Six-On-Saturday – Páraig – Grow Write Repeat

Rain, Ripening Tomatoes and a Solitary Allium

It’s my first time having some hydrangeas in the garden, and I’m tempted to self-administer forty lashes for not growing these before now.

It’s been a great week. Rain has fallen. That’s what rain does. Enough of it, at last. Not biblical quantities, admittedly, but enough to put a bit of life back into the place. The ground has softened. The leaves have perked up.

The weather, as usual, refuses to settle. One minute there’s rain tapping against the glasshouse, the next there’s a brightness in the sky. Temperatures are neither here nor there – not quite autumnal, not quite summer. It’s that curious bit of the year when the garden seems to be asking: Are we finished yet?

The rainfall has certainly helped. The jaded look has given way to a cautious resurgence. Buds are forming and flowers are gathering themselves for one last show, but there’s a sense that the garden is holding something in reserve. September is only around the corner. Perhaps there might yet be an Indian summer?

For today, though, let’s simply be grateful that enough rain has fallen. There is something satisfying about hearing it on the windows after weeks of watching the ground dry out. Tomorrow will bring its own weather, its own situations and probably its own little surprise.

Enough of the waffle. Let’s take a wander through the garden and see what’s happening. I’m joining in with many other gardeners across the globe for Six on Saturday hosted by Jim at Garden Ruminations.

New And Old

It’s my first time having some hydrangeas in the garden, and I’m tempted to self-administer forty lashes for not growing these before.

This one is a bigleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla. As August comes to an end, many of the giant blooms are fading, but some new ones appear.

As I snapped a few early morning shots, I noticed that the plant is decicately laced with silky webs. Check top left. An ambush awaits.

Pretty Pansy Purple

Pretty pansy purple,
smiling in the sun,
Petals like velvet,
Dancing for fun.

Extract from “The Pansy Song” by Plooshi, a children’s song from the flower-themed album Flower Songs for Kids, Toddlers, Preschoolers, released in March 2025.

I was happy to revert temporarily to toddlerism, as I ambled down the garden today.

I sang it for my granddaughter on phone face time. She isn’t very impressed with my singing. Others have mentioned that I’ve got Van Gogh’s ear for music.

Begonia: Front And Back

I love trailing begonias. This is one of my favourites. It’s in a small pot sitting on an upturned square pot, with a saucer beneath it to hold water.

I rotate the plant, perhaps twice a week, so that front and back will face the light.

This is unfortunate. I neglected to take my own advice. My guess is this side was facing backward for 7-10 days. Again, I am willing to submit to self-flagellation. Ten of the best should do the trick.

Sorbus acuparia Romina

Back in May 2020, just as Covid lockdown began a phased easing, I purchased a beautiful Mountain Ash, Sorbus acuparia. I wrote about it back then. Here’s the link if you are really keen.

Shortly after that, a young Iranian girl was beheaded by her father to protect family honour. Sharia law is a bitch. I named this tree in her memory. Sorbus acuparia Romina Ashrafi.

Since then, the tree almost died, but it is now doing very well. I think the original article, linked above, is worth reading. I read it back during the week, and it saddened me.

Tomatoes / Trátaí

Is maith liom trátaí. There’s a nip in the air these days, and more particularly overnight. So I moved seven tomato plants back into the glasshouse. There was a glut of tomatoes from mid-June, but the last of them need the extra heat to ripen.

Allium

I can’t remember planting it. It’s a solitary Allium, with nobody from the immediate family for company. As in life, it looks a little lonely, but gets on with living its best life. The flower is spent now, and seed is abundant.

That’s my Six on Saturday for this week. Six-on-Saturday is a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of Six on Saturday host, Jim.

In Other News

When Trump hears I’m recovered from surgery and ready to protest at his Doonbeg Golf Club next month, I think he’ll chicken out. TACO.
Dolly Parton RIP. I spotted this on X during the week: You want to honor her today? Put a book in a kid’s hands. Stay married. Do the works.
Romina Ashrafi A sad Sharia Law tragedy in Iran (2020)
The Great Irish Eclipse — Almost Missed Over a Beer. This update is a summary of the August 12th eclipse and what I was doing instead of gazing at it.

Until next time,

Slán, Pádraig.

