Spring plant fairs...

 And the Dogwood almost flowering.
Pink Rhododendron

Happiness! The Spring plant fairs at local churches are in full swing. Today I bought five pots of yellow Daylilies, a Hebe, a pot of white flowering Aubretia, some Chatham Island Forget-Me-Nots, plus zuchini and lettuce seedlings. Great excitement for little money.

Everything is planted...

Came home, planted everything in the Hump Garden, spread horse manure around. Then I went to a long ballet rehearsal (have a performance in two weeks time). And now I'm off to water my new plantings, plus the seedlings in my glass-house.

Sunday 16th October

A weeding afternoon, working my way along the Allotment Garden. I also watered the new roses planted by the Herb Spiral and the tomatoes, potatoes and seedlings in the glass-house. Spent a very relaxing three hours. Small scale stuff - nice for a change. Absolutely no digging or wheel-barrowing. Then I went back outside and burnt all the dry rubbish on the bonfire heap. Cleared some mess from the Wattle Woods paths to add to the fire.

 Looking a bit beaten up!
Speckles

Tuesday Morning...

Have spent two hours further clearing paths behind the cottage. Have potted up some fresh young green Carexes - one of my most useful go-to foliage plants (when young). They age disgracefully.

Speckles the stray

How random is Speckles the stray? He turned up for dinner two nights ago, and there he was the following morning snuggled up in Minimus's cat basket on the cottage verandah. He greeted me with the usual hiss and ate some breakfast.

So I wrapped self in warm woolly shawl and sat on the verandah for some compulsory socialisation. He chirped a few friendly miaows and licked the palm of my hand (better than a bite), then wandered off behind the cottage without even a backward glance. I haven't seen him since. A feral cat with a full tummy and no gratitude. Thanks for that, Speckles.

 In the Island Bed.
Pink Rhododendron

A quick word about the pale pink rhododendrons flowering mid-season - a beautiful pale pink, almost the ballet colour - hee hee. There's more pink around, too - two flowering cherry trees (Kanzan in the Island Bed and Pink Perfection in the Hump Garden), and the weedy but beautiful pink flowering Campion.

Now I have a singing rehearsal (yet another one), and when I get home I'll do some more seedlings in the glass-house. Production seems to be going well, and Non-Gardening Partner buying me three more big bags of potting mix (and paying for them) really helps.

Much Later...

Hoped to come home to more gardening. But it's raining and there is a noisy thunderstorm booming and flashing overhead. Rather close, in fact. But my dogs are very calm, as usual. Right! A good chance to do some web-gardening? Nope - there is no internet. OK, OK. Will go through my photographs.

 On the cottage verandah.
Speckles

Next Morning...

Brr... A chilly three degrees Celsius. Glad that my tomato plants are warm and cosy in the glass-house. So there I was at sunrise being totally silly (again), sitting with Speckles the stray on the cottage verandah. He was chirping and bunting me. Aw... he likes me. Correction - he likes breakfast.

Bowl licked clean, he ambled off nonchalantly around the pond path. Then Minimus popped out from the cottage. She snuggled onto my lap for a proper cuddle and some real cat-smooching. Such a contrast : the feral stray cat with a full tummy has no further need of me, while my lovely grey cat would have sat purring on my lap (and warming me up) for ever.