Ready for the Olympics?
Have just become aware of all the sport going on in the world outside. The Tour de France. The Euro semi-finals (go Spain). Wimbledon (such a tradition). And almost the Olympics. Eek! I need to get the garden ready for the Olympics?
Big Brown Escher, Little Brown Escher
Yesterday I had lovely visitors, so I went with the no-gardening flow. This morning am back from visiting the toddler-baby. My friend has knitted him a little brown dog. Yeay - a knitted Escher!
Lunchtime...
My Welcome Garden did not say 'welcome' when I drove past it just now. It whispered sadly : 'Shut your eyes. Please don't look. I am soooo messy.' So my plan for the next few days is to give it some love and attention. Give it back its pride, as the first garden anyone who comes onto my property sees.
Four hours later...
As usual, progress has been slow, with hardly anything to show for it. But I managed to create four barrowfuls of burnable mess, including some dead Hebes, dead Phormium leaves, and a couple of huge pieces of dry Leyland, relics of way back when the hedges were trimmed. And I even burnt my rubbish.
Cream Delight Phormium in the Welcome Garden
Came inside and got my new recipe book out. Yeay! I have bought a recipe book (Jamie Oliver's 'One'). Started to prepare an amazing salmon dish. Blast! Didn't have a knife sharp enough to make cuts in the salmon skin. And my whizzy thing wouldn't work to make the sauce. So just piled all the ingredients in together. It should still taste amazing, yes? A reward for working hard.
Good morning, Wednesday.
It's 10:30am and I've just finished watching :
- Spain beat France in the Euro Football Semifinal.
- A Youtuber trekking the Manaslu circuit.
Time for morning coffee and gardening. Went outside to collect firewood from underneath the hedges. Brr. Hands got really cold. Came back inside, checked temperature - two degrees Celsius. Humph!
My Black and White Dogs
Stayed inside, warmed hands up on hot cup of coffee. Refilled the birds' fruit bowl, donated them my last banana. Reminded self that it is mid-winter.
Purple Honesty
How?
Rhetorical question while warming up : how does one get ones garden ready for the Olympics? Ha! One makes a four year plan, then writes a list? One becomes an Olympian gardener, an athlete, training hard every day? Hmm...
Whatever the answer, first one checks the winter temperature. Aargh! Still four degrees. Time for lunch.
Later, mid-afternoon...
So I worked pretty well in the Welcome Garden for just over two hours. Dug up and replanted Agapanthus, trimmed scruffy near-dead shrubs, dug out mess from around the driveway gate (which is rarely used). But I got cold. So I cranked up my bonfire, burnt all my mess, then slunk inside and lit the log-burner. Watched the highlights of the Tour de France. Lovely summer scenery.