Playing in the Dirt

64mm of rain has softened the ground a little, so yesterday, in very light rain, I exhausted myself digging a new flowerbed where some overgrown shrubs used to be. I've reduced the 'lawn' area a little more - although the November heatwave pretty much killed off any alleged green stuff that once masqueraded as 'lawn'.

Before - about a year ago. What is that green stuff on the ground?

After - yesterday's marathon effort - a new garden bed!

A long soak in L'Occitane's Delicious Almond foaming bath was supposed to forestall any aches and pains after wielding mattock and shovel for three hours, but I was all bent up like a paper clip when I woke up this morning. Aaaargh! Still, the best thing for sore muscles is to stretch and work them, so today, with a half-formed idea in my head, I decided to avoid the post-Christmas sales and go to the garden shop at my local Bunnings.

I found the standard rose I was looking for – a gorgeous, delicate pale cream flower (and there don't seem to be any thorns, which is a bonus! I don't like plants that bite!) and half a dozen small lavender plants. That will sort the far end of the new garden bed.

Not having a car to call my own, all my garden shopping is done on the bike, using a Ventura bag and a selection of Ocky-straps. You'd be surprised what you can carry home on a motorcycle. The SV seemed to be sprouting a rose bush....

A Bunnings man was wandering the car park while I was loading things up, and he cracked up.

'Now there's something I've never seen...'

'If it survives the ride home,' say I, 'it will survive anything. Besides, with this precious cargo I'll be going pretty slowly.'

He chuckled, and wandered off shaking his head and muttering. 'That's made my day, that has.'

It was a slow ride home, and I got some very peculiar looks - but we made it, with only two snapped stems and the loss of two buds. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

A couple of back-breaking, neck-burning hours later, the rose and its little surrounding circle of lavender are safely installed in their new home - manured, mulched and watered. So now we just wait and see...

It's official - after playing in the dirt today, sans hat, I'm a real redneck - ouch! Note to self: you can still get sunburned on the cloudiest day.