Saturday, October 23, 2010

Autumnal

It was a hard week at work. Mind you, they're all feeling like hard weeks at work these days. I'm getting mard. Plans for an early night and a bit of kip were dashed by the party a few doors down. They'd put the dogs in the garden out of the way, so we had a whole evening's yapping from the dogs, understandably miffed that they were missing out on a good thing. The party spilled out into the garden just after 2am and the fight started in earnest just before four. How delightful.


Went round to my parents' for lunch. My dad's first try at shin beef and dumplings. The lad did good. My niece called round and, with all the impatience you'd expect of a five year-old, decided she was going to wear her Halloween ball outfit because it made her look like a princess. I suggested Princess Dracula. She gave me A Look.

"Do you know what your son just said to me?" she asked my dad. I know I'm in deep shit when I'm "your son" or "your brother."

And I'm not to call her Frankenstein's granny either.

Despite it being a fairly sombre sort of day I didn't much fancy getting out in the garden but the work needs doing. I spent a hour in the rain cutting back the clematides that festoon the old lilac tree, more for the sake of saying I've done something useful this weekend than very much else.

The phlox and pelargoniums are still game, despite the weather, and the back garden is awash with crocus and Sweet Williams. Much to my delight, I find that the cyclamen have seeded themselves into interesting new places under the currant bush at the bottom of the garden.

It's not so bad.


6 comments:

Madame DeFarge said...

Didn't they invite you to the party? How rude. I could fancy a dumpling these evening, but will make do with cheese on toast.

Anonymous said...

You said magic words...lilac and sweet william. Some things just aint possible in the tropics!Thankyou.

nursemyra said...

I wish I had a bigger garden in which to grow a lilac tree

Kevin Musgrove said...

Madame DeF: does the gentleman of the house know you call him a dumpling?

moreidelthoughts: And thank you back. I'm told I should add strawberries to that list.

nursemyra: on the plus side, you're not having to prune the thing and drag all its old leaves out of the drain.

Pat said...

Mard. I often wonder about the words we used. Did it have anything to do with 'marred'
I always thought there was a word 'BEGUD' used as a universal greeting
but now suppose it was just a Lanashire way of saying 'Be good.'
Time for some photos of your garden

Kevin Musgrove said...

Pat: the OED calls it "Eng. regional (chiefly north.)," which I suppose is right. And they agree with you on the etymology.

I'll remind you where the photos are. ;-)