Normal gardening?
Aargh! Sixty millimetres of rain in the last two days - this would normally fall in one month. A wet winter, followed by a wet spring. But today - yeay! No rain! And so the dogs and I can get back outside and have a nice, fun, normal day doing normal gardening. Yeay!
Lambing...
Some problems with new lambs late yesterday. Unfortunately one didn't make it, and two small twins now have woolly lamb suits on to help with the inclement weather. They're strong and running around after mum. Friends down the road are also having problems - as are many of the bigger farms. It's not easy being a new lamb - they need 24 hours of good luck (i.e. good weather) to get started.
Camellia Jurys Yellow
The spring garden loves being rained on, though. I'm even seeing the weeds with fresh eyes. I've been weeding on the slope of the Welcome Garden, with Pebbles tied to the wheelbarrow (it's a bit close to the road for comfort). I've planted pieces of Phormium in some gaps. And stared at the patch of leafy 'Naked Ladies'. They can't really stay here much longer. I'll move them after next flowering.
Blue Rosemary
Impromptu dog training session...
The horse manure lady arrived to drop some bags off, her border collie dog Zak in the truck. She agreed that Zak (another black and white) could help me, so out he came. And yes - Pebbles 'lost it' for about five minutes, while I practised my DAB ('Dominating Alpha Bitch') strategy. Then she gave in to me, her lead could come off, and phew! Pebbles sniffed Zak's bottom. Brilliant! Brilliantly normal dog behaviour. In corrective training, normal behaviour gets rewarded. Smooch, pat, silly girlie praising-voice, wee treat, who's a goooooood dog... Just for a bottom sniff, hee hee.
Now there are just two outstanding animal issues left for me to sort out today. Tiger the cat has been 'escorted' up a tree and onto the car-port roof. I'm not sure she can get down, so I've laid a long sloping plank from the roof to the lawn, and dotted it with cat food. Hmm... And I've dug a deep hole in which to bury the lamb, but I don't really want the dogs to see me doing this. Country life...
Later - all sorted. Tiger is prancing around the kitchen and Pebbles is ignoring her. Shakes head in mild disbelief. So many things we are slowly learning, like the command 'leave'.
Wednesday 20th September
Winnie and I are off to the dog park, while Pebbles stays in her kennel. Then it's 'spread the rest of the horse manure' time. Whenever something dog-difficult happens I remind myself that neither dog rolls in (or eats) horse manure. There is always something to give thanks for.
Late Lunchtime...
+10I've spent a great couple of hours cleaning up in Middle Garden. While I was busy trimming ferns I suspect that Pebbles 'met' Minimus my cottage cat. At last, an 'offensive' cat, so to speak, who doesn't run. Pebbles scuttled back to me, yelping and squealing in fright. Jolly good, I thought. Well done Minimus!
Wet Rhododendron
My gardening day has been a little noisy. Trucks and vans keep driving up and down the neighbour's drive, with much rattling, clunking, and slamming of doors. Both my dogs are barking, on alert, and keep running over near the non-fence to indicate their displeasure. I guess this is a good thing? I far prefer the noises of nature.
Muscari
More Dog-Blog news - big brown Escher is visiting later this afternoon for Session Five of Pebbles' dog-training. Updates to follow...
Thursday 21st September
Pebbles worked well with Escher. Just one minor quasi-nip when we were sitting down on the garden benches. Quasi-nip indeed! A love-blinded dog-owner's euphemism, methinks.
The spring blues...
Alas, today it's been raining again, and I've only been outside to walk the dogs, feeling a bit blue (two more lambs to bury). So I've had to shake myself, mentally. Look - life on a wee farm doesn't always work out nicely. I know that. The good and the not so good.
And blue is my favourite colour, anyway. So I went to the Herb Spiral to give thanks for the spring rain and say hello to the Rosemary and the little blue Muscari. I also took photographs of as many pretty blues as I could find. Nice!
