In Abundance

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Returning from a week away we have been welcomed by an abundance. Unfortunately not all abundances are welcome equally.
 
 
The fruit and vegetables were appreciated, less so the multitude of wasps helping themselves to the profusion of apples and plums. Then, of course, there was the big job of watering everything, although luckily there had been some rain during our absence and the water butts were brimming once again.

Where, however, have all those cats suddenly appeared from? It seems they've taken advantage of our being away to add the garden to their territorial claims. Talk about an invasion; the battle to regain our land and expel unwanted visitors has begun.

Finally there was the mountain of work (a dirty word in retirement). It wasn't just fruit picking for which I had to don leather gloves to protect against buzzing insect life but also, now that the temperature has cooled, the pressure is on to complete our current unfinished project of  restoring the rear patio before the summer weather breaks completely. 

Today I've been knocking out old, broken mortar with a chisel and hammer. They're not tools I'm familiar at handling, but I confess it felt almost exhiliarating to apply so much effort in the act of manual labour. Of course Mister E appeared on the scene and stole the show with a fancy electrical tool that cut straight through, but not before I got to understand how those Protestants with their work ethic used to feel. I doubt if I earned myself eternal salvation but it was certainly sufficient to have the biceps squealing.

 

Comments

Treaders said…
Oh my, talk about the bloody wasps. This year my peach tree has gone CRAZY and trying to pick them up and avoid the wasps is practically an art form! Oddly enough, I probably only had about 10 damsons all told so go figure!
30 August 2022 at 19:49
Caree Risover said…
The wasps are definitely awful - I wouldn’t even begrudge them the odd piece of fruit but they seem to be attacking as many as they can simultaneously. Fortunately instead of a sugar rush, the fruit seems to make them drunk and docile but I’m still not taking any chances and hence the thick leather gloves.
30 August 2022 at 21:00
www.muddlingthroughmymiddleage.com said…
That's the downside of fruit trees...the stinging insects that also love them. I hadn't thought about wearing heavy leather gloves for protection. That's a good idea! Hope your harvest is complete and successful!
1 September 2022 at 16:01
Caree Risover said…
Sometimes there are so many wasps that I’ve wondered if a full beekeeper’s outfit might be required, but they are usually so drowsy that I think the only danger is from inadvertently touching one.
1 September 2022 at 20:31
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