Sunday, August 21, 2005
Gardening
The sun continued to beat down on Scotland making it very awkward to work outside. I hate suntan cream as it is and I don't see why I should have to put it on in a country where rain is supposed to be the norm. I cannot wait for autumn to arrive.
After an early lunch I started work on the garden. A load of leaves from the overhanging foliage was cluttering up the place up so I gathered it into one huge pile and binned it. I weeded the patio and flowerbeds and laid more weed killer on the concrete to try and keep the crawlers away.
Then I trimmed the small hedge by the kitchen and the large conifers that divide our garden with the neighbours while Gail took care of the lawn. I'm sure our neighbours would rather the hedges were taken down but we've decided we prefer our privacy that a sheltered garden brings.
All the while the sun beat down on my head, but at least I got a chance to wear my new prescription sunglasses.
I don't mind doing the garden. If it's quiet when you are working it can be nice and relaxing and reminds me of when I used to muck around in the fields and gardens around my home when I was young. I try to show Laura the vast amounts of nature that live in the garden but even the sight of a beautiful butterfly on the wind is enough to send her screaming with hands aloft out into the street.
My mother-in-law gave us a plant for our second wedding anniversary and I planted it in the garden once all the tidying, cutting and weeding work was complete. I don't know what it will grow into but it looks quite nice as it is.
I felt quite good after an afternoon working in the garden and went for a shower while Gail made one of my favourite meals; mince 'n' tatties. (Mince and mashed potatoes). Fantastic and there was plenty left over for another couple of meals tomorrow night, too.
I worked on Ian Rankin tonight. Not literally, but the article for the KIC Great Scottish Authors series. I could only squeeze him down to about 650 words as well so I will need to contact the editor to see if that is too much. She is looking for between 200 and 300 words per article but if they are to spotlight Great Authors then surely they deserve more than that. It's kind of hard to talk about someone's life in such a pitiful amount of words; particularly writers who have achieve so much like RLS and Rankin.
I'm really into Kidnapped (the book, not the action). The more I learn about Stevenson and the more I read his work, the more I like and admire him. There is much I can learn from his work and he is not only inspiring in the lifetime fulfilment aspect, but also from his use of Scotland as the backdrop for much of his work. I can tell that this influence will have huge bearings on my own work still to come.
After an early lunch I started work on the garden. A load of leaves from the overhanging foliage was cluttering up the place up so I gathered it into one huge pile and binned it. I weeded the patio and flowerbeds and laid more weed killer on the concrete to try and keep the crawlers away.
Then I trimmed the small hedge by the kitchen and the large conifers that divide our garden with the neighbours while Gail took care of the lawn. I'm sure our neighbours would rather the hedges were taken down but we've decided we prefer our privacy that a sheltered garden brings.
All the while the sun beat down on my head, but at least I got a chance to wear my new prescription sunglasses.
I don't mind doing the garden. If it's quiet when you are working it can be nice and relaxing and reminds me of when I used to muck around in the fields and gardens around my home when I was young. I try to show Laura the vast amounts of nature that live in the garden but even the sight of a beautiful butterfly on the wind is enough to send her screaming with hands aloft out into the street.
My mother-in-law gave us a plant for our second wedding anniversary and I planted it in the garden once all the tidying, cutting and weeding work was complete. I don't know what it will grow into but it looks quite nice as it is.
I felt quite good after an afternoon working in the garden and went for a shower while Gail made one of my favourite meals; mince 'n' tatties. (Mince and mashed potatoes). Fantastic and there was plenty left over for another couple of meals tomorrow night, too.
I worked on Ian Rankin tonight. Not literally, but the article for the KIC Great Scottish Authors series. I could only squeeze him down to about 650 words as well so I will need to contact the editor to see if that is too much. She is looking for between 200 and 300 words per article but if they are to spotlight Great Authors then surely they deserve more than that. It's kind of hard to talk about someone's life in such a pitiful amount of words; particularly writers who have achieve so much like RLS and Rankin.
I'm really into Kidnapped (the book, not the action). The more I learn about Stevenson and the more I read his work, the more I like and admire him. There is much I can learn from his work and he is not only inspiring in the lifetime fulfilment aspect, but also from his use of Scotland as the backdrop for much of his work. I can tell that this influence will have huge bearings on my own work still to come.
Colin 10:21 am