March 2011

Tasma House and Gardens - March 2011

It’s the beginning of March 2011, and the Garden feels spectacular. The wettest season on record has made a difference, after 11 years of drought. A "hedges trimmed, lawns mowed," type of feeling, but more still. The biggest, toughest, piece of hedge -- one I have stared at for 2 years and nibbled at the corners of, has been cut down to manageable size.  I was there at the planting; but, 12 years on, there were parts of this cypress hedge that needed lopping, to keep the beautiful Wombat Forest in view and perspective.

The hedge job of March 2011 was a family effort, a birthday present both unexpected and unplanned, rather totally opportunistic use of strong helpers on a weekend spent otherwise indulging in far more relaxed pursuits -- watching the ducks with their crazy rituals, watching us.

The Cockatoos visit every day, bringing with them their cheeky screams of delight. The sun and rain combine to drench the area's rich abundance. It’s cold enough, sometimes, at night to think of fires outside without the bushfire menace being the first thought.

Tasma House is shaping up to be full of the joys of celebration for many in the coming 12 months. All kinds of private events are scheduled, together with a select few public ones.

The Tasma House calendar is filling as far away as 2012, which, in turn, feeds and nurtures those who sail her. Sorry about the ship analogy, being in the mountains and all, but I often think of Tasma House as a quirky old eccentric cruise ship.

Working on this blog, and one for my other interests, has felt like spring cleaning, even though spring is a looong way away.  Finding places for stuff, cleaning, and sorting, for me, has always been something to put off, yet it energises at the same time.

The Labour Day weekend means “Chillout Festival” in Daylesford, where thousands of people descend on the town.  I just had a conversation with a guest who has an official capacity with the festival but was enjoying his own style of "chill out," hanging out on the verandah, glass of wine in hand, watching the ducks on the pond.  It looked like he felt a million miles from worry.

Here’s a toast to both types of chilling out,........

@drian

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