ATOM feed
We have been very busy. she likes nothing better than a challenge, and over the years we have completed many projects together. Carlena is very good at doing things, strong and practical and clever. We enjoy spending time together, and our time is jealously guarded; we make plans to rush about and do things, but mostly we just end up staying quiet and making the most of the time we have.
By the time she arrived, I'd had the new gazebo installed, and mentioned that I would need to make some sort of floor, probably paving slabs. On the same afternoon we went shopping and the next day the slabs were waiting in the driveway to be moved around to the back - so, where have I been this week?
Before:
Hard at work clearing the ground
The Gazebo arrives
Preparation is all important (I'm told) - Carle knows how to use the strings to set the paving bed up properly, lucky we are already working in sand (that's the Royal 'we' of course, Carlena has done all the work of laying the bricks), my way would have been a LOT more rustic!
Never easy, is it ... time to ferry the pavers, @#$%, the wheelbarrow has sprung a flat tyre... 
Again lucky, we have a trailer - it took 2 loads as we had to man-handle the trailer past the side of the house and into the backyard, and we are both women.
Of course, we have been joined in our efforts all week by the scrub-turkey, still working away gathering material for his mound - and as we watched we realised that it is definitely not mindless scratching - he is very systematic in his movements - first he moves all the leaves and debris across our yard, to a break in the fence, then he pushes it through the fence and adds it to the mound.
Well, chook (my name for Carlena), decides to help him and goes out into the yard to rake as much as she can into a pile beside the fence so he doesn't have to scrape it so far. He comes over and joins in, the pair of them going at it right beside each other.
She was delighted!
Until she realised the turkey was kicking up more dust than she was...
24 Comments
Glad to see you back and read that you had a great time ! When I look at your pictures I am green of jalousee, because you can run around in a T-Shirt and it's warm and the sun is shining. I am sitting here in the cold, rainy weather with naked trees all around !
That's one tame scrub Turkey Della, just as well we don't have Thanksgiving or he would probably have been on someones table.
The yard looks good.
You girls did a great job on that gazebo and the flat tire always happends to Jimmy & I after we load the cart...isn't that always the way? haha.
Your turkey sure is tame to get that close. We always had to watch them from a distance...you & Carlena are so lucky to be able to get so close and I bet the turkey appreciated all the help it got.
Della, glad you stopped by. It led me to your site and I must say, I enjoy the story and pictures of the Gazebo. That scrub turkey was an added bonus. Great post. I'll be back.
Great post! Your Gazebo and paving looks very proffessional. What a good place for some summer shade.
Hi Gattina, yes, we are lucky, this is our 'perfect weather' time of year, only just too hot to work through the day, unless you have to...
Peter, hahaha - are they any good eating? maybe the babies for spatchcocks?
Sandy, I think turkey just got used to me working in 'his' space, and decided what-the-heck..
Steve, your welcome, nice to meet you!
herhimnbryn, that's what started the whole yard thing, always cool and a bit of breeze down in that spot, but a problem with bird droppings, the gazebo is there so we can sit under it without being a target... thanks for visiting
I just love reading about your garden adventures. The gazebo turned out beautifully.
You and your daughter did a magnificent job!!! (Royal "we" or not...lol)
I LOVE seeing more about the Scrub Turkey....I was not familiar with him before and to see him working alongside your daughter is quite fantastic!
You two gals did a great job on that gazebo patio. It looks very nice. And I loved hearing about the turkey and his methods of gathering leaves, etc for his mound.
Re George Jones; I have always liked his voice but he is one of the fortunate ones who has improved with age, (perhaps since he stopped pickling his vocal chords with alcohol?)
His later CDs are the ones I like best, "I lived to tell it all", "The Rock" and of course,"I am the Cold Hard Truth".
Having said that, it's hard to beat some of his old classics like; A good year for the roses, White lightnin', The race is on and countless others.
Hi Della,
Thanks for visiting me! I love meeting new people and I enjoyed reading the story of the yard work that you and your daughter did. That turkey looks very tame!
I'll be back to visit you again!
