Retirement Resolutions

Ha! After years of bleating, and cheating, and sneaking off to work part time, I am finally properly, honestly, and terribly officially retired! I am finally a full-time gardener!

Think of how much gardening I will be able to do! Think of the plans and schemes which I will have the time to follow through! Think of the fun I will have! No more frantic weeding frenzies in the weekend because I have to go into work on the Monday. No more moans and groans. No more energy channeled off-property. I will be a 'Strictly-Moosey' Moosey - a full-time gardener!

Retirement Resolutions

Retirement Resolutions will be necessary - after all, I could easily meander into a lame retirement routine and spend all day dabbling at little things - watering the decking pots, sweeping the gum tree leaves off the patio, dead-heading roses, and so on. My first real resolution must be to think big. A second pond? The ill-fated shrubbery by the Pump House re-invented? A stone wall? New paths?

Boring, routine things, like the soil quality of the garden, can be given some much-needed time and energy. I can collect horse-poos and cow-poos every day, and make a smelly pile. I could even make some proper compost. I can organise my garden tools, sort out a storage system, clean out my glass-house, stack my pots...

Thinking Ahead

I must start thinking ahead and propagate more of the plants I need, to fill future garden expansions. The bargain bins and sale tables will obviously require a little financial restraint. If I need bigger plants I could advertise - offer a kind home in the country for unwanted city roses, camellias and rhododendrons, then organise non-gardening partner's weekends with trailer and shovel.

I could even learn to use the Moosey Lawn Mower! Now my time is my own, this pleasant task could be done any day of the week. Lots of trim semi-grey-haired ladies in denim gardening shirts do their own lawn-mowing - I've seen pictures in the advertising pamphlets!

A New Gardening Image

That reminds me - I think my gardening image could be tarted up a little. At the moment I am technically classified as medium-old, in reasonable working order except for slightly sore knuckles (on-going treatment is at hand, so to speak). I am short sighted - this is excellent for creating distant illusions of garden loveliness. My personal grooming details reek (unfortunate word) of the serious gardener - for example, hands and fingernails are rarely scrubbed clean enough.

I need some colourful retirement bandanas, and some new, crisp, freshly ironed retirement gardening shirts. I could even get my hair cut - a stylish bob might look better than the non-brushed English Sheep-Dog look I am sporting at present. Retired gardeners have time to soak their hands in aromatic oils, and treat their tired feet to soothing foot-baths. My goodness - a swan-like transformation!

Most of all, though, I will have time to organise, weed, plant, trim, create, enjoy - and most importantly give love to my garden every single day. Twenty-four-seven. Yippee!