My youngest daughter Annebelle and I worked in the communal gardens at the allotment complex yesterday. There are all sort of jobs you can volunteer for: knotting willows, pruning roses, getting rid of weeds or emptying the dustbins. I must admit that I am never that keen, but working alongside Annebelle was fun!
We had to plant about twenty-five small conifers into a muddy patch near a stream. It proved virtually impossible. Because of the rainfall the clay was soaking wet and really heavy to dig. We got stuck several times and had to be careful not to fall face down into the mud.
We had a swirling Escher pattern in mind for the conifers, but when we showed it to one of our fellow gardeners afterwards, we were laughed at. We couldn't help laughing with him. Our design looked absolutely horrible and did not resemble any pattern at all! When finished we warmed up in our garden house with a cup of tea and had a good laugh about our muddy affair.
Most of the photo's in this post were taken yesterday, but the ones with the fine weather were taken last Wednesday, when I worked in the garden most of the day.
Have a wonderful week! Lets hope for some more sunshine.
Love,
Madelief x
* I took the photo of the snowdrops in my neighbours garden. Every time I walk past it I have snowdrop envy ;-) I have about four in my garden :-( They simply won't grow!
It looks like hard but rewarding work. You certainly earned that cup of tea. Lovely to see your cabinet and tea cups. Deb
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOh, you are well-equipped with your wellies dearest Madelief, and your coat. No matter how muddy, the promise is unfolding. Soon that little hut will be bright with flowers and chatter of friends and tea cups....the fragrance of your favorite flowers and the aroma of freshly baked goods will fill the senses. I am living vicariously through you all whose spring has started and I wait patiently! I love the idea of having a hutch for tea accoutrements! MUCH LOVE TO YOU!!!!!!! Anita
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDear Anita,
VerwijderenI'm glad to see you out and about in the world of blogs. When I read your final post I was sad!
Kirk
x
Here we are under a thin layer of snow with more on the way and it is vey cold. Your community garden looks like spring is well on its way. I am always surprised to see that your location seems wamer given that you look to be further north. And I do enjoy the windmill photo. I hae always wanted to see a real live windwmill. I hope you have a wondeful week with mud on you feet and a warm cup of tree in hand.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOh, wie herrlich, dein Gartenjahr hat bereits begonnen, liebe Madelief...........wir haben leider noch Schnee und es ist viel zu kalt.........noch gibt es keine Blümchen, wir brauchen noch etwas Geduld. Aber ich genieße schon mal deine wundervolle Inspiration und wünsche dir einen himmlischen Sonntag,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenalles Liebe, bis bald, herzlichst Jade
You are so far ahead of us dear, Spring blooms - fabulous snowdrops, catkins, lots of pruning completed, and your little tree design is lovely, although it must have been a really miserable planting job in such wet conditions!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI love the mixing of the pretty bone chine cup and saucer with your muddy boots and waterproof jacket - perfect and beautiful! Annabelle must be one amazing daughter to dig in the dirt with her mom - tell her it's worth it, she'll have great memories and excellent gardening skills with you as her teacher!
Happy garden days ahead - we're still battling the ice which hopefully melts this coming week with warmer temperatures expected at long last!
Here's to a happy week for you - hugs, Mary
Jullie heb goed werk verricht, al kwam de beplanting uiteindelijk anders uit dan jullie in gedachten hadden. Wat een drassige toestand! Er is de afgelopen dagen weer aardig wat regen gevallen en dat is bij jullie goed te zien. Gezellig dat je dit samen met je jongste dochter hebt gedaan! Je eigen tuin staat er ook weer strak bij Madelief. Dat kan ik van onze tuin niet zeggen, daar zit nog wel het nodige werk in. Geeft niets, op een mooie lentedag kan ik daar heerlijk van genieten om in de tuin aan de slag te gaan.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDeze week wordt het weer ook niet zo best, alleen woensdag is best aardig ;-).
Tot gauw!! Veel liefs, Ingrid xxx
Happy Spring Madelief! It won't be long and you will be sharing the beauty of your garden with all of us again...
BeantwoordenVerwijderenSpring is my favourite season filled with new life and promise of an amazing new garden. Take care my friend and I hope you get to laugh more with your Annebelle... it does the heart good.
Hugs,
Wanda
Hello dear Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenthat seemed to be a lovely and muddy fun, working with your daughter. The pics of the snowdrops are great, we also have only small flecks of it in our garden. Hope we will have lovely garden weather the next weeks, for working in comfortable temperatures. Luckily the deepest and darkest part of winter seems to be slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Happy gardening!!!
Bine
Ik bewonder jullie spirit om in dat beesten weer te werken. Maar straks komt de lente en zijn we alles snel vergeten. Groetjes,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHetty
Mooi werk gedaan! Jammer dat het weer niet meewerkte. Vandaag was beter geweest.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHeerlijk dat het langzamerhand weer weer wordt om in de tuin te werken.
