It was VERY windy and started to rainand the south west didn't look much better, dark and stormy but she said to herself "You have to go, even if it is just to see what damage has been done" and climbed aboard the little red bus.
It took.. oh so long.. the traffic was bad, the weather filthy but she has gardened in much worse. Eventually she got there and saw that Ros, a dear friend, was there as well. How nice, she thought and then saw Raven, whom she had last seen as a ten week old puppy, hurtling up the steps to greet her!
How did he know? Ros said "I swear he recognised you, he gave his wuff, wagged his tail and shot off". So much fuss had to be made of him, he's got VERY big paws to fill, for his predecessor, Dizzy, was a great canine friend of ours for many years.
Lots of chat and hugs, these two friends have had allotments on this site for over fourteen years now.
Ros told her that hers didn't look in bad nick at all! And that her much beloved plum tree is in full bloom and absolutely covered in blossom like last year.
So off up the track she went, not feeling quite as apprehensive after being told that it did not look too bad. And Ros was right! It looked, as all plots do at the beginning of the gardening year, a bit messy but ok and nothing that a grass cut and a rake would not make better!
The much beloved plum tree is completely covered in white blossom and exactly the same as last year, her two sisters, planted at exactly the same time and within spitting distance, have about three flowers on them!
The soil is wonderful! They've obviously had heavy frosts and lots of rain which makes for great soil, the Asparagus bed looks dreadful, reallyreally untidy but nothing that a days HARD work won't make better.
The Sunburst Cherry tree is still alive! Eureeka! It survived the winter in its' pot sitting in a bucket and when she has cleared the bed and got membrane fabric and lots of mulch ready, she'll plant it. It already has BIG fat buds on it and near by, a pear tree is almost in leaf! She finds it most peculiar how one tree just ten feet away is so far ahead of all the others.
She tried to strim, the motor fired on the first pul but then conked out and the thread head would not turn.. BORING.. for a quick strim always makes an allotment look much better, so instead she dug a fork out of the little shed.
Where it looks as if Mr. Rat and Master Mouse have had a fine old time, grrr, she'd left it immaculate but they've chewed at things and knocked things about. But the best thing was that little shed had not been vandalised, the door was still locked shut.
A few hours with a broom, sterilising fluid and some hot water will make everything better and tidy again. But why did they have to chew on a packet of coffee and then spill it everywhere?
Never mind, she dug over some beds and found a few potatoes left over from last autumn, a couple of artichokes, some shallots and some spring onions. All good stuff!
Then it was time for flower hunting.. and this bring us to the title of the post. The tall, dark yellow daffodils behind the shed are spreading happily, such a wonderful sight and on the other side of the asparagus beds lies a cutting bed.
I hope you don't throw away hycacinth bulbs when they've flowered indoors? Cut off the flower stem and plant them outside. The ones planted out five years ago in this little bed are the darkest of dark blue, they are much taller than when when she had them in pots at home but the smell is exactly the same, rich and powerful!
Then across to the cherry trees and to the white multi-headed Narcissi, tall, elegant and scented. Such pretty flowers and finally over to the two apple trees, under which grow the smallest of the Narcissi family but the most highly scented.. Jonquils.
Marina (Orpin), whose death last July 4th she still cannot quite believe, sent her these beautiful bulbs from the Scilly Isles for her big Six 0 birthday five years ago.
She met her in Betty's shop in 1992 and they became together with John, Marina's husband, good friends and colleagues for they did lots and lots of work together. Every year, for over twenty years, they travelled to the huge fair in Lille and over the years, what a lot of brilliant swag they both found there!
She picked them this afternoon and thought of John and Marina, of their lovely home in Stansted Mountfitchet where she and both Dagga Parrot and I had stayed so many times.
She went back in time, recalling such very happy times with Betty, Diana, the four Johns and Marina and thinks this is such a lovely way to remember a friend.. picking Jonquils from The Scilly Isles.
GeeGee Parrot.
March 28th, 2015.
It took.. oh so long.. the traffic was bad, the weather filthy but she has gardened in much worse. Eventually she got there and saw that Ros, a dear friend, was there as well. How nice, she thought and then saw Raven, whom she had last seen as a ten week old puppy, hurtling up the steps to greet her!
How did he know? Ros said "I swear he recognised you, he gave his wuff, wagged his tail and shot off". So much fuss had to be made of him, he's got VERY big paws to fill, for his predecessor, Dizzy, was a great canine friend of ours for many years.
Lots of chat and hugs, these two friends have had allotments on this site for over fourteen years now.
Ros told her that hers didn't look in bad nick at all! And that her much beloved plum tree is in full bloom and absolutely covered in blossom like last year.
So off up the track she went, not feeling quite as apprehensive after being told that it did not look too bad. And Ros was right! It looked, as all plots do at the beginning of the gardening year, a bit messy but ok and nothing that a grass cut and a rake would not make better!
The much beloved plum tree is completely covered in white blossom and exactly the same as last year, her two sisters, planted at exactly the same time and within spitting distance, have about three flowers on them!
The soil is wonderful! They've obviously had heavy frosts and lots of rain which makes for great soil, the Asparagus bed looks dreadful, reallyreally untidy but nothing that a days HARD work won't make better.
The Sunburst Cherry tree is still alive! Eureeka! It survived the winter in its' pot sitting in a bucket and when she has cleared the bed and got membrane fabric and lots of mulch ready, she'll plant it. It already has BIG fat buds on it and near by, a pear tree is almost in leaf! She finds it most peculiar how one tree just ten feet away is so far ahead of all the others.
She tried to strim, the motor fired on the first pul but then conked out and the thread head would not turn.. BORING.. for a quick strim always makes an allotment look much better, so instead she dug a fork out of the little shed.
Where it looks as if Mr. Rat and Master Mouse have had a fine old time, grrr, she'd left it immaculate but they've chewed at things and knocked things about. But the best thing was that little shed had not been vandalised, the door was still locked shut.
A few hours with a broom, sterilising fluid and some hot water will make everything better and tidy again. But why did they have to chew on a packet of coffee and then spill it everywhere?
Never mind, she dug over some beds and found a few potatoes left over from last autumn, a couple of artichokes, some shallots and some spring onions. All good stuff!
Then it was time for flower hunting.. and this bring us to the title of the post. The tall, dark yellow daffodils behind the shed are spreading happily, such a wonderful sight and on the other side of the asparagus beds lies a cutting bed.
I hope you don't throw away hycacinth bulbs when they've flowered indoors? Cut off the flower stem and plant them outside. The ones planted out five years ago in this little bed are the darkest of dark blue, they are much taller than when when she had them in pots at home but the smell is exactly the same, rich and powerful!
Then across to the cherry trees and to the white multi-headed Narcissi, tall, elegant and scented. Such pretty flowers and finally over to the two apple trees, under which grow the smallest of the Narcissi family but the most highly scented.. Jonquils.
Marina (Orpin), whose death last July 4th she still cannot quite believe, sent her these beautiful bulbs from the Scilly Isles for her big Six 0 birthday five years ago.
She met her in Betty's shop in 1992 and they became together with John, Marina's husband, good friends and colleagues for they did lots and lots of work together. Every year, for over twenty years, they travelled to the huge fair in Lille and over the years, what a lot of brilliant swag they both found there!
She picked them this afternoon and thought of John and Marina, of their lovely home in Stansted Mountfitchet where she and both Dagga Parrot and I had stayed so many times.
She went back in time, recalling such very happy times with Betty, Diana, the four Johns and Marina and thinks this is such a lovely way to remember a friend.. picking Jonquils from The Scilly Isles.
GeeGee Parrot.
March 28th, 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment