As I pulled up weeds in our budding lawn this morning, I was struck with such a feeling of contentment. There is so much to do out there in that garden of ours, but that's the thing - it's ours. It nearly broke my heart to leave my last proper garden behind. It wasn't much - only a couple of garden beds at the back of the 31st house, but ones that Joe and I had made together. We'd taken cuttings up from mum's place, plus I had a couple of special irises I'd dug up at the 30th house. I'd also planted russel lupins, zinnias, nasturtiums and stock, amongst others. I walked away from that garden thinking I could always come back to retrieve what I wanted, but things have changed since then and I have just said goodbye to that space.
Here, now, in the first outdoor space of our own, I feel giddy bubbles of excitement. It seems fitting that we are establishing our own house and garden at the same time as I feel we're starting to come in to our own. I am now over 20 years out of school and finally feeling I am exactly where I want to be. I'm not looking back wistfully at previous years or racing towards the future. The only place I wanted to get to was here - being in my own house with my own family. Of course there are a couple of other aspirations I have, but I feel I'm now in the right place to achieve them.
Which is where the title of this post comes in...
you will not get anywhere unless you plant some seeds
just relying on growth from grass already in the soil is not enough - you need to sow some seeds yourself - make your own luck
there will be weeds - sometimes you need to sacrifice a small amount of growth to get rid of them
don't be scared to get rid of weeds just because there is new growth nearby - the grass (ie the good stuff) has stronger roots and will survive the removal of unwanted weeds
water regularly and feed well
need I say more?!
when it reaches the right height, mow gently to allow the lawn to thicken
don't aim for continued and sustained growth - sometimes you need to let life and ideas develop more intensity rather than moving forward too fast
top dress annually and try to keep it level
as with the above point, reassess life annually and give attention where needed
be on the look out for dead patches
if it's not working, don't be afraid to start again!
There you go! Something to ponder as you go about your day - it's certainly given me food for thought!
I love this philosophy and it is so true. Maybe print it out and hang it up as a reminder for those weedy patches. Love Mrs A
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good idea!
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