10th
December 2005:
The
builders have GONE. The roofers have GONE. The gardener
has been around with his mate and has macheted the grass
into submission. I have peace and quiet at Nonsuch and
am revelling in it. Painting of the outside of the house
to start in February. Gods knows when the landscaping
will start.
Harvested
my crop of carrots last night and peeled and blanched
and froze them - they taste incredibly sweet!
Will
add photos of the verandah soon - I love sitting there
in the evenings and watching the clouds scud over the
mountains. I don't think I have turned on the television
in a week or more.
12th
December 2005:
Was
walking about a section of the newly mown lawn yesterday
and found what looked like astilbe struggling up through
the lawn. Who ever heard of astilbe in a lawn? I have
this idea that there was once a bed there, but the previous
owners put in lawn 20 years ago, and ever since then
the astilbe has been struggling along, trying to get
a breath of air and being mown down every 2 weeks. I
have potted some of it up ... and will get more out
later (trying to avoid lifting lawn with it). I hope
it is astilbe. I love astilbe.
Plans
and contracts now going out for tender for the landscaping,
I can't believe how long this has taken.
18th
December 2005:
I
am thoroughly enjoying just being able to potter in
the garden - cleaning up mostly, some pruning of a massively
dense rose shrubbery along the eastern border, potting
up exotic hydrangeas for the verandah, saving more astilbe.
The
house will also be painted in February, and some gorgeous
cast iron lamps will be going up to light the verandah
in January. It has been a nightmarish struggle to get
this far, but worth it.
Must
away to potter!
22
December 2005:
Have
just ordered the first of my spring bulbs for next year.
Today's order was a relatively small 6,000+ bulbs -
eventually I would think to order in some 50-60,000
spring, summer and autumn bulbs. Ordered today were
600 hyacinths, 240 pink daffodils, 4000 freesias, 500
crocuses and 1000 ixias.
I've
created a page of my
orders - will add to it as I order more.