From Hot Lips to Secret Trips

Note to US Border Patrol… If you find this Six-on-Saturday on my Social Media, do not ignore. Send me back to Ireland immediately.

It has been the best summer since 1976, and I’ve enjoyed my time in the garden. As a consequence, because I’ve spent so much time working in the garden and relaxing to enjoy it, I have neglected my blog. There has been an almost complete absence of writing it up. My Six-on-Saturday has been abysmal. I think I’ve posted twice, and today makes three!

For anyone unfamiliar with the Six-on-Saturday meme, here’s the nuts and bolts of it. Many hundreds of gardeners from around the world and from Kilbrien post six items from their garden on Saturdays. The rules are more like guidelines, and for example four of my six are taken in my garden this week, one is in our housing estate, and one is in Northern Ireland. Likely, my efforts will be tolerated and there are no red cards for such mild offences.

Recovery

The garden is recovering just a bit, following a week of showers, mostly light. However, a few very heavy thunderstorms dropped more water than we’ve had since late June. Hurrah for that!

I too am recovering after my gallbladder surgery on July 25th. The lovely surgeon Niamh and her team outlined a six-week recovery timeline for me. This is week four. No bike, no running and no swimming. They did mention that I’ll know what to do when the time is right, provided I listen to my body.

This week I’m doing light dumbbell exercises for arms only. Given the continued good weather, it makes sense to do this outside. Listening to my body, added to my usual good feeling whenever I’m in the garden.

Lobelia

I bought this at the Farmers Market in Lismore last Sunday. It’s Lobelia something-or-other, and not often that my phone camera captures red properly. On this occasion, I’m happy with the shot. It has been potted up and is now living it’s best life on my sunny patio.

Salvia ‘Hot Lips’

This shrub is about fifty metres up the road from me, on our estate greenspace. I did have it in the garden several years ago, given to me by a gardening enthusiast (thank you Ann🙏), but I didn’t mind it as I should have.

Simon usually sells Salvias at the local Farmers Market. Perhaps last year or the year before we discussed it. He told me it’s Salvia ‘Hot Lips’, and suggested I’d be in the good books if I were to buy it for my missus. A few days later, Marion met him and he suggested she buy it for me! Good salesman!

Verbena

I rarely get to look at the front garden, apart from coming to and going from the house. That said, the Verbena is worth looking at. The masses of small purple flowers act as a magnet for butterflies. It seeds itself freely in gravel. I even see it growing across the road, germinated along cracks in the footpath.

Onions

Harvested two weeks ago, and drying in the glasshouse, I made an error in not removing some flowers when the time was right. Still, bees were attracted to it. I have since cut it back and moved all onions out of intense direct sunlight.

Blackberries

Recently, Marion and I made a road trip to Belfast. Long day 9am until 9pm, there and back same day. Don’t ask, it’s all under wraps! I’m subject to the Official Secrets Act 1963 and Protected Disclosures Act 2014.

Anyway, that’s enough rambling on. The point is that on one of several stretch-my-legs-breaks somewhere just north of the border, I came upon a feast of blackberries. Very tasty too, these northern blackberries.

These are my items for Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator, currently hosted by Jim. For more Six-on-Saturday updates, from all around the world, head over to Jim’s blog.In addition, many others post on X using the hashtag (you guessed it!) #sixonsaturday. I sometimes post there too @psdeburca58

In Other News

Boat trip on the Blackwater. Mr. Meta bought a castle nearby but when we called, he wasn’t home.
Cinema: The Odyssey
Five teenagers in balaclavas were killed driving wrong way on M9 motorway. Four innocent road users remain critically injured. National outrage. What on earth is happening to our country?
Body Trauma Gallbladder surgery
From Rust To Yellow My AI fun.

Until next time,

Slán, Pádraig.