Leuk tuinhuis staat er op het terrein. Van jullie?
Fijne avond!
Hallo Berna,
VerwijderenDank je wel voor je leuke reactie. Het groene tuinhuisje is inderdaad van ons. We hebben het al een aantal jaren en zijn er nog steeds erg blij mee!
Wat een klus Madelief.Even coniferen neerzetten.:))
BeantwoordenVerwijderenJouw tuin ziet er al mooi glad uit. De lente kan beginnen. Wat heb je trouwens leuke laarzen aan, zo met die veters. Mooi de sneeuwklokjes, bij de buren. :))
Ik wens je een fijne week. Lieve groet van Riet
Zo zeg......wat een werk hebben jullie verzet.....ha en dan die laarzen.....;) blubber de blubber....
BeantwoordenVerwijderenNa al dat werk is een 'gewoon' kopje thee echt een traktatie.....en je slaapt die avond zo heerlijk.
Fijne avond
Liefs
Wat is het toch heerlijk om buiten bezig te zijn. Je foto's brengen dat zo mooi over...
BeantwoordenVerwijderen(Het contrast op de eerste foto tussen het bloemige kopje en de stoere werkkleding is trouwens he-le-maal geweldig!)
Fijne avond,
Haafner
Must admit, when I first saw the title of your post I wondered where you'd be going with it..! You do take some astonishingly good photographs - so beautifully clear and well composed. And it sounds like a fun day!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMy goodness that was quite some mud!! I expect that the conifers will look different and how you planned once they have settled in and you are not trying to cope with all that mud at the same time as planting them! xx
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHet was gisteren inderdaad errruggg nat om in de tuin te werken, hier stonden sommige stukken blank. Maar ja op een volkstuin worden bepaalde dagen gepland en moet het toch doorgaan, nat of niet. Jullie zullen in elk geval wel plezier gehad hebben samen in de modder, daar twijfel ik niet aan. Leuk dat idee om een Escher ontwerp voor de coniferen te gebruiken, maar ook wel bijna ondoenbaar met coniferen. Als je durft moet je de buren om een polletje sneeuwklokjes vragen, die uit elkaar halen en 10 tot 20 cm. uit elkaar poten, zal je zien dat die het wel doen.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenEen fijne nieuwe week,
Janneke
Ah, je bent al lekker in de tuin bezig. Als de zon schijnt begint het ook wel te kriebelen.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWat een sneeuwklokjes heb jij, geweldig, evenals veel helleborusknoppen.
Helaas kan ik komend seizoen niets doen op het balkon. Hij wordt opgeknapt en krijgt een nieuwe vloer. Alle vaste planten moet ik ergens in huis kwijt zien te raken, dus nieuwe lente/zomerplanten kunnen er niet bij. Voordeel is dat ik hem opnieuw kan inrichten.
Ik zie uit naar je doorgaande tuinwerk en de vruchten die je gaat oogsten van het werk!
Liefs, Gerry
Wat leuk dat je dochter ook van tuinieren houdt en dit samen kunt doen. Jullie tuinieren wel in stijl, prachtige regenlaarzen hebben jullie alletwee aan. Gelukkig konden jullie de lol er wel van inzien van jullie ontwerp met de coniferen :-). Fijne week Madelief! Liefs Pascale
BeantwoordenVerwijderenJa het is inderdaad erg nat...en het was net zo lekker opgedroogd...mooie kleur helleborus heb je, nog een paar keer een zonnetje en hij komt open....
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOh dear that does look so muddy at least you didn't fall over! Maybe next year your will choose an easier task! Sarah x
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOh sweet friend! Good afternoon (good evening chez toi!) - I just saw your comment at my blog where I still believe there is an open door of friendship! I too believe we would need more than one tea time: several in the spring, many in the summer and most definitely many in the cooler months!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMy husband and I both are enjoying such a delicious day of reading in the older part of the house up front, where the sun has been streaming in so beautifully. All I need in this room today is a fresh bouquet of roses. But we are reading more and more which is inspiring my writing. I feel so liberated!
I am not gone. I am not finished with my writing, and I will always come here to visit the quiet our your day. Much love, Anita
Absolutely gorgeous and how lovely to have a little gardening community to be a part of (serious envy right here) I can't wait to see the garden growing very soon, you always do such a great job and it always looks beautiful :) x x x x
BeantwoordenVerwijderenSo nice to see the spring flowers. Love your photos.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHugs from here
I admire you working so hard in the garden allotment while having bad weather and moist soil! I am rather a sunny day worker :). Even in winter your allotment looks so nice and proper and tidy!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHave a nice week, Madelief!
