Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wednesday 21 August 2019

WEP/ISWG August Challenge - The Red Wheelbarrow



The challenge is back.  Huge thanks to the organisers and participants.  A visit HERE will give you access to a range of talented and very different takes on the theme.  I do hope you will visit others and applaud them.

I struggled with this prompt.  As a committedobsessional gardener I value and need my wheelbarrow.  However I don't give a rat's fundament what colour it is.  And then I started to wonder how the wheelbarrow feels...  




*** 



The trees blaze with arboreal fireworks.
I carry away the faded glory.




Winter has a hard-edged beauty of its own.
Largely ignored and neglected I wait the season out.





The much admired daffodils dance effortlessly in the breeze.
This is my busy season.  I work.  Hard.  Rolling to the compost pile laden with weeds, lumbering back to the garden filled with mulch.  Back and forth, back and forth.


 

Most of the heavy work is done and I dream of being included in the celebration of summer.  Included and seen as beautiful.

A fresh coat of blue would be fine I suppose,




but I really, really see myself as a big, beautiful, RED workhorse.




 
 





*** 


Word Count: 
If every picture tells a thousand words we are way over the limit.
In actual words?  The wheelbarrow is a quiet achiever and taciturn.  114 words.
Full critique acceptable.  





134 comments:

  1. I loved the photos interspersed, they added to the thoughts shared by your wheelbarrow. Blue would be pretty too, yet my heart flutters when I see a red one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pearson Report: You are obviously in tune with my wheelbarrow.

      Delete
  2. Dear EC
    I really enjoyed this piece of writing. I had never given much thought to the humble wheelbarrow...
    Best wishes
    Ellie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ellie Foster: I have also just 'used' my wheelbarrow and am now feeling guilty.

      Delete
  3. Wheelbarrows are so underrated, aren't they?
    I had quite a close relationship with my father's...used to live being taken for rides in it by him and my brother when I was small! Lol
    How I love the pictures...so very beautiful and colourful.
    Thank you so much for sharing!😊😊

    Sending you much love and hugs, always ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ygraine: They are. I rely on mine, but also neglect it. My father's wheelbarrow was an uncomfortable ride (due to hardened concrete lumps) was was definitely a hard worker.

      Delete
  4. Daffodils or jonquils already! You like the cold and you have certainly had that this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrew: It has been a patchy winter here, but mostly warmer than usual. We do have some daffs and jonquils out, and the sulphur crested vandals are beheading them.

      Delete
  5. Such beauty in text and image!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marie Smith: Thank you so much. Your own beautiful posts frequently take me wandering.

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  6. I agree with Marie: such beautiful pictures and I love your text. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Replies
    1. Jamie Ghione: My gardening photo folders are FULL.

      Delete
  8. Hi,
    A very interesting way of looking at a wheelbarrow. As a workhorse, it does haul around quite a bit. I loved the images you chose and the supporting text accompanying them,
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat Garcia: Thank you. My wheelbarrow makes some garden tasks possible. Essential tasks which I couldn't manage without it.

      Delete
  9. I like how you did this. Yes, a picture speaks a thousand words and they are all so lovely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe: Thank you. I really did have troubles with this prompt.

      Delete
  10. You've captured it perfectly - a sturdy, practical soul with just a hint of whimsy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jemi Fraser: Whimsy is always welcome here - and thank you.

      Delete
  11. Wonderful, EC:) You breathed life into that wheelbarrow. I loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Replies
    1. Author R. Mac Wheeler: Autumn is one of my favourite seasons - even if the wheelbarrow does get the dirty work (again).

      Delete
  13. You made me smile with that revision to 'obsessional' gardener. So the images you selected and the poem you wrote to celebrate that red wheelbarrow are just lovely.

    PS Sorry for the typo that led to the delete!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beth Camp: I knew what you meant with the typo and would happily have let it stand. I am obsessional (about gardening and other things). And thank you.

      Delete
  14. You are so cleaver with using pictures instead of words. Well done. My wheelbarrow and me are inseparable it seems. It's my secret partner in Spring, Summer and Fall, then when the snow comes, I let it rest.
    Hugs, Julia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julia: Many thanks. My wheelbarrow gets a work out too, and is (perhaps) tired of being the silent partner.

      Delete
  15. This. is. awesome! And clever! And interesting. Now I wonder how the other garden tools feel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. J C: Now there is a thought. And do the other garden tools get on, or are there secret rivalries and wars...

      Delete
  16. Oh, how nice. I smiled as I read your charming entry. She wants to be red, hey? Why do I think it is a she?
    And the photos are fantastic, as always.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olga Godim: 'Why do I think it is a she?' Perhaps because she is hard-working, essential and underappreciated.

      Delete
  17. Most pleasant to pal around with you, Sis

    ReplyDelete
  18. I can tell by the dates on the comments that in your part of the world, it is already my birthday. Good luck with the challenge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa: Thank you. And a very happy birthday to you.

      Delete
  19. What would we do without our wheelbarrows, red or otherwise. And those workaholic truck are an absolute necessity too. Loved your pictures and a glimpse of the hardworking (obsessive) gardener.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. cleemckenzie: Without my wheelbarrow the garden would be in MUCH worse shape than it is.

