Monday, October 30, 2006

White dog blog (and other things)

Never let it be said that I'm not even-handed. This dog is entitled to as many bytes as the other one, although I'm quite certain that dogs don't do either 'fair' or 'share'. Anyway, here he is looking about as handsome as a bull terrier can look. They're the sort of dog you think are either supremely gorgeous or incredibly pug ugly. You can probably guess where I stand.

We've been enjoying some mellow autumn days, the trees are changing colour around us and leaves beginning to fall. This is the view from my window (and another looking down the dingle at the light on the trees beyond). I wish I could truly capture the richness and intensity of the light. This is short-sleeve weather - it's made the garden's autumn tidy-up a much more pleasant task.










I'm feeling very virtuous having emptied, swept and washed the greenhouse prior to moving the tender plants indoors for the winter. Plenty of jobs still to do, weather permitting. I think a cold front is threatened later this week - and we've all forgotten what 'cold' is like.....

Alan has today planted 1,000 bulbs of our native daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus. This beautiful little flower, hardly more than 20cms tall, is far less blowsy than its cultivated, over-bred and now more common relative which dominates gardens and roadsides the length and breadth of the land. What it lacks in stature it makes up for with simple charm. It is the daffodil immortalised by Wordsworth, and the Lent Lily in 'Tis spring; come out to ramble' from AE Houseman's 'A Shropshire Lad'. I'm resisting the temptation to include the latter poem - will wait 'til spring. A treat in store, for me at least.

His task was not an easy one. Planting anything on our land, owing to the stoney nature of the soil, generally demands a pickaxe, and today's bulb planting was no exception. They don't tell you that in the gardening books do they? Anyway, come spring, when those little pale yellow heads are nodding in an April breeze it will all have been worthwhile.

2 comments:

Onion said...

How can ANYONE think we bullies are ugly?! OK, OK, lots of people think I'm ugly too!
Onion
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mountainear said...

We're all very honoured to have been contacted by such a scrumptious celebrity.xx