Thursday 5 July 2007

My Poor Garden

I really love my garden and I take great care of it. Recently it has been impossible to mow the lawns because of the continual rain and high winds. The oak tree at the bottom of the garden has lost so many branches recently, and when we came back from our Atlantic fiasco I noticed more branches were down.


This morning two gentlemen arrived with chain saws and ladders and amputated the branch that was still hanging. Badger had a joyful hour playing with the men, stealing their tools, tripping them up and bringing her ball to them to play catch and fetch.


Men up trees.



Badger's favourite toy - her deflated football. This was punctured the night that Jack came a cropper on the flower pot during an exremely rough game of footy with Tortoiseshell, TCA, The Musician and Badger.

Yesterday my friend, The Master Potter, came to see me for lunch in the delightful deli that Ann and I hang out in. During the afternoon there was a cloudburst, to put it mildly. We sheltered in Netto (the cherries are still excellent) and then braved the storm to walk home. On the way we negotiated the Rue Clumber stream burst. Water was racing across the road and into the Junior School. We got to Boulevard Dickens, where the zebra crossing was under water; we had no option but to hitch our trousers up and paddle happily across the road. I was wearing sandles but M.P. was wearing posh leather shoes. Where were our wellies in our hour of need. Mine in the back porch and her's in her cellar.

Horror of horrors. We got home. My back lawn! My football pitch! My dog's public convenience! My pride and joy! Flooded. Flooded and more water pouring in every minute.

First:


And then:


And then:


Oh I could have wept. So what did I do? Well obviously I did the only thing possible and sent Badger out to play:





This morning amazingly, and some would say miraculously, my lake had disappeared. We had been thinking of turning it into a swimming pool. I still have the plank from Mistral 48. I knew it would come in handy. I was googling the price of fish to stock the lake. I had been looking forward to having rare ducks and geese arrive in order to lure Maalie down.

So, it's almost back to normal. Still nowhere near dry enough to mow, still looking bedraggled, unkempt and sodden, but at least I don't have to paddle to the compost heap today.


Scaredy has deigned to come outside without the risk of wetting his feet, although the little sod went out during the night as be brought me back a mouse at 3.00 am.
Badger still delightfully badgering Scaredy for a game of chase.

42 comments:

Unknown said...

Just a flying visit to say thanks for the comment on my blog.

I do admire Scaredy - he is a ginger version of my beloved and very much missed Spartacus, a black and white fluff ball that I had to rehome before my gran can adventure.

Also admiring your ability to get the PandP wet photo into your blog.

Unknown said...

Bums brain and typing not in sync.

That last bit should read "the PandP wet shirt photo into your blog."

Anonymous said...

It's a shame I missed the floods by a few weeks. It would have been nice to give a giggling and shrieking Miki a fireman's lift from the annex to the house to prevent her exquisite little Japanese feet from getting wet!

Jack

TCA said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TCA said...

Try again...

Fancy having the presence of mind to take some photos! If our garden was under water I think I (after taking electronic gadgetry upstairs) would reach for the bilge pump and snorkel before the camera.

W

Shammickite said...

Ewww Crikey!
That was some deluge. And you had the presence of mind to send Badger out there to see if he could catch a lobster or two for dinner!
I'm assuming you don't have a basement... cos it would have been full of water for sure.

Wandering Star said...

"This morning two gentlemen arrived with chain saws and ladders...."

Surely you mean workmen or labourers?

Anonymous said...

L - I love these photos. Probably your best yet?

Shame you couldn't get Peter to pose as an Anthony Gormly model, perhaps looking out across the bay to the tool shed.

Seriously though, beautiful piccys.

Barbara said...

Your poor garden - I am so sorry. Apart from the flood it looks lovely. I hope it receeds quickly so that you have no lasting damage. The cat is so lovely. Badger too, but I am a cat person.

We are continuing to have rain and rain and more rain. My rose beds have been under water and that is usually only in the winter as we live on a hill. At least our homes are not flooded like some poor souls.

rauf said...

A potter ?? How delightful !!

Hi Lorenzo,
thank you so much for stopping by.

Sad about the garden, but i really don't like well kept gardens, i like them wild. i was born in a forest. You'll find my nature pictures in my 'Passion green' blog
i spend a lot of time in the wilderness. love to walk in the rain.

Nature is not all that sweet, as claimed in thoudands of poems. We accept nature's fury. (we have to, there is no option or protection)
But your garden will bounce back in no time. The branches will grow again. We have no idea of the power of nature's growth. Trees rip through concrete walls and ceilings in very strong abandined houses. All it takes is a little moisture for life to grow. There would be a lot more vegetation in your garden in a month's time.

This is a post on indian potter's sad state of affairs

http://whitesroad.blogspot.com/2006/08/potter.html

Thank you so much Lorenzo. Your pictures are lovely.

Wandering Star said...

A common labouring boy with rough hands and coarse voice. Mmmm.

Martin Stickland said...

Did you do the numbers then? I forgot, give us arf, go on, give me my cut of the dosh so I can go back and buy the other shoe to the left one I stole from outside Shoes R us.

Wow! That is some down pour, nice wet dog and at least your pussy kept dry.

good night!

Craver Vii said...

For a moment, I thought you were going to have another Atlantic sailing adventure. After that much rain, isn't it standard protocol to send out a dove to seek out an olive branch or something?

lorenzothellama said...

How rude Martin, how rude!

I would have sent out a dove, but didn't have one to hand!