:)
Boy! Your time with your daughter has flown by, Della! I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful time together just 'being'. Running around all over the place is not my 'thing'...your time together sounded just how it should have been. Love the gazebo and what a great job done with the pavers! You'll be thankful that you don't have the 'rustic' look! ;)
Peter...you know the story...and recipe for cooking scrub turkeys...put it in a pot with a rock...when the rock is cooked...so is the turkey! ;)
Della. thanks for visiting me!! What a nice thing your daughter did for you by helping you build your gazebo!! It looks great and you are going to really enjoy it!! Yes, you did have a real turkey right there helping you out!! We had a great Thanksgiving here...Have a great week...Sandy
What a hoot having a Scrub Turkey helping with the gardening!
Glad to hear you had such a lovely time with your daughter...the gazebo floor looks very well done!! I know how much work that had to have been! Love the pictures of her and the turkey...too funny!!
Sounds like a lovely time!!! And the gazebo looks fantastic. A beautiful addition to such a pretty back yard!!!
Thanks for the visit to my blog yesterday. Glad you enjoyed your time...sorry to hear that the blog of mine was odd for you tho....it's a big bug in the new Internet Explorer 7....so far, until it's fixed by microsoft, the background image won't expand in IE7!...otherwise it'll show for all other browsers. What a shame, it's pretty, and has a top bar with Santa on it....and that's the reason the blog loads halfway down.
I'm getting a joy from reading your blog. I've linked yours on my blog so I can drop by from time to time to see what's happening.
Here in Texas USA, it's still summery...a bit. Tho, we rarely get cold year 'round.
Enjoy your season...summer, right?
Happy Monday. And always feel free to drop by any time, I feel privileged to have blog guests.
What a great job you and Carlena and the scrub turkey did with the new Gazebo. Many a happy hour will be spent there this summer (what am I talking about - it's always summer where you live). It looks fantastic and has filled in that space beautifully.
Some lovely potted plants would look good around the sides.
Glad you had such a good time with Carlena (lovely name) and I'm sure you were just that bit sad to see her go home. Still, communication is much easier and cheaper these days, isn't it?
Enjoy your week, Della.
Hi Della..It was nice to see Mother
Daughter,and the Turkey hard at work.
And the end result shows it was
well worth it.
Talk again soon
Hi Della ~ I tried to leave a comment last night, but lost my connection. I am glad you had a lovely time with your beautiful daughter, and the paving job looks great. Gazebo looks
terrific too. I hope you had a nice lunch with your sister and then look forward to your son and his family who
are your next visitors. As you say there are lots of visits and then quiet times. A feast or a famine !!
Take care Della, Love, Merle.
Hi Della
the hard work was sure worth the transformation. the gazebo looks good nice photo of your daughter also take care
Love your gazebo, Della. I wouldn't know where to start on a project like that. I had a friend once, she had separated from her husband and bought herself a house. She wanted a wooden deck at the back of her place, so - she built one! I really admire people like that, because it is not my thing at all.
Good to see Carlena and the bush turkey getting along so well, lol! That's what's called "teamwork".
Now go and get yourself a cool glass of something and relax in your gazebo!
Robyn, That's what I like about Carlena - she does the 'hard' work whenever we have a project, she really is strong and can do things I wouldn't even attempt.
Alice, yes, plants all around, thinking twice about pots from the watering can aspect, but I am looking for some ground cover for the back and sides, something low and low maintenance, I'll be visiting your place for some ideas!
Thanks for linking me Wystful, I hope you get your santa bar working, it sounds like fun.
Peter - I went for Cold Hard Truth, so many choices, I'm sure it wont be the last...
Thanks for the turkey recipe Lee, somehow I don't think this one will become an ingredient, he is so cute, I am starting to worry about his safety and the babies if we get any... he runs across the road dodging cars, we suspect he might have another mound over there...
Duncan, Sandy, Sue, oldoldlady - thanks for repaying my visit, I hope to do the rounds again later today; after I decide what to blog today - I've got something in mind, very different - let's see!
Hi,
Oh that was funny, I love that about the scrub turkey, and your girl was such a good sport about it too.
And your gazibo looks wonderful, have fun usuing it.
Janice~
What a transformation that was, very impressive! And wonderful that it was a shared experience with your daughter. Yes, the strings thing with the pavers IS important. The surface will survive much longer.
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