The cat came back...

Speckles my stray cat is back. He will probably claim that he never went away. Obviously Autumn is not such a good season to be ranging far and wide, so he has decided to sleep overnight in his cat basket, eat more, and bulk up for winter.

 My stray mackerel tabby cat.
Hello Speckles

A small thing, but his reappearance makes me very happy. As does the croaking of a solitary frog in the water race, heard (but not spied) during today's gardening. Yeay for frogs!

 It always gets blocked in summer.
Path to the Gunnera

Rewards...

First thing this morning I zoomed to the library to pick up a book, and on the way home I bought a new shampoo bar. My reward (for later) will be a delightful blend of the two.

Then I wandered outside to continue clearing the semi-shady Dog-Path Garden. There I stayed all afternoon, knees, shoes, and shorts getting muddier and muddier. There was so much to do - and there still is!

Deconstructed another green Phormium, new pieces plonked in a bucket of water. Weeded, cleared the waterside path, started trimming Gunnera stalks and leaves.

Red Fred (recently bitten by a possum) kept me company, fantails squeaked and swooped around in the trees above me, and the frog (desperate for company?) kept on croaking, down by the water. Just lovely. My garden is alive.

Wednesday 10th April

Yesterday was my 'Family First' day - no gardening, just drinking too much coffee and enjoying the company of toddlers and small people. I've made up for it today (with less coffee), having done what I consider some amazingly wonderful gardening work along the side of the house. It's been very low key, very mellow, befitting a warm autumn's day. There's been a continual fluttering of falling leaves.

Apart from watering the bed (alas, not a garden bed) in the spare room (oops - should have shut the window) all went very well, and the results are very pleasing. The first autumn colour changes are beautiful.

Thursday 11th April

Went to ballet, then gardened until the rain (blessed rain!) became too heavy. I moved further around the house gardens, dug out (with difficulty) old Anemanthele grasses, and tried (unsuccessfully) to get the clumps of bronze fennel out of the cobblestone path. Silly me, letting it grow there for years. Poor path.

Friday morning...

Heavy overnight rain, but Speckles was dry and warm (and well fed) in his cat box. Now we are going for a swim, where I can do some amazing mind-gardening, hee hee. I might even get all the Gunnera trimmed...