Barbara
Heerlijke Hollandse klei en foto's XX Esther
BeantwoordenVerwijderenYes, it's getting to the time of year when the garden needs attention. Your hard work merits a tea break, or two or three. Beautiful snowdrops. I'm glad they grow in your neighbour's garden so you can share them with us.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenGood for you to volunteer to do all that muddy work! We could use you and your daughter here on our 5 acre farm in Oregon! Our snowdrops are nearly done and don't look so good right now. Next up will be our Trilliums. Our Star Magnolia is blooming now, too! Our Daphne is still going strong and our daffodils are in bloom. I have your blog on my blog list so I don't miss one of your posts. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
BeantwoordenVerwijderenYour muddy affair is just lovely and now we are heading for springtime Madelief! We have had some lovely days here on the island...
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWarm hug,
Titti
It is a rare gift to be able to make mud look so beautiful! My goodness, you are amazing!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenStephanie
ps I have snowdrop envy too!
Wat een heerlijk verhaal Madelief. Vandaag was het weer een stuk beter, ik ben ook lekker aan het ruimen geweest in de tuin. De bak is vol dus over een paar dagen de rest. En wat leuk om het samen met je dochter te doen, Eva is met geen 7 paarden de tuin in te krijgen behalve op een stoel in de zon:) En dan lekker nagenieten met een mooi kopje thee, wat een tegenstelling met de modderlaarzen!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMooie week weer, lieve groetjes
Dear Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenGardening and cups of tea - a perfect combination. Those snowdrops are lovely. I'm like you and never have much luck growing them. Here it is high summer and so no wellington boots for us which is good because ours are sitting in a container on the docks waiting to be inspected!
Bye for now,
Kirk x
Hello Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenA mucky day can be just as much fun when you are properly attired as you and your daughter are. I love your garden house and the whole romance of it all. Do you have electricity in the house and can you sleep here if you wish. It is the perfect escape from your beautiful city home
Helen xx
Dearest Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOh my; Escher might have been laughing too but at least you got them in and that matters! Having a hot tea afterwards and laughing all together heartily is also very good!
It was very muddy indeed; obviously the wrong day for planting...
Hugs,
Mariette
Darling Madelief and Annebelle,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHow well we can imagine the two of you up to your necks in mud and giggling like small children. How you managed to get any work done at all is quite beyond us but, at least, you did not fall into the mud!
And, what bliss to have been revived by a cup of hot tea in your delightful summer house, gazing out into your garden which, we are sure, has many signs of Spring just waiting to happen. There is so much to see in everyone's gardens in the allotment complex. Each has its own individual style. Your neighbour's Snowdrops are very pretty, such brave little flowers. Just like you and Annebelle in the mud!
Hi Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI love Annebelle's boots! Lol I can almost smell the earth through your post. We haven't had our usual snow this winter and are feeling very blessed but as I write this, I am listening to the weather forecast which calls for a storm on Wednesday. It rained all night here and currently the temperature is just a little on the plus side which is melting much of the snow we have had. It is so nice to see you working in the garden. Your spring is really so much earlier than ours. The conifers are almost a limey green, beautiful!
I mentioned you in my recent post! I think you will be surprised by some of the photos...
Wishing you a lovely new week,
Linda at Beautiful Ideas
how I love Annabelle's boots, too! The snowdrops are lovely - I forgot to plant any in my own garden, but am enjoying them in the local woods.
BeantwoordenVerwijderencourageux de faire du jardinage par ce temps
BeantwoordenVerwijderenles pieds devaient être lourd à soulever
je ne connaisais pas se genre de bottes , faciles à mettre et à enlever
mais les travaux printanniers sont commencés
bonne semaine
tendresse
edith (iris) France
Dit is altijd een bijzondere tijd, waarin je tijd maakt voor de nog spaarzame mooie dagen, rommelen in de aarde, wat blad weghalen, opruimen enzovoort. je tovert de bolletjes tevoorschijn, een hoopvol gebaar voor een prachtig tuinjaar. Mooi
BeantwoordenVerwijderenPauline
Madelief, that must have been a treat to work with your daughter. It's so nice to nice to see all the hints of spring in your pictures!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDear Madelief, you and your daughter have made a grand contribution to the allotment! I appreciated seeing evidence that real work is definitely a part of creating a beautiful place to be enjoyed by all who view it. Like you all, I often find myself giggling when working with other folks on some sort of task that's not truly very pleasant. I think it's the shared sudden awareness of the situation, and just realizing that you just have to get on with it.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIt's encouraging to see that mud...means that your part of our earth is not completely frozen! Chill continues over here. xo
Dear Madelief, you are a brave one, getting out in the gardens and doing such a lot of work. I haven't been out much in my courtyard garden, my bulbs are coming through but no flowers yet, and I have one single snow drop even though I planted so many last year! My neighbour's rabbit somehow got through our fence and started eating my daffodil plants so hopefully I will still have something to flower in spring!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenSamen in de tuin werken, wat is er leuker? Lekker kletsen en genieten van alles. En na afloop bijkomen in je beeldige tuinhuis. Gouden momenten toch?