      Delete
  20. Clever, writing from the wheelbarrow's POV!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. messymimi: Thank you. Even a wheelbarrow likes to be heard.

      Delete
  21. I like that! The visuals really added to it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I had thought of painting my tired old barrow...bright yellow, like our house interior.
    But I've never got beyond the thought...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dinahmow: It has never occurred to me to decorate my much used wheelbarrow. It is fine as it is, big enough to carry things for me, and not so heavy that I cannot move it when full.

      Delete
  23. I have no critique of this one, my friend, other than praise. Lovely, vivid images with a diverse color pallet. I love looking at your work. And I was very amused with how you connected the shots through that POV!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. John Wiswell: Many thanks. I am endlessly grateful to (and for) the talented writers I have found here in the blogosphere.

      Delete
  24. An awesome take on the prompt! I love reading from the wheelbarrow's perspective and the fact that you can connect with the emotion of a metal workhorse is writing at its best. The photos only add more depth to a beautiful weaving of words. Bravo to you, EC!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. River Fairchild: Thank you. As always. Your support has been invaluable.

      Delete
  25. Wheelbarrows are important, too. This barrow has two big advantages. First owners who care for and maintain it. Second, it has such an important sense of purpose and self, it has aspirations. My kind of wheelbarrow. Yours, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne Noragon: Odd or not, I AM feeling a bit guilty because I had never stopped to consider the wheelbarrow's feelings or aspirations before. When this one is too tired to continue as a workhorse it will still have a home.

      Delete
  26. Lovely story - and the photos are absolutely perfect.

    I'm very glad to hear that the patchy punk is back home with you. Have they given a name to what the problem was? Please scratch his ears for me (if he allows such liberties!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alexia: Many thanks.
      Jazz's ailment is still a mystery. We go back to the vet for a follow-up tomorrow. He is (fortunately) still eating, and considerably more benign that usual. I will give him a scrooch for you.

      Delete
  27. I'm glad you could join us this month! I love that you put yourself into the shoes of the wheel barrow. Not that wheel barrows have shoes, of course. I also loved the pictures!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. L.G. Keltner: Thank you. I really did struggle with this prompt and I am glad that you like it.

      Delete
  28. Great that you felt up to it this month, Sue. And what a beautiful set of photos to tell your wheelbarrow story. So two so far plumbing the mind of a wheelbarrow. It works!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Denise Covey: Thank you. Nausea still with me, but I refuse to let it win (often).

      Delete
    2. Brave Sue. Keep finding beauty everywhere you look and point your camera...x

      Delete
  29. I'd give a rat's fundamental to have that little Citroen Pickup. At least it looks like a Citroen. Oui!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bill: I am ignorant, but both the wheelbarrow and I think it is lovely.

      Delete
  30. What a delightful collection of images of wheelbarrows and plants. I could almost smell the wet earth and feel the satisfaction of doing all that planting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kalpana: Thank you. Wet earth has a truly lovely smell doesn't it?

      Delete
  31. I like this. I don't have a wheelbarrow, but a nearby neighbour does and twice a year she plants it with petunias or pansies. my mum had a brown wheelbarrow, she won it in a raffle and dad was disappointed. He thought prizes should always be money.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. River: I really like my wheelbarrow. The skinny one complains it isn't big enough, but it is quite big enough for me (and features in the early wheelbarrow shots in this piece).

      Delete
  32. we have two plain wheel barrows one black, the other green, I prefer the ones planted with flowers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Linda Starr: Selfishly I prefer my wheelbarrows to be useful rather than decorative.

      Delete
  33. I love this quirky take on the prompt! Right up my alley :) And the photos are just right.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. jenny_o: Thank you. I struggled with this one (and with choosing the photos).

      Delete
  34. Hi EC - delightful ... and so so true ... I rather fancy the big red one though - but now-a-days I wouldn't be able to manage that amount of gardening ... still your homely one would suit me - if I had a garden. Love the photos and the not on hard work ... it is - cheers and the take was perfect - cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hilary Melton-Butcher: Even wheelbarrows have dreams... And the garden is frequently beyond me too.

      Delete
  35. I enjoyed your take on the topic and I think the picture added just the right touch.

    ReplyDelete
  36. EC, this is brilliant! Well done!!! I love it!! Love your words and I love the photos!! Congrats!!!
    (My friend, from the bottom of my heart, I think you are a wonderful person!! Sending love your way, always! Start loving you!!! Big Hugs)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Magic Love Crow: Thank you. Most days I will settle for liking me (or not disliking me).

      Delete
  37. I really loved your perspective! Are those pictures from your garden?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cindi Summerlin: All of the photos are mine, and all but the last two are from our garden.

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  38. The Little Wheelbarrow That Could!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bea: Fortunately it is indeed the little wheelbarrow that could - regardless of its colour.

      Delete
  39. Bea just took the words out of my mouth, lol!!

