Molto rubato...
Peony Buds
Garden tempo - molto rubato! Sometimes things move so slowly. I've been doing daily checks of the peony buds (seventy-five of them). Apart from the early corals, there is no action. A watched peony bud never opens? And four precious Alliums in the Perennials Garden are just sitting there. What are they waiting for? Waiting for me to forget about them, I reckon.
But time can suddenly race past. I've started pulling out Forget-Me-Nots from the hottest borders. It feels like yesterday that I first noticed their cute little blue flowers. The dog-path by the water is really weedy again. This is not possible. Didn't I clean it up only last week? Oops - on further reflection, maybe it was three months ago. How does this happen? Time is a trickster.
Saturday 7th November
Right. Today I tried (unsuccessfully) to make my available garden time expand to fit my garden's requirements. Hmm... Working for two hours in the hottest part of the day is certainly a reminder that summer is nearly here. The Welcome Garden now has fewer rogue annual grass weeds.
I'm so pleased with the shrubs and self-down flowers in here. Yeay for the Foxgloves and Aquilegias, in particular. They've all self-sown, are so sturdy, and the bees love them.
Sunday 8th November
I checked the peonies again today. Nothing happening. The light has been camera-friendly, so I've been rudely poking the lens into my roses. I love rose close-ups. I love how the petals gather themselves together, the graduations of colour, and the way that light defines the lines and surfaces.
Then I step back to take some grand big-scale views. Alas! These pictures are never as impressive as the real thing.
But We Won't Talk About the Cricket...
Eek. It's the fourth day of the cricket test in Brisbane and I'm too nervous to watch. Australia is giving us (New Zealand) an early-summer spanking. Somehow we have to bat for two whole days to save ourselves from cricket embarrassment.
A Bit Later...
Oh boy. One can run but one cannot hide - from the New Zealand cricket team collapsing, that is. After dragging out burnable rubbish (lots of Alkanet, gum bark, etc.) from the Wattle Woods, I popped inside for a cup of tea. Aargh! We have already lost one of our openers. So I'm going back into the Wattle Woods, to apply myself with determination and concentration. Yes. I'm going out there for a long innings.
Chives Flower
Even Later...
OK. I'm writing this after a strawberry and lime cider. I've had a busy burning day, and the Wattle Woods are improved. Yes! Improved! But only cosmetically so - the soil is poor quality, dusty and dry. The Camellias, of course, have finished flowering, but I'm watering them. The Rock lilies (Renga Renga) are in a dreadful state - they should have been divided and replanted years ago.
A Time-Lump!
Yet again the tempo of the garden is confusing me. I'm sure last time I checked they were bushy, compact, and happy. So individual years are just fusing into one big time-lump. Scary!
No Peonies yet, and shame on those Alliums - the chives (relatives) in the Herb Spiral are flowering happily. OK, you buds, listen up. Tomorrow I am going hiking all day, and I half expect you all to burst open defiantly while I am away. Perhaps you're all camera-shy - you see me coming with my scary black Fuji and shrink back into yourselves. OK. Take your time. I'll get one of you soon, just wait and see!