Romantic stuff

Last month, Mian and I celebrated our anniversary. Well, when I say 'celebrate', I am not being very accurate. I was 2000 kilometers away from him that day. Also the weeks preceding and after. My family was horrified. Mian and I were sad, but determined to make the most of it. 'We celebrate every moment we are together', said I to those who asked, ' a particular day is not that important.'
That  was only the partial truth. All days are special, some are more special than others. And to prove it, Mian sent me a photo of the gift he had been  working on for me.Here it is then, the first of my six on Saturday.
1. A pool. I have wanted one for as long as I can remember. And now here it is. Slowly, I will add a bog area and plantings, I will invite wildlife but make sure the dogs still have a clear space to wallow, there will be stools for Mian and I to perch on. But it could not be any more perfect.

2.  Nurture. Mian loves a garden, but he is not a lover of the process of gardening. And so the daily fussing over plants is my job and my joy. But he knows how much the plants mean to me. This time, when I had to be away from home at this always-difficult time where winter and spring war with each other,  he took on the responsibility of cossetting my seedlings.I had only requested that he water and cover them. He has been doing that and more..moving them into the sun, out of the wind, indoors, outdoors,and all over. And this is what  they look like now:

I have the best husband on this or any other planet.

3. Snow. I missed the only snow day of the year.Unless  February is very wet, we face a long and  hard spring and summer. No winter precipitation means increased disease, no soil moisture, no spring recharge, and increased forest fires.

4.  To  prove what a warm and dry winter this has been, everything in my garden  is coming up early. The winter jasmine usually flowers in mid-feb. But here it is now. Beautiful, yes.But also worrying.

5.Every year, I am taught the lesson of being  patient when it comes to declaring that spring is here. And every year, I do not learn it. I could not wait and transplanted some seedlings and divided some perennials. And now frost is predicted.

6. The photo is not very good because it  was taken with  my phone. But can you see a strange outgrowth  near the chick's neck? That's not an outgrowth. The chick was attacked (by something strong enough to  make the wound, and daft enough to let it escape.We strongly suspect the pup was trying to play with it) and now has a flap of skin and feathers. Mian  nursed the chick till it recovered,but both he and I are nervous about cutting the flap off. But 'tis one of those  things that must be done, and done quickly..

And that's it for this week! Will my transplants survive for the next Six-on-Saturday? Will the chick? Oh the drama that is a garden.

As always, please do go on to The Propagator's blog. He hosts Six on Saturday, and you will find an ever-growing list of interesting gardeners and their updates.