If you leave it, they will come...

Had a bit of a surprise on my return from work today. The local garden services had been around this morning to mow down things growing outside my fence (as per the arrangement) - but by this evening they'd done inside too!

I have to admit the garden's fallen by the wayside lately. The lawn was so long we were starting to lose dogs... but I've always admired the somewhat wild vegetation look, so it wasn't bothering me that much. The arum lilies are blooming in quantity, as are my purple and white irises. There are even a few spring bulbs I forgot about coming up in a corner of the yard. Plenty to look at if you ignore the lawn.

Now I do love my garden. I couldn't survive living in a flat without ground-access, or a patch of soil in which I can bury the hands (and the compost - makes for interesting random growth of surprising plants - tomatoes in the ferns, melons under the roses) every now and then. Weeding is therapeautic, and nothing tastes better than organic tomatoes that were still growing seconds ago. The stuff in the shops is simply watery, grainy and bland after plucking the REAL thing from the earth and munching it. I enjoy grabbing herbs for my cooking, watching the roses bloom and peering at the field mice that live in the sprawling daisy bush.

But, Spring notwithstanding, it hasn't been gardening weather. Or perhaps I should rephrase that - on the days when it HAS been gardening weather, I've been tinkering with things mechanical. Matter of fact, tonight it's back to a freezing cold south-easter wind that is seeping in the windows and chilling my fingers. I hauled out the boots to wear to work and even stuck on the heating aircon all day (which plagued my eco-concience no end, but it's either that or turn blue-lipped).

So things are a bit overgrown at the moment. But leave it long enough and our orderly garden lady will swing by (hopefully without putting through a charge to my name). Pity my neighbour spent hours doing her lawn on Friday... :)

One of these days it will be summer again. I'll be out in the garden from the minute work ends until the sun is long gone. I'll wake up just after 5 and walk the dogs on the mountain when it's too hot to sleep in. I'll eat breakfast in the new sun under the white mulberry tree. I'll pick up extra freckles and a blush on my nose on a weekend. I'll spend my days in a cozzie and shorts and slops (flip-flops).

For now though, at least the lawn is cut. It's a start. And we do only have 2 dogs after all! :)