Carnation

When I planted a carnation in K’s garden in the spring, a bit broke off. Rather than compost it I brought it home, and - mindful of my Dad and his fascination with carnations* - I popped it into a pot and left it to itself. I forgot about it.

Imagine my surprise last week when I was looking around the wee plant nursery behind the garage and spotted a pink flower hidden behind all sorts of other things. I brought it out into the sun and it has immediately flourished. What a welcome sight.

And perhaps the other two buds will bloom too before winter kicks in.

I began shelling walnuts today and am disappointed that so far only about 2/3 of them have nuts inside. It is an unusually low hit-rate. Normally I reckon to have about 10% duds. I’ll still have enough for storage, just not as many as I’d hoped for. Nevertheless I shan’t go hungry.

Bean and I have been practising good road-walking behaviour the last few days. She almost wrenched my shoulder from its socket on Friday when she lunged at a trailer full of calves which passed us as we were out walking. 

I have been a bit slack in what I expect of her, so for three days we have been doing it all by the book: walking absolutely to heel with no distractions; stopping and sitting (both of us the former, just Bean the latter) when a vehicle passes us; listening to Mima all the time; waiting to be told she can run when I let her off the lead; and so forth.

She is a delight. There is a huge improvement in just three days. There will be no more lunging at trailers I’m sure. But I need to remember to be on my game a bit more consistently from now on.


* Most of his life Dad grew edible plants and didn’t bother with flowers, however in his later years he developed an obsession with streptocarpus and carnations, which gradually took over their sunroom and the greenhouse.