Six Photos. Many More Plants

I used ChatGTP to analyse this collage of six photographs. It was able to complete this task slightly faster than my 68-year-old processor. Here’s the bottom line…

Hylotelephium (Sedum) ‘Herbstfreude’ / Autumn Joy — the large rounded cream-pink flower heads throughout the foreground. These are especially prominent in the main photograph.
Hydrangea macrophylla — the large pink/mauve hydrangeas in pots at bottom left.
Pelargoniums (zonal geraniums) — the masses of red, pink, salmon and orange flowers in pots and window boxes.
Lavandula (English lavender) — the grey-green foliage and purple flower spikes against the wall.
Gaura lindheimeri — the delicate pink-and-white flowers on long, airy stems in the foreground.
Allium — the spherical white flower heads in the separate photograph; they appear to be flowering/going to seed. My assistant, realising that I’m addempting to dry the onions, offers solid advice: “Best to deadhead the lovely flowers, because they will interfere with the process.”
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.) — the ripening blackberries in the top-right photograph. Note: not my garden. These are Northern bla kberries, photographed on a recent journey to Belfast.
Pansies/violas — visible in the window boxes and among the pots.
Lobelia — the small blue-purple flowers trailing from the hanging pot/chair area.
Heuchera — some of the foliage plants around the containers look like heucheras, although the photograph isn’t quite detailed enough to identify cultivars.
Euonymus — the variegated cream-and-green shrub in the foreground looks very much like a variegated Euonymus.
Thuja/conifer — the upright evergreen in the left-hand container arrangement appears to be a small arborvitae-type conifer.
One particularly interesting plant
The large white/pink flower heads that appear repeatedly in the foreground are almost certainly a stonecrop/Hylotelephium, rather than the old-fashioned annual sedums often called Sedum. The fleshy leaves and flat-topped flower clusters are characteristic.
The plant with the very airy pink flowers beside it is almost certainly Gaura (now often classified as Oenothera lindheimeri). It makes a lovely combination with the sedum because the two have such different flower structures.

They were my Six on Saturday, a meme originally started by The Propagator. For more Sixes on Saturday, from all around the world, head over to the blog of Six on Saturday host, Jim.

Six On Saturday: Keeping Me Grounded

There were several lowlights during the week. My phone went on the blink and several heavy frosts finally arrived, followed immediately by Storm Goretti. On a positive note I finished my regular 5k Wexford Parkrun under thirty minutes. The last time I recorded that milestone was way back in 2014. Perhaps I’ll treat myself? A new phone, did I hear you say? 🤔

The garden is my mindful place throughout the ups and down of life. It reminds me to accept what comes and not to be swayed unduly by problems on the one hand and ego celebrations on the other.

I’m joining Jim at Garden Ruminations as we approach mid-January. Pop over to see what’s on display there and in many other gardeners’ gardens. Here’s my selection from SE Ireland this week, helping to keep me grounded…

Campanula

Campanula comes into flower en masse in late spring and sometimes there’s a second flush in September after a severe haircut. This tiny remnant brings joy to my heart. I vow to shine no matter the season.

Wolf Moon

The moon is out of range. It’s moved further west, yet the night sky is lit by reflected sunlight, and the photo was snapped with night mode. Actually, I can’t take credit really because the wonky phone gently suggested night mode would be best. A nice way of saying that it would look very drab if I decided to ignore the suggestion. Imagine the possibilities with a smarter smart phone? No, perhaps not.

Rockery

Skimmia and Camellia side by side. I spent an hour tidying this little rockery area during the week. I call it Joe’s rockery, as it’s against the boundary wall of what was Joe’s garden. In years gone by he was great to leave baskets of grapes and other garden produce on the wall for us. I still think fondly of him.

The Tidy Side

I use the quiet of winter to plot and plan what I’d like for the year ahead. This corner is gently on my mind.

On the sunny west-facing side of the garden, the tidy-up had been mostly completed. It really didn’t need much. I’m turning over some ideas for the raised corner. There’s no rush. Something will emerge. Several years ago I had a seat there. It was a lovely vantage point to enjoy late evening summer sun.

On The Other Hand

Theres another change in the pipeline on the other side.

Untouched since September, this east-facing rockery is drab, but I’ll leave it as it is for another month. There are three fuchsias on top and I think two will be sacrificed.

A Dangerous Yoke

Creeping Jenny is very definitely a dangerous yoke, but I’m up to the challenge of taming her! Why? Because in summer it is a beautiful shade of green. Mostly I keep her prisoner in window boxes, to impede her urge to spread into unwanted places. Now, she does a great job hiding a bare corner. I glance with satisfaction regularly. She will not best me!

To finish, a quote from James Clear. Its not specifically related to gardening, but but it’s worth applying it there too.

