THE BEST LAID PLANS
A brief conversation of future plans,
For neighbours' garden revamp,
Emerged from misty realms of memory.
A recent verbatim reminder materialised
With the early morning appearance
Of various vans and lorries
Bearing the instruments of change
And the prospects of noisy disruption
For unspecified weeks.
Agreement having been reached,
Though not without some misgivings,
Settled peaceably and quickly,
Work began.
First to go, the lower rotten fence
Festooned with ivy, buddleia, honeysuckle
And emerging shoots of fifty year old vine.
The welcoming, blue sky, already lit
By sparkling sunlight, welcomed a new day.
The partial opening of the bedroom blinds
Revealed five men, in my garden
Closely gathered, gazing silently
At what, the previous day had been
A substantial wall - the relic of a garage,
Cocooned in decades of variegated ivy,
Home and winter pantry of generations of birds
And numerous other garden dwellers.
A ring on the door bell announced the arrival
Of my dejected neighbour.
All was revealed.
A trimming of a small overhang in his garden
And hey presto!
The immense screen of ivy, some plaster and bricks
Partially covered my neat, green lawn.
Apologies and interim negotiations eventually completed -
And my added bonus of retention
Of familiar wooden fence in lieu of
Rear aspect of dark grey, striated composite one,
Work continued uneventfully -
Discounting rain and logistic breaks!
At last, the garden project was completed.
My still amicable neighbours
Will happily enjoy the sunny days to come,
Lounging in their special place -
A harmony of greys surrounding the designer lawn,
Free from the summer chores
Of mowing, watering and weeding.
And me?
Waiting, patiently, for my unwanted project
To be completed - as per our cordial agreement,
But happy in the knowledge that my feathered family
Will hear Pablo, the next door striped predator,
When he leaps over a considerably higher fence
In search of his gourmet prey.
But, notwithstanding, Nature’s idiosyncrasies will continue.
Eileen Murray © June 2024
