In yesterday’s fading evening light Jackie photographed
her helianthuses Lemon Queen, complete with bee, against the phormium and mahonia reaching for the gentle sky.
Today’s skies resembled damp fleece and the air was fairly breezy. She spent the morning attempting to get on with her planting. She managed two in as many hours, including a
delicate blue and white petrovskia and an ailing
similarly hued campanula.
You might have a couple of questions about this. Why still planting new additions? And why ailing specimens? That is because this is the season that the garden centres are virtually giving away stocks and Jackie operates an excellent floral hospital service. Not only that, but the need for soil replenishment in preparation for the winter means that multiple trips to buy compost are required and it is not possible to pass up special offers whilst she is at it.
A further question might be why at the rate of just one per hour? This is where her little friend comes in.
He has various hampering techniques.
Whenever she digs a hole he plants himself on it;
whenever she tackles a root he offers assistance;
he dives between her legs;
and is continually under her feet.
Now, “Where’s Nugget?” (20).
Apart from a short break for her own lunch, Jackie spent the entire day in the company of her little robin.
This evening, while Nugget tucked into mashed peanuts outside the back door, the real humans dined on Jackie’s flavoursome liver and bacon casserole with champ and cabbage, with which she drank Blue Moon and I drank more of the Shiraz.