(the misadventures of an expatriate corporate dropout)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

frisson de printemps...


got a little spring itch yesterday...it was a sunny day...clear and crisp...

first time this year I hung out some sheets in the sunshine...

pulled on my boots and determined to do some digging in the garden. turned up 3 flower beds. repruned the roses and pulled up the dahlia tubers. gathered up all the old capucine (nasturtium) leftovers and rearranged stone borders. Cut back all the dead fern.

Jean-Yves arrived and puttered along with me. He pruned the peach and pear trees a bit. My fruit trees are old and need nursing. The trunks and branches have all sorts of stuff that need to be removed (mosses, funghi)...these have weakened the wood and rotted some branches. It of course affects the fruit yield and quality. Being JY, he thinks I should remove them. Being me, I am trying to shape them up a bit. So yesterday I also scraped moss by hand and dug around their bases a bit. Worried that it is still going to be very cold, I didn't do too much to disturb them.

While out there, I also some some lettuce appearing. How optimistic are these young sprouts? Just a week ago we had snow ... all week we've had heavy frost, and yet the radicchio soldiers on!!

When JY was here, he saw the dahlia tubers laying exposed and tut-tutted that I better put those back (he knows me and how easily distracted I am).

Well, thankfully I did separate them and replant. This morning when I arose, the garden was blanketed in a heavy white frost. those little babies would never have made it.

I also did a bit of a clean-up. All winter, we've done this and that little brico project and the remains were piled in my small courtyard. Along with bottles and empty heating oil containers and other bits and bobs. I got the heavy duty trash bags out and bagged up a dozen big ones for the dechetterie. We have a major trip to do!

I snagged the laundry back just as the light was fading ... buried my nose in that unmatchable scent of sunwarmed cotton and got a miniscule spring fix ... we've a ways to go so it will have to last.

4 comments:

softinthehead said...

Kim that sounds like a wonderful day, don't you just love them, gorgeous weather, washing hanging out to dry and the sense of virtuousness after doing some chores! You just described my idea of a perfect day. Roll on spring....it seems a long way away here in Canada!

Maureen said...

I.am.envious! Sheets fresh from the clothesline! Nothing compares.

Kathleen said...

we're having this amazing El Nino here in Oregon this winter... day after day of blue sky and bright sunshine...here it is 2/9 and the temp outside is 54 degrees! I'll be hanging laundry out in Lyle this weekend. Love it... when are you coming?

Non Je Ne Regrette Rien said...

sith~ for some reason, I'm really feeling the sense of rebirth in the seasons. Perhaps because I've experienced so much more from each season this past year...what with my potager and then resting here all winter and braving the cold and short days and silence. spring (although just a flirtation presently) is lovely.

maureen~yes I actually pity all those folks who scoff or worse yet, protest, when clotheslines are present!

kathleen~believe it or not, we are back to ruminating about a trip there...(just yesterday, JY asked me to look into the price and how I would feel if we made the trip...)no decisions until the week-end though. sigh.