maggies_lens

'Gardens are full of memories - of places, of plants, of people, of beauty created and shared, beauty which can be lived and enjoyed again and again years later. In a mostly incomprehensible world, a world increasingly dominated by cruelty and fear, it is gardens that many people seek and find, veen if temporarily, peace and tranquilty.' - 'Rosehips and Crabapples: A Rose-lover's Diary'  by Susan Irvine.

I couldn't have said it better myself. While Irvine's book is about uncovering the beautiful gardens of Forest Hall in Tasmania which had been neglected so long, I think her quote there reflects what so many gardeners feel. This world is a harsh place. I don't mean so much in nature although She too is unforgiving, I mean people. We seem so hell-bent on destorying ourselves and the world around us. We seem to have disconnected to the natural world. But the movement back towards growing something, anything, seems to...well, it's like we're trying to reconnect. I sit in this office tonight, surrounded by plastic, electricity, air conditioned artifically heated air.  The plants in here are fake. Unless I bring in a flower. I feel so dislocated. Like the outside doesn't exist. Even when I go out to the yard it's all concrete. The wind brings scents from the bakery which is lovely, but it's not 'real', I prefer the feel of the ice in the air. But take me to my little garden and suddenly I feel the world. I don't mean the people although my garden brings me many joyeous memories of gifts, working together, chatting about plantings... I mean the earth itself. The rich loamy smells, the feel of cold earth on my fingers, or the passion-stirring feel of earth warming up in Spring and all but trembling under your hands with vitality. The visual healing of soft curving green and brown lines, with the pleasure of gently nodding jonquils and snowdrops. The tantlising tease of the buds sleeping on my trees. Don't get me wrong, it's not some paradise, it's hard work. You mow, weed, water, dig, fertilise, set borders. But the whole time I breathe the air created by my little trees. I chew on spinach or whatever veggies happen to offer themselves, so fresh you can still taste the sap oozing out of the stems if you let it sit on your tongue.. You can taste the sun. I don't have enough of a way with words to really bring it across, but you do taste the sun and the soil itself when you eat like that. I love watching the birds in the garden, even if they are just common sparrows and magpies and mynahs. I adore watching the studs of parrots fly overhead. And on a lower level, there are the insects to watch. Sometimes I just lay down in the grass and look, you know? Just look. I let my mind wander, and just observe. I reconnect. Somehow when I'm out there, carefully checking a litte tree for signs of bugs or disease, or when I am gently easing seeds or tender little seedlings into place and patting the earth in place, I just ... I don't care about the things the TV says I should want. I don't care about someone's race, creed, religion... esp not if we're sitting there gossiping like hens about the best way to deal with water restrictions and do we think that rose there needs pruning and what do you reckon, should I try for a different colour combination in my flower garden this year? Can I squeeze in one more tree?  I don't care about deadlines. You can't rush a garden. Oh sure, you can plant one of those insta-gardens like they do in the bliltz shows. But those things are so soul-less. They never got the chance to tell you what they wanted to be. They are never the peaceful, wild and playful things that make kids want to run around, touch, smell, taste, climb. Or adults for that matter! You have to let the garden show you what it wants to become. You have to learn your soil, your individual little micro-eco-systems. The shape of it. The temper. It's like getting to know a new lover. Take it slow and listen, touch gently, that's how you form that relationship that lasts. Why rush it? Things will grow, or they won't. You'll get a crop, or you won't. You'll learn, whether it be through success or failure. It's how you learn that counts.

Spent the morning and the better part of the early afternoon at my parents today. We went to Garden World, very exxy but lovely garden centre. They have THE most gorgious Orchid section!!! I love Orchids, but don't dare get one because I KNOW I will kill it. Better to just enjoy at a distance. Also hung out in their garden for a little bit. When we got home from the shops there was a package from Poland!!!!! We FLEW inside! There were 23 issues of WITCH for me!!!! *jumps around in pure joy!* I know it's a kid's comic, but I realy love it. I love the story line, I really like the characters, I like the art. And I also like the fact that I can get it in Polish which has realy helped me with my reading and grammer. I really don't want to ever loose my ability to speak and read Polish. Anyway, took quite a few shots, they are under the cut. Entry is Public to allow parents to view, just be aware, folks! :-)

It has been unseasonable warm the past few days. So horses are naked, Dessy is going that weird silver she does when she molts. Pics under cut to try and explain what I mean. Was so nice today I decided to take the dogs to the beach, met up with the Zips there and had a relatively short walk. Dogs loved it, and yeah pics under the cut as usual :-)

Got up shortly after Al left. Decided that I didn't care it was heavily overcast, I was going to do as much as I could in the yard regardless. Went on out there and started in again on the new strawberry patch I had started yesterday. Very, very hard work. Had to dig to create as even a surface as possible to lay the bricks down. I tried my best but it's still a bit er.... original in shape. You'll see what I mean if you look at photos under the cut. Took me about two hours to dig it into condition, lay the bricks and fill it in. It looked earily like I had killed and buried someone there!!!!! Seriously, it looked 100% like the old grave I saw in Poland. Freaked myself out a little. Decided that I couldn't have my garden look like a graveyard.  So, two more hours of breaking ground, ripping up grass and digging out stones, and I got the side and front bits done. I planted my not-so-little-anymore ficus at the front which made it look 100% better!!! Then I popped a couple transplated strawberries from the old patch and the 14 or so baby itty bitty ones I got from Bunnings. They sell them in 3's, but when I broke the clumps apart I found most of the packs had extra. The bed is half full now, rest will be tomorrow when i pick up the wild ones mum has gifted me with. Down the side I've put that fake border I want to test out and popped in 6 little flower bushes of some kind. I can't remember their name but they are pretty and have given the garden an immediate colour burst. They're only annuals, the perennuals were planted in the 'nursery' (read as in pots on my table inside) yesterday, will transplent them when they are big and strong enough to deal with life in a doggy backyard. Because one wall of the veggie patch is brick now, I have a spare trelis left over. Not 100% sure what I'll be doing with it yet, but there are a few ideas. In all I'm really happy with how it's coming together out there.