Actually I did go to the working bee yesterday as had coriander to plant under the fruit trees (apparently they repel beetles and do better under shade) so I just put on my boots and rain gear. The guys had the power tool to dig the corner fence posts and pour fastcrete an instant concrete mix in and we just cleared the fence of the herbs to shift to the orchard. Hooray!
We harvested cabbages, rhubarb and wormwood, which I cut back hard. My hands also turned green- but that was from their kiddy gardening gloves that had green dye on them. It looked like I was turning into the Wicked Witch of the West.
Then came home, washed my hands and what did I do - more gardening. This time shifting an astelia pup to the corner by removing creeping buttercup and mulching with manuka clippings. Then planted wormwood cuttings by the olive tree. I kind of get that it's not the best drainage, but here's hoping my sand will do it's work in the holes I dug. Another move was a nandina that was dry and dying under a gardenia and eaves of the house, shifted that near the wisteria. Hope it revives. I gave it a big drink.
Today in two minds which church do I go to, St Giles or...Henderson. Well I have a book to return to Henderson but then St Giles is neglected and needs more hydrangeas. The church needs more hydrangeas!! Maybe I can go to one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. I don't know, the help I enlisted last week didn't want to get her nice church clothes all muddy. Whereas Henderson doesn't care about nice church clothes as long as you wear clothes. I think I've even turned up in my tracksuit pants one time. Well, they were clean. All my good clothes were in the wash.
Note to self, need new clothes and garden uniform otherwise will end up wearing fig leaves. I had to return my shorts I was given cos they were too big and were falling down. I am supposed to be getting new petite size shorts as soon as they get them in but it's been about 3 weeks now. Butt cracks are not a good look for gardeners! Thankfully I had tights on underneath but still. I then found my bosses earmuffs in my car. I need to put a label on one them 'Selina's earmuffs' and the other one 'not Selina's earmuffs'. We both had hearing tests last week and my boss got a perfect A and I failed, seems like I won't be able to hear dolphins or Mariah Carey singing anymore, bummer. So he probably doesn't need them despite being 20 years on the job and I being all of 5 months. The hearing assesor asked what I did previously and I mumbled oh..librarian for seven years. Yes a real noisy, ear damaging job. That's why I ought to wear earmuffs all the time now?! We also wear goggles for eye protection (well I do, they go over my glasses) and gaiters to protect our shins. When think about it we wear a whole suit of armour, and we go armed with secateurs and wonder weeders.
I am thankful I do not garden at the Auckland Outdoor Naturist Club in Ranui. Yes it's nice to be outdoors and your skin does need Vitamin D but I think they go a bit too far. Also I wonder what they do about thistles and thorns and prickles do they wear gloves or shoes or anything or is it completely au naturel? There's a lot of stinging nettle around Ranui....