After reading Mr Rauf's blog, I feel ashamed about wingeing about a flooded garden. There are people in Britain who still can't get back to their houses because of floods, resevoirs threatening to collapse, and when I think of the Monsoons in India, Parkistan and Bangladesh, I feel positively humbled.

Ju's little sister said...

All the same, the garden is obviously something you've poured your heart into so there's no shame in being gutted that this has happened. Though I remember being very pleased when it happened to Mum's garden as a child. We didn't have a swimming pool ;-)

I like your garden, too. I like green. Plenty of green. Good job :-)

Hmmm, vktfhxqa...

Halfmom, AKA, Susan said...

I am one of Craver's friends and came over, as it were, through a comment you left him only to find your sad situation with the flood. Your poor garden. That made me quite sad indeed.

In a comment you left with Craver, you said that you were far to busy "convincing yourself" than trying to convince others - and it make me sad somehow for your sake because the potter should always be the one that convinces the clay into what form it will become (I do so love potters! just not talented enough to become one).

Anonymous said...

This weeks 'blog-quiz' question is; What do the following bloggers have in common?

Estelle, May, Antionnette and Clara.

lorenzothellama said...

Answer to Ann's quiz ...
erm .. they all like wearing ladies' clothes?

Maalie said...

Wow! That looks dreadful! If I had known I would have come over with my fishing rod!

Maalie said...

P.S. That's easy! They all visit (or have visited) my blog (and many others too, I dare say). It's called a "blog-roll". I notice that Lorenzo has and enormous one! LOL!

Anonymous said...

Sorry Maalie, your answer is wrong, or at least it is not the official answer. However, within the rules of my quiz, you may have as many attempts as you like.

L - your's is also the wrong answer, hard luck.

Pingu said...

Scaredy has deigned to come outside without the risk of wetting his feet, although the little sod went out during the night as be brought me back a mouse at 3.00 am.

That line really made me laugh! :)

Wonderful photos on your blog! Scaredy and Badger are sooo cute :)

I have moved the comment you left on my old blog to my current one at http://pkpingupg.wordpress.com/

Will be back to read the archives... So long!

All Blog Spots said...

nice blog

Martin Stickland said...

"Gosh!" he said with a blush, it was rather caddish of me old girl!

Have a terwific weekend!

Halfmom, AKA, Susan said...

The question now becomes what to do with 3 blogs - the two blogger sites - well, at least the original one - was to compliment a xanga site as I had students who used both so I wanted to be able to leave comments with the same name on both.

You are more than welcome to all the kindness I have - we can all use more than we get! I hope you will post some pictures of your pottery!

Halfmom, AKA, Susan said...

all right my dear, there is now a new post dedicated to you - I must warn you though that sometimes I, like Craver, play by my own rules!

Halfmom, AKA, Susan said...

You are, as the "American bird" - a hoot - something we say in the North Carolina, where I'm from, to indicate hysterically funny and enjoyable. As in, Martin Strickland is just a hoot!

simon said...

I have to say our back yard looked the same in recent weeks...

drought to flood in one easy step :o(

Unknown said...

Gosh! I go away for two nights camping and find I missed not one but two posts when I get back.

We've had stange weather here too, and lots of rain, but no lakes in the garden - possibly the only advantage of having one that slopes.

We have lots of cherries here too. I bought some in the supermarket yesterday ad thought of the bowl in your post. The last couple of years they've been 99 cents a kilo but have gone up to €2 this year. I think it's been a bad crop because of al the rain. Our poor tree only produced one this year (it's a young one) which Matt promptly scoffed as soon as it was ripe with no word to me!

Martin Stickland said...

It's Monday! Yipeeee! I love Mondays, they are really groovy!.... NOT!

Shammickite said...

Mondays??? I used to dread Mondays but I love Mondays now. It means that most of the people I know are back at work and I'm free... free... to live the live of a retired person.... whoopeee!

Unknown said...

I love every other Monday at the moment. School summer holidays mean less teaching so I take turns with the boss - unfortunately this week is my turn so yesterday wasn't great. I tell you, one week off teaching last week and I'm out of practice already.

Barbara said...

Having felt so much for you last week I now have a wrecked garden after the storm last night. Come see and it might help you to feel a bit better and not alone.

Anonymous said...

I guess you got some rain that was supposed to come here. We have not had much rain in two months. It looks like you are flooded.

oldmanlincoln

Unknown said...

Well done on the Wordimperfect nomination. I was hoping you´d get chosen - a particulalry good definition. I´ve been thinking about ´couvade´ all day and have finally come up with something suitable.

Martin Stickland said...

Hey you! get blogging!

Laying there with your feet up drinking Pimms!

The word today is wonkeywilly sorry I mean willywonker

Tina said...

I voted for you too on wordimperfect!

rauf said...

Hope things are back to Normal Lorenzo

Kiwi Nomad said...

I was reading maalie's blog about his bike ride on the cycle track in Cumbria and was thinking how wonderful that sounded. Then I read about your "summer" floods and thought "maybe not"!!! I have just missed some horrible weather in NZ while I was away in OZ.

savannah said...

wow..what a sight! thanks for stopping by..glad your lake disappeared

madretz said...

Oh my! That's a crazy amount of water in your yard! I don't think it rained that much in a year here in dry Northern California. We're currently experiencing a drought. But your storytelling and photos to go along had me giggling the whole time. Glad to hear things are getting back to normal.

Merisi said...

Oh, dear, I hope your pond has dried up by now and you got all sunshine!
Sad as the flooding is, I had a good laugh with that dog of yours, what a character! Has he ever thought of joining the Royal Shakespeare Company?
Greetings from baking oven hot Vienna! :-)