Sunday, February 10, 2008

Jeanie's Gunna Post

Ever been to "Gunnadoo"? I have been there all week.

For that is where you would find so many of my blog posts this week - the threats (fortunately/unfortunately not realities) of massive thunderstorms have kicked me off the 'puter early each day. Well, that and the fact that someone paid me real money to have me work out of my own house this week - I didn't even get a chance to spend more than minutes checking other blogs out - apologies if I didn't comment or if I did but it was pap.

My mind also had a little vacation - this week tends towards the blue end of the spectrum anyway, and I think my cheerful disposition packed its bags.

I was even gunna go to my family's property this weekend to let 'Salina ride and help out with the branding - but my Pollyanna appears to have taken the smooth gear change my car once had with her - oh, and the smooth workings of V's knees - thus I enforced a stay at home and a serious attempt at the jobs that await me here.




The first big gunna did get done yesterday - well, nearly - shall I start at the beginning?

Regard the Pandanus. Watching Food Safari last weekend gives me hope that it may be related to the Pandan leaf used in Sri Lankan cooking, as the Asian and Indian stores near Paradise are sadly lacking.



This is an excellent tree for screening the neighbours, corrupting the neighbour's driveway and essentially peeving the neighbours during high winds.


It also has excellent mulching qualities, hence our propensity to pile it high in anticipation of running the mower over it.

As you can see, it has been several mows since that task was last undertaken.

Yesterday, it was time to mow the "guts" of the lawn (V assures me he has intentions of whipper-snippering, but given his knee complaints of late I will contemplate edges on a provisionary basis later). There was a lot of the lawn to do even with the sides being brought in, and I had an impending thunderstorm to race.

After the first drinks break, I was winning!




The thunderstorm started singing a song, but I yodelled louder as I navigated the strips of grass.







I even gave the storm an incentive, putting all the washing on the line to taunt it. Ha, if I wasn't so set on my backyard blitz, I may have contemplated washing my car - the temperature rises, the humidity cripples, the thunder roars - but always the disappointment to the north or south.

Every round I did, every new load onto my lawn-clipping-woman sculpture, every new drinks break I looked at my task and saw I was winning.


Well, I was winning all battles except one small taunt. Curse you, pandanus pile, squatly mocking me.

I would love to say I did it. I would love to say that the Pandanus Pile is no longer on the Gunna list. I would even love to say that it was the refreshing downpour of the promised thunderstorm that kyboshed my attempts. But I wouldn't be telling the truth.


The truth is the call of the neighbours pool grew louder than the thunderstorm (that yet again never was)... But I am glad it is - because look at what hopped out of the catcher.


I aim to look at you again today, pile - but then, there is an approaching thunderstorm that may save you again.

8 comments:

Lin said...

"but my Pollyanna appears to have taken the smooth gear change my car once had with her"

Loved that sentence! Actually, loved the whole post. Love the way you write.

And he (lawnmower survivor) is absolutely adorable! Aw.

Tracey said...

You need a ride-on mower. The size of your backyard just about deserves it. As do V's knees! (Won't help the pandanus pile though.... )

But I'm sure it would have been too dangerous with thunderstorm threats to be out removing pandanus piles!!

Alison said...

Little hopper is gorgeous!
Your lawn work looks very impressive - definitely deserving of a ride on mower. They are so much fun to drive, too. ALMOST enough fun to make lawn mowing enjoyable.
Good luck manifesting more storms to save you from the pile ;-)

Jen at Semantically driven said...

Yes, there is lots of lawn to mow and it looks very healthy compared to my mostly dead patch.

Debby said...

Oh. How I love to mow lawn. Unfortunately, we are in the midst of a blizzard here. I have to shovel when the weather takes a break. And haul in more firewood.

Julie Pippert said...

Gunnadoo! I like that as well as Roundtuit.

And it's striking to me how some things about where you live look so much like here, with some differences, of course, not including hemisphere. LOL

jeanie said...

lin and a - I was so glad that he survived to crawl out - he was indeed very gorgeous!

About the ride-on mower - it is the only really good exercise I get, and I am crap at cornering those beasties!

Debby and Jen - willing to send a little heat and rain in return for some wine and snow!

Julie - do you know that in my state we have a town called Texas? lol - there are some similarities, definitely.

Debby said...

more like whine and snow.