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"She seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if she had surprised a butterfly in the Winter woods"
(edith wharton)


Monday, 16 July 2007

pottering

it has been bitterly cold here the past week. it feels like the Arctic wind blowing. Last night it got down to minus one. Not much good to be doing anything outside. My seed potatoes arrived last week. I will have to get the ground prepared for them. I am also expecting a delivery of fruit trees sometime in the next week or so.. then the perennials will be here. I order them from The Diggers Club - they sell mostly heritage plants and seeds. I always tend to buy so many seeds then spend weeks getting them all started.
Yesterday, I went to the local markets - I bought some wonderful pottery from my favourite potter, Jenny Kantz - it was a batch of her 'seconds' and for $5 a piece, I couldn't resist buying a few pieces. We wandered about the markets for about an hour, buying a hot coffee, hoping it would warm us up. I also bought a few plants for indoors - having plants inside is good for the air quality - furniture, being made mostly of man-made products these days, produces alot of toxic fumes and indoor plants help to filter our air inside and the faeries love to have them around as well - I just have to keep the faeries happy!

*hellebores or winter rose - these plants were given to me by my friend, Peter. that is what I like about gardeners, they are always willing to share*

when I came home, I pottered in my back garden, pruning roses, picking up the fallen mandarins and gave my Lemon Verbena a good haircut. It is hard to work in the garden when the cold is seeping into your bones. My fingers were frozen. It just was not pleasant at all. All I could think about was the fire that was warming my home inside....This week the irises are starting to poke their heads up out of the leaves, the violets are in flower under my apple tree and my hellebores are flowering prolifically ..

*if you look closely at the photo above, you will see the little finches sitting on the side of the bird bath in the background*
I heard the little finches chirping madly, telling all their friends that there was water in the bird bath. brrr they looked so cold while the madly flew in and out of the water... While I was trimming my feverfew, two little birds hovered around..not scared at all. just sitting there watching me. I love that - it makes me feel that I really am as one with Mother Earth and all her creatures.

I raked all the lucerne mulch back around the gardenias. I came home on Saturday after witches school and the English Blackbird had been having a grand old time, looking for worms and tossing the straw this way and that way, the straw doesn't get tossed into the garden, oh no, it gets tossed all over the pathway...but it is fun to watch the bird having fun.

*~* I hope your day is filled with butterflies, magick, colour & fripperies! ~*~

12 comments:

Bimbimbie said...

I love it when a bird or two decides to join you in the garden, especially if they decided to give you one of their songs, the finches always sound so happy and busy don't they. Envy you being able to grow hellebores, they don't seem to like the QLD humidity in my garden Smiles *!*

Tracy said...

I love your garden pictures. I'm hoping to have a garden of my own next year. :)

gma said...

Robyn...the little birds at the birdbath are so sweet. Your garden has so much character. Would love to sit and enjoy the birdsong and blooms with you when it warms up a bit more.
xo

Everydaythings said...

Robyn, please can you show a photo of the pottery that you bought....love pottery!!

J C said...

Hey Robyn. Just stopping by to say hello. Such an interesting blog you have. I think I told you before but I can see how you have grown. It's a wonderful thing. YOu seem so much more in tune with yourself than you did a year ago. I did some scrolling 'cuz I haven't been here in a couple of days. I LOVE your spirit doll. It's precious and full of mother earth. I didn't read everything, but did you ever put the "fire" in her? Maybe you could burn the end of a stick, and use the ash somewhere on her. Love your garden. Can't imagine the cold. It's so hot here!

Pam Aries said...

Even tho it is colllld..it sounds like you had a great time! I only WISH I were freezing! ha! Send some of that cool air to the Carolina Coast!!! My garden is gone already..too hot. I had to pull down the dead sunflowers..i waited til the birds and squirrels finished off the seeds!

A bird in the hand said...

I so love your garden tales. xoxo

I feel the same way about the sparrows that I see every day here. I want them to sit in the palm of my hand and talk to me!

Tinker said...

Even in the dead of winter your garden looks so alive! Is that lavender still blooming there in the picture? Wonderful! Your garden's beautiful, Robyn. I'm doing all I can just to keep mine at least semi-green in this heat.
Hope you have a lovely day!

Suzie Ridler said...

You certainly sound perfectly in tune with the natural world around you. I can feel winter descending all around you and am amazed that you can be outside in your stunning garden during this cooling time. I love your world Robyn.

Peggy said...

I really enjoyed being in your garden with you. For just a few moments I was actually cold! Have a great week

Anonymous said...

I so love to watch the birds esp the ones throwing stuff around to find bugs and worms. Sorry to hear how cold it is there, meanwhile it is in the high 90's F here. To hot and humid to do much outside. Going to the markets sounds like fun. Love Hugs and Blessings

Naturegirl said...

Robyn you are freezing and we are basking in the sunshine!!

That's what I love about meeting friends globally we can inspire one another...so you come by my warm sunny garden and warm up those hands and feet anytime!!
Oh you poor thing ....tossing you a nice warm pair of garden gloves...hugs NG