Autumn beauty
Oak Leaves
Oh, autumn, you are so beautiful. I love your trees. No - I love MY trees! They are MINE! Am so glad I planted them. The Dogwoods, Oaks, Maples, and Prunuses are beautiful. These autumn trees always surprise me - I forget how memorable their fleeting, fiery colours are. Yeay! Showtime!
More chain-sawing...
Over the last few days Non-Gardening Partner has been chain-sawing down more Pittosporums and Pseudopanaxes. He has been very helpful! I've done the lopping and the piling up of branches for the shredder - am getting pretty good at this. NGP has done the shredding. We are a team.
Musical excitement...
And now - lots of musical excitement. Already this morning I've been to chamber music, playing Bach trio sonatas (very intellectual things, not so easy to whistle when walking with the dogs). Now my jazz choir is regrouping for its first Apres-Omicron singing rehearsal. Ooh goodie. Have even done some practice.
Friday 22nd April
I love shuffling through the autumn leaves in the Pond Paddock. But then there are so many, a signal that it's time to rake them up. So that's what I've been doing. They go into bags to make leaf mould, which they sort of do - eventually. Ten bags so far. Noticed Speckles the stray cat sitting on the cottage verandah watching me, while Minimus snoozed on her white cane chair nearby. Lovely cats - two furry friends!
Minimus in her Cane Chair
But there's been a slight cat whoopsie. Speckles went missing after that moony Easter night when he camped out on the cottage doormat. There've since been some shivery overnight temperatures, and I've felt a bit sad. Each night I would left food out for him, only to have it eaten by a visiting Fred cat. I thought Speckles was gone. Or worse - in trouble somewhere, maybe lying injured underneath a hedge...
Speckles
Yippee!
Yippee! Last night Speckles turned back up after dark outside the cottage, ravenous. Ate three bowls of food, then hunkered down, shivering, on the verandah doormat - was still there in the morning for breakfast.
And then - oh joy! I broke through his defenses. He sat still and let me stroke his fur (back, head, and face), then he stretched out his neck for the chin tickle and shut his eyes, completely relaxed. His fur feels very rough, though, with scraps of vegetation and/or scabs from fights stuck in it.
Saturday 23th April
Today I've continued the raking, as well as trimming the Aconites and the Macleya in the Apple Tree Border. I've cleared the path behind the flowering Cherry trees. All is well, with lots of falling Oak leaves, and lots of dead Cordyline leaves for the bonfire. Have found yet more Pseudopanaxes and Pittosporums to lop down.
Cleaned Up!
One of the red Maples by the bonfire has suddenly turned a fierce lipstick red. It's wonderful. The first Dogwood is now dropping its leaves.
Autumn Maple
The two Oak trees over the water by Duck Lawn are the same variety, same location, and same planting date. One has leaves which colour deeper and drop a lot later than the other. Sensitive individuals, Oak trees?