Clearing the Water Race...
Thursday 10th July 2025 - a day of release. And music rehearsals, new rhododendrons, and new hand tools. Lots of blue skies, but no gardening. Lots of piano playing with sore, slow fingers (from overuse of secateurs).
Tribute to Blue
And now I'm thinking : when can I go to bed? Is 6:30 too early? Hmm...
Speckles :- Snoozing in his cat box on the cottage verandah.
Speckles my stray cat is back. AWOL for five days, he turned up last night, wandered into the cottage, cleaned up Minimus's food bowls, then sat on the rug staring up at me. I know he's there - I hear him gurgling, and it's a bit spooky. He is also looking very fat. But I do wish he wasn't so random. I always have food for him.
Friday 11th July
What to do first today? Take back my library books, and get Non-Gardening Partner to buy me a coffee? Plant my new rhododendrons and shift the other two I planted early this year in the wrong place? Or do some more cleaning up of the water race banks? Brr...
New Hand Tools
Lunchtime...
Am back from the library with a bag full of books. About to continue my water race clean-up. Have tried to talk NGP into doing some chain-sawing for me. We'll see. Cross fingers!
Two hours later...
Worked hard trimming Ferns and Carexes, this time on the opposite bank of the water race from the Glass-House. Spent the last half hour in the water. NGP started to chainsaw some of the broken Wattle, but its top half is hanging down and swaying slightly in the breeze, dangerous to work near. So he (wisely) escaped inside. I soon got too cold, changed into dry clothes, made a hot chocolate, and sat on one of the Frisbee Lawn benches thinking. Am very thankful that my spirit chills have dissipated. Body chills are much easier to deal with.
Blobby rain!
Am now going back outside to clean-up the mess I've just made. It's become very grey and slightly drizzly, but I can do this. Blast. No I can't. It's proper blobby rain. Just one trip, to collect my tools and gardening boots.