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Making the best of it

Category: Ramblings | Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:52 pm

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We've had some rather bad weather for a couple of days. The full storm came with hurricane gusts warnings and high water levels to top it off. In addition to that, we were told to expect thunder and lightning as well as lots of rain or sleet. That amounts to lots of weather, even for us here on the north-west coast.

I must admit I was a bit worried. I never bothered about strong winds until the New Year's Day Hurricane in -91. The town center looked like a war zone, with broken windows and building parts everywhere. Some cars had been thrown together in a heap, and a fishing vessel had been put in the middle of the main road into town. I think seeing that ship there finally made me understand what power a hurricane had. So I've been frightened of high winds ever since.

Anyway, with the extreme weather warning I found it best to be prepared. So I checked our stock of cocoa, candles and chocolate, to make sure we had the essentials. Then I went and got me two crime novels, both of Monty Roberts' books, a book about table decorating, a bit of yarn and a set with all we need to needle-felt eight sheep. We filled the wood bin downstairs and put torches ready in each of the girls' rooms, our bedroom and the bathroom. We also gathered the blankets on the couch for easy access.

Well, the storm and flood tide came and went, and nothing much came of it except a couple of very wet basements and some torn-down gutter pipes. Thankfully we were too busy to tidy away the torches and stuff, because we needed them today. We were not warned about it, but had a nice thunder and lightning show complete with power cuts. Three short ones, to be exact. Very unusual.

I'm thinking it might be too early to put everything back where it should be. I'll just pile the blankets around me, and enjoy some cocoa, chocolate and an exciting novel this evening. Well, we don't want to waste it, now, do we?

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A visit to the aquarium

Category: Pets and other animals | Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 5:30 pm

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We're so lucky we have a big aquarium close by, it only takes about 30 minutes to drive. We are year-card holders, so we visit when we want without additional payment. I do not normally bring the camera, but today I did, for some reason. The batteries didn't last long, but at least I got to photograph the penguins, which arrived just before Christmas:





Here are from some of the tanks:











They've got a huge tank where divers feed the fish. All the children are clustered near the glass to watch, and it's so fun seeing all the different fish eating from the divers's hand.

Also, they have a department for babies, and it's fun to watch shark eggs and newly hatched sharks. The contact pool is very popular too, but the crabs were so full of food that they just didn't want to play today. The girls ended up petting the starfish instead.

As for me, I always leave with a craving for fish soup, crab, lobster, anything sea food related. Shame on me! *lol*

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Mum's the word

Category: Garden | Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:14 pm

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It's my mother's fault! All the chasing about after special plants, buying more than I had planned, ordering plants by the dozens from the spring catalogues, and counting my money afterwards, with a slight tinge of desperation: Where do I put it all?

When mother moved from the wind-swept island to her present home, she thought she had entered paradise. She planted roses - five and five together, in soft gradations from white through to deep red, lovingly composed to their advantage. After a few years she gave in and admitted rose defeat. She discovered the rhododendron, then the primroses, meconopsis, lilies, heathers, hostas, paeonis and lots more. She's made a veritable oasis of her clay-soiled, flat property and I have trouble pronouncing the names of some of her stuff. She, on the other hand, knows where every plant is, their common name, latin name, natural habitat and special requirements. I call her my Gardening Encyclopedia, and must, unwillingly of course, admit that I would be far less successful without her.

She's also got an eye for composition that I didn't inherit, but I'm trying to learn. I'd like to share her garden with you, and hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do:

Wide view to the west:



The big border:



Her clematis grows to the top of a tall birch:



Azaleas, iris and rhododendron:



The azalea and smilacina racemosa smell heavenly:



What I call the Swedish border:



A sweet miniature arrangement for late spring joy:



The only cat tolerated in her garden these days:



Rhododendron yakushimanum and bumble bee:



One of her rare, little gems, Campylogonum var charopoeum,



I mentioned paeonies:





There is more. Much more! But I hope you get an impression on what her garden is like. I've got something to live up to, haven't I?

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More Primula

Category: Garden | Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:25 am

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I went out and bought primroses for inside yesterday. They have a wonderful fragrance and cheery colours, and they remind me of spring. I've posted some of my spring flowering Primula before, but I've also got some that flower later in spring, in summer and early autumn.

The Primula must be made for our climate. They love the wet, fairly cold weather and the humus-rich soil. They sulk if given the wrong conditions. On a hot afternoon, they are a sorry sight, leaves lying flat on the ground and flower heads drooping. I divide them every three-four years and keep them where I can see and smell them.

This is one of the early ones. It started as an indoor plant:



This is a tiny thing called "Johanne". I've nearly lost it several times, but have so far managed to save one rosette or two:



These Primula japonica grow in my mother's garden, and bloom in June:



Also June-flowering, rather tall ones:



Primula sieboldii has hairy leaves and a good variety of colour. White, whitish pink, pink, pale blue and lavender:



The Primula vialii looks a bit strange with the red buds and lavender flowers. It starts flowering in June and keeps at it for a month or so. It likes me, and has self-seeded:





This is a white Primula alpicola which flowers in June/July:



The Primula florinda is the latest and longest bloomer of them all. It starts in June/July, and keeps at it through August and some years to September. It's fairly tall, about 50 cm, and loves moisture. I've got yellow, orange and red.







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The confessions of a rescue mission guerilla

Category: Garden | Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:28 pm

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I am a thief. You might scold me if you like, but let me explain myself first, and point out that I've never stolen anything before or since.

Once upon a time there was a lovely, park-like garden with plenty of very special trees, bushes, bulbs and plants. When the people who owned it grew old, they willed the whole thing to the community, care of our politicians.

The clause was that the house, out buildings and park were properly maintained and open to the public. Hah!

The area has always been popular for barbeques, walks and play, but as to maintenance... well...

Some years ago I enjoyed an afternoon walk around the property, and spotted some very nice marthagon lilies, astrantiums, aquilegias and wolf's bane growing where the flower beds once were. I went back a couple of weeks later to find that everything had been mowed along with the grass.

The following evening I brought my car, a shovel, my sister-in-law and the dog down. My sister-in-law walked about with the dog, and I set to work trying to save at least something of what had been lost. I managed to find a small astrantium root, a small blue-and-white wolf's bane and a couple of marthagon lily bulbs. Unfortunately, some of the bulbs fell apart when I lifted them, but I carefully collected all the little shells and took them home with me.

My sister-in-law got the whole bulbs and some astrantium. I planted the wolf's bane and astrantium where they hopefully might grow and prosper, and put all the little lily shells in good dirt and waited.

After four or five years, the lilies were big enough to give blooms. The astrantium has been split several times, and is now quite wide-spread. The wolf's bane stands about two meters off the ground (six foot six) and is impressive!

Here are my nicked treasures, photographed last summer:





I've been visiting the site of my crime several times since, and the flowers are still cut with the grass. Am I condemned?

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