Slow to go

I've never really been a patient person, but I've had to learn to be. Especially living out here, on our five acres within a limited budget. Things don't always move as quickly as you may like. Even when you have the money and the resources, the weather inevitably gets in the way.

Like this year, I was looking forward to the growing season, but then it didn't rain for months. Then it got so hot, we couldn't go outside. Many seedlings I planted in Spring, died. But I'm not complaining - actually, I think I'm adapting. I used to get really irritated and stressed about it, but now it's something you merely have to accept.

Winter, June 2012

Take our drystone retaining wall, for example. This was a picture taken back in June last year (2012) of the progress we had made. The time it took to complete the lower retaining wall, and the beginnings of this upper one, was approximately six months. Even though I'm now pregnant, Dave and I, still plod along with the wall.

David hauls the dirt and rocks from the trailer, and I build the wall. It's a team effort. Sometimes he has to help move the larger rocks into place, and sometimes I rake the dirt down the slope. It depends what time we have available - and that's how the wall gets built! Very, s..l..o..w..l..y

Summer, February 2013

But we have made progress in the twelve (or so) months since we first embarked on this patchwork wall of rubble. I took the above picture today. It's coming along nicely. The pumpkin vines which sprung-up from the compost, have managed to take over a portion of the wall in the meantime. We're constantly cutting it back, so it doesn't clog the walkway underneath!

There's a distinct difference between the winter and summer gardens though. In winter, the grass traditionally browns off, but after the first solid rains arrive in summer, the garden runs amok!

Click on all images to enlarge

Even the weeds are over-taking our efforts with the wall. This is where we are up to at the moment, and the weeds are hugging the stones as if to say they're moving in! Ah, nature, you love to taunt with your seasonal persistence. But then I'm not such a novice or as foolish any more, to believe I can take you on! I'll just plod along and let you do your "moves like Jagger" across our whole backyard.

I like this time of year when the heat starts to dissipate and the garden ticks along. It seems to be a smaller and smaller window of nature's beauty, every year. But then, that's why we garden the way we do. We plod along, we observe and interact, then get to see nature unveil in whatever manner it desires suitable.

If you're running amok, trying to get ahead of the garden, you miss the pause when nature does. While it may not always be desirable for us to go slow, I can't see, working against nature is all that smart either. To garden is to be in tune with nature, whatever is on the seasonal menu this year and the next...