There are two ways to grow: by adding or by shedding. Do you need to add something or do you need to shed something?

Over the coming months my garden will change to include adding and shedding. Me too, most likely.

I hope you have a great week.

The First Six Of 2026

I’m reminded of Victor Meldrew’s refrain from One Foot In The Grave: “I don’t believe it. I just don’t believe it.”

The incessant rain stopped two weeks ago and since then it has been dry almost every day. For the first time since mid-October the garden is not saturated, so I took advantage of the good conditions to get to the garden. I spent most of New Years Eve pottering about. I can’t say that I really got much done, but it was good.

Inside, we got a lot done. The decorations came down before the New Year, a quiet ritual that signalled a return to normal routines. Join with me as I share the first Six of 2026…

Primrose

I continue to enjoy my morning coffee outside and this pretty primrose caught my eye. I’ve got several in pots but they really prefer their roots dry. High on a rockery suits them best, but this one is an exception. It is doing well.

Sedum

About three or four years ago, Geraldine gave me two sedum plants and they’ve matured well since then. I’ve had them on the raised beds near the glasshouse. Apart from lovely flower heads in summer, they look good even when the flower is finished.

Already I can see the beginnings of next summer’s flowers and therefore very soon, I’ll cut the old stems to ground level. Apparently, it’s best to leave the old flower in place. Last year I waited until March, but I may not have the patience to wait that long.

It is a remarkable plant, loved by bees and butterflies. Easy to care for with a very long seasonal interest. Writing about it now, it seems to make sense to get another one. A different variety perhaps? I’m also going to move this one closer to the house and in doing so I’ll divide it to make two decent clumps.

Annual Lobelia

No hard frost yet so this is still going. To have it still in flower in January is an unexpected bonus. Perhaps not strong, but definitely alive. Lobelia ‘Crystal Palace’ has earned its keep. There was a time when I’d be thinking of starting the 2026 lobelias from seed, but not any longer. I’ll buy a dozen or two in June.

Once planted, it quietly gets on with the job. And somehow, despite everything, it usually ends up being one of the best things on display. It’s on the summer of 2026 list already.

Hyacinth

In addition to recent daffodils added to the covered pergola area, I also got myself this hyacinth. At the time the shoots were merely peeping from the bulb. Now it’s their time. It’s a nice way to say Happy New Year.

Double Delight

Two for the price of one in this photo. I think it’s Eleagnus in the foreground and Pieris japonica ‘Little Frosty’ behind.

I do leave the labels attached to plants but after a few years they disintegrate. Likely there’s a better way. The Pieris label is there but not the other one. As with my mystery plant last week (Pseudowintera), any confirmation or otherwise will be much appreciated.

Water

Continuing my winter care for garden birds, here’s the bathing area. They love it, in particular the starlings and blackbirds. The basic necessities: food and water. We have not yet had a hard frost but when it does arrive I’ll make sure they have good access to water for drinking and washing.

Thanks to Jim over at Garden Ruminations and Happy New Year to all.

Six On Saturday: Christmas 2025

Short and very sharp this week. I’ve been busy with Christmas festivities, but I did find another five plus one for today’s round of Six On Saturday. Most of this week’s selection is about evergreen garden structure, which becomes very important in winter. Without further ado, here we go …

1. Lamium maculatum

Commonly called spotted dead-nettle, and very much alive, despite the name.

2. Euonymus

Variegated Euonymus japonicus. At this time of the year it shines brightly. The garden is back to bare bones so anything evergreen that also has a bit of structure is very welcome.

3. Pittosporum

Similar to the euonymus above, the Pittosporum does its job well. I have two of these, planted last year and I’m pleased to see them doing well. I’d imagine they’ll look even better in another year or two, but given my small space Ill be sure to keep them trimmed tidily.

4. Mystery

I did know the name of this. I’d imagine I made a note of it when I got it last year or perhaps the year before. In any case, despite not knowing it’s name, I like it very much. I have a feeling that I got it after seeing someone here on SOS highlighting it.

Update:

5. Skimmia

The skimmia is doing very well considering it’s in a pot, albeit a large one. I did remember to feed it twice during the year and I put a saucer under it so that during the summer it retained some water.

