Division...
Purple Rhododendron
Some properties have a division of responsibilities, right? Like the gardener does the borders, and the Non-Gardening Partner does the lawns. Mowing, de-mossing, and re-sowing. I have just mentioned this to mine - some areas need a top-up of seed. Isn't this supposed to be his job?
NGP thinks there is some old lawn seed left over in the garage somewhere. But mightn't this be too old, and not germinate? Aargh! He's cleverly redirected himself - Pebbles' dog kennel needs a repair. OK. Gardeners of Independent Spirit will think I'm a complete sissy. Take charge of your own verdant destiny! Sow your own lawns! Use your own wallet to buy fresh seed, wear out your own shoulders by raking it in yourself. And then blame yourself if it doesn't grow green... OK. So that's the plan for this weekend. After I've done a morning's weeding.
Later...
I've only been weeding for an hour and have had to recall my dogs six times. They run over to the driveway to bark at the neighbours as a van or tractor or car or assorted machine clatters by. It should be a lovely, peaceful Saturday, the sun shining, the birdies happily chirping. It hasn't been so far. Dogs rudely barking and neighbours noisily clattering. Hmm...
Pebbles
OK, back outside for the next weeding session. Please, dogs, no barking. Actually, I love being interrupted while weeding, but by nice things, like lovely visitors bringing morning tea (or horse manure bags).
Much Later...
Wouldn't you know it? The dogs have been perfect gardening companions. They've both been lying close by to me on the back lawn, totally relaxed, and not one single bark. Wouldn't it be nice if they both knew they'd upset me, and were trying to make up for it?
Coral peonies
So the weeds have been coming out - hard work, along the narrow water race garden. Lots of grass sneaks in between the Shasta daisies. I hate it when that happens! I've pulled out more Alkanet, and the first clumps of annual forget-me-nots. There are yet more irises (the big bearded ones) and more roses flowering. Wow.
Sunday 29th October
The lawn seed issue. Trouble is, after all that barking and weeding yesterday I forgot about it. So I tried again with NGP this morning.
Non-Gardening Partner
What sort of seed?
What sort of grass seed did he think I should get? I might get the wrong sort. No reply. And would I need some lawn mix, to sprinkle over the top? I wasn't very good at sprinkling lawn mix on top, it always ended up lumpy and uneven. And after all, he had to mow it. NGP was supposed to reply : 'Oh alright. Don't distress yourself, dear. Leave it to me.' Something like that. But still nothing. Aargh! Too late! He escaped out the door to go to 'fire practice' at the local fire station.
Much Later...
So I bought my lawn seed myself. There, there - that wasn't too difficult now, was it? I continued weeding along the water race. Then I made a start getting the huge firewood logs out of the Wattle Woods, onto the wheelbarrow (two at a time! I'm not joking...), and into the back of the trailer. It took me ages to get almost nowhere.
Then we zoomed off to a wee afternoon birthday party, where I had the tiniest drink of bubbly champagne. When we got home I slumped in a chair and fell asleep in an alcoholic haze. One then wakes up feeling terrible. Aargh! Never again.
MInimus
Monday 30th October
Right. Coffee first, then weeding, lawn sowing, and log heaving. In the shade. In that order.
Late Lunchtime...
It's too hot, but mad dogs and gardeners do tend to go out in the midday sun. Three huge barrowfuls of weeds (Alkanet and Cleavers, mainly) have been pulled out and dumped, and three huge barrowfuls of logs have been appropriately heaved. Minimus my cottage cat has been with me, lurking underneath a Phormium.
Pebbles! Be very careful. Minimus likes to leap out from the greenery, posturing and hissing like a Halloween cat, giving poor Pebbles a big fright. Serve you right, I say in a small voice, what goes around comes round (Pebbles did some nasty Buster chasing in her first few days here).
Late Afternoon...
Another weeding and heaving session. It's been beautifully hot, and (luckily for Pebbles) Minimus hasn't tried her Halloween monster routine again. All the big logs are in the trailer. Now I'm freshly showered, and off to sow lawn seed.
Bed-time...
Done, and watered. Easy as. Don't know why I thought I needed a bloke to do it. Aha! A lesson for life, maybe?