Wednesday 29 September 2010

It's been a while.

So first blog post for a while and boy what a while. Two weeks ago today we had our baby girl arrive at 2.48 in the morning and she's now sleepily gurgling and grumbling away next to me (which is must nicer than the loud grumbling she does when awake sometimes).
As all new parents know there's a certain element of restlessness for a while after the birth especially at night and mainly with the adults. Up every three hours for a feed, getting baby to sleep then trying to get asleep oneself before they awaken once more. Sadly this week has also seen my wife get a cold so Orla and I have taken to sleeping downstairs which has actually worked really well, we all get a decent sleep and the feeds are maintained fine with expressed milk.
You may be wondering why I'm telling you this? After all this is meant to be a gardening blog and no matter how joyful a new baby is it doesn't do to ramble on about them for ever and miss the plant bit. Well, as with any change in the way you view life it can lead to how you start looking at everything, including gardening.

For the first seven days after birth I took a much enjoyed and needed break from work and with no gardens to visit and only the occasional jaunt out into our own it meant I was on a little bit of a garden fast, or so I thought. As it is gardens pop up everywhere and with a little work you'll find you can still garden even if you never get as far as entering one.
My note book of sketches and ideas has blossomed, it's always on me with a pen to hand so any thoughts or designs I've had I've been able to jot down and then elaborate on. Normally I just mull them over for a while whilst working then the vast majority I let go, but sitting with a sleeping baby in the crook of one arm limits ones maneuverability down to the other arm.
The house plants have had a revisit and at over fifty that's been quite a job, plenty of watering and dusting of leaves, starting to repot those that need doing. (Including an emergency repot when the cat knocked a couple over last night, just before bed!) It was embarrassing the state of some, lost into corners, just part of the background, dusty and on a couple of occasions in much need of new compost and love.
The few times I've been out in the garden with Orla, though I haven't been able to do much manual work there's still the chance to view the garden from a distance and as objectively as possible review it. We did get chance to bury her placenta though, (slightly hurriedly sadly but nothing quite attracts the cat as freshly dug earth especially when it's near something bloody) and planted a selection of Allium moly and Allium Purple Sensation above. They'll be a nice reminder next year when they appear and of course the joy of bulbs is years from now when we come to move house we can no doubt lift and take some of them with us.
However one of the biggest garden jobs I've got done since Orla arrived is working my way through the mountain of garden magazines I've never quite got round to reading. The beauty of them over a book is not only do they give you a quick fix rather than you trying to follow a storyline but they also lie flat on the page you're reading, making them a god send at three in the morning when you're rocking a baby with one hand and supporting your head with the other. I've since discovered so many new names, plants and ideas, it's almost like being back at college (in a good way).

Well as I said it's two weeks now since her birthday and I'm back at work, giving lawns their final few cuts, starting the leaf clearing and piling for the year and generally catching up with the season. I do so love Autumn, it's like Spring just in reverse and there really is a heap of jobs to get done which act as a wonderful therapy to the mind.

Between the garden and the rediscovery of coffee I'm staying reasonably sane, as sane as a new parent ever can be of course!

1 comment:

  1. Congratulations and welcome to the world for Orla. Glad to hear you are back on track. You've a nice writing style so look forward to more posts
    Laura

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