6. Birdfeeder

We love to attract birds to the garden and what better way to do that than to provide extra food during the cold weather. I’ve also been feeding myself a bit extra recently, just to see me through until spring. Soups and casseroles are my favourites, while peanuts, fat-balls and mixed seeds attract a good variety of birds.

Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations and Happy Christmas to all.

Six On Saturday: Wexford To Ventoux

Another week of downpours and deluges. However, this time it was only every second day, with hard frosts and bright sunshine in between. The downpour days were double downpours and they did test my spirits, they did. In the middle of these testing deluges, news from Bondi Beach brought a sobering perspective. Seems a bit pointless to be getting upset over rain.

Closer to home, I had two days of hard labour in Wexford: physical work that left its mark but also delivered a quiet sense of purpose. In between, there were lots of Christmas preparations—lists, small rituals and cautious hopes. And so, with boots still damp, perspective restored, and one eye on the calendar, here we go again — another Six On Saturday.

1. Beech Hedging

Spoiler alert: not my garden.

We spent two days planting two hundred beech whips at Méabh and Jimmy’s place in Wexford. It was a very satisfying job. Afterwards, less so. I discovered aches in places that had clearly been idle for some time.

Although this is very definitely not my garden, I may adopt it. Our daughter and other half seem willing to give me (almost) free rein to develop their site from scratch. It will never be my garden but I’d like to leave my mark. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to say: I was here.

“Whips” is the term used for small bare-root beech plants. I didn’t know that. Read more.

2. Pansy

There are six of these—two in the window boxes and four among the pots beneath the pergola. A hard frost paid a visit last Monday night, but this little plant stands tall regardless, silently asking the weather, Is that all you’ve got? Small plant. Big attitude. Winter can bring its worst; the pansy has already read the forecast and remains unimpressed.

3. Geranium & Operator Error

It’s really a pelargonium, though it’s commonly known as a geranium. John prefers it by its proper name, so I’m happy to oblige. A small correction, quietly noted.

It also lends some support to the rumour that I’m far from perfect. This was confirmed to me last Sunday when I emptied the washing machine and hung everything neatly on the clothes horse — all before breakfast. I allowed myself a moment of mild satisfaction.

It didn’t last.

None of it had been washed.

A little Operator Error, nothing serious. Still, it may be how habits begin.

4. Another Hellebore

I included a hellebore last week. Lo and behold, here’s another. This one is a textbook hellebore: head bowed, flowers facing the ground, and a firm insistence that you kneel to appreciate it properly. Photographs must be taken from below, camera pointing skywards.

Consider it a combined gardening and wellness exercise. As with all such pursuits, overdoing it is discouraged.

Reminder re: overdoing it… planting of the beech whips is a sad reminder that I really should listen to my own good advice!

5. Malus

That’s the fruit of a crab apple tree (Malus). Small apples hanging on long, thin stalks, often blotched or scabby. They cling on long after the leaves have gone.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of tiny red apples. Every now and then I notice a blackbird teasing one off for breakfast. She does not feast. It’s a pantry, not a party.

6. Mont Ventoux

In my garden there’s a small piece of metal that carries a big memory. It speaks of effort, companionship, and the curious satisfaction of having gone up something very big—only to come safely down again. Like all good garden features, it rewards close inspection, reveals a gentle truth, and asks a question just for fun.

This plaque is to remind me that Marion and I, along with eight other members of Dungarvan Cycling Club, cycled to the summit of Mont Ventoux in September 2023, climbing the 1,910 metres in 2h22m. Extinct French volcanoes are trez magnifique.

The descent back to Bedoin took about 45 minutes.

Close inspection of the plaque reveals a subtle, symbolic detail: Marion is slightly ahead as is only right, while I am in minding mode. Some things, it seems, are captured perfectly in metal.

Mastermind or University Challenge question: what do the letters TC on the plaque mean?

I wish everyone a Happy Christmas. Meanwhile Jim, chewing the cud at Garden Ruminations, reminds me that beggars can’t be choosers and to be grateful for even small flower colour at this time of the year.

Summary:

Some weeks ask very little of us. Others ask for effort, patience, and a bit of kindness — to plants, to people, and occasionally to ourselves. This one asked for all three.

Páraig

Six-on-Saturday: Christmas 2023

Do you like dry cold weather? What about evergreen shrubs and inexpensive garden ornaments? Yellow weather alerts, surely not?

