Thursday, July 08, 2010

Thursday 8 July

~ Out last night, so a  little grouchy and hungover first thing, but then the very young temporary posty stops at the gate and takes a slim Amazon package from the back of the van.  White Egrets, already, that was quick.  Anticipation sweetens the morning; I put it aside but go about my tasks with fresh energy and the thought of an afternoon's reading in the garden ahead.  Suddenly, so many things seem rich with possibility: the cluster of reddening cherry tomatoes on the plant by the front wall, the brown thrush which flutters out of the bank behind me and flies off into the oaks, then its tentative song from the trees, even my old dirty white plimsolls wedged into the window frame to keep it open for the paint to dry, or the sensual and and satisfying accuracy of the expression 'a lick of paint'...

~  Later, I weed the pond, pulling out many of the waterlily leaves smothering the surface, and some of the floating oxygenating weed too.  The water level is parlously low, it is warm and smells rank and oozy, and the slabs around it are almost unbearably hot to hands and knees.  I put the hose into it and top it up, an extravagance, but the goldfish, pink-veined white, scarlet and truly gold, come to the surface to thank me, gulping at the air with O-shaped mouths.

~  I didn't pull out any flowering water-lilies,


they are, I think the most shameless vain tarts of flowers, hardly ever take a bad picture.  It must be because they live permanently with their own reflections that they think so well of themselves.  I keep meaning to go into the park in St Brieuc with the camera, where I've noticed they have lemon yellow ones.

7 comments:

Bee said...

Amazing picture, Lucy.

I'm so glad that you topped up the poor little fishes water. I've been very bad about water lately. I'm going to continue watering my garden until they pass a hosepipe ban. (BTW, I actually drove through an isolated shower on my way to Hampshire this morning. I wished for a water butt on the roof of my car.)

I can't help but wonder what you were drinking that gave you a hangover . . .

The Crow said...

You take some of the best photos I've ever seen, Lucy, and this is another one.

Rouchswalwe said...

A book in the mail! This is a fine thing indeed. Many years ago, I ordered a used volume of poetry. Then the waiting, the anticipation, the opening of the mailbox wondering each time, "will it be inside today?" Then one day, there it was! And the most wonderful thing was that the seller had wrapped it in brown paper, tied it with waxed string and addressed the parcel by hand in ink (with a fountain pen no doubt).

Lucy said...

Thanks.

Bee - yes the poor old garden's looking very dry and sad, more like late August than early July. I hadn't been drinking that much: a couple of rosé spritzers, a largish glass of something white, and another small rosé when I got home. As much as anything eating a bit more and more richly than usual in the evening, sitting in the sun, and also what I tend to think of as an 'introvert's hangover', just feeling tired and low and a bit lousy from exposure to other people's company, which I know sounds very precious and pathetic and unappreciative of friendship, which last thing at least heaven knows I'm not. Usually it's easily fixed anyway.

Crow - lovely to see you. Like I say, you can't really go wrong with those things!

Smoky Swallow - That sounds heavenly, I don't think I'd have wanted to unwrap it. I enjoyed reading this book, but perhaps not quite as much as I enjoyed looking forward to reading it...

Nimble said...

Goldfish and waterlilies are both extravagant in their ways. Thank you for that glimpse of your pond.

Dale said...

Oh, that's gorgeous, tart or not :-)

D. Jean Quarles said...

Incredibly lovely flower. Beautiful!!!!!