BeantwoordenVerwijderenLieve groet,
Hermine
Oh Madelief, wat zal dat heerlijk geweest zijn om daar zo met je dochter samen te werken. Gelukkig was het goed weer om er zo bezig te zijn. En een heel mooie, lastige klus geklaard.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenWat ziet je tuin er trouwens goed uit zeg, het is nu al heel uitnodigend, en dan is het nog maar februari... Ik kijk al heel erg uit naar de lente en de zomer, ben nu al heel benieuwd naar hoe mooi het dan bij je zal zijn...
Ja, ik zou ook jaloers zijn op die sneeuwklokjes. Ik heb er hier een aantal in het voortuintje staan, maar omdat we die bijna niet kunnen zien heb ik er een aantal van in een vaasje op tafel gezet. Kan ik er binnen tenminste ook van genieten...
Fijne avond,
liefs,
Mirjam
Hi hi wat een heerlijke modderige klus! Leuk om zo samen met je dochter te doen. Ik heb weer genoten van je foto's! Vooral ook die met jullie modderige laarzen :).
BeantwoordenVerwijderenFijne week! Groetjes van Aleta
Liefs van mij...x!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDear Madelief, I just love your pictures, they really make you feel as if you are there ... experiencing the colours and atmosphere ... my garden is a very sorry sight at the moment, and knee deep in mud! xxx
BeantwoordenVerwijderenIt's a day brightener to see your garden posts dear Madelief---muddy or not, they are always full of rich beautiful color. It's no fun working in the mud, but when you have a chance to get muddy with a daughter, I'm sure it's way more fun than alone.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI can hardly believe you have snowdrops already...although I did see a little tiny bit of green where mine come up :)
Your photos are so, so lovely!
hugs...
This kind of mud is one of the pleasures of the garden. I love it! I love your photos and your wonderful garden throughout the year.Oh lala beautiful snowdrops!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenThank you Madelief,
Hugs
Nath x
Lovely spring garden pictures, and how nice to get out there working with your sweet daughter...in spite of all the mud!! The snowdrop pictures are beautiful, I do love those little flowers and how they pop up both individually and in huge drifts too. Wishing you a happy sunny week, Madelief!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenHelen xox
Dear Madelief,
BeantwoordenVerwijderenLooks like you and your daughter had a fun day, in spite of the mud and love the boots and coats. I enjoyed seeing your gorgeous photos - from the snowdrops to the windmill, everything looks wonderful.
Hope you are having a lovely week
hugs
Carolyn
A day in the garden, muddy boots and all, with your daughter, is a day well spent. How nice you planted the conifers even if your plan turned out to be unruly.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI`m looking forward for my first day in the garden this year!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMarkus
Madelief...there is no joy like spending time with our children! The day spent working and laughing with your dear Annebelle is one to treasure. I have snowdrop envy, too... I always intend to look for bulbs, but forget until they are in bloom! I live vicariously through my Blogland friends who have snowdrop access! Can't wait until your beautiful allotment comes to life! Smiles...Susan
BeantwoordenVerwijderenPS... What is "knotting willows?"
Hi Susan,
VerwijderenThank you for your kind comment. When you knot willows you cut the branches out of a willow tree. With knotted willow trees this job has to be done every three years. If you 'Google' the words you will find several photo's, so that you can see how a knotted tree looks like.
It looks like you and your daughter had a lovely day. I can't wait to garden with my daughter, though I'll have to wait a while as she's only 5 months :-)
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOh goodness, very muddy indeed. I can't wait to get into the garden again.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI would have snowdrop envy also. I love them, but so far haven't had success. We are trying one more time. I have garden envy when I see your beautiful garden and shed, plus having tea there. What a lovely oasis.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenYes, mud glorious mud!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenMaybe your snowdrops are being eaten by snails or dug up by squirrels.
They also need a bit of shade.
Have a lovely weekend!
xoxo Ingrid
Hello dearest mucky pup; o)),
BeantwoordenVerwijderenthat looks really like a very dirty story - but I still think it is easier to put plants in muddy soil than in dry. (Both tried - no comparison!) Also, if spring-feeling isn't yet soooo intensive: it's on the way! Some flowers here and there are blooming and makes us smile! :o))
Have a happy start into the March!
Lots of hugs and best wishes to your busy daughter!
Traude
✿✿✿
Niets is fijner dan ongegeneerd in de modder spelen lieve Madelief!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenxx
How wonderful to see the gardens emerging from their winter slumbers. Even if rather muddily.
BeantwoordenVerwijderen