Mastodawn

Sara Hjelm Jun 3, 2023

Thought I’d share at least something on here … this beauty in full bloom
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Sara Hjelm Jun 5, 2023

It’s 16 days until the summer solstice June 21 as the sun is setting behind my neighbors’ house
Started the afternoon on the patio before it got too hot. Then spent several hours trying to get rid of the falling sallow pods & so far I have half a sack
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Sara Hjelm Jun 5, 2023

And they are still falling…
I planned to use the tabletop I set up for some painting, but there is no way.
Swept this morning it’s already full of both pollen and pods. I’ll use it for cutting up firewood instead
At least the corner by the garage is cleared
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Sara Hjelm Jun 5, 2023

At 5 pm I went shopping - manure for rhododendrons & blueberries, plus some bedding plants, a bright orange begonia …
I’ll unpack tomorrow. They are still in the car
It’s time to call it a day
At 9 pm it’s still very warm & the honeysuckle smells fantastic
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Sara Hjelm Jun 6, 2023

As yesterday nothing went as planned… I try to multitask… very stupid!
8.30 pm, June 6 & 14 days, 18 hrs until the summer solstice… One of the girls next house is playing the national anthem accompanied by their dog …
At least some perennials were planted.
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It’s more or less exactly 14 days until the summer solstice & on the patio it’s +25° on the shade
I will not repeat yesterday’s mistakes- no cooking/gardering today, only grass mowing the shady part of the garden, cleaning up the small patio by the hammock
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Spent the morning getting rid of bad conscience - by vacuuming & putting boiled chicken & the fresh witch I had received at 8 am yesterday in the freezer
I’ve really longed for whole fish & by the description it would be quite some size, 500 g, so ordered 2…
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I thought 1 for dinner & 1 in filets for the freezer…
What I got was 1 kg of some of the tiniest specimens I’ve seen - 9 all together. I know how to rid fish of bones, but simply don’t have knives good enough for that size
All day they nagged on my mind
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Now, time for that grass!
Nice, cool & shady down there & also the reason that place for the hammock was originally built. A resort on hot days…
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Grass is mowed, first a dinner break before the cleaning:
This what I call perfect non cooking on a warm day.
Scrubbing fresh potatoes
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Quarter to 10 pm & it’s been a very hot day. Coming week will be even warmer.
It’s 12 days 17 hrs until the summer solstice & there is no rain in sight…
I’m listening to the blackbird on the patio
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The hammock patio is usable, only need to scrape the tiles from moss
From the back of the garden the house with surrounding flowerbeds looks lovely, but if you get nearer there are multiple messes…
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Spent most of the time today looking for my best secateurs - completely gone
I then put the last bedding plants so far in pots, made sure all pots had saucers…

The squirrel is digging holes in my spinach- he’s also mislaid something…
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Two kinds of perennials left to plant - 2 bright red double hollyhocks & 2 red heleniums. At least some color late summer.
Right now it’s full of sensations every day
(I bet the minute I buy a new pair of secateurs they will appear, bright orange too, strange)
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Cat Alice is waiting for me to go to bed, guarding my current read (great anthology @asaplsnr & @Skolinkvisition, such a good read❣️)

I’d better finish off this day…

Sara Hjelm Jun 9, 2023

Another beautiful day …
Now at noon it’s 12 days, 3 hrs until the summer solstice & I’ve managed to book an optician time not in central Gothenburg, had coffee, prepared dinner (broth & croutons for gazpacho, what else in this weather?) & considered my day…
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Sara Hjelm Jun 9, 2023

Plan is:
-Move rest of debris on the patio & beside the garage while still cool
-Sit in the shade & assemble benches after mid afternoon

I get out & find the squirrel in that pot of tiny spinach sprouts again, so I start by covering both pots temporarily
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Sara Hjelm Jun 10, 2023

It’s 10 days, 20 hrs until the summer solstice June 21.
At 4.30 it was time for a short siesta, but I spent 3 hrs before that finishing the 4 benches & only lost one screw👍🏻
Yesterday went according to plan. The patio is swept & not a workshop anymore …
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Sara Hjelm Jun 10, 2023

And of course I found the secateurs first thing yesterday - right where they should be.
Next will be giving the benches some color
Getting rid of debris by the garage was impossible before last sallow pods had fallen. The grass & gravel is covered
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Sara Hjelm Jun 10, 2023

I will get help, Wednesday morning. My leaf blower is not strong enough to clear the gravel…
Tomorrow is painting, in the morning!
And tonight I’ll water. Right now it’s too hot

Some things grow anyway, bean trees or sunchokes (true success that one)
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Sara Hjelm Jun 11, 2023

It’s getting late… half past 9 pm as these were taken & it’s 9 days 17 hrs until the summer solstice…

It’s been a very lazy Sunday.. my website was curated already last night.

