Bits and Bobs No 11

[naturediva]

HI everybody
I pondered whether there is anything I could write about here?

hmmm well it's been raining all day and everything looks that fantastic vibrant green; also could mention buying plastic shoe boxes and dismantling the pile of shoes in my wardrobe, actually my daughter has some fab shoes which she displays on a bookcase ...enough of that.

Thought I'd mention that a few weeks ago when I had some spare tomato plants and pansies I put them on a tressle in my front garden with a notice 'free tomato plants' etc, anyway, later some children knocked and asked if they could have some and where was the tin to put money in? and why were they free? (that was a surprise).
Then one young girl about 10 years old, Jenna has come back again and again (sometimes with her sister, sometimes with friends, sometimes alone), she's so enthusiastic about gardening! Fantastic, showed her around my modest garden and discussed what is growing etc.
Since then I have talked her (and some of her friends) through how to plant seeds in pots ie: nasturtiums, nightscented stock, radish, and lettuce; even found a tub and she planted up some bizzie lizzie plants and french marrigolds for some ready grown colour, all of which have been proudly taken home as her own work.
Jenna called again the other night so I said "call back at the weekend" if her parents say its ok and "will find another project"!
I may not be the most expert gardener, yet if this has started a youngster and a few friends off gardening now or in the future, its worth every moment and who knows what seeds have been sown just by talking and taking the time and hopefully there is also some gardening activety at their school too.

[alan refail]

Naturediva

You're doing a great job by the sound of it
You can't force young people into being interested in gardening (as with so many other things), but you can ( and you clearly do) cultivate an intyerest when it is shown. I have found the same with our hens and ducks; when village children get interested they come round regularly to keep an eye on their progress. Maybe we'll get back to the days when everyone in the village kept a few hens - and many a pig as well.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Naturediva, the story you have told, is so heart-warming, and gives true hope for the future.
There really ae some good kids out there, and even some of the bad ones would respond well, if people gave them little time.

[naturediva]

Cheery Hi to you all
Alan
It's great about your hens and ducks too, helps the youngsters realise that we have to care for them and all of nature too (actually I aspire to having at least a few hens one fine day - maybe need to move from here first of all - so see what future holds). If I had a pig that would become another pet! - I'm a bit soft like that, actually I do have a lovely pot one called bernie who sits in the garden amongst the herbs
Oldherbaceous
Yes I agree with you, youngsters do inspire a sense of hope for our future - a saving grace for the earth . In fact I feel that through necessity, we shall (and indeed already are) going back to basics in many ways - including re-learning old skills and crafts and of course home grown vegetables, fruit and flowers and local farm produce etc. will be a big part of the way forward and help all of us re-connect with the sense of wholeness and well being with a realisation that we are a part of a much bigger scheme of things.

[naturediva]

Hi again Alan
Forgot to mention my pot duck who sits by the door of my conservatory, she is wearing an apron and a bonnet and her name is Mavis
Well, I guess that's just blown any sense of credibility out of the water .....

[Primrose]

Watched a little of the D-Day 65th Anniversary celebrations in Normandy on TV today. There's something very special about our pride in the Veterans who still make this regular pilgrimage, isn't there? I just wish the Queen had been invited though. That omission, in view of her own wartime service was a huge blunder in my opinion, especially when I heard the Prime Minister being booed on his arrival. And so nice to see all the young people there, especially the cadets, and the grandchildren of some of the existing veterans.

[oldherbaceous]

We have had a nice steady rain all night long here in Bedforshire, now that should make things swell nicely.

[Malk]

Little bit of rain yesterday, but planted out a few sweet peas and the soil is bone dry. Unheard of in these parts.

Looking forward to popping out to allotment today. Looks like I used the infected manure that came to the plots, I thought I used last year's supply, but my potatoes are curling up here and there. Think it's infected with a broad leaf herbicide though farmer swears he didn't use it. Lots of other folk at the allotments having problems as well.

Sunshine today, so I might need to water things outside as well as in.

[oldherbaceous]

Just put a bowl in the microwave thingy, that was adourned with gold leaf, what a wonderful light display errupted inside.

[alan refail]

Dear Lord Herby

Oh dear! What a trial is must be to be one of the aristocracy

It's all your own fault for lettting your cook have her annual day off. She would never have put your gold-trimmed dishes in the microwave

[oldherbaceous]

I hope cook doesn't read this, she's quite possesive about her kitchen, especially since i moved a few bits round in there .

[alan refail]

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Alan, are you trying to say, i'm as crafty as a barrow full of Monkeys.
I know something, i would only give that person one warning about having a soft tyre on their barrow.

[alan refail]

Dear OH
I was going to suggest you'd go ape when you saw the tyre

[donedigging]

Dear OH,

Have you checked that the microwave thingy that you speak of still works?