Dry July...
Since I last wrote in my journal I have said farewell to June, and hello to Dry July. I am very much looking forward to the lengthening of the gardening days. More daylight in which to prune all my roses. Undrunk House Merlot money to spend on plants...
Gardens in The Hump
And I have done the following :
- Taken Tiger the senior cat for her vet check-up. Good news - her thyroid pills are to be cut in half.
- Taken myself to doctor for blood pressure pills (I am a first time user).
- Planted four more rescued roses in The Hump and cleared the paths.
- Finished pruning the orchard roses, including the messy Souvenir de la Malmaison.
And I have chopped up and burnt absolutely all the prunings. Very proud of this.
Baby Pink Camellia
Musically, I've enjoyed another uplifting 'Barking Friday' (playing Bach's chamber music with my dog-owner friend), and done battle with Prokifiev's Second Piano Sonata here at home.
Your Hoochie Coochie Gardening Woman...
Other musical distractions, pleasant, have been two choral performances and a Saturday night dance club gig with my blues band. And now I'm back, your Hoochie Coochie Gardening Woman. My Dry July has started well (have given up the House Merlot). For every dry week I am allowed to spend $25 at the nursery. It's time I restocked, and it's allowed to be new roses...
So what to do in the garden today? A wander around with the dogs, I think, and the camera. Then I could trundle back and forth with the wheelbarrow and the dogs would think they were doing something. Maybe.
Black Fred
Later...
Hmm. We wandered around. I threw sticks. The Fred cats came too. Love those Freds! I thought about the garden. I said hello to the Weeping Maiden (she's an early flowering Camellia) and the baby pink Camellia at the side of the house, just starting to bloom. Wow. That must mean that winter is on the move. I didn't do any gardening.
Tuesday 2nd July
I've bought myself some expensive secateurs with last week's undrunk House Merlot money. Have done this before. The idea is that if a garden tool costs lots of money, then I'll look after it. After three hours of using it for rose pruning, shrub and Phormium trimming, I cranked up the bonfire, and added some barrowfuls of dry leaves to help everything on its flaming way. Haven't lost the secateurs yet.
Regarding Prokovief...
And I thought some more about Prokoviev. Would I rather listen to myself playing it? Hesitating here, crashing onto a wrong note there, but bits of it sounding gorgeous, if a tad slow. Or would I rather listen to a proper (i.e. not me) pianist? Now all the notes are correct, it's played at the appropriate speed, with all the accents, all the diminuendos, all the phrasing, nuances etc... Forgive me for being musically self-centered, but I'd rather listen to me. Phew!
Weeping Maiden Camellia