Roses and hugs
Mary Roses
This week I have been hard at work balancing my social life with my gardening duties. When times are a little unsettled one needs both.
Roses and hugs...
So on Tuesday I met my daughters in the Botanical Gardens for a small remembrance for the Christchurch earthquake eleven years ago. We threw rose petals into the river. An affirmation of the power of love, with roses and hugs...
Then came home and worked hard, weeding in the shade of the Hump Garden. Rough weeding - an area quite low down, not often visited, usually viewed from afar. Spent a lot of time sitting on my bottom in the dirt thinking about life. Wondered if Speckles the stray cat would pop in for a visit. He didn't.
The next two days...
Wednesday has a new name : Barking Wednesday - the new day when when I play Bach chamber music with my friend. When I got home I played Albeniz and more Bach on my lovely piano. Have found an English Suite where the first movement sounds like Scarlatti. A lovely work, as long as I can get my thumbs under in the right places in the scaly runs. Story of my musical life at the moment!
Colours
And Thursday was my ballet day, where I wobbled happily through tendues and arabesques and did fluttery port de bras arms. Then I did three great hours in the garden, starting to sort through the dead woodshed rose mess. Lovely Non-Gardening Partner (bless him) has finally got it all down from the roof.
Fred Cat
'Fredded'...
Again, wondered if Speckles would pop out of the garden and visit me. Again he didn't, but I got 'Fredded'. Red Fred, one of my large tabby cat twins, appeared in a ridiculously passionate mood, and threatened to climb up and over me. Sat down on the grass to minimise injury, then dragged self along the edge of the border trimming shasta daisies until my hands got too achy.
Thursday 24th February
Today I have the whole day at home with my cats and dogs, to play my piano and enjoy my garden. It's certainly a day to disconnect self from the world out there. Evil words justifying evil actions in Ukraine : a man gone completely mad. Blessed are the gardeners and piano players, creating good things, ignoring their slightly aching hands and fingers. This reminds me - going to wear gloves today when handling pieces of the dead rose. Don't want those naughty piano thumbs getting thorn-damaged.
Cream Dahlias
Lunchtime...
Have been dragging myself along on my bottom again, weeding the edges of the back lawn gardens. The perennials garden by the woodshed needs a complete dig-and-replant, mainly to get rid of the creepy grass. Great idea! But where are my shovels? And my spades? I wandered off to look around the Hump Garden (am sure I left them in here). No luck. And it's getting very, very warm in the near mid-day sun. Am going to sit on the patio in the shade, listen to the cricket, and read my book.
Later...
Aha! Eventually I went back outside. I found some shade, sat on my bottom, and weeded and trimmed. I pulled more pieces of dead rose out and plonked them on the bonfire. And then - whoosh! I raked everything up and burnt the lot. The cricket burbled on, not a very dramatic day's play, but hey! Something to listen to that wasn't nasty.
Roses and hugs...
I remind myself. Roses and hugs. Roses and hugs.