Pond Clean-Up
The Pond Paddock is suddenly thick with fallen oak leaves. I love the crunching noises they make as I walk back and forth to Pond Cottage.
Winnie and Pebbles
Thursday 25th April
So I've been working by the pond for three hours, trimming ferns and green Carexes, and 'unpotting' coarse green Carexes that are past their use-by date. I've laid some stones near the water's edge to make watering the moss roses a little more efficient. Three barrowfuls of mess so far. Just a few small hand injuries from some cutty grass - ouch!
The Pond in late autumn.
Mid-afternoon the wind became really strong and noisy, with cracking and thumping from tree branches dropping at the back of the pond. I didn't want anything dropping on or even near me, so I retreated inside. Tried to sit on the house decking to have afternoon tea. Lasted less than a minute - the hugest, scariest gust of wind arrived, and branches in the big gum tree swirled and swished around. Not pleasant.
Friday 26th April
No wind today. We are going for a swim, and then I will return to the Pond Paddock. Have already watered my new plantings by the cottage (Foxgloves and Campion), and all the pots. Promise to be more water vigilant with these - they look so pretty when looked after properly.
Nearly four gardening hours later...
I worked on and on, shuffling along the pond path on my bottom, slicing out seeded grasses, etc. Got as far as the corner where a lot of the gnomes hang out, picked up a few who had face-planted. And I was good - I scooped and raked up all my mess (four barrowfuls) and dumped it by the fence-line. Great excitement - found some home-grown compost. Spread it around the moss roses (they are both Henry Martins, a flowering photograph is below).
Hello Henri Martin
All afternoon I kept on getting weather messages. Spitty blobs of rain - ignored them. Fat grey clouds - ignored those, even when it went really dark. More teasing drops of rain - ignored them. Finally thunder. I refuse to garden in thunder, so I finished slicing down a path-blocking Phormium and came inside. Have a few more little cuts on my fingers from the cutty grass. But I am very proud of my achievements. Yeay!
Gnomes in Fishing Club
Remembered how much I enjoy gardening with the gnomes. They provide very uncomplicated company, and don't make annoying comments like 'Why are you digging that green Carex out? Don't you like it?'