The Sweet Smell of Shite

At last I can sit and inhale the sweet aroma of life wafting through the garden.

Time travel backwards to last weekend while I walked the property making notes. The boundary beds were in distress and I decided a major intervention was needed. Not the intervention of 30 bags of ahem “magic soil” from the do it yerself store but the real stuff.

A visit to the local landscape depot, o now don’t worry because it specializes only in garden soils and stones, and I found the perfect remedy to the tired ole beds. The chocolate of soils that is a mix of black loam, manure, and mushroom compost. It was heaven to touch and smell. So I placed my order.

Arriving home after work on Friday and investigating the rather huge pile sitting in my drive all I could think was my, my, my, a half dump truck sure is a lot of shite to shovel. Best get at it. A quick change into the grubbies and with shovel and wheel barrow in hand, I began. After five hours I called it. I was drenched to the bone not because of the labour but due to the fact it was 90+ degrees, and I did not have a miners light to see in the dark. Hhmmmm, I’ll add that to the Christmas wish list.

Of course Saturday was a wash out, literally. We finally received our rain. It poured and poured for hours and I couldn’t be happier. I swear I saw plants smiling and it gave me time to work on my book without thinking I should be out there. It was a dreamy day, rain soaking the parched earth, frogs singing, though The Pond did overflow at one point. Maybe that’s why most spent the day sitting in puddles on the patio.

Today was a gorgeous day and I was out at 7am, making sure to grease the ole barrows wheel before I started. One mustn’t wake the neighbours on a Sunday after all. I giggled at the sign a neighbour had left on the pile. “Here Kitty Kitty” knowing my lack of love for marauding cats. Tossing the tarp off I began. Only the black gold around the edges had been soaked so I left it to dry in the glorious sun. Another six hours and I had enough. It was a rather cool day and I felt the bones getting a wee bit achy so best to ease off.

A hot shower, a goblet of Aussie Shiraz on the patio while enjoying the sweet aroma, and then me feather bed and I’ll be just fine for the work week. The only thing is I know what I’ll be doing afterwards for a number of days because only a third of the pile has been spread. At least I know the garden will be happy and healthy and that’s the main constant in my life.