Yellow and Cacti Flowers

My house is a mess!

The building work continues and the men clean up after themselves, but the house feels dusty and messy and a bit Work in Progress.

So I've turned my back temporarily on the house and am giving all my focus to the garden.

This past week I've been painting wood panels in the pergola and sprucing up all the wooden and metal garden furniture.  Hence my rather embarrassing number of visits to B&Q for paint, the insatiable old furniture is drinking up any paint I splodge on it.

Dress code for painting garden furniture?  V. old and battered jeans and a long sleeved t shirt.   And even fully covered up, I've managed to have paint  seep through both garments on to the skin underneath!  Messy, huh?

So it was with arms outstretched that I greeted the entry in my diary on Thursday, which simply said "night out with the girls".

It was so nice to shower after that day's work (painting garden table and chairs), slap on some slap, and throw on a pretty frock.

Isn't it wonderful how just throwing on a simple dress can change your day.  Your mood.  From garden toiler to summertime fun seeker?!!!

Next floral linen dress, 2-3 years old.  Doesn't yellow make you feel so fresh in summer?

Our rendezvous was the Rockie, which I've featured many times before so I won't bore you with the internal and external shots and pics of my yummy food, for you have far better things to do with your time on a beautiful day.  The evening was sunny and hot.  We had fun,  eating tapas by open doors overlooking the sea, drinking a crisp, beautifully chilled Sauvignon Blanc and chatting.  Boy can we chat when we catch up!

It was such a lovely feel, that feel somehow being "human" again in dress, comfy shoes, doing something for a few hours that didn't involve a dust sheet and paint pots!

And they call this retirement?!!

Yes, I'm spending much time out of the house and in the garden.  Which is fine when the sun is shining.

 Recently I had a "duh" moment, which is rather embarrassing for someone who thrives on analysis, process, ergonomics, time and motion ...

I moved closer to the garden hose all potted plants that require daily watering, like tomatoes and peppers, that sort of stuff.  And I moved all plants which require infrequent watering the fartherest away from the garden hose's limits.

It has made watering so much easier.  Why oh why did I not think to do this years ago?!

Not only is my daily watering routine so much easier, but the plants seem to love their new spots.

The cacti are loving banishment into the wilderness, shoved in an afterthought sort of corner of the garden.

They all seem to be flowering.  For the first time!

This cactus got eaten by some creature last year.  As you know, I don't give up on most things, including plants.  So although it looked awful, I felt it was alive and deserved a place in the garden.

A few days ago I noticed a weird growth coming from it.  Next day, a beautiful white flower appeared!

So proud of my desert survivors!

By mid afternoon today, I splodged on my last bit of paint on our garden furniture for this summer.  I finished my last brushstroke on the metal table and chair and walked away from the garden.

I ceremoniously tore off my battered jeans and t shirt, threw them on a heap in the utility room and walked away, and suggested that the equally hard working Photographer do the same when he'd finished his last steamer chair.  It felt good.

So good, that I'm off to celebrate with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  Sitting out on the patio.  Admiring all my freshly painted garden furniture.

I hope you're enjoying a lovely Saturday.  Maybe enjoying looking on some of your efforts in the garden.   Maybe enjoying a glass of wine or bubbly.

Wishing you a happy rest of weekend.

Cheers!

A la perchoine.