Saturday 20 April 2013

Gardening aches and pains.

Do they get easier as the season wears on, or am I going to have to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous garden fatigue throughout the summer?

An hour spent yesterday in replenishing the pots outside the back door means that today you walk into the utility room through bright, crystal clear violas in full bloom and a basket of golden pansies on the wall.   Today after my walk, I planted more violas in a stone trough and clipped my box bird, then tidied about a yard of footpath and straightened out a few more pots - three quarters of an hour at most.   The result is I feel as though I have gone ten rounds with that lovely lady boxer who won us a gold at the Olympics.

There will be no gardening tomorrow because in the morning I am attempting a completely new recipe for lunch, which will take up all my time.  In the afternoon a group of us are going out to afternoon tea in a local village hall - they run these teas every month in the Summer and they are lovely occcasions.  So hopefully by Monday I shall be fighting fit again.

I have just spent two hours doing my first supermarket grocery shop on line.   I had to keep telling myself that it was still taking me less time than if I had gone to the store, but really it was very laborious - not least because I still think in pounds and ounces and the shopping basket really wanted kilograms.   As farming is coming up to its busy time and I cannot drive at the moment, it should save the farmer some valuable time in ferrying me around.

It is a lovely warm day here in the Dales and the grass is almost growing as you look at it.   It is now billiard-table green after looking so very pale and shrivelled for months. The hawthorn hedges are just beginning to break into leaf and the fields are full of baby rabbits.   A pair of black-caps were at our bird table this morning and my son and his wife saw an osprey looking for nest material in Wales last week.   However slow it is in coming, then Spring always arrives sooner or later and when it does, there is an uplifting of the hearts all round. I hope it is a lovely day wherever you live.  

15 comments:

MorningAJ said...

If you're lucky, the supermarket shop will have remembered some of the things you ordered - so you can just repeat your regular buys. It shouldn't take so long next time.

Go easy on the gardening. Don't overdo it!

Heather said...

I have to remember not to get carried away with enthusiasm when gardening, and leave enough energy for the rest of the day! It has to be broken down into manageable chunks now, rather than trying to tackle the whole front garden in one go.
We have blackcaps visiting our feeders and robins nesting in one of our boxes - such a treat.
Enjoy your afternoon tea tomorrow.

angryparsnip said...

I too love to garden but I can only do small amounts at a time. I always want to do more though.
So happy to hear tat spring has finally come.

cheers, parsnip

Hildred said...

I must speak to the Manager about online shopping at the super store - you are away ahead of us in our small village, Pat.
About the gardening aches and pains, I'm afraid they are the pence we pay for our pleasure in the garden, as we get older. Take breaks, - ten minutes work, ten minutes rest and enjoyment - helps the aches and pains and also brings peace to the mind.

dixie heath said...

Always over do it when I garden or mow the grass. Have mowed the grass twice already here in Ohio USA. The dogwood, redbud and tulip trees as well as some ornamental trees are blooming and the trees are leafing out and are different shades of green and they are so pretty. Saw this morning that my lilac bush has blooms on it and they do smell so good. Have some birds who are making nests and one tree swallow who tired to make a nest on top of the wreath on my door. I had to take it down as we enter there all the time. Love this time of year but am looking forward to summer also.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Seems those aches and pains are our "reward" for early gardening - I suffer mostly with soreness in the backs of my legs - guess I don't use them enough in the winter. Enjoy your spring!!!

Penny said...

am very frustrated at the moment as I need a new knee,so any gardening is dificult. I hope to be back in the garden in our spring.
Your pots sound lovely and cheerful.
We are stil very brown, no real rain since October but this morning it is drizzling and we hope for a break in the season, have had to buy in more feed than expected for the dairy herd in fact we have had to sell off a 100 milkers, from the herd of 400 to feed the rest.
This is a pretty unforgiving country at times.

jerilanders said...

It was indeed a lovely day here, so much so, that my legs will be aching all night from all the digging and planting I did. But you are so correct to say, that in the morning when the light shines on those petals, we will smile and pat ourselves on the back forgetting all about our poor old bones.

Gwil W said...

Now I know spring is really here. I just spotted the ants marching through the kitchen.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for calling round. It does me good to realise that we all get aches and pains and that short sharp bursts of work interspersed with rests is the answer - shall try it this morning. Rain is forecast, so must get out for an hour now.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Dixie - thanks for your comments - I have been to your site in an effort to get back to you but I just can't see how to contact you., But I do appreciate your visits.

Robin Mac said...

I need another new knee this year (left one this time) so I need to be careful in the garden. Hopefully by Christmas I will be fighting fit.
I haven't bought online, but a friend has, she finds it very successful after the initial hiccups - thinking she was ordering 1 kilo of potatoes and receiving one potato, then wanting one of something else and getting 20! I have had a lovely time catching up on all you past blogs, all so interesting. Cheers

Dave King said...

I think our first shop on line took about 2 hours. It should not take as long in future, though. Getting the quantities right might take a tad longer!! Best wishes for your future shoapping.

The Weaver of Grass said...

It is a relief to know that others have had teething problems with ordering food on line. Thanks for the encouragement - I will let you know how Tuesday's delivery turns out.

Golden West said...

I try to pace myself in the garden, too - it's so easy to over-do it! We have some western bluebirds now who spend their day admiring their reflections in the glass, first on the patio and then out front. Our hummingbirds moved along some months ago and have yet to return - things down south must be more to their liking!