I do like a good Sunday. It is the day of the week when I try and slow down and wander through my day. Waverely Fitzgerald taught me the importance of having a day a week when we allow things to unfold. I was always so very bad at this and I think my health paid the price for that. Sunday is my unfolding day where I resist having any expectations. I have found that these days are often more productive than normal days. I think there is a lesson in there somewhere but I am not absolutely sure what it is.
My only goal for today was to get underway writing my flower course for next weekend. Typcially for a Sunday I finished it as well and am in the process of printing it out. I found that it came so easy that I have quite decided that I know what I am talking about when it comes to flowers. Working with flowers is my favourite activity and I love teaching in the flower schools. It is always such a gentle way to pass an afternoon. It is important for people to take away detailed notes as we tend to cover a lot of ground in these sessions. So the notes are all written and printed and ready to drop in their goodie bags. I like goodie bags and I am always a bit disappointed if I don't get one on courses I attend. It must be a throw back to all the children's parties I have done over the years.
I have planned what is going in the goodie bag but not the look of it yet. I need another day to mull that over. The goodie bag is the last thing before the course ends and it is so important to get that right. I will keep you posted!
I pottered about in the tunnel this morning taking cuttings for some new plants. As part of my gift of kindenss challenge I want to give some new plants to some islanders. I have a growing list in mind of people who love their gardens and I think this will probably mark the end of my challenge. I have so enjoyed making sure I do an act of kindness every day instead of allowing it to escape my cluttered mind.
My mind is very cluttered but I have found that scraping paint off the outside of the house helps to sort things into priorities. Today in my half and hour scrape I planned the space immediately beyond the tunnel. We have some raised beds there in which we used to grow vegetables. We have since moved the veggie garden next to the house because we don't want to tramp too far to harvest. I would like the raised beds to be my new cutting garden for this season. That is the good news but the bad news is I need more than is currently there. A gentle word with Pete and the boys is required. I frequently feel sorry for members of my immediate family because I just keep coming up with plans that involve them. I would not want to be married to me.
I sowed verbena seeds today which make the most wonderful cut flower as they have a 'forever' vase life. My first lot of container grown rocket is also in and left in the tunnel. A sort of sink of swim mentality there as it is very early in the year. I sowed something else but I can't remember what that was - sorry.
I had a very serious conversation with some baby slugs that I found under an old pot. Every year we build a bug hotel so the little ones can have their own space. I can not kill anything. With a daughter studying animal conservation I would be riddled with guilt and I always feel like she is watching. My biggest enemy in life is the humble slug. It is not so humble when it happily chomps through my entire bean crop as it did last year. Pete was charged with the task of going out with a torch about 11pm to pick them off and march them off the property. I told you I would not be married to me. Despite his best efforts the humble slug won the battle and the war of the vegetable garden in 2012.
Regular readers will know that I have since studied slugs and never once have I seen one jump. So, the plan is to raise as many of my crops off the ground. I extended my slug busting strategy today by collecting as many babies as I could find and putting them altogether on my work surface. With my very best teacher voice on I asked that they might reconsider their habits this year. I pointed out my excellent compost heap that they are most welcome to and told them of my plans for their new hotel. I then transported them to the far field and left them in a damp area under a big leaf. If I see them sliding their way back towards my tunnel I will be less than impressed. And if just one of them learns to jump I am giving up growing vegetables forever.
Have a lovely evening and speak tomorrow. xx
Picture is of some spring flowers I did for a lovely wedding a couple of years ago.
I meant to say (!) I checked my willow cuttings today and not only have they rooted I have buds! Excellent.
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