Saturday, 15 March 2025

This Blessed Plot...

 ...This Earth, This Realm, This England*
or in my case, "This blessed plot, this raised bed, this mini-greenhouse..." I have been outside, and negotiated my way round the woodstore cottage and checked on a few things outside. 

I have emptied the bottom half of my compost bin, through that flimsy little sliding door - and put a layer of compost on the raised bed.

The two troughs of tete-a-tete daffs hich were sheltering beside the oil tank are all in bloom, so they have been moved to the front, beside the door.
This is one of the four plastic supports from the old water butt. It is held in place by a large lump of concrete found when we were sorting out the patio and dead decking. I am using this contraption to force some rhubarb. I had a quick peek - a few fine bright pink stems with vivid greeny yellow curly leaves under there. Maybe when Julian comes next week I shall make a fancy pud.
Inside, the potatoes seem to be taken forever to chit, but the pepper seeds in the propagator are showing signs of growth. Sadly not the 'mild red pepper' which I could eat, but the two blistering hot chilis I planted for Bob have both developed leaves.
* This is the only bit of Richard II I can quote. Currently I am studying Romeo and Juliet in order to help a young friend with her GCSE Revision. I will close this post with a favourite Ogden Nash poem, which I dedicate to the frazzled parents of adolescent daughters
The Romantic Age

This one is entering her teens,
Ripe for sentimental scenes,
Has picked a gangling unripe male,
Sees herself in bridal veil,
Presses lips and tosses head,
Declares she's not too young to wed,
Informs you pertly you forget
Romeo and Juliet.
Do not argue, do not shout;
Remind her how that one turned out.


16 comments:

  1. Have you discovered BBC bitesize revision?
    peppers, oh peppers, wherefore art thou peppers?

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    Replies
    1. Bitesize is brilliant .🌶🫑🌶🤣

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  2. Great start to your gardening year. Bright and sunny enough up here to attempt some but temps prohibitive to stay out long (0 degrees this morning!).Have a good weekend.
    .

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  3. Ps my sister, when she was a History teacher,used to show her pupils the modern contemporary film of Romeo and Juliet when they were studying for their Higher exams. They loved it.

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    Replies
    1. In my youth it was the Olivia Hussey one, now it's the Clare Danes version

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  4. I think Shakespeare was a gardener or at least new his plants:-
    “ I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
    Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
    Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
    With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
    There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
    Lull’d in these flowers with dances and delight;”
    (A Midsummer Night's Dream)

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    Replies
    1. Check out "The Quest for Shakespeare's Garden" by Roy Strong, for a lovely study of the playwright and his awareness of Tudor plants, and how he uses them in his writing.

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  5. I love Ogden Nash, great poem. I only have sons which are a different kettle of fish entirely regarding the love front to daughters, but I do have nieces so have observed what is involved! My son's "did" R&J at school and were shown the Claire Danes/Leonardo DiCaprio version and loved it. Your garden is looking grand. Regards Sue H

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    1. Thank you Sue. As you say, bringing up sons is not the same as raising daughters - different delights, and different challenges!

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  6. Looking forward to seeing what you will be growing in your garden this year.

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  7. Garden looking blessed by sunshine and it’s good to get outside. Enjoy helping your young friend with her Shakespeare-I sometimes think you can only appreciate his writing once you are a fully paid up adult. No gardening or dusty activities for 4 weeks for me so feeling slightly bored already. Catriona

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  8. Your raised bed looks great, and the daffodils are lovely. I have a cute little compost bin these days, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, with the only access being by lifting the whole thing upwards. It's surprisingly a brilliant way to do it and I managed to get the equivalent of a big bag of bought compost from it in just the last year. Alan lifted it up and put its down in a new place and we carefully dug into all the layers and filled up the flower beds with the lovely homemade compost, very satisfying.

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