Running with scissors

Ah yes, choosing to do some weeding of the herb garden with shorts and short sleeves, wearing sandals is the child’s equivalent of running with scissors. Fraught with peril. In my case, hidden stinging nettles in among the sage and salvia plants.

But the whole little part of this garden is such an eyesore (to me). I can see lemon balm flowering, a few nettles flowering, lots of salvias that need cutting back now that they have flowered; roses to dead head and creeping tendrils of bindweed to remove.

It’s the French version of bind weed. The flowers are quite fetching in the small pink blossom kind of way. But their tendrils do suffocate the plant as they work their way to the sun.

Mind you, pulling them out is dead satisfying as you get a good handful of unwanted weed each time you pull.

I started the day with a quick water of the vegetable garden. We have been having very stable weather, in the 30s with no rain in sight.   Luckily the source is still full to the brim; even if the flow into the tank is diminishing.  

Each day I seem to harvest a good handful of dwarf French beans. I had never tried them before my friend Estelle recommended a good variety (Cocktel) and there is no going back. They are just so fast.   Germination takes mere days and I seem to be harvesting a good handful every day.

Naturally as soon as water in action in the garden Artur comes running. I have never known a cat who loves water more.

Here he is sprinting up the steps and poised to leap on my lap.   He sits there, ecstatically kneading and watching the hose as it arcs over the vegetables.   I have to be quick to find a spot that I can sit and actually get watering done, rather than schmoozing.   He doesn’t stay long. Just a painful five minutes of claws and purring and he’s off.

One good thing about being trapped on the steps with a demanding cat was I got to see close up the thyme plants bordering the path.   A trim was needed.

I need the herbs for the herbes de provence mix. But they also need cutting back so you can actually get down the steps without releasing a waft of scent.

This isn’t a problem normally, but when the bees are working hard you don’t want to disturb them.