Sara Hjelm Jun 11, 2023

I was up briefly for a glass of water at 3.30, just before sunrise & that red sky looked like change of weather, but no.
I filled the bird feeders after the woodpecker had complained. Then spent the morning reading, watching the crow birds fight
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Sara Hjelm Jun 11, 2023

Before dinner I watered plants & trees again, considered getting a sack of manure to spread & weed the nearest flowerbed now that all spring bulb leaves have withered, but I gave up

Right now it’s very still. Blackbirds sing & the honeysuckle smells heavenly
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Sara Hjelm Jun 12, 2023

It’s late, 20 min to 11 pm, but still not dark…
With 8 days, 17 hrs until the summer solstice this is what evenings look like & it’s still +15°
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Sara Hjelm Jun 12, 2023

I’ve spent most of the day with cat Alice. She’s been badly neglected lately. After breakfast we spent a few hrs exploring all corners of the garden, enjoying the morning sunshine & she had one of the stupid squirrels just a couple of meters away at one point
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Sara Hjelm Jun 12, 2023

After all that excitement it was finally too hot, so I spent a couple of hrs reading in bed, her favorite thing for me to do.
With her sound asleep I went shopping console screws for the garage…
Ended with watering & put away all cardboard from the beaches
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Sara Hjelm Jun 13, 2023

Today has been so hot it’s hard to do anything at all. Indoors or outdoors
When this photo was taken at 5 pm it was still +27° in the shade
It’s 7 days until the summer solstice & the time from sunset to sunrise is only 6 hrs - light, warm & hard to sleep…
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When it’s 6 days until the summer solstice we look forward to even warmer weather the coming week.. At 7.30 pm it was still +27° & for once cloudy
But this morning , from 9 to 1.30 was really busy. Almost all on my todo-list was accomplished
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My day started at 8, trying to find the rhododendron manure in preparation for the day (it was still in the car, stupid me)
Then, at 9 , all sallow pods were blown away. Very clean gravel at last
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Next was weeding along the fence behind the logs & in the process digging up the deceased star jasmines, collecting mould affected leaves from the small rhododendron bushes & giving each some dl manure, putting down cardboard & mulched branches as a finish

Very neat result
After that the sprinkler was finally on for at least 2 hrs…
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The meadow other side of the road will be cleared right after midsummer. To protect the 2 small trees moved there 2 years ago area around was cut. Very happy little ash, it’s doing very well

Also this area around the 2 new sloes & replanted rose was cleaned
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In the corner of the garden beach branches were cut to give that poor chestnut a chance (I’ve recently learned beaches have 2 periods of growth)
New alien root shots from the plum tree were cut off under the read rhododendron & the fallen birdhouse nailed up
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The pile of firewood from last year was cut in 30 cm pieces… & all those branches will give mulched material for other flowerbeds
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At 1.30 it was getting VERY hot. Ended the day discussing my plans for the console shelves in the garage, screwing sturdy 50 cm boards to the consoles & put lose thinner boards on top + my plan to use pieces of the huge pallet
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We agreed on a win win exchange, (“very nice pallet, really a pity…) So the pallet went home with him in exchange for pieces of scaffold boards that he has at home & which will be cut to size…

I must say that was well used 4,5 hrs. Very pleased 😊
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Sara Hjelm Jun 15, 2023

It’s 5 days until the summer solstice & it’s been another hot day. At 8.30 it was already +25° in the shade.
So, I did more or less nothing outside. Every time I tried to go out I had to go inside after a few minutes, to drink water or lie down …
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Sara Hjelm Jun 15, 2023

In the end, after 7 pm & some of that really cold gazpacho, I started to glaze the new benches. Managed 2 tops… but glaze is forgiving, you don’t need to be exact in any way for a good result.
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Sara Hjelm Jun 15, 2023

Now at dusk, 10 to 11 pm, It’s finally cooling down.
Let’s hope it’s easier to sleep tonight. If I sit out here for yet awhile it might be possible…
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Sara Hjelm Jun 16, 2023

