Outside the house I live
in over here there is a large water container which collects rain from the
roof. When we first started our work in Kosele being able to collect water in
this way was essential as we did not have a bore hole. Nowadays the water is
used for washing clothes. Next to the water container there is a rose bush. The
roses, being from Kenya, are as you would expect, very nice. Unfortunately it hasn't been very well tended over the last few months. Consequently new shoots
from the bush have grown over the top of the water container making it very
difficult to get at the water. I spotted this a few days and thought, as no-one
else seemed to be bothered about it, that I would take the matter in hand. So,
armed at first with a pair of scissors, I made a start on pruning the rose bush
this morning. As usual my initial choice of tools was not really up to the job
so I ended up resorting to the trusty multi-tool penknife that I have (star of
some of my most ambitious electrical repairs) and set to properly.
There seemed to be a lot
of shoots to prune once I got going. I’m not sure if it’s just the kind of job
you inevitably get carried away with or not. It certainly seemed to be the case
that the more I snipped away the more there was to snip. It soon became
apparent that some of the older branches on the bush needed to be removed as
well. It’s amazing how effective the little saw on a multi-tool can be! The really worrying thing about this burst
of activity was that it was quite enjoyable. I am now very worried that I might
become a ‘potterer’ as I get older.
This anxiety has been
compounded by the pleasure I got from my follow on pruning activity. At the
other end of the house, outside one of the bedrooms, there is a nice green
bush. The leaves are a lovely dark green colour and it creates a bit of privacy.
As bushes do it has grown a bit unevenly, with new shoots sprouting out at the
top, creating the impression of a very bad haircut. Buoyed by my success with
the rose bush I thought I would try my hand at improving the appearance of the
bush. The scissors proved the most effective tool in this case. As I snipped
away I began to think that the rose bush had been an easier job. It had
definitely needed a fairly dramatic pruning. Adopting the same approach to the
green bush would, I thought, create a real eyesore. So I snipped carefully. The
precision of my snipping wasn't really helped by the African bees which buzzed
round my head. These bees are huge and very noisy. They live in holes which
they drill in the wooden eaves of the house. Unlike our goat (see previous
blog) I think these bees were being quite active in some kind of courtship
ritual. Fortunately they left me alone as long as I ignored them.
As my pile of clippings
from the bush grew bigger I began to think about “The Constant Gardener”. A
very good film about medical drug trials in Kenya. It made me wonder if there
is something about Kenya that turns middle aged men to the eccentricities of
gardening. I was conscious of fitting a stereotype which I have found comical
in the past. I am a bit concerned that I don’t really care. The bush looks
quite good now, if I say so myself.
My new found enthusiasm
for this type of gardening has plenty of scope for future indulgence. Just
beyond the house is a small area of ground which has been planted with hedges
fairly recently. The hedges have been laid out to form the letters H & K. I couldn't help noticing the letters seem to lack a bit of definition at the
moment. I wonder if our local hardware shop sells secateurs.
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