The garden seems quiet without Martha. The gate is now open though I still feel it should be closed to protect Mummy Cat. Dad had mowed the lawn to an inch of its life and it now looks like a brown threadbare carpet. I'm waiting for the compost to build up otherwise it will be hard to build any depth of soil on our hardpan, bulldozed flat section of clay.
The grapes are ripening on the vine. I've made some hay (of what little I can) from the long grass that grew by the fence while the sun shines. I've been watering the pots, thanks to Louise's donations, several pot plants now have permanent planters hiding the plastic. Basil and some parsley are now growing thanks to Jacqui's surplus.
Hooray, Aunty Jenny found us a letterbox, one big enough to hold milk bottles should we ever need them delivered again. Just needs a bit of paint and numbers affixed to the front, and a new hinge.
Now I've been let go of my bookshop job, and as my former boss had given me flowers upon my leaving. I was thinking of applying for the flower shop up the road. Or selling bulbs or something. Though February is the 'armpit' of months, lots of things happen like Chinese New Year (it's tigers, Mummy Cat), Waitangi Day (shall we dig up the lawn for a hangi?) and Valentines' Day (most over rated gift day) that everyone seems to make a big fuss over but actually nothing much seems to happen. I think people put more energy into Christmas while they still have the cash.
In the garden it's day after day of sun, ripening the fruits and being too hot to do any work. Which is fine by me, napping being a lost art form, but it doesn't make for interesting blog posts. I returned to school to find my spider plants turning pale and gave them emergency drip feeding. Hoya had survived on a diet of practically nothing though. I'm thinking of repotting the hanging baskets with zygocactus, if I can get a good size one.
I'd promised to visit Fab Garden Mama to get some pots, but since I was given some already (and found two sturdy indoor ones from Briscoes) that I hadn't had the energy to go further afield shopping. Having to wear a mask out hasn't helped matters, as now the omicron variant virus has somehow got in threatening our best laid plans, including school, garden club meetings, radio shows, and holidays away.
We'll see what this year brings..it's all now in the paws of the remaining Tiger Mummy Cat.
