Marguerite's Blog
Marguerite's Blog
Exercise
Posted on 4 Jul, 2008 7 comments
When you’re retired people always tend to ask:”What do you do all day with yourself?”. Well, there is no mystery to that. Nearly all retired people will know that they probably do more than ever before, are finally doing the things they’ve always wanted to do, but couldn’t. Yes, we are busy all day, because we do things slower than we used to. From farmlife, which was extremely busy as you can imagine to a 5 acre block in Darwin seemed to be an enormous downsize in property and care for nature, but believe me, it was exercise all day. Here we had hundreds of palm trees and only if you are familiar with these trees, you know how dead fronds fall down, or hang half way between and in between the branches, every day. So if you have 4 lazy days you are busy all day collecting them, off your lawn, from around the swimming pool, from the garden beds, from inbetween the trees, etc. You drag them to behind the shed to pile them up waiting for the next trip with the trailer to the tip. How I wished we did have a mulching machine, but they were quite pricey. In that garden we also collected lots of debris, sticks and honkey nuts from the native eucalypt and other trees, which forever were shedding leaves and twigs. I did a lot of raking there, which I enjoyed. Pruning hedges and plants going outof control required an equal amount of effort. Now we are here in QLD on a one acre block it only seems less effort to keep the garden tidy. But those heliconia’s need tidying up all the time. Every stem dies down after it has flowered and gradually the leaves and the stem become brown and unsightly. They need cutting off with the pruning seceteurs and then we drag them to a pile at the back in the garden, waiting for a trip to the tip. Only here we have to pay for that. All weeds, leaves and other things go on the compost heap.
Here we have no underground irrigation system for the garden, the water pressure is simply not high enough, so I have to shift the sprinklers. There is only one tap in the garden which gives enough pressure to cover a decent circle. I have a one inch hose on it, but it doesn’t reach far enough, so with a connector I add another quarter inch hose. Tonight I watered the vines on the fence and I had to look for the squirter. By the time I had that all organised, shifting heavy hoses etc. 5 minutes had passed. I watered with pleasure and also smaller trees, which I had shifted from one spot to another. So, to go weeding, checking little sprinklers, pruning, wheelbarrowing etc. us retirees do get a lot of exercise. We are very busy. Walking the dogs in the morning and the usual things one does to keep alive. I also spend a considerable amount of time in the nurseries looking at plants. Lately it has been water plants, as I have a fish pond as well. The stupid waterlillies, which costed me a fortune are dead or dormant and I keep waiting and hoping that with the warmer weather they wake up again. They were absolutely beautiful and added colour to the garden and their wide leaves provided shade and shelter for the goldfish. Hmmm, I am waiting and hoping spring won’t be too far away. If they don’t move I will chuck them out and get some hardier ones.
Well, enough said for today.
Marguerite.
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Comments
4 Jul, 2008
I agree with you. Spring starts here on 1st September, so not long now. In the day it is still lovely ( 26 - 28 ) but it's the nights I am complaining about, last night only 13. It cools off quickly when the sun goes down at 6 pm. Thank you for reading my blog. Lovely cat you have, posing for the pic.
4 Jul, 2008
I can understand some of what you are saying , I have a friend over here at the moment from Australia , The area,s to look after there are so huge compared to our average English ones , she tells me about the Kangaroos in the gardens and all sorts of other animals , etc.
I also have a cousin who lives in Queensland with his family . they don,t like our weather when they visit .
As for there not being enough hours in the day , I don,t know where it goe,s .
Well ,must go ,the grandchildren are coming tonight for the weekend , they are hoping to go crabbing tomorrow , hope the rain holds off
best wishes
4 Jul, 2008
The older we get, the less time in the day for sure! I just don't know where it all goes! As a young mother I had visions of all the extra time to squander after the children were grown - what happened? Aside from maintaining the home & working, I could spend an entire day in the yard, puttering, birdwatching etc. Then there is GoY, lol! How many evenings have I said to myself - I'll just pop on for half an hour, to find my eyes getting a bit weary - and , oh gosh, it is the middle of the night! I have another decade before retirement, but can't wait - I need the time!! No, I can't imagine being bored then either. Even on the days that 'Old Arthur' visits, there is the computer & all these lovely gardens to stroll through and wonderful friends to chat with!
4 Jul, 2008
I certainly manage to fill my days (and evenings - thanks GOY!) since retirement. We moved to Somerset and then bought this house and garden where I am to be found most of the time. I do love plant hunting and looking at gardening books and magazines - I also have time to read the paper! We got Henry who was born the day we moved down, what a coincidence! I walk him every day and enjoy the exercise and countryside with sea views on some walks! I started a Horticultural Course last winter, but have had to put it on hold for a while due to my Mum's illness. I shall take it up again, though, as I was enjoying keeping my brain active with studying and research. The main thing is to have the choice as to what to do with my time. I don't have to rush everywhere any more. Hooray!
4 Jul, 2008
I agree with Spritz and the other comments one hundred%!!! I was so fortunate to be able to retire from work four years ago at the age of 56. Gardening is so creative and rewarding. Im so busy now it's sometimes difficult finding enough hours in each day to complete all the tasks!
5 Jul, 2008
Hello hello, lovely people from different places. It is wonderful here and to meet all of you with the same interest: getting your hands dirty in the garden. I am 65 years old and we have been retired for 4 years. We've had a very busy life, being our own boss in orchard and vineyard. We've always been "in the dirt" as we call it here and possess a lot of tools and experience. My husband used to prune all my rosebushes ( 10 of them ) as they go on the same principle as apple trees. I always looked at them afterwards wondering if he had killed them, they were so small. But each spring out they came and I was thankful. I took some wonderful pictures of them and will place them here too. So when we retired we moved to the tropics, as we both love the heat and it was a complete change nature wise. I learnt a great deal in Darwin about managing a jungle and coping with the intens humidity and heat. It was a wonderful place and garden, although a lot of work. We fell for that place because it had a lush tropical garden, but the house was too small and after nearly 3 years we moved again, this time to Queensland. The mountains are beautiful, the rainforest intruiging, some plants and trees are the same, others are different. We are a little further away from the equator here and you can notice it, nature and weather wise. I never knew much about gardening, but I learned as I went along. People around me were helpful and so were nurseries. I must confess that not all plants survived under my loving eye, but you can't win them all. But most of the time I just followed my instinct, I just love tidying up gardens, raking, pruning, watering, picking leaves, branches and flowers for arrangements. I always spend at least 2 hours each day in the garden, until it gets too hot. I love looking at it when the work is done, well, it really is never done, but sections at a time. I love watching wildlife and birds coming to my garden and oh yes, spiders and snakes alike. Pictures of those too! I have had a few mishaps of allergy and never found out what caused it, but it was definitely something in the garden, insect or plant. But everything disappears in the end and it never stops me from going back. You are so rght: gardening is addictive. Why? Well, like some of you say: it is relaxing, you are in a total different world, and whilst you're doing things in the garden you can let your mind wander and nobody will interrupt you. Like Spritzhenry, my dogs are never very far from me. The little one is always right next to me and I have to push her away when I am cutting edges etc. She loves me to rake and tries to get the rake or barks at it, whilst Pivot goes mad when I move the wheelbarrow. He just loves barking at the wheels. They are good company.
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BLACKPOOL.LANCASHIRE.
4 Jul, 2008
Well your hoping your spring wont be long, its our summer here & where still waiting for some nice weather to come along, last summer was a wash out & this one is'nt much better. But you are right we do slow down as we get older, infact i sometimes wonder how we did so much before, because now i find there is'nt enough hours in the day to do what i wont to do.