Thursday 17 September 2015

PRATTLING ON ABOUT ENTROPY AGAIN


Standing under a roof light looking up at clouds passing I realised that every instant in one's life will never be repeated. (Unless the universe is truly infinite of course.) (Which I doubt or cannot comprehend.)
Each time I go into the garden it is a new garden - the basic structure might be the same but the detail is different - a new flower out here, leaf fallen there. Everything is in a constant state of flux, change, and, as a gardener, all one does is try to guide this more, or often less, in the direction one wants it to go, to defeat entropy.
This hen pheasant may sit on the shed roof again but never in just that way.
I think that being able to freeze a moment that will never be repeated is why photography appeals to me. I have a collection of unique images, ones that may be imitated but never repeated.
 

As the trees and shrubs grow the garden becomes increasingly compartmentalised with small views appearing as one moves around. I think this is, at least, partially intentional but some late autumn pruning may be ahead.

Fuchsia magellanica is growing, reluctantly, by the gate and beginning to look more than a stick or two. Memories of hedges near Glencolumbkille in Donegal spurred the planting and finally we have a result albeit small.

We have another fuchsia in the garden but it only flowers at the last minute in September/October and is not yet out. Its growth gets cut back by the cold every winter and slowly regrows as the weather warms (which it hardly did this year).

Also near the gate and under a damson tree (no fruit on this one because the blossom was frosted) is a huge teasel - eight feet tall and waiting to be picked to card wool. (Well, maybe many many years ago.)

This morning as I returned from acting as a taxi for R who has hurt her foot there were about fifteen ramblers sitting outside the gate having morning coffee from their flasks. We have a bridleway (public footpath) runs along the upper side of the garden in the field. I offered them biscuits which they declined and gave them directions as they were unsure of the way forward.

Then I went down the garden to cut some flowers for a vase as R's friend M was coming. R has always wanted a big hedge at the top of the garden for privacy but I noted that, as they walked theatre side of the Rosa rugosa hedge I had planted (inadequate says R) they could not see in.
 
The big daisies, marguerites, have been fantastic this year, have never flowered so well and the yellow rose Golden Showers is still pumping out petals.



Now I have cut the lower banking and we can see the pond I have moved the three bird cultures by Adam Booth to the far side so they are reflected in the surface of then water.


Panic - a cock chaffinch stuck in a bush by its foot - so I released it. The bird had a deformed and swollen foot which is not uncommon in such finches. (Sorry about poor pic but an elusive bird.) The deformity is caused by the Frigilla papillomavirus (FPV).

So there are plums everywhere, so juicy straight from the tree. 
I have just cut back some of the osiers to make new plants - very similar to currants - but they root easier - PB wanted some for his garden so off with a bundle today.

It is windy raining in the south but, for a change, still, dry and sunny up here. (SMILE!)

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