Silly Saturday

Apart from the fact that I look a right silly plonker in this selfie beside a cotoneaster shrub, why have I blipped it for Silly Saturday?

Well, there’s a story behind it. About 20 years ago a self-seeded cotoneaster shrub began to grow in a border near to our kitchen window. It got bigger and bigger, at which point we should have moved it because it started to obscure the view of part of the garden, but silly us – we never got round to it, even though our tree surgeon last year recommended moving it to the back of the garden where we wanted some extra trees or large shrubs. (Was I silly to take his advice?...maybe!)

The weather has been fine and dry all week so during the lockdown I decided it was time to move the shrub – in spite of the fact that it’s been a busy week otherwise. There’s been lots of camera club business, working with others on the committee to decide how to hold our AGM virtually, and lots to do with the new-ish apprenticeship BTEC course, for technicians working in eye clinics, which I volunteer to help with to assist them to get it going on a sound financial footing (I’m even doing an on-line course for my sins, in order to become an Internal Quality Assurer for the course…it’s like being back at school with lots of homework!). How I ever found time to go to work I don’t know – but I’m lucky to have so much to do that I don’t get bored, even in lockdown!

Anyway, I knew that the roots of the shrub would be big and deep, but they turned out to be even bigger & deeper than I expected. So I’ve spent a couple of hours every day this week trying to dig them out without causing too much damage (I pruned the shrub first, to reduce its requirement for good root function) – that’s why many of my blips have been uploaded late in the day this week. Needless to say, several times this week I’ve decided that I must be very silly to attempt this!

Today was “the big day” – finally getting the shrub out of its previous position and moving it to its new location. I’d already dug a big hole for it there (during which I had to do battle with countless roots of other trees, 4 large chunks of buried paving stones and 6 buried bricks!). I knew that the shrub would be heavy but it was heavier than I expected, especially for a 10-stone skinny weakling like me, and I didn’t want to ask my Editor to help with moving it as she is lighter & skinnier than me although she did kindly volunteer. Eventually I was able to drag it into position only to find that (silly me) I’d not dig the hole quite wide enough. Cue more digging.

Eventually the job was done – hence the main blip photo of me looking pleased with myself. The extra is a collage recording today’s silly antics. I just hope it survives its trauma - I've watered it profusely anyway.

Thanks as always to admirer, our wonderful Silly Saturday host.

PS. In the background in the photo in the top right of the collage you can just see the shrub whose white flowers I blipped yesterday.