Autumnal beginings,
This covid-living has almost grounded me, along with a great many others. We are people for whom catching covid (without full immunisation and even with full immunisation) would be a disaster. So what to do?
Gardening is my go to. There is no pretense at perfection or competence, just a slow allowing of my working with soil and plants to enrich everything about this life right now. And magazines .....With Seeds On The Cover!......are sold in our village shop.
We are on the second growing season with covid as a backdrop and here are today's quick shots. Above are half of the dahlias grown from seed. From Seed! They were almost launched over the garden wall at one point as earwigs shredded the leaves, but the plants have lived to see this moment and what joy they bring.
Below are a couple of bedding plants bought for the flowers but enjoyed for the leaves. They are covering a patch of very unproductive soil and also providing a playspace for wrens and robins.
Lunaria is sustaining me, those early first years growth so helpfully obvious that they can be transplanted to where they need to be! Then the flowers, beautiful as ever, followed by these discs-green , then red , fading to light brown......rub the covers off and we have those Glorious silver discs!
The parental care home closed with unseemly haste, new home could not accept transfers due to covid and the parent ended up in an unhelpful situation. As a direct result of that period of time i went slightly bonkers in the sunflower dept. I can only plead insanity, but if our last parent had died (a distinct possibility) I would have had sunflowers. If they made it to the new home, we would have sunflowers.
It made sense to me .
At the time!
Germination rate was eye wateringly high. But winds took out a lot, not enough stakes. Slugs ( and / or snails) took half of what was left but I now know to keep sunflowers in their pots until the stems are Very Prickly Indeed and only Then plant out. Last week three sunflowers went into the care home and very happy they looked to be there as well in their vase!
Ah
Now
This one did Not have courgettes or squashes or whatever they are called, but it Did march across the grass!
The other plants gave us plenty of courgettes , while I smiled at these leaves....
It has been a kinda odd year, cocooned against the wild west of brexit plus ' how to get our countries through covid'. Not seeing friends n family has been fairly pants, but we are slowly stating to open up more. It will be another interesting Christmas though......
Weekly visits with the parent are great, so slow and so gentle that the privilege is easy to see.
The radio is throwing up all manner of nudges and reminders; people and places, priorities and pleasure, employment and volunteering, possibilities and opportunities once so eagerly grasped, chance fleeting meetings and firm friendships, neighbours and weekly habits. It has been an interesting early autumnal sifting, reminding me that one compost bin will require emptying before too long and another in the springtime; that annual peering into compost bins, remembering and hoping.......and getting spiders in one's hair!
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Your plants look great. Our sunflowers, planted far too late were sent by work part of a mental health week initiative at - work gave out seeds. Sadly they were infected by black fly, lost leaves and are very spindly. They look like Little Weed fron Bill and Ben. Still they flowered.
ReplyDeleteI hope your parent is settled now.
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ReplyDeleteThank you, in truth I choose the individual....the overall aspect of gardening is beyond me. At The Moment! Sunflowers getting infected with blackfly is tragic, sadly that Would have weakened them. There is so much water in these plants, a few that died have just been chopped for the compost and my clothing was positively Splattered!
ReplyDeleteYou should be very proud of them.
DeleteAnd thank you, settled I think, living as they do very much In The Moment. All I need to see really is that smile of recognition and welcome as the careers walk into the room. They are there Every Day. Me? Maybe I am gradually fading into an illusion or a gentle dream? They supply the gorgeous grub!
ReplyDeleteCarers are amazing and so under compensated for the wonderful work they do. My mum is on sheltered accommodation and they get her up each morning and put her to bed each night. My sister visits nearly everyday and me once a week.
ReplyDeletein.. 🙄
ReplyDelete