Dumping All the Rubbish

Kitty always brings the barn owl with her: invariably on our evening walk we spot it quartering the field behind Sarah's house, and at one point it flew straight at us, its little creamy face focussed and keen. She grabbed my arm in delight, and made me stand still while we watched its aerial peregrinations. Luckily for me she always brings flowers too, and her gift this time was a lush creation from an award-winning florist, flowers hand-picked by herself. Before she arrived I took a load of garden rubbish to the council tip, including the rocks and stones unearthed by the pond diggers. A few houses ago this used to be our near-weekly sport, heaving mountain of weeds and clippings to our local depot, and feeling that wonderful sense of satisfaction as we left it behind, another clean slate. For a good few years now the gardens have been huge, and everything disappeared on the bonfire regardless of the size of the heap. I can still have fires here, but it was good to clear out the unwanted debris. But I'd forgotten how busy these places get, especially on a Saturday, and especially too as this one 10 miles from me is the only free one remaining. Stressful isn't the word, as you wait in a queue for a slot, and then lug your bags to the right container, hoping one of the attendants won't spot that some of the contents should have been deposited elsewhere. But the feeling of "good riddance" was as fresh as ever as I drove away, much lighter.

The pond has been filled with water and I'm awaiting the return of Sarah tomorrow who will finish off the edges, and maybe do the planting too. I dreamt last night that she had come while I was out, and the whole pond had been covered with earth and planted with hidden marginals. The trees behind it were festooned with plants that apparently rooted into the branches and then hung low over the pond. "Gosh," I thought, "isn't that marvellous, how tidy it all is," before clocking that actually there was no visible water.

The swathe cut around the field

I must stop having these anxiety dreams. All will be well and all will be well. All is well.