Day 6 of the 100 day project
Ok, now it is time to actually do something myself instead of getting other people to do things! I am still coughing and bunged up but I persuade myself that doing something outside, however small, will make me feel better. I like being outside and I wonder if this long, cold, dark and miserable winter has left me short of vitamin D. First of all I cut back the other artemisia, meaning that this job can come off my list. If I stick to my resolution only to have five things on a list that means something else can go on. Time taken, about ten minutes. This leaves a few minutes for admiring this hellebore being blown about in the wind and the weak sun.
Then I decide that the big task of the day (and by big I mean little) will be to dig out some dandelions from the side garden. And this is the beauty of the 100dayproject for me. I have decided that doing one thing counts, so, despite the fact that digging six dandelions and four creeping buttercups out of the bed simply reveals to me how much work there is to be done there in terms of splitting plants and moving them and making decisions about plants which have grown into each other and what that has self seeded can survive and what must come out, I am not supposed to do any of that. I am supposed to do my one thing and I have:
Not the most inspiring of photographs perhaps but this is a space where there was a dandelion and two buttercups and now there isn't. There may be a decision to be made about what is growing in amongst the pulmonaria but that is not today's job. Job done. Tick. Time taken: another ten minutes. Finished.
Am I alone in finding that the sheer scale of what is to be done, whether in the garden or elsewhere, can sometimes mean that I do nothing at all? Looking at one thing leads to looking at another and in no time at all I am drowning in the rising tide of things undone. But the doing of one small thing comes with its own satisfaction.
And I have done six days! The weekend might be a bit tricky. Need to find another tiny thing for the morning.
And this is for Pat whose roots are Wales and Ireland. This is one of the views from our garden up towards the Iron Age hillfort of Moel Arthur, the domed hill you can see on the skyline.
Then I decide that the big task of the day (and by big I mean little) will be to dig out some dandelions from the side garden. And this is the beauty of the 100dayproject for me. I have decided that doing one thing counts, so, despite the fact that digging six dandelions and four creeping buttercups out of the bed simply reveals to me how much work there is to be done there in terms of splitting plants and moving them and making decisions about plants which have grown into each other and what that has self seeded can survive and what must come out, I am not supposed to do any of that. I am supposed to do my one thing and I have:
Not the most inspiring of photographs perhaps but this is a space where there was a dandelion and two buttercups and now there isn't. There may be a decision to be made about what is growing in amongst the pulmonaria but that is not today's job. Job done. Tick. Time taken: another ten minutes. Finished.
Am I alone in finding that the sheer scale of what is to be done, whether in the garden or elsewhere, can sometimes mean that I do nothing at all? Looking at one thing leads to looking at another and in no time at all I am drowning in the rising tide of things undone. But the doing of one small thing comes with its own satisfaction.
And I have done six days! The weekend might be a bit tricky. Need to find another tiny thing for the morning.
And this is for Pat whose roots are Wales and Ireland. This is one of the views from our garden up towards the Iron Age hillfort of Moel Arthur, the domed hill you can see on the skyline.
You caught my interest talking about your dead looking scented geraniums as mine look the same. I also had decided to work more in the garden in short bursts rather than getting exhausted and dispirited trying to complete a whole bed at once.
ReplyDeleteI live in Cornwall and we have had a LOT of rain this winter so the garden is soggy which doesn't help. I might join you in completeing a small task everyday.
So you have inspired me and have to keep it up now:))
JennyC
I am surprised and delighted to hear that you feel inspired! I do think it is a great way of getting back in touch with gardening. I will have to keep it up now! And good luck with your own small steps.
DeleteHi, I'm finding your 100 day project really interesting and I'm very impressed! You are not alone in finding the sheer scale of tasks can be overwhelming. A large garden was absolutely what I wanted and I love it, but like you I often wander outside, look around a lot and don't know where to start! I too have a list - but unlike yours it gets longer. I feel galvanised by reading your 6 days so far and I'm going to try the following - every time I go out I will weed for 15 minutes irrespective of whatever else I plan to do and little by little I'm also going to tackle the ivy that is rampaging across the borders. Like Jenny above you have inspired me and I too hope to keep it up.
ReplyDeleteI will be really interested to hear how you get on Sue. Tiny bites of the elephant..
DeleteOur weather has turned autumn, my pots of bulbs are sprouting happily.
ReplyDeleteI will forget about blogging and follow advice found on a blog years ago - pick a small area and work there, so you can see a difference.
Today - moved the lemon verbena to sun. Moved two enthusiastic Hypoestes volunteers from the potted rose to the lemon tree. And breathe. Pruned the sprawling legs of Plectranthus madagascariensis, harvested the good tips and planted a border.
Tomorrow bleah a seething jungle of ivy!!
That sounds like an achievement on a much grander scale Diana! I think what I am doing is a version of the idea of working in a small area but focussing on the fact that doing something every day makes your garden feel lived in and loved.
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