Tuesday 21 September 2021

Tuesday

 It is not as pleaant as it was yesterday (a perfect September day) - the sun is hazy and there is quite a strong breeze.   Had we not had yesterday for a comparison I would have said it was a lovely day today.   It is the day for managing without a carer and I have just finished doing what takes her an hour (I rose at 7.30 and it is now 11.18) but everything is done and I am happy with how it looks everywhere.

And there is Chelsea to look at.   I love looking at other peoples' ideas for gardens.   Many years ago, maybe around 1983, a very dear friend who was a superb gardener - she spent all day in her large garden and had a huge collection of rhodendrons, was unable to go to Chelsea and gave me her ticket to go on Members' Day.   I lived in Wolverhampton at the time and caught a very early train up to London and went along - I was there when it opened.  It was an experience I wouldn't have missed but by two in the afternoon I was absolutely  exhausted and caught an early train home (and fell asleep on the journey).

It was wonderful and the individual gardens were so very interesting but you could only look at them from behind a barrier, whereas when you get a preview on television the presenter is often wandering round looking at what is planted and you get a close-up.   So I decided television was much better - for me at any rate.   How lucky we are to have television aren't we?   How my Dad would have loved Chelsea from his armchair.

24 comments:

Heather said...

Well done on getting all your chores done by 11.40(?) I had my walk, bought my paper home and did a few puzzles, then nodded off! Gold star for you, black mark for me. My excuse is that I spent a thoroughly enjoyable weekend with my youngest daughter - but there were late nights and no daytime naps!
It is a bit cooler today but so much more comfortable than heat and humidity. I love seeing the completed gardens at the Chelsea Show, especially the more natural ones. I was so pleased when a few years ago a lovely gardener was awarded a Gold Medal for his Yorkshire Garden.

Derek Faulkner said...

It is a beautiful warm and sunny day here on Sheppey, much better than the chill, gloom and damp of yesterday. Mind you, going out on the reserve early in the morning as I do, there is a chill in the air that makes the heavy dew glisten and suggests frosts aren't too far away, but I'll gladly enjoy today's warmth.
I'm amused when you say - going "up" to London from Wolverhampton, shouldn't that be "down".

Sue in Suffolk said...

I'm always amazed at how nothing is turned into all those amazing gardens in just a couple of weeks.
Have a lovely day

the veg artist said...

I'm loving the coverage of the autumn Chelsea. I'm so glad they've put in a balcony category, and those little house-plant cabins are so sweet. I've heard that an extra 3m people took up some form of gardening over the last 18 months (that explains the difficulty in buying seeds). Well done, newbie gardeners!

Rachel Phillips said...

Your factotum has a day off. Relax and have one yourself. Feet up, puzzles, book, walk, feet up, email friends, write a poem, tv, sleep. Something different on a Tuesday for you too.

ellie k said...

I just found you a week ago and love reading your posts. Thank you. I live in Florida and it is still hot here but I can feel a little fall in the air. Now is the time people start planting a second garden for the year. We have a lot of u-pick fields here for tomatoes, blueberrys, strawberrys, peppers of sorts and other veggies. Oranges are a fading thing in our area. I think houses are being built on lots of farm land now. My son in law and daughter are farmers in the area, they have had to push out and burn thousands of citrus trees, mostly orange because of something called greening disease. Now they grow sod and that is a big business with all the new building going on around us. That is just a little about me since I am getting to know you through you posts. Have a great day.

Ellen D. said...

Glad you are having a good day on your own!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Derek -I was always taught that one always goes UP to London as it is our capital city.
Heather - I remember the Yorkshire Garen well.
Welxomw to you Ellie K
Real Autumn nip in the air at tea time folks.

Debby said...

The heat and humidity seemed to break hear as soon as we flipped the calendar to September. It has been wonderful sleeping weather.

Bonnie said...

It's a good job to get chores done early like you did. A sense of accomplishment. How nice that you are able to see Chelsea on TV. I hope you will enjoy it! We have our first day that is cool enough to turn the air off and open the windows and I love it!

CharlotteP said...

We are still here and able to do things we enjoy...it's a lovely day!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Getting a bit cooler every day here.

Brenda said...

I live in Florida also and love love this blog
Small world

The Furry Gnome said...

We went to Chelsea in 2010. It was on our bucket list, And we're watching it on TV right now. It was quite the experience to be there once.

ellie k said...

Brenda I am just south of Tampa.

Joanne Noragon said...

Flower shows are lovely.

Susan said...

Garden tours on TV are often outstanding. I especially like tours of parks and private estates in various countries. There is always something to learn about garden design and growing. Recently, I read about growing artichokes in pots in the UK. Did you know artichokes feature large beautiful blue flowers and big spiky leaves? They are very exotic looking and right up my alley.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Susan - Thank you for that info - didn't know and shall now read about them.

It is getting darkwe by the day here. It is half past six in the morning when I am reading this and it is a clear sky but stil not really light.

the veg artist said...

I sowed some artichokes this year, and they are now almost knee high in the veg plot. They only develop the height and the showy heads/flowers in the second year, but they don't always survive the winter. I'm hopeful, but wary at the same time! If pots moved into shelter work for anyone, I'd give them another go.

Derek Faulkner said...

Bake Off.
There was an interesting couple of articles on Radio 5 Live this morning. People were ringing in as part of a discussion about how a lot of people will struggle to put food on the table this winter as all kinds of costs keep on rising, fuel especially. There were sad stories of families who, never in a million years, imagined that they would have to be using local food banks to feed their children.
The second thing discussed was how exciting last night's start of a new series of Bake Off was - the latest in a series of almost non-stop cookery programmes on TV, where really good food is wasted for entertainment purposes. I wonder how the really poor of this country view that.

Anonymous said...

Regarding artichokes, I can remember being a little girl in the late 1950's. Artichokes were everywhere and seen as an invasive weed known as Scotch Thistles,and yes I know Scottish is the correct terminology, but this WAS the fifties after all. We were very dismissive of the plant and what we saw as common blue flowers and spiky leaves. We were intrigued as to why migrant families harvested these weeds and were amazed that people ate this tough species, and knew nothing of artichoke hearts. Now of course, artichokes are not seen anywhere around the suburbs or country. A French person showed me many years how to cook it properly...and on serving pick off each individual section of the heart and dip it in a sauce. It was delicious but I have forgotten both the methodology and the making of the sauce by now. Pam, Aust.

Tom Stephenson said...

I have friends who have exhibited at Chelsea. The preparation in the run up is a logistical nightmare, with everyone trying to get tons of materials into a small area at the same time. And when they open it all seems so calm.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Drek If they took all the cookery and all the antiques programme off TV there would be some huge gaps.Thanks for calling in everyone.

Derek Faulkner said...

That seems a poor excuse for wasting food as entertainment Pat.