Leaf blowing

I spent a veritable chunk of yesterday handling a leaf blower, a tremendously fun device that turns the chore of raking leaves into a whirlwind of excitement. It is perhaps not the most effective way to tidy an area, but I am happy to sacrifice effectiveness for fun when I can.

The reason for this gardening related activity (and it has been a while since a gardening related topic has featured) is that a large party is planned for Saturday, at an outdoor location, and as the venue has not really been tidied in around a year, a large amount of forest has landed on it. So some sweeping and blowing has been required. I also spent some time wiring up some speakers and resurrecting an ancient amplifier, as well as testing various lights, none of which actually worked. A trip to a lighting store is now planned to ensure the party has all the requisite ingredients. In good news at least, the three bubble machines are working.

Our host, a great friend of mine from the early mists of time, was tremendously impressed by our work ethic. Well, I say our. For some reason playing with a leaf blower and messing around with speaker wires didn’t totally qualify as work. He was more impressed I believe by the Amazonian qualities of Vera, who spent a very long time sweeping various tree suspended platforms with a broom. So long in fact, that she managed to break the broom. I live in fear of a woman who can snap a broom handle in two as if it were kindling. Slight fear of one’s other half is, no doubt, a healthy quality for a sustainable relationship.

This is all taking place in the wonderful back drop of the English country side, just outside the city of Oxford, a town which we will be visiting later on today, to ogle at the marvels of the colleges, to wander around the intelligent feeling Bodleian library, and even perhaps to delve into some of the many rather fine pubs. A more full update on that will follow, perhaps even with pictures and possible travel related information. Even though I have received feedback recently that I have been focusing too much on the travel tales and too little on the tales of drinking. You can be a tough audience sometimes folks. I will try to please you all. More to follow on our adventures in Oxford, the tree based party and life, as it flows on by.

More botanical news

Word has reached me from London that the geraniums I grew in my window boxes in my flat have survived another winter and are in fact flourishing. Clearly whoever moved into the flat after I left is botanically minded. I wonder if they know also that Cat Stevens used to live there. No matter. I hope I can now draw a line under the botanical updates, given that I have filled you in on pretty much every plant I have ever been responsible for, regardless of your interest.

In other news, a friend of mine is getting married tomorrow. I’m not quite sure what the standard phrase should be for this occasion (happy wedding?), but I would like to wish Mike and Laura all the best on their day. A new level is reached, and so, gratz.

Botany, continued

Well, when I started this blog, all of perhaps a week ago, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to be writing about. Witticisms about life I thought. The excitement of travelling from place to place with nary a care in the world. Instead I find myself talking to the world at large about my brothers ongoing attempts at plant care.

Still, I started this whole thing with a discussion on his botanicide of my chilli plant, so I feel that it is only fair to point out that he did succeed somehow in keeping my dragon palm tree thing alive, as the photo shows. The plant in the foreground is what is left of the chilli tree, for reference. I’m not sure it’s going to stage a recovery.

I know, the excitement builds and builds. What next you wonder? Where can we take this next? Shots of paint drying perhaps? Cricket commentary? Tomorrow there will be all you can eat sushi at some point. Plus meeting a large part of the remainder of the family of the girlfriend. All of whom are roughly twice as tall as me from what I can tell. Should be interesting. More so than the ongoing botanical updates? I guess we’ll have to find out.

Ode to a dead chilli tree

I would be the very first to admit that I am not entirely botanically minded. Plants do not respond to my touch with love and care. I am more of the hack, slash and burn mentality when it comes to gardening, my success is usually measured by the pile of dead things I have removed from a garden rather than the swathe of growth that others may measure by.

That said, I have had a number of minor successes on the gardening front. My window boxes of geraniums in my flat in London were a source of pride and joy, the fact that they survived a whole winter outside was impressive to me. My crowning glory on the gardening front, however, had to have been my chilli tree  (plant?) that I had grown from seed. Four seeds came from the packet, two plants grew, one survived the first harsh winter in my flat and grew to produce countless small fiery red chillies. I was immeasurably pleased with it. Naturally, when departing the shores of the UK in the summer of 2009, I needed someone to tend to it carefully, to fill it with love, to continue to harvest it’s rich fruit. My brother stepped forward. All would be well I supposed.

Tragically, as the title of the post suggests, this was not to be. Yesterday, via Skype video call where I was wishing my father happy birthday, the topic of the chilli tree came up, and a withered dead stick in a pot was displayed on the screen. My brother did at least have the good grace to look fairly sheepish. Thus endeth a botanical relationship, thank you, chilli tree, for all those fine chillies you provided me with, sorry I was not able to find you a safer home.

In other news, we watched Across the Universe last night, in an ongoing attempt to synchronise our cultural memes. It’s a musical, in the same sort of style as Moulin Rouge, but all the songs in it are by the Beatles. So if you are into the Beatles, and/or decent musicals (I’m sorry Mother, but I’m not including Mamma Mia! in that list), then it’s worth a look! Enjoy your Sunday.