Gardening and Gnoming
For most of my life I have been an avid gardener, from vegetables to flowers, from roses to radishes and tulips to tomatoes, I have loved the times I have been able to spend in the garden.
Watching the new born shrubs emerging or the first buds in the seedlings planted does give a great feeling, a feeling of satisfaction that you have actually helped nature in a creative way, and reaped the benefits from nature, whether it is in the beauty of a flowering rose or the budding of a tulip, or in the nutritional growth of a sun ripened tomato or the succulent leaves of a dew blessed lettuce.
A gardeners playground where one can relax and enjoy the beauty of his creation.
Over the years I have planted many gardens around Australia, mainly because of twenty years in the army I moved house 12 times and everytime I restarted, not only that when you count the number of houses that have been rented the number adds up.
But everytime I have persevered, I wish to share with you a photograph of a plant that I grew from a cutting, the Basil. I dont know much about this herb but have been advised by Ana it is an ingredient in many types of cooking.
One thing I have learnt over the years is to use every available handy receptacle to grow plants in, and in this photograph you will see I have used two old car tyres, filled with good soil mixed with great cow manure compost and my secret recipe, the end result has been a great bush that seems to continue to grow. Rubbing your hands over the leaves brings on a fantastic aroma.
So this is the results of my efforts with two old tyres, a good dose of great soil and lots of love and water.
The other subject I want to touch on in gardens, is the proverbial garden gnome, for some reason people love to collect these little fairytale fellows and plant them around the garden, mainly females develop this fashion.
I have never really bothered with them until Ana came into my life, and was soon after followed by a troop of gnomes of all different shapes and sizes.
Now I dont mind the little fellows but lately everytime I water the garden there seems to be more gnomes than before, yes I count the damn things but I swear they were breeding.
So yesterday, with a torch in my hand I went hunting to do a census count, yep and there in amongst the flowers I found the culprit that was behind the proliferation of the gnomes in my garden.
I captured the little fellow on camera and dont be taken in by his shy bashful face with his hand covering his mouth from being caught out, look below and you will see why my gnomes have been breeding, the cheeky little fellow has been dropping his trousers all throughout the garden.
He has since been relocated to the cactus garden.
Cheers.
Emu
The End of A Wartime Era
Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of World War II singing trio the Andrews Sisters, died Wednesday aged 94, her publicist said.The Andrews Sisters – Patty and siblings LaVerne and Maxene – were famous for hits including Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B and Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree, with which they entertained troops on countless tours.Patricia Marie Andrews died of natural causes at her home in Northridge, northwest of Los Angeles, according to spokesman Alan Eichler. She would have turned 95 in February, he said.The sisters sold nearly 100 million records – including hits like I, Yi, Yi, Yi, Yi (I Like You Very Much) and I Can Dream, Can’t I? – and appeared in 16 films, with the likes of Abbott and Costello, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.LaVerne Andrews died of cancer in 1967 at age 55, while Maxene died in 1995 aged 79 of a heart attack. Patty is survived by foster daughter Pam DuBois, a niece and four cousins. Her husband Walter died in 2010.
