Three of the best...
Pebbles
My garden, my dogs, and my cats. Three of the very best things in my life. Not that they always behave. I am wallowing in a deeply spiritual moment on the patio, and the dogs are busy barking at nothing. Too noisy! 'There's nobody there'. 'It's a false alarm'... And so the meaningful moment floats away (as they do, when one lives with dogs), and is replaced with a tickle of guilt. Just as well. Otherwise the gardening would never get done, hee hee.
Oops...
But wait. Oops. I haven't taken Buster the cat for her morning driveway walk. She has developed this routine, I think, as an 'anything you can do I can do better' reaction to the dogs. Fair enough!
Another oops. I need to water the new lawn seed, and what was I thinking shifting trees into the Hump and then leaving them to settle unaided into their new location? Obviously there's rather a lot to do each day in the garden, and I'm afraid the dogs will be required to provide good, home-grown dog-company over the next weeks. Another tickle of guilt. Do the dogs really enjoy gardening? Hmm... As long as we push the wheelbarrow and change location they think they're busy doing something.
Yesterday was rather taken up with music preparation and concert performing. But I am proud (and relieved) that my big concert last night is now over (and it went really, really well). I can be a gardener again. And a hiker! This morning, over coffee, a friend and I made day trip plans for the next two weeks. Nice to get these into the busy gardening calendar.
Buster Posing in the Driveway
This afternoon I pulled out some forget-me-nots and laid them in The Hump, with a covering of horse manure and mulch. I did some watering - those patches of grass seed are now nicely damp, those little trees have been gently soaked. And I made plans. I will plant my blue cornflower seedlings by the cottage (tomorrow), I will plant the Honeywort in two places (in the Sleepout Garden, and underneath the giant lilies) (tomorrow), I will pick up more horse manure (tomorrow), and I will finish my new rose garden (tomorrow). All done! Good night.
Monday 29th October
And now it is tomorrow, and I've made a good start (sort of). Have discussed the meaning of life (and the madness of the world at the moment) with my dogs. Have apologised out loud to my shoes (left them outside after breakfast in the drizzle). Have taken Buster for her morning walk. Have taken lots of photographs (not necessarily of Buster - she is elusive in front of the camera).
Buster in a Tree
It's one of those 'I am soooooooo lucky' mornings. So the world gets even madder, but the garden - ahem - blossoms and blooms even more beautifully. Time to give thanks for everything (more and more roses are flowering), grab a cup of coffee, then keep on going, I reckon!
Mid-Afternoon...
Blast. Did I mention drizzle? Alas, it turned into rain. I got wetter and muddier (wiping horse-manured hands onto trousers didn't help). But I've planted another rose, five pots of perennial Scrophularia (for the bees), annual Salvia and Tansy seedlings (ditto). I've collected and scattered five barrowfuls of forget-me-nots around in the Hump.
My garden is now nicely wet. The dogs are smelly, wet, and semi-muddy. I'm clean and dry, as are the cats - sensible creatures, cats, and so well-groomed. My camera is inside. Is it? Phew! It is.