Seeing the wood from the trees? 

So many things to do! Confusion abounds. Out the corner of your eye you spot another job needing to be done…..and your psyche itches to attend to it’s cooing. So? A plan is essential. Today? Out will come a simple, much loved choice of singular fountain pen, and these words here will also be written down with beautiful wet ink. Focussing will be achieved. Tree individuality addressed. The Wood acknowledged.

A need to sit and Journal write. Then measure the garden’s spaces and draw a plan. Expand on each plan with aims and directives in the beautifully tactile ‘Memento/Manuscript File’ system. A need to watercolour paint small garden scenes to capture whimsical garden essence. A bit like the plans/recordings Alan Titchmarsh does. Yes. But actually not essential today. Stay focussed and avoid those side tracking lovelies. Coffee and biscuits can be allowed into the equations however.

Last year after retiring in July I enjoyed the outdoors tremendously. This year too. Done a lot over the near complete year since giving up my Nurse role now. Gardening has been great fun. And after the heavy hospital ward work…..I suppose there is simply a new found spirituality. Gardening/DIY versus Nursing? Gardening and DIY are very much hard work too. Albeit of gentler psychological nature. Especially when every single waking moment can now be ‘allowed choice’.

Still to do? A lot actually. Borne from a disaster of a rundown/neglected house and garden. Now there is light at the end of, what was, a long tunnel. 

Raised bed to assemble when the housing area is prepared (a day or two)

Vegetables to grow. Herbs and salads too

Maybe a bit of rotovating

Tidy up the lawn by getting grass seed choice sorted

Get the wildflower/meadow area prepared and seeds scattered

Estate fencing to put up between us and wall drop

Some little fences and gates to build

Dead Hedge (now built) but maintained to allow the bugs and birds to thrive

Bee/Bug Hotel/Hostel to build

Choose more ever expanding new plant life

Tables and chairs to chalk paint

Pig Sty area to clean and renovate (No pigs or chickens though!)

Small arbours, platforms and hideaways to plan and build

Fruit trees to heavily prune

Walls to finish re-pointing 

Slate slabs to choose spots for and resettle

Upright Small Slate ‘Circle of Five or Seven’ to build as per pagan influence

Steps up to the garden (last Three) to complete

Front garden space above the left sided wall to clear and put pots on

Front of house railings to paint

House gables and guttering/drain pipes to paint

Wall to scrape off dried/dead ivy roots, then re-paint

This is not an exhaustive list. More still to be added here. Inside the house re-decorating from September/October. 

Almost a year since retiring leads into another future year of agenda again. 

A foot off the peddle’ gentler year from July 2022 to July 2023. 

Maybe!

Then again……..Maybe not.

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