Friday 1 March 2019

The First of March.

Had it not been such a glorious, and unseasonable, February we would have said that today had a touch of Spring in the air;  as it is we mourn the passing of the false Spring and say it is chilly today.   But reading some of your posts today and considering how I feel although I am no longer able to garden, and rely on my gardener calling, we are all slipping into garden mode.  Every shelf on the garden stall on the market this morning was full of colour - violas in hanging baskets, tiny pots of tete a tete narcissus, grape hyacinths, single primroses, cowslips, pansies, polyanthus - what a temptation.

 I gave my outside tubs a good dead-head and a good feed yesterday and already, this morning, they have perked up and look ready, and willing, to face the Spring.

The usual lunch out - fish pie with a glass of white wine -has left me feeling comfortably full.   And returning to a warm welcome from Tess, who had herself just returned from her PetPals walk, makes the house seem less empty.   Not sure what I shall do when she is no longer with me - after all she is eleven years old and the lump on her side is still there, although it does not seem to be bothering her in any way.

From today the weather seems to be going rather on a downward slope but I know that many places are in need of rain.   Just send the rain without the March winds please and then I shall be happy.

9 comments:

the veg artist said...

If you are dead-heading and feeding your tubs of flowers, that's still gardening, Weave. I can't saw logs anymore, but I can still do what I regard as "age-appropriate"!!

Elizabeth said...

You sound suitably ready for spring! I returned on Tuesday from a trip to gloriously warm England....and now New York has snow - and more to come!
Actually England was almost TOO warm though I did enjoy eating lunch outside at Wakehurst in Sussex - a branch of Kew Gardens where I saw the Millennium seed collection.Very interesting.
Also I have a book recommendation
The Brother Gardeners by Andrea Wulf -all about the trade in plants between the American colonies and England in the 18th century...and Linneaus and Captain Cook. Very well written and readable.
It turns out that Lord Peter of Thorndon Hall( where I grew up in a gamekeeper's cottage) was one of the first English aristocrats to buy lots of colorful trees from North America.
Hope all is going well and so glad Tess is still with you!

Sue said...

I think we are going to get some wild weather this weekend.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

England's most famous gardener, Capability Brown, didn't often bend his back or get soil under his nails either. He wandered about with his notebooks and gave orders to his workmen instead. If I were you I'd take a leaf out of his book.

Joanne Noragon said...

If Tess must leave you in a few years, think about a cat. An old cat from your animal protective services.You could make it very happy. They even enjoy hearing poetry read and ukuleles played!

Heather said...

Be prepared dear Weaver - last year in mid-March it was snowing as I walked down the High Street here to meet my family for a birthday lunch. I often think that we don't have a climate in the UK, we just have weather!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Joanne I have thought about a cat but the trouble is that I live on quite a busy road and it would be so awful if it got run over. I love catsand they are great company.

Elizabeth - Thank you for the recommendation. I wish we could have met for a coffee whils you were in the UK - sadly we were at opposite ends of the country.

Fifitr said...

Why not just get another dog? There are so very many sad and bewildered older dogs out there looking for new homes who need very little exercise and would just be content to be with you. I am a late convert to the joy of dogs (or rather my lifestyle didn't allow me to have a dog until my mid forties) but I cannot imagine a future without one or two by my side. Unfortunately old dogs are often hard to adopt out, even with specialist groups like the Oldies Club working on it, so there is never a shortage of dogs of all sizes and breeds looking for a new home when the time comes... just hopefully not too soon.

liparifam said...

A small dog like Tess could live to 15+ - and the lump may be nothing but a harmless lipoma :) My two small ones are both 12, and I'm hoping for many more years... But as others said, adopting another senior dog would be wonderful. Here in the US we have a program called Seniors for Seniors!