Tag: books

Six-on-Saturday: February 2024 Week 4

Featuring: alyssum, apple shoots, a lone crabapple, lettuce, moss, and powerwashing.

I am retired but my weeks are busy. Increasingly during February I’m busy in the garden for short daily bursts. I’m busy too with meetings, book readings and creative opportunities. This week has been exceptionally busy. There were some added chores including car repair, book emails, handwritten letters, and further failed efforts to reorganise my website.

Now it’s time to focus on SIX. This week’s offering excites me. I do hope you enjoy it. Ar aghaidh linn… Off we go…

Powerwashed Patio

Changed utterly. A terrible beautiful patio is reborn. The powerwashing is finished. Moving all pots and planters amounted to more lifting than I’ve had in the gym since Christmas and still they lie higgeldy piggeldy waiting for my energy reserves to be replenished. The blue bin and the Budda are not normally side by side and the path to the shed is gridlocked. Next week I’ll show the end result. My plan is for a radical shake up.

Moss

A rolling stone gathers no moss, and inversely the moss on this stone is there for a reason. Nature ingeniously fills the void.

Crabapple

Up close with a decaying Crabapple. There were several flies in and around this but I seem to have scared them off.

Lettuces

My best guess it I’ll be having homegrown lettuce for lunch in about three weeks. In case you’re wondering, I’ve put a few obstacles to deter the curious blackbird. She loves to scatter soil looking for delicious food beneath.

Apple Buds

My intention was to get a decent shot of the emerging apple shoots. I did but both shoots are slightly blurred. So, as a means of turning my disappointment to a positive, I changed focus to the lichen growing on the bough. Delighted with myself!

Technically, the shoots are not blurred, merely the shot. Operator error once more. I’m considering self-flagellation.

Nesting Material

Here lie the mortal remains of last summer’s white Alyssum. Although I’m tempted to tidy it away I’ll leave it for the birds. Nest construction has commenced so I’ll keep a watchful eye for activity. Many of the wild grasses have been trimmed back and the clippings are strewn about in as higgeldy piggeldy a fashion as the pots.

Summary

Páraig

What A Wonderful Saturday

This week there’s a garden book and a plant for the kitchen window. Also included: feeding the doves, but not raking away fallen leaves too early.

Páraig’s likes garden books and plants for the kitchen window. He also likes feeding the doves and riding the bike, but not raking away fallen leaves too early.

During the week I put together what I think is a good piece about our beautiful world. Despite horrific world events at a political level I focus on the beauty. War is a tsunami that destroys life.

Reinforcing my firm belief that it’s a beautiful world, here’s my garden and my wider natural landscape garden to remind me of such beauty. Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations, for hosting Six on Saturday. Pop over to discover updates from participating writer-gardeners.

I was with my garden for a full afternoon on Thursday. Plenty to do, despite my resolve not to tidy up too much just yet. As OffTheEdgeGardening would say, shall we shake a leg?

1. Gorse

On a recent forest walk on Corrin Holy Hill near Fermoy to shake a leg and the holiday cobwebs, we came upon this in full flower. Our day was brightened.

2. Metrosideros

Photo is a bit wonky. I deserve no more than 4 out of 10 for effort.

Notes FROM the RHS: A genus of around 60 trees, shrubs and vines, most commonly grown for their showy, tufty predominantly red bottle brush-like flowers, which can also be orange, yellow or white.

So, this much I know… Mine is definitely one of sixty. Unfortunately, that still doesn’t narrow it down to specifics. No matter, it’s on the kitchen windowsill and it’s very dainty.

3. Skimmia rubella

Greenery and budding flower. What’s not to love? Featured regularly. I think it may appear again in the months ahead.

4. Sedum

Sedum (or rather the unpronounceable updated name that was Sedum) is finished. In recent years I would have cut this to tidy it up. Now it stays although it is decaying. I’m letting nature just be.

5. Feeding Time

I never fail to appreciate this view. There’s a lot going on. My garden chair is under the eave of the roof outside the back door and part of my morning ritual is to sit and watch.

6. Reading This

There’s a short paragraph for every day of the year within. I recommend it highly.

Summary

Pop over to Jim’s Site to discover more Six-on-Saturday updates. Until next time, I hope you get to enjoy some time in the garden.

Flooding

There’s widespread flooding in so many areas. I was lucky navigate my bike safely on mucky roads last Wednesday.

P.

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