Brr! Cold fingers...

 Bright colours for a winter flower.
Yellow Daisy

Brr! Cold fingers. Another frost. Hurray for firewood, and double glazing, and thermal clothing. And a huge yippee for the Moosey woolly apres-gardening owl jersey!

Saturday 5th June

Here's the plan. I'm going swimming, and when I return the air temperature will be just lovely, the sun will be up there, and the garden, though wintry, will look gorgeous. And I will stride womanfully back into the Hump with my saw and my wheelbarrow - and possibly Non-gardening Partner with his chain-saw, if he can be persuaded. I've also decided to mass plant easy Agapanthus in here along the path edges. So I need more!

The Garden Shed is supposed to be being delivered today. Eek! I am too nervous to think about this. Will NGP be supportive? He is strangely silent about it, and I need his muscle.

Much, Much Later...

Eek! Aargh! The shed arrived an hour before the end of daylight - its pieces are now stacked on the decking by the pond, and NGP is humphing a bit. At the moment the walls are a rather alarming blue colour... They get painted subtle green later this week.

 Eek!
The Garden Shed Has Arrived!

I've been clearing and burning all day, and NGP's chain-saw did in ten minutes what I'd do in three hours. But all the little self-sown pine trees are down, and there's more space and light. So many wheelbarrow loads, though, and much poking and prodding at the bonfire. But I'm making such good progress in the Hump. I love the look of the tree trunks now that their surrounding ground is clear.

Sunday 6th May

Hmm... NGP is a bit cross with me regarding the shed, because it's raining and he thinks it needs proper foundations and it's totally the wrong time of year to build a shed. And he's right. But we're still speaking to each other - in fact we're playing chamber music with a flute friend this morning.

I'm going to do some afternoon gardening anyway, just to prove that I'm a tough hard worker with stamina. I'll clear away the greenery and stones from the shed site, and then maybe get the bonfire going. Maybe.

 Near the Moosey pond.
The Shed Site

A quick comment on how the garden looks - bare, leafless, dull green and brown - and wintry. Few autumn colours are now left on the trees - autumn declined very quickly. There's the odd bright flower here and there, and of course my New Zealand flaxes, pride of the winter garden, flourishing in every border.

 Cats and lovely Daughter of Moosey.
Moosey Favourites

Prepare for an onslaught of Phormium and favourite pet photographs (see above) since there's little else to show - unless I can manage a black-and-white art series of gloomy forest paths and the low winter sun peeping through pine tree trunks.

 Lovely winter colour.
Phormium and Sorbus

Shed Given Low-Key Garden Status

There can be no effusive gushing about the shed until NGP has sorted out the building process, either. The shed has low-key garden status at present.

Much Later...

NGP is a legend (though a grumbling one) and has been sawing and hammering all afternoon in his garage. I trimmed two Pittosporums and divided a Yellow Wave flax, all of which were in the way of the shed site. My next shed job is to dig holes for the foundation posts.

I've burnt rubbish all afternoon - pine branches and gum tree mess from the Hump, old tree rubbish from the fence line, and the Pittosporums. Trudging past the red Phormium near the Glass-House Garden has been a delight - there's a self-sown Sorbus tree-ling right next to it, and both plants are fiery red. I'm really tired. By the way, our flute-piano-violin trio sounded splendid!

Monday 7th June

It is a very wet and stormy morning. Today it may be more appropriate to write a list of things I won't be doing.

Today's 'No' List - Not Being Negative, Just Realistic

  1. No burning - too wet.
  2. Can't think of anything else not to do!

You see - that was a good test of my gardening attitude. I am a totally non-negative, non-realistic gardener! I can do things in the rain - like sawing more tree branches in the Hump, and digging the holes for the shed posts.

 Bright yellow!
Friesia Yellow Rose

Lunchtime...

I've sawed and raked and dumped four loads of mess near the bonfire. My clean-up has almost reached the two white chairs, placed artlessly (or artfully?) by the very first Hump path. It's rather lovely working in the Hump, and I'm feeling toasty warm. But that's enough winter bragging - gardening pride comes before a post hole digging session, and I'm not looking forward to that very much. Gardeners who buy kitset sheds (without proper consultation with their NGPs, I should sheepishly add) must be prepared to pull above their weight. Oops...

Congratulations to...

Aha! Congratulations to one of the Moosey yellow roses which is going to make some Melbourne wedding invitations look gorgeous. And Stumpy the cat (hopefully, file size willing) will be featuring on an 'animals in the environment' poster in Holland. Well done, Stumpy. Dear cat of legends - rest well, and I promise to buy your memorial tree this winter. I promise!