A long Weekend

 Well, after weeks of rain, unlike Canberra has seen for decades, the sun came out to celebrate the Canberra Day Long Weekend. It was glorious. Nothing like a sunny long weekend for getting you into a gardening mood.

Look what I have now! A pond at the front of the house

When I woke up this morning, I didn't have much planned but I was hoping to install the letter box. This is the second one. The first one died before it could get installed. It fell over, smashed its posh glass front and bent its lid. I was over posh and chose completely practical this time.

I drove to fetch the spade and the pick - and Kate too - from the old house. I put the newest Coldplay into the CD player in the car, cranked the volume up and the windows down and got digging.

Did you ever see a finer hole filled with cement?

I didn't let my lack of practice tempt me to dig a puny hole. When it said 2750mm, I dug over 30cm. I put in the instant cement, poured the water on top, read the instructions and discovered it was supposed to be the other way round.

Que sera sera!

I have done a fine job!

By now though I was in the zone and had proved to myself that this garden wasn't too much for me after all. So I kidnapped Kate a little longer and off to Magnet Mart we went. We bought 10 Nandina plants and soil.

10 Nandinas and one Japanese maple actually

 The side passage out the laundry door has been filling up with weeds. And there is no way I am going to be able to get a bobcat to fix that, so I figured it was best to take action now before it got out of hand.

Thanks to all the rain, the soil is soft and chipping the weeds out was easy. There is a fair bit of cooch that I imagine I am going to be at war with for a while yet. I pulled out and removed as much as I could see, but I can see more under the fence in the neighbours.

It would be nice to think that the garden fairies might sweep the path for me.

So I chipped the weeds, and Kate spread the soil. Then, with some help spacing them, Kate planted the nandinas.
We have done about half the path. That was all we had plants and soil for and I am thinking we did a pretty good job. I can't wait to do more!

Thanks for the help Kate!

I am feeling very cheerful now! If I can dig one decent sized hole in half an hour or so, then with some persistance, I can build the retaining wall and steps. Especially if Mark wants to lend a hand!!!