Hello again June...
Fred on a Gate
Thursday 4th June
Hello again, June garden. I'm back, after a couple of days away from you, sorry about that. What would you like me to do first today? Water you? We've had a ridiculously dry May. Will put the hoses on right now.
Three hours later...
Am in a gardening quandary - a bit overwhelmed, not sure what to do, what to prioritise. So I've come inside to eat, drink some iced water, and set out the problem in words (which always helps).
I'd finished weeding one of the house gardens, with Fred sitting on a nearby post supervising. I then discovered that the flow in the water race was down. This meant I could go into the race just wearing my gumboots and do some edge clearing.
A chaotic tangle...
So in I went, behind the Stables, clutching my sharp little steak knife, to be met with a chaotic tangle of grasses and ferns. What exactly should I so? What should I retain, what I should dig out?
Have made a plan : I will start behind the Stables and make my way slowly towards the big patch of Gunnera. Knife-trim all the Carexes, probably leaving their roots in (to stabilise the bank). Scissor-trim the ornamental Calamagrostis grasses, trim dead leaves off the Phormiums, and dig out most of the ferns.
Three more hours later...
My head is all fixed up, clear again. I just needed to stop thinking and trust my little steak knife. Spent ages weeding and slicing Carexes. Wheeled three loads of mess to the bonfire, which is gurgling as the light dims. Sun sets about 5pm, and it gets cold quickly after that.
The Water Race
Pretty silly how sometimes a garden task seems enormous, and my abilities seem miniscule. Facing a waist-high Carex with a tiny little steak knife must look rather silly. But hey! It works!
Friday 5th June
No gardening today - first a chamber jazz-music rehearsal for our house-concert gig tomorrow, then off to Winnie's therapy vet. A nice, cruisy day. Might now be time for today's episode of Lewis, hee hee...