Midweek Moment has been renamed End-of-week Moment this week!
My photo is of a relatively new resident to our garden, a Mandevilla Aloha Red. I fell in love with its colour in the nursery, and it really is a bright spot in our rather bare garden.
Why is our garden bare? I’m so glad you asked because I’ve penned a little poem to answer that question:
Old Mother Allan
Kept bones by the gallon,
Which she fed to her frisky pups.
They took them and ran,
To her garden of sand,
And dug holes and filled them back up.
Mother Allan went out,
To water her sprouts
And admire her garden sweet.
But when she got there,
The garden was bare,
Dog poo, instead, under her feet.
Mother Allan had a fit,
and said, That’s it,
I’m sending you both to the pound.
Their heads they tilted,
Like lovers jilted,
And their tails hung low to the ground.
It’s not our fault we’re dogs,
And it’s our job,
To dig big holes in the ground.
And because we’re pups,
We like chewing things up,
And tearing around and around.
Please let us stay,
Because we promise, one day,
We’ll be your one best friend.
We love you and yours,
(though you’re not on all fours),
And we’ll be with you right ’til the end.
I* potted my Mandevilla about a month ago and have been carefully nurturing it, keeping it out of reach of our garden pests—I mean, dogs—and as you can see, it’s thriving. It even looks vibrant despite the clouds and rain!
Monique spotted a cluster of everlastings in the garden at her stepson’s graduation. She only had a minute to snap a couple of pics, and as she squatted in the garden to get up close to the flowers, she noticed strange looks from the other parents. (Dear Monique, I’m glad you ignored those looks. It was worth it for the photo. Love Louise. x)
The light falls beautifully in Monique’s image: on the face of the flower, but also so the petals make shadows on each other.
*Addendum: My husband wants it known that he actually potted this plant. Of course, it’s thriving because of that, and not because of my daily nurturing.
Midweek Moment is a weekly photographic endeavour in which Monique Mulligan and I team up to share our favourite photos on our websites. It’s a way of stretching ourselves creatively and a nice distraction from writing. Click here for more of our Moments.
Ah, I love how you included a poem. And puh, I don’t care if I get strange looks. Not usually.
The poem’s just a bit of fun! It’s meant to be in verse, but the formatting’s changed. Trying to fix it now, but I can’t. Oh, well. And yes, Puh! to strange looks! (I get them, too! But otherwise, you miss the photo opportunity!)
Move over, Tennyson, Louise Allan is about to usurp your place near the top of the ladder.
Haha! Thank you, Margaret. I think I’ll start a new career making up nursery rhymes—just call me ‘Mother Goose’!
Very entertaining poem indeed and oh so pertinent as I wrestle my beloved blooming lavender from the jaws of Gracie the Groodle puppy. I love the photos, especially the Mandevilla so beautifully contrasted against the green. I look forward to more poetry and photography 🙂
Gill, my apologies but your comment got sent to my ‘Spam’ and I’ve only just seen it! Yes, puppies are absolute garden killers, hence most of our plants are now in pots and out of reach, including the Mandevilla! I’m glad you enjoyed the photos and the poem—the poem really was fun to write, as silly as it is!
Adore the poem. You know I write silly poems and love dogs so of course I’d love it. I’ve actually managed to keep four pots of geraniums alive for over a month now and that’s a sensational feat for me. Red flowers are my favourite besides pink. The water droplets on your petals makes the photograph all juicy!
I just read it back, and it’s really quite silly, but, well, I had fun writing it. It’s probably one of those things you’re meant to write and keep hidden in a drawer!
Well done with the geraniums! And keep your fingers crossed for these flowers of mine! x
Lovely, as always – and I really enjoyed the poem! xx
Thank you ????! I had fun writing it.