May....ing

Another chilly damp morning, rather typical of this year’s disappointing May.  Here’s what I have been up to.

Puppy rearing.......which is hard work.  We have an arrangement.  If Alfie wakes in the night, and he usually does, Paul gets up to take him for a wee and settle him. Then I let Paul sleep when we are woken again around 6am and do my shift.  Just like having a baby to care for. He’s growing fast and into everything. 

Adding ‘organic matter’  to my newly dug borders. As my own compost is still full of bits of half rotted veg and intact avocado skins, I purchased a bulk bag from a local supplier and was surprised at how expensive it was. My father would be horrified at how much I spent on what resembled the contents of the dung hill (pronounced duch- ill)  on our farm in Ballyronan.  There are lumps which are distinctly horse poo shaped.

Enjoying the relaxation of the rules.  I’m not that bothered about shops but it so good not to have to shiver outside any longer when meeting friends for coffee.  And I’m very happy that Storyhouse, our local library/cinema/theatre is open again.  I’ve booked to see this play next weekend.  Not that sure what it is about but it has had good reviews. 

Reading Ishiguro books.  I read ‘Remains of the Day’ a few years ago along with Kate who studied it for A level and wasn’t terribly keen on it. I wasn’t either but thought it was well written.  There’s been a lot of hype about his latest book ‘Klara and the Sun’ so I got it from the library and also borrowed ‘Never Let Me Go’, which friends had recommended.  Both of these are kind of visions of the future - the narrator is an AF (Artificial Friend) in ‘Klara’ and a cloned ‘donor’ in ‘ Never Let Me Go’.  He doesn’t really write full Sci-fi though as the worlds he creates are not that different from our own. He focuses on exploring the emotions of the characters, especially the narrators.  I read an interview with Ishiguro in which he said that he feels he writes the same book over and over again. Initially there seems little to connect ‘Remains of the Day’, the story of a butler in England in the 1930s, with ‘Klara’ or  ‘Never Let Me Go’. But thinking again he has a kind of formula.  First person naive narrator, lonely and isolated and disappointed in love/friendship, victim of uncaring society/ corrupt regime, prepared to sacrifice his/herself for others,  I enjoyed ‘Klara and the Sun’ the most, finding Kathy the narrator in ‘Never Let Me Go’ a bit irritating with all of her dull digressions.  Klara, with her good girl, uncomplaining,  people-pleaser behaviour and her naive faith in the healing power of the sun, is a more appealing character to me.  A bit like me actually,  I suppose. The characters in all three novels seem to accept their fate rather than fight for what they want and this makes the books ultimately rather disappointing.  

Celebrating from afar, my youngest sister’s 50th birthday.  Displaying her indifference to advancing years, she completed an ultra-marathon last weekend. That’s 35 miles.  Pretty impressive. She was born on my mother’s 40th birthday so, if she were alive today, this would be her 90th birthday. I’m sure she would be very proud of her youngest daughter if she could see her now, meet her three children and hear about her marathon and her career success. 

Chilling Out

 In charge of puppy this morning while Paul is out on his bike.  After a rather manic phase where he was running around the kitchen chewing things he shouldn’t and biting Paul’s legs before he left, he has fallen asleep on me. . So I’m trapped here. Oh well - nothing I need to do that can’t wait. 

Gardening Genes

I’m finding as I relax into retirement now that the thing I’m doing most is gardening.  Whereas some of the other things I signed up for such as, for example, the course ‘The Novel and the City’, feel like a chore, heading out to the garden to do even mundane things like weeding and watering are enjoyable.  It’s being outside, the smell of the earth and watching things grow, how the seasons transform a dull patch of soil into a riot of colour when the tulips emerge. 

I reckon it’s in my genes: both my father and my grandfather were keen gardeners.  My father specialised in tomatoes grown in a makeshift greenhouse attached to the byre; my grandfather was an expert in soft fruit - strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants - which we helped to pick as children, eating as many strawberries as we could before they were made into jam.  I succeeded with raspberries last year. Strawberries are trickier - I think they need better soil and more space than I’ve got. And this year I’m trying some new heritage varieties of cherry tomato.  The Sungold ones I grew last year were delicious.  I haven’t got a greenhouse so I’ll try some outside and some in my summerhouse. And hope for a sunny summer.

A couple of weeks ago I went on a garden design course at Lane End Cottage Gardens.  I was hoping for  a bit of advice on what to plant in the bed under the holly trees.  What I have ended up with is a much more ambitious plan.  Richard, who was the course tutor, is very enthusiastic and last Sunday he arrived with his spade and proceeded to dig out shrubs and tree roots and to remove ugly slabs of concrete from an overgrown bed in the centre of the garden.  He advised me to plant apple trees there. And to put a fan trained Morello Cherry on the north facing brick wall by the back door with a redcurrant on either side.  I’m hoping for plenty of summer puddings.  

On Friday I hired some help to cut up the tree roots and do the heavier digging.  Then I’m doing the planting myself.  I have bought from Richard’s small nursery, a Star Magnolia which I’m planning to add to the newly extended flowerbed facing the kitchen. There are other shrubs to plant to provide all year interest.  So I’m going to be busy. 

Before

After 

After from the other side showing the ‘terracing’.