    This is a blue (and redish:) wheelbarrow with *lots* of stories to tell...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mark Koopmans: Thank you. Taking words out of anythings mouth is a tad unhygenic though.

      Delete
  40. You made me feel for the wheel barrow. Good job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary Kirkland: Since this piece came into my head I have been feeling guilty about my treatment of the wheelbarrow. Silly but true.

      Delete
  41. I bow what you mean by loading compost. I do lots of it and it is really hard work for me nowadays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Friko: And me. Quite a lot of the garden is hard work these days.

      Delete
  42. Damn auto-correct: I know not bow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Friko: Auto-correct is a wilful beast isn't it? And frequently wrong.

      Delete
  43. Great shots and taking it from the wheelbarrow's envious pov. Poor thing just wants to be a big red truck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat Hatt: Don't we all have dreams? Some possible, some less so...

      Delete
  44. Gosh, I haven't had a wheelbarrow for years. Now I'm wondering what I've been missing...

    But when I was a kid, the wheelbarrow was always red, at least for as long as it was any color.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rebecca M. Douglass: I have never, ever had a wheelbarrow which wasn't 'utilitarian' coloured. When this one retires I may have to change that.

      Delete
  45. A beautiful red workhorse!
    I really loved the gorgeous pictures and your words, which got right to the point.
    My son and I may end up needing a wheelbarrow. The yard area at the new place isn't that big, but there's a lot to do!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Real Cie: Thank you. Wheelbarrows are wonderful things. They make hard jobs a heap easier (even possible).

      Delete
  46. Now, that's taking empathy to the next higher level! I always knew you had great empathy for other people... and animals, too,.. but it seems your ability to walk in another's proverbial shoes extends to metal and rubber wheels, as well. Bravo! This is an interesting and very clever take on the prompt. Well done, dear lady.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan: I am indeed an empath. Which is a double edged sword. I am amazed at just how guilty I now feel for taking the wheelbarrow for granted...

      Delete
  47. Great photos and the text makes a story to complete your entry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sally: Thank you. Denise suggested I might like to do a photo entry - and this is a compromise.

      Delete
  48. I love stories from a different point of view! Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane Stringam Tolley: Thank you - and there are so many different points of view...

      Delete
  49. Have a weekend filled with color, sparkle and cool breezes.
    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  50. I think my wheel barrow died happy with all the uses we put it through. funny how it always seems the perfect tool for any hauling job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. dolorah: They are. Mine is used often (in most seasons).

      Delete
  51. I really love the contrasting elements of this sentence, "A fresh coat of blue would be fine I suppose, but I really, really see myself as a big, beautiful, RED workhorse."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bernadette: Thank you. Don't we all have dreams?

      Delete
  52. I liked the seasonal images you used and the pictures really brought it to life.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I relished the creative images evoked by your words. Lovely photographs have been drizzled over your essay cake to make a really delicious treat.

    Thank you for making our day brighter!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wally Jones: That is a truly lovely thing to say. Many thanks.

      Delete
  54. I enjoyed the combination of prose and pictures, that serve to bolster each in a superb manner. Well done.

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    Replies
    1. Christopher Scott Author: Thank you. It is mostly a photographic essay but my non visual self needed a few words.

      Delete
  55. Another great switch on the POV. I really like the stance this story took. The lovely pictures added volumes. Whether red or blue, I like that your wheelbarrow had good self-esteem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Toi Thomas: Thank you. The wheelbarrow is a dreamer. A sadly underrated dreamer.

      Delete
  56. I'm sorry to hear about Jazz. I hope all is well soon!!

    The write-up is great and I like the red truck. :)

    ReplyDelete
  57. Why waste words when you choose - probably took - such appropriate photos. As for that last one - a red wheelbarrow grown up and blooming.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Roland Clarke: Thank you so much. I did take the photographs and they are all (except the last two) photographs from home. Still feeling a tad guilty about the lack of words in a writing challenge though.

      Delete
  58. I read a blog recently that said the most effective way to protest is by self sufficient gardening. Lovely piece and beautiful well kept wheel barrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Edix: Welcome and thank you. I am not self-sufficient, but do try. And the garden gives me haven, exercise, beauty and solace.

      Delete
  59. Cool and clever! Stunning images as usual, EC. So very glad to see the photo-art as an entry at WEP! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nilanjana Bose: Thank you. Denise gave me the idea - and I am so grateful for the kind comments.

      Delete
  60. Great pictures. This made me want to garden. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jamie: Welcome and thank you. My garden is fed with blood sweat and tears and is STILL heart balm, respite and solace.

      Delete
  61. I like the wheelbarrow's point of view - well done! These days I feel like the wheelbarrow: back and forth, back and forth to the garden. But every trip is a joy because I come back with yummy fruit and veggies! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane Henders: Those repetitive trips ARE a joy. And a reflection of lots of work and a smidgeon of luck.

      Delete
  62. I could spend hours drifting through your world shared here - thank you for your big-hearted shares. A big red workhorse:)
    Enjoy the new tenderlings springing up everywhere. I wish you a very large joy this season:)
    - Jennifer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jennifer Richardson: Many, many thanks. And hugs.

      Delete