plants...

Planted five pots of Pigsface under the apricot and plum trees. Also transferred several 'wild' seedlings of white Valerian to the base of the Ballerina Apple. The empty vegetable beds are ready for seeds now. Pumpkin seeds (more on pumpkins in another blog...) They've been dug over and raked, and we all hope that the kitties will not seek to use the freshly made beds as their giant kitty litter, or Bob (black Staffy) will not use them as a burial site for his archealogical 'dig', returning his treat of an enormous cow bone ~ dust to dust. The pebbled path in the orchard has been raked of excess straw (a result of the puppies having the mad half hour), as have the paths between the two rose arbours. The fenced herb garden has also been weeded, and 'Alberto and Maria' (two metal figures that the Machinist made for me) have been transferred to the top of the herb bed, so that they can watch over the growth.

I think a constant 'to do' list is in order for garden chores, as one job leads to another. And another. The front garden is next. A more 'showy' garden. Non-edible. The lawn patch is far too long, and I really must try and create some type of wind break so that each azalea bloom isn't overwhelmed by a sneaking suspicion that they could, at any time, be lynched by something they can't even see...