Yeay!
Stumps in the Hump
In September 2013, when next door's pine trees all blew down over my garden, uninvited, I cried a lot. Now there's an equally huge tree mess- the Hump trees have been felled. But no tears! And I'm celebrating the mid-winter sun visiting my lounge room, and warm streaks of sun on the house lawn at mid-day. And the loveliest lightness over the house gardens and the Island Bed.
The felling has been controlled, clinical. Logs have fallen neatly between Pittosporums. Nothing has really been wrecked, even the Agapanthus clumps. Over the coming weekend Non-Gardening Partner will chain-saw the logs. I will help him. This is our firewood for many winters to come. So it is sensible, well planned tree mess, creating a totally different feeling than last time. Controlled mess, for once.
Saturday 9th June
Two hours of NGP chainsawing have just flown by. I've carted out more rubbish (no bonfire today, too much wind). I've dug out all the clumps of miniature Agapanthus and the bluebell patch - just in case - and gathered bucketfuls of pine cones. Tomorrow I'll start filling the trailer and dumping the rings in the front paddock to dry out. Yeay!
Almost left my camera outside overnight. Intended to photograph felled trees, got sidetracked finding roses (see above) still blooming, then - oops - hung camera up on a tree. Very silly, me.
Sunday 10th June
+10Yeay! Escher (big brown dog) and assorted family are coming to help. Pebbles is sooooooo excited and happy now when Escher visits (only seven months ago she would attack him). Yeay for nervous dogs and their loving, patient, and understanding (well, most of the time) owners! So in about a half an hour it will be chainsaws all go. Tough helpers (like me) will wear gloves, because the pine sap is sticky on the hands, and throw the log rings on the trailer. Little helpers (like the two year old) will collect pine cones. There is something for everyone to do in this clean-up.
Much, much later...
What a day! We are family! Non-Gardening Partner is the chainsawing legend. Escher's parents are log-throwing legends. The small people collected bucketloads of pine cones. It's a boy thing, I guess - Grandboy, aged two, sat on a log and watched the chainsaw for ages, fascinated. We agreed that it was very noisy. And only for adults. And, unfortunately, two year olds were not adults. Was I an adult? I answered 'sort of'. Needed to be honest.
Non-Gardening Partner
Daughter prepared us a lovely lunch, with a large birthday cake. Oops. Guess who gobbled up the remains (at least half of the cake) when we were all busy outside again? Big brown Escher! He's gone home now, and he's not getting any tea. Pebbles keeps looking for him - where is her big brown friend?
Log Wall
A wall of logs now stretches along the fence in the front paddock, ready to dry out. I worked until dusk, rescuing more Agapanthus and raking up more mess, filling the trailer for a mid-week bonfire. I am so proud of all of us, and especially proud of Buster the cat for fearlessly smooching the small people. Not all cats have the nerve to do this. And I'm proud of Pebbles for behaving. Apart from barking at the chain-saw when it first starts up.