Páraig likes dry cold weather. He also likes evergreen shrubs and inexpensive garden ornaments, but not Yellow Alerts.

Happy Christmas to one and all. I hope it will be everything you wish for.

Here on the SE Irish coast it was another mild December week with the added bonus of some rain by night. The cold front to the north of Scotland was firmly held back until Thursday, and then it let rip with a Yellow Wind Alert. Being honest, I don’t mind a cold snap. Rushing around crowded shops in mild weather is exhausting.

Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations, for hosting Six on Saturday. Pop over there to discover updates from participating writer-gardeners. In the meanwhile, here’s my six:

1. Crab Apple

Leaves are gone and the fruits are ripening. Blackbirds have been sampling, and they will return to feed at the right time.

2. Unknown

From my mam’s garden. Can anyone shed light on what it is? Nerine, I wonder?

3. Another Mystery

I’m going to hazard a guess that this might be Bachelor’s Buttons, known better as Feverfew and officially as Tannecetum. Even if I’m incorrect, the three names are correct for the plant I’m thinking of. I do love those skeletonised seedheads.

4. Conifer

Looking for evergreens, I took a shot of this conifer. About three metres in height, it is magnificent throughout the year, and especially now. Putting a trellis on the wall will happen in the spring.

5. Ornament

Garden ornaments are expensive, so I used this disused oil-boiler flue. I like it, despite the protestations of my good wife. I remind her that it’s my garden too. Recycle: repurpose items rather than dump.

6. Euonymus & Cotoneaster

Another evergreen, Euonymus ‘something-something’ pleases me also. The Cotoneaster ‘Queen of Carpets’ is hugging it beautifully. I’ve been able to get half a dozen rooted slips from it last year and more to come soon. It can run riot, but I’m thrilled to see it climbing the wall. The planned trellis will help keep it secure.

Summary

Clockwise from top left:

Crab apple
Nerine?
Feverfew?
Conifer
Free onamental flue
Euonymus

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.

Six-on-Saturday: Day by Day

I like strolling the garden before breakfast to the accompaniment of music. I also like WeatherShot and cycling, but not too many plants in straight lines.

Páraig likes strolling the garden before breakfast to the accompaniment of music. He also likes WeatherShot and cycling, but not too many plants in straight lines.

I’ve had an on-off love affair with WeatherShot. It’s a phone app, sadly no longer being updated. I bought a subscription several years ago but could not really justify spending €30 the following year because I had not used it as much as I thought I would. Recently, I renewed again in exchange for the price of two bottles of wine, and this past week I’ve enjoyed using it every bit as much as drinking wine. Life is rarely either/or.

Rather than half a dozen Saturday photos, there’s one per day. I may be tempted to continue going forward. Here on the SE Irish coast it was another mild murky December week, recorded here along with gardening memories. Thanks to Jim at Garden Ruminations, for hosting Six on Saturday. Rules is here.

Sunday

Sunday was wet and windy. I did manage to cycle about 70km but I needed a mince pie and coffee midway. Taken before I left, the pigeons, doves, sparrows and others are enjoying a hearty breakfast. Everything gobbled up by the time I returned.

Monday

It’s been my habit to spend a short few minutes each morning surveying the garden. I wear my headphones and have ‘The Garden Song‘ on repeat. I notice things and my advice to myself is: Notice everything, but do not touch. This photograph reminds me to rearrange the patio pots. Straight lines are not always the best.

Tuesday

These little annual Begonias are against the west-facing wall and they’re still in flower! The stone trough is topped with 2cm of loose stone to retain moisture in summer and heat in winter. If I told you these three plans survived last winter, would you believe me? You better believe it! They were planted in June 2022. If they survive again, they’ll need feeding.

Wednesday

Skimmia jap. ‘Temptation’ is doing OK, but only just. It would rather be in the ground. During the summer, it became much too dry. All life dies without water, and fails to thrive without enough.

Thursday

I think it’s obvious that I like Cordylines in containers. I’m told it’s a plant that does not do well if moved, but as they are in pots I can move them whenever and wherever I like. ‘Torbay Dazzler’ is out on its own, dead centre.

