Thank you for your very useful reflections. It is a good idea
to treat gardening in the same spirit as lute playing, with as relaxed
an attitude and with as economic gestures as possible. It has been a
long time since I had to do this, and I am almost certainly forcing
things, and also still looking for the right tools to deal with a
particularly hard ground.
Water, and a little time for it to work in and loosen the soil. I live
in a dry place and the ground can get very hard. Water is the best tool
I've found.
What oil or cream do you use, Jean-Michel?
It probably matters less what, and more that you use it, and use it
enough. In the US I use a lotion called Aveeno, which is very good.
The other thing I find very important in not ruining my hands for lute
playing with my gardening is pacing. Do a little, take a break. Do
some today, some tomorrow. That sort of thing.
Suzanne
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