When that Aprill with his shoures soote...

[oloriel]

... and we actually had a drought this March. Not that anyone noticed because it was so effing cold, but apparently our region got only 50% of the rainfall it normally gets in March? Well, 50% of rainfall in the shape of snow, but whatever. Only half our normal ration of water-from-the-sky-in-whatever-form.

Anyway, now that April with its sweet showers has pierced the drought of March to the root, etc. etc., there's so much to do in the garden (and didn't I mean to blog more about my gardening?) that you have no time to talk about it.

Short version is short:
- turned the compost (well, 2/3 of it so far)
- fought the everlasting battle against the brambles
- pruned our hazel bushes. I know you're supposed to do that sooner! But I wanted my bees to be able to use the hazel flower, since nothing else was properly in bloom yet. Now the hazel is through and the willows start blooming, I could cut back the hazels. As a result, they bled quite a bit (>_>) but I'm sure they're gonna survive.
- started fixing the flower/veggie beds in the garden - the ground is sloping so everything keeps slipping slightly downwards across time. Now I'm trying to fix it all in sort of terraces so the slope is no longer an issue. TAKES AGES.
- prepared the first veggie beds (removing mulch, weeding, etc.)
Now I have to wait for my starter cultures to grow strong enough, and for the arrival of the potatoes (white, purple and red) that I ordered. And prepare the remaining beds, sow stuff, transplant stuff, weed weed weed, mow the lawn, continue working on the terraces, stock up the bee-hive...
It's a good thing that motivation levels are high after such a long winter. I hope they last a while.

Felix absolutely loves the outdoors and mostly doesn't want to return inside ever again. He plays with stones, sticks, waterbuckets, balances on walls (with help), climbs up stairs (with help), and occasionally drags us on long walks through the forest. He generally does most of the walking himself. You can accuse him of being stubborn, but certainly not of being lazy.

We've discovered a new phase in human development, however. I call it the "house-elfin phase": Felix raises a fuss whenever you try to dress him (even when it is NOT warm), is obsessed with socks, and when something doesn't go as he wants, he hits his head against the floor or against convenient pieces of furniture. I know I should not be laughing, but I'm sorry, it really, really reminds me of Dobby the house-elf!

Comments

[ellynn-ithilwen.livejournal.com]

And Felix is...? :)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

My toddler son :)

[barbardin.livejournal.com]

Sehr fleißig! Ich überlege gerade, ob ich meine Balkonbegrünung endlich aufgebe. Ich habe kein Händchen und keine Geduld dafür... *seufz* Ich beneide dich um deinen Garten.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Wow! Whenever I think of terraces for growing things, I think of Peru. A lot are abandoned Inca terraces but far from all. There is still a lot of terrace farming there.

The head banging, oh lord! You got lucky! I have never seen the figures, but my personal observation among family and acquaintances is that boys do that much more often than girls. I think it is a short-lived phase usually. Thank god!! Alex used hit himself in the head (repeatedly) with a book when he was angry or frustrated with himself or others. Yes, house-elf behavior is a perfect description.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Na, wenn du schon für den Balkon keine Geduld hast, was willst du denn mit meinem Garten? ;)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I'm flattered, but of course my terraces are by no means that impressive - the garden isn't sloping THAT much!
Here, terraces are really only used for vinyards; other sorts of farming are mostly done where there's sufficient plane ground.

I do hope it's short-lived! Ferlix often uses so much force that I fear he'll crack his skull open (or give himself some nasty bumps, at least). >_>

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I have seen toddlers hold their breath! I never heard of one dying from it! I think they do occasionally hurt themselves a little with the head banging--probably why it usually is a short-lived phase. My son did it, but Laura did not. All of my nephews did it, but only one of a large number of nieces.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I'm worrying overmuch! But I still do it. Comes with the job description. ;)

(I still love that photo in your icon. Wow, feels like yesterday... it's been what, two years?)

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Over two years now. He will be six in July and was three in that photo. A three-year-old with pretensions to cleverness.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Oh my, how time flies.

Well, he is clever now, so presumably he was clever then, too (for a three-year-old!) ;)

[barbardin.livejournal.com]

Ihn genießen! Die Arbeit überlasse ich natürlich großzügig dir. ;)

[sermanya.livejournal.com]

The hazel usually survives everything much better than it should ;)

I won't have a garden nor balcony in my new flat. I hated the garden in Germany. I HATED it for it's 30m² of vegetable beds, about the same amount of flower beds and another 30m² of thistles and other stuff that should be removed but hasn't been for years and just looks terrible.

I was endlessly happy to get out of this sisyphos type of stuff. Now, spring is here. And all I want to do is plant some tomatoes...

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Haha! Wenn das so ist, dann werf ich gelegentlich mit Dreck oder Brennnesseln. Nur, damit du wach bleibst. ;)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Ich mach mir da auch keine Sorgen (vor allem, weil das alles Wildsträucher sind, die überleben ja nun wirklich alles), ich wollte nur eventuellen Vorwürfen gleich entgegentreten ;)

Im Sommer geht's mir auch so, da betrachte ich die Beete und vor allem das Unkraut (STIRB, HAHNENFUß, STIRB STIRB) zuerst mit Verzweiflung und später mit Lethargie. Aber im Frühling (und dann wieder im Herbst kurz vor Schluss) bin ich übermotiviert und empfinde das Ganze als sehr meditativ. :D

Tomaten kann man doch auch sehr schön auf dem Balkon oder sogar im Badezimmer kultivieren. Unten in die Pötte dann noch ein paar tomatenfreundliche Kräuter (Basilikum, Dill, Kapuzinerkresse, Petersilie, Rosmarin, Tagetes, Thymian) und das Ganze sieht richtig hübsch aus... so als Kompromiss zum Sisyphos-Garten.