It’s only 4 days until the summer solstice & believe it or not, but we actually just had a very brief thunderstorm…
The air smells of summer rain & the temperature dropped at least 7°
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Sara Hjelm

I glazed rest of the bench tops right after midday, very slowly, but now fortunately dry enough for some rainfall at half past 7
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Sara Hjelm Jun 16, 2023

I was just in time gathering all that firewood to put it in my giant, blue Spanish post sack
Bought the illustrated edition of Hitchhikers guide 3 yrs ago, printed in Spain, 5 books in 1 sack!
Postman stayed on to see that whatever well sealed valuables were not damaged
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Sara Hjelm Jun 16, 2023

Looks like that was it. The bean tree felled every lose petal at once. The patio is all yellow
It’s a pity to go inside, but only 20° feels chilly & you have to eat too
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Sara Hjelm Jun 17, 2023

It’s a nice fresh morning as it is 4 days, 6 hrs & 30 min until the summer solstice. I sit on the patio planning my day. I took cat Alice outside & parked her under the azalea (can you see her?), but within 10 min she had managed to break lose…
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Sara Hjelm Jun 17, 2023

Sorry, but she has to go inside
I have loads to do today as we expect a day of rain tomorrow
-Finish my bench glazing
-Weed and spread mulch in flower beds
-Hang up cacti
-Spread soil & manure
Etc.

Tightening this, but will have to measure her first …
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It’s only 2 days until the summer solstice on Tuesday at 2.58 pm
It’s +18° outside & it rained all morning, so no glazing or more serious gardening was possible. Instead I ate a very unhealthy British brunch, read my book & fell asleep…
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I dreamt that it was not midsummer but midwinter ahead & no arrangements made for expected Christmas guests. Which woke me up abruptly at half past 3…
By then the rain had ceased, so I went for an inspection of flower beds. They look their best right now
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It seems climbing roses are the thing to go for along the fence & behind the logs. They grow like crazy in the sun!
Just look at this one left side of the gate & actually the newly replanted on other side of the gate is already on its way after only a month
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Below that one & behind the blueberries are several yellow rose bushes that used to grow under the magnolia tree on the other side of the house & they all look like they will flower for the first time in many years…
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Mulch & sun! From now on I’ll fill all flower beds. Sod the snails, seems birds eat most of them.
Luckily there will be loads of branches as the flowering bushes will have to be pruned…
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I go hunting -
Behind the logs the black currant is falling over & needs support + the Solomon seals have done their thing, I have to walk around, but at end of the logs is one rose that could be lead up the fence
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Below the bean tree is this poor thing. The last of 2 originally vigorous pink climbing roses, dug up & moved several times due to drainage of the house now completely in the shade
And up front, below the jasmines is another more healthy wild variety
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More rain tomorrow… not a lot, but some.
And then on Wednesday. Looks like we will get some more tonight
I need to clean up the kitchen, revive my sourdough & set a pizza dough, maybe bake cookies
The garden will not run away …
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And this @JeanEdwards is what those look like if you let them take over… forget other wild flowers in the lawn (or grass)
Same for yellow poppies or those pink lovelies…
Nice when you have nothing, then whops, all over the place

(Considering those wild roses…)

It’s 1 day 18 hrs until the summer solstice which means tomorrow night and the next will be the shortest this summer.
And it sure rained. Enough to overflow the gutter over the patio. Before it started there was just enough time to feed birds & squirrels
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There is especially one of the squirrels, more or less tame by now, that without nuts for breakfast climbs into the ivy where the wrens nest.

So, I stayed inside, made a batch of cookies & had plans for more, but surprisingly ran out of sugar.
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Surprisingly considering how much sugar I had in March last year when I made my inventory of groceries, so much I thought it would last my lifetime

Then read a bit in @tsbalans’ anthology about teachers attending 3 full hrs of compulsory meetings each week😱
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Payed some bills & saved down all my garden threads on the hard drive

Finally made that pizza & ate more than half

By then the weather had improved

Tomorrow will be sunny
More rain Wednesday …

Half past 10 …
Bit hard to believe & does not feel like time for bed
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Sara Hjelm Jun 20, 2023

It’s only 17 hrs until the summer solstice & today was one strange day.
I ended up cleaning parts of the fridge…
That fridge badly needs to be pulled out & cleaned behind. It’s self defrosting but the pipe needs clearing. I have brushes, but where…❓
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