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What does Aaron have in common with a bee? You might be forgiven for imagining that it is that they both have very high work rates. That would be a good answer, but incorrect.
Watching our friend, unlit ciggy between lips, firing one-handed from the hip with his petrol-operated chain saw as he tackles the reshaping of our cypress tree, may provide a clue,
especially when you see the height of his tripodal ladder.
Aaron always clears up along the way. Today he dragged branches to the Back Drive where he cut up a few logs for his client, Susan, leaving the rest for the ‘burn site’ of the dump.
This branch demonstrates his clean cuts,
while this view from the patio displays the finished shape.
The persicaria red dragon baring its bloody fangs in the Dragon Bed,
and the crocosmia solfaterre are among the plants that will now receive more light and air.
In the Rose Garden, an intrepid fly scales the walls of Winchester Cathedral,
and geraniums in the stone urn beside the potting shed enjoy a glimpse of Summer Wine.
Japanese anemones appear to grow a foot each day.
The bee skirting a hopeful spider’s web, in order to work on a verbena bonarensis, provides the answer to my opening conundrum. Each in his own way is successfully dicing with death.
Later this afternoon we pulled up some brambles. As I walked along the Back Drive to deposit them in a bag for the dump, I almost stepped on twin juvenile collared doves sunning themselves on the gravel. Naturally I hurried indoors for my camera. When I returned they seemed to have disappeared. They were, however, simply playing hide and seek, foraging among the pebbles.
Not yet old enough for timidity, almost in tandem, they carried on about their business and left me to mine.
Here is a sweet pea for Bruce.
This evening we dined on Mr Chan’s Hordle Chinese Take Away fare. Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the cabernet sauvignon.