Autumn Equinox Already

My today, started with the ballet workout that I have been doing now for most of the time since the Corona Virus Lockdown began. This morning we worked our way through this quite easy workout that is a product of the New York City Ballet. We are both getting to grips with the routine quite well and the floor exercises do not seem to be as hard as they were when we first started to follow this class. It is just a bit under an hour long.

After that section of our, ‘at home training’, we embarked upon a turbo session of about the same length and then called it a day after that since Steve had to leave to get some work done. Just before he left, I called down to him from where I was working the conditioner through my hair whilst sitting in the bath, to ask if he would be kind enough to bring me the watering-can with the best rose fitted on it.

He called up a moment later to say that he had brought it to the back door, but I asked him the bring it up. He appeared in the bathroom with the watering-can and both eyebrows raised, questioning what I was planning to do. I explained that I was going to fill it up with my soapy bath water and then pour it over the bean plants to try to get rid of the black-fly that was all over them when I last looked.

Thankfully Stephen sees a point where it is best to say nothing and leave me to whatever silliness I have in mind. He put the watering can in the sink and left me to it as he departed for his work day.  I attacked this job, telling myself that I would take ten cans of bathwater out to the garden and make a serious effort to deal with the black fly. However, after the beans, I watered the geraniums with soapy water too. I justified this piece of eccentricity, by calling the twenty trips carrying a full can of water outside (alternating the carrying hand) ‘hand strength exercise’, for my poor old several times broken hands from falls, either off my bike or out running over the many sporting years. I agree that it does sound a bit potty but it was also and extra workout of sorts.

My next planned chore, was the attack the climbing roses for the second day running. I try to do this task around the Autumn Equinox. It has to be done, if one wants to keep the roses in check and not just let them take over the entire garden. I remember what my great Uncle Ernie told me when I was a child, that you need to ask your worst enemy to trim your roses at the end of the summer. I have always stuck to that advice and viciously hacked them back to skeletal form every year. That way you have one controlled mess rather that broken branches with every storm. Come spring, the roses are as thankful as can be and reward the gardener with a new strength of beauty.  Miss Birdy came out with me wearing her harness that she is finally starting to accept.

 

The details below, I have copied from a daily post that I subscribe to called, Dr. Goodword who send a Good Word each day. These details were the latest welcome information.

Equinox

 Meaning: One of the two days in the year when the sun is directly above the equator and day and night are of approximately equal length, 12 hours each. This occurs on the traditional first day of spring (vernal equinox) and the traditional first day of fall (autumnal equinox).

There are two equinoxes: the vernal equinox springs up every year on March 20 or 21, and the autumnal equinox falls on September 22 or 23. Without the vernal equinox, we wouldn't know when Easter is. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, which is why we have to check a calendar to prepare for it, unlike Christmas and the Fourth of July.