Friday

It’s complicated. I bought four red Christmassy pots, each containing one Cyclamen. Later, I took each of these lovely Cyclamen(s) from the four pots and put them together here. Why, you ask? Well, these are not winter hardy so the plan is to drape a towel over them whenever frost is likely. Can you spot the two chopsticks? You’ll know why I’ve put them in. I’m thinking that I have a touch of OCD, but these plants will bring me so much joy in these dark days.

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.

Inch by inch, row by row,
Gonna make this garden grow,
All it takes is a rake and a hoe,
And a piece of fertile ground.

Inch by inch, row by row,
Someone bless these seeds I sow,
Someone warm them from below,
'Till the rain comes tumblin' down.

Pullin' weeds and pickin' stones,
Man is made of dreams and bones,
Feel the need to grow my own,
'Cause the time is close at hand.

Grain for grain, sun and rain,
Find my way in Nature's chain,
Tune my body and my brain
To the music from the land.

Plant your rows straight and long,
Temper them with prayer and song,
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her loving care.

An old crow watching hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree,
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there.

Looking Back to 2020.

Páraig likes polyanthus and dangling baubles. He also likes air-layering and red wine, but not conifers that lean non-veratically.

This post featured on an old blog back in mid-December 2020, as Coronavirus spread rapidly worldwide. I’ll say nothing, except for one thing… The wine was delicious, and the article turned out OK. Now that I see that on screen, it’s not right to say nothing and then add just one thing.

Come along with me, back to 2020…

I must make a start. It’s Friday wine-time and there’s not a child washed. Retirement can be exasperating, but never fear! Red wine and words will flow freely, so grab a coffee, put your ~~phone~~ fón on flight mode and join with me for some random Six on Saturday reflections.

First Glass

In an attempt to draw the eye away from the household bins, the baubles dangle on the bare Acer. This is a recent addition to the ~~three~~ trí permanent baubles. Initially, I thought I could see the photographer’s reflection. Thought made a fool of me this time!

Second

I am definitely reflected clearly in this one. It was taken ~~a few days~~ cúpla lá before wine-time. Regular readers may remember I used this ball to try air-layering. I was assured that eight weeks would be enough time and roots would form inside. Well, thought made a fool of me for a second time. I opened it (and others) only to find that nothing happened. I regret to say that the solution is… more wine. How exasperating!

Now The Third

Here, I’m opting for a virtual reflection, the sort that usually starts in my head. The best time for head reflection is between the second and third ~~glass~~ gloine. Everything after that becomes as blurred as thought.

There is very little garden colour at this time on Friday evening, so it was wonderful to see the polyanthus in full bloom a few days ago. That’s a wholesome thought, articulated clearly.

Pacing Myself

I’m only halfway there, and I’ve decided to cease and desist in order to continue clear articulation. The ~~bottle~~ buidéal has been moved out of reach. I snapped this last Wednesday, shortly after a rowdy group of starlings pecked ravenously at something within. I know not what was within, nor the name used for a group of starlings. I don’t even remember the name of the plant. The solution is clear; wine will surely help. I’m reaching out.

Approaching Plastered State

This is an unplastered west-facing wall. It is seven feet tall, but that’s not important now. The photograph clearly shows the conifer leaning non-veratically Northwards. Of course its non-vertical! That’s what leaning actually means. This wine is really helping me to articulate clearly. I’m so happy that I took a break between glass three and four.

Mumbo Jumbo

I was given a beautiful bowl and lamp set when I left Ballinameela in 2007. The bowl lived a fruit-filled life on the kitchen table for many years. Last month it was upgraded to a garden birdbath, behind the hebe. ~~Regularly filled with water, the birds sometimes visit it.~~ Filled with water, as baths sometimes are, the birds visit it regularly.

They drink, bathe and perhaps enjoy looking at themselves. My final clear thought for the evening runs something like this…

A small amount of wine can lead to great fun. In this instance I learned about reduplicated phrases such as mumbo-jumbo that arrived in our everyday language. This is playfulness at its best! My favourite reduplicated phrase is…

Is it just hot, or is it HOT-hot?

The link to the original article and comments is HERE. It’s called Reflections Cum Vino.

Back to 2023

As I mention not rushing around, here’s a little something I wrote during the week about a Portuguese Proverb and the merits of doing Just One Thing.