What jobs have you NOT done in the garden today

I was looking at the other thread and reading all the woderful members are doing on a sunny day in the garden.

Well the first Sunday in ages this is me

1. Had large greasy breakfast
2. Large mug of tea
3. Watched the tv
4. Had lunch
5. Large glass of wine then a cider to finish

What havent you not done today

Spruce

 

Had a rest ! .... been busy all day.

 

The ironing pile just gets bigger...but there's so much to do outside and the sun is shining and the birds are singing, so found some weeding and convinced myself that was more important.

 

Haha, the jobs I have not done today are:-

1. Had a bacon sarnie to shake off Sunday hangover.
2. Walked round the garden and considered weeding it.
3. Went to see my mum and talked to her about weeding the garden.
4. Made a lovely pasta for tea.... (and thought about weeding the garden).
5. Now sat with a beer (considering weeding the garden after work in the week sometime).

I love lazy Sundays

 

Good for you Spruce!! Sometimes ya gotta be a lazy booger!!

 

Layed 5 slabs !! I should have done it but ive never layed anything slightly up hill and was worried about doing it

 

Start at the bottom and see how it goes.
I know...I know....I really need to grow up.

Jobs I didn't get round to today......

Changing the soil in the greenhouse
Clearing moss and weeds from the block paving
Washing the car
Turning the compost heap

Did get a bit of weeding done though.

 

Didn't prick out the Daliahs,pot on the fushias,sow my pumpkins,muck spread....
Had a couple of whiskeys and a curry instead....

 

Haven't chopped back my monster climbing jasmine. It's right old mess. But it was cold today. And showery. Also, there may be birds nesting in it. Perhaps I should leave it until the summer, by which time it'll be in bloom and I won't want to cut the flowers off. Next autumn, then.

 

Tell me about it. I have been putting serious hours into the garden for way to long now. Working a full day, then carrying on at home in the garden until 8.30pm plus. Weekends have been 7.30am - till dark and I've now got to the stage that I've had enough and I'm well and truly past even being knackered. I relented yesterday evening and went to bed at 7.00pm as it has now got to me and I came very close to walking away from it all. The trouble is I just can't sit idle and stay indoors, my brain can't handle it. Something needs to change, but the more that I do the more that needs doing, and I'm seeing less and less of an end to it all. The fun went out of gardening a long time ago.

 

You're right Eddie something does need to change. Come and talk to us in the evenings at least you'll be physically resting if not mentally.

 

You need to rest that brain mate.
I went through something similier last year. Things need to be done, you do them, that leads to more and more and before you know it, your thinking about what needs to be done 6 months down the line. It made me ill. The body got aches, pains, tremors, upset tum etc. I even went to see someone.
If gardening is your hobby, then you musnt let it become part of the problem. I found yoga and other mental calming techniques helped.

Chin up mate

G

 

What needs to change Eddie is your expectations of what you can reasonably achieve within the time you can spend enjoying your gardening. There's always another job that in theory needs to be done now but in reality it doesn't really matter all that much. We all (or most of us) would like perfection but unless one is a full-time gardener with no other committments, perfection is an aim we strive for but will never achieve.
I know how you feel, I can't stay idle indoors and am outside most of the day and hate it when the weather is so bad that I can't get out. We tend to set our self-expectations far too high and don't always appreciate what we have achieved due to over-focus on what we've not managed to achieve.

Alys Fowler in her book "The Thrifty Gardener" says "...it's the process, not the sudden transformation that matters. When you build a little, plant a little... and more importantly, don't try to do it all at once, nature works with you."

 

I didn't do much work on cementing my pathway.
I didn't prick out all those phygelius cuttings.
I didn't dig out any wretched celandines.

However, I cleaned two carpets and a rug with a Rug Doctor machine, then went to a tea dance, so I'm quite happy.