The days seem to be flying by and I seem to be stalled in low gear and unable to shift into “drive!”
It’s a poor time of year for this to happen.
At this point I’ve done no shopping and have a list of precious relatives and friends who will wonder what has happened to me.
Have they offended me? Am I in hospital? Sick? Mad at them?
IMPOSSIBLE! Please be patient, I really am trying to get it together before the “Sidney Review” is published this week.
Suddenly there seems to be a million things still to do and time is getting short before the “Sidney Review” goes to press and I can still talk to you.
May I offer a few suggestions as to possible gifts for some of your favorite people?
For someone very special (and you have shares in a bank) how about an inflateable tyred wheel-barrow (motorized, of course)? Or a ride-on lawn mower? Or either an evergreen tree (that won’t outgrow your yard and heavily shade the neighbor’s property) or a fruit tree — or an ornamental shrub that will bloom each spring.
Any fairly large nursery will have someone on staff full of interesting suggestions for items priced from an orchid to gardening gloves, including water plants for your fish pool.
Do ask for directions as to whether your purchase requires a sunny location, or will be happier in semi-shade.
In the garden shop you will almost certainly find an arch (to separate adjacent areas), garden benches or ornamental figures of gnomes, or lovely stone maidens, or small animals (birds don’t seem to be popular, although if you are troubled by neighbourhood children, the head of an ancient tiger rug might be a useful deterrant, if half hidden. Young children very rarely have a heart attack, being much more likely to pat it gently, saying, “Nice kitty!”
Helen Lang has been the Peninsula News Review’s garden columnist for more than 30 years.
