Fred and Fred...

Christmas Kittens Part Two. '8:11 AM 23-Dec-184444444444', written by one of the Freds, just passing over the computer keyboard. Obviously a gifted and talented kitten - fancy knowing how to type today's date, hee hee...

Sunday 23rd December

Kittens certainly add to the in-house life. They are so watchable, much more fun than TV (which I don't watch much anyway) and Youtube clips of cute animals doing silly things (which just occasionally I get sucked into). These two kittens totally amuse themselves, and can play quite rough, with high-pitched squealing. This worries Winnie and scares Pebbles. Darling dogs - you haven't done anything wrong!

 Identical boys.
The New Kittens

Rain jackets hanging on the backs of chairs make hide-and-seek kitten toys, as do the wee cars in the country toy-box. Ah, but they are both boys... vroom vroom!

The garden...

And now - the garden. It is in a most 'interesting' state - lots more rain last night, and lots of rather bedraggled blooms. The pots of Nasturtiums are a sorry sight (love those orange flowers). Daylily flowers are completely waterlogged. Of course the weeds (and the lawns) are extremely happy.

 Exploring the front path. Look at all that sprawling garden growth!
Spot the Kittens

But I need to regroup, mentally. I've lost my sense of purpose - as well as my new gardening scissors, blast. There's so much stuff to do, small scale and big, and I don't quite know how to feel good about this. So here's the plan.

 Spot the difference?
The Freds in their Basket

The plan...

I do one or two sessions a day, concentrating each time on one location, and one only. I do everything that I can see needs doing. I do not wander off or get side-tracked. And no cheating. For example, I dig out dock weeds with the spade, properly, rather than just trimming off the seed-heads.

My reward...

Then I'm allowed to have a shower and put clean apres-gardening clothes on. As a reward, I am then allowed to flit around - here, there, and everywhere (depending on my footwear) - dead-heading, trimming foxgloves, aquilegias, even lawn edges. I can cut flowers for the house. I can take the kittens out on the patio to explore. I can walk the dogs around and take photographs. Anything goes.

Much later...

OK, so it's only one day, but it's worked. And best of all - I feel good about my garden. I've cleaned up the gardens around the back house lawn (between the woodshed and the garage). Wearing my apres-gardening smoky blue silk shirt, I've just taken the kittens outside. They zoomed around on the patio while I dead-headed New Dawn roses and trimmed the Wisteria. Perfect!

 So pretty!
Kittens Playing

And they now have coloured collars, so I can tell them apart.

 Kittens with collars...
Red Fred and Black Fred