Mud & Spectating

The absolute highlight of today was getting properly muddy. I've recently got involved in a "garden share" scheme and have been linked up with a garden about 3 min walk from my house - result. Today was the first time I was free to do some digging since being linked up and, I found myself without much of an idea as to what I was going to do other than pot on some strawberry runners and plant a rhubarb root kindly donated (OK, coerced) from my parents' garden.

I've done some gardening in the past but wouldn't call myself an expert by a long shot. However, patience, a hand-fork and more plant-knowledge than I thought I had saw me getting on with the main border in the garden. It's a front yard and has a couple of narrow "borders" plus lots of big pots. There's plenty already growing but it's been left to its own devices for a while and I'm aiming to increase the number of "productive" plants growing. At first glance the main border seemed to be mainly weeds but as I got closer it had a lot of orange-flower-plants (which had been pointed out as useful for something, but I forget what and I forget what they're called: any pointers gratefully received - I think they're the ones pictured), parsley, strawberry runners, clover (good for nitrogen fixing while I'm working out what I want to grow) mint and a couple of hiding potatoes (I think they were potatoes...I wouldn't like to be sure). I rescued the plants I could identify (oh, and there was a clump of what I think was a lupin which I relocated) and then dug over the patch before replanting with a little more organisation and making one of the empty large pots into a parsley pot (much more accessible). How the plants will fare remains to be seen but it reminded me I do have *some* gardening skills and there's plenty of scope for learning more. The other pots have chives and forget-me-nots, among other things (and more strawberries!) and now I'm on the hunt for new and exciting edibles that I fancy eating and can get my hands on.

The morning was cold but while I was keeping active I was plenty warm enough and it was particularly brilliant to bring some parsley & strawberry plants home with the idea of potting them up and having them here. The potting has been done but I'm now somewhat short of suitable pot containers (so when I water them they don't spill everywhere) so shall just have to get through some more tofu (which comes in rather handy pot-trays, which some may consider plastic packaging...)

So yes, mud & gardening - brilliant.

The main reason gardening happened today was because I'm spending a whole weekend in Morecambe - for the first time in a good while. Last night there was an arts event in the streets of Lancaster (Light Up Lancaster - part of Lancaster Arts City) which I ended up at and today, being the Saturday closest to Bonfire Night, there were a couple of different fireworks displays going on. By accident rather than design (timing wise, at least) I arrived in a quiet back street of Bolton Le Sands just as their annual fire works got started and I had a great view from the comfort of the Golden Chariot and often silhouetted trees between me and the lower-level fireworks. So for two nights in a row I've been out and about, along with other people, watching things. And I think I've come to the conclusion I haven't done particularly well in cultivating my "spectator muscle" having preferred to be Doing. Last night there was one performance which was rather more interactive - a scaff-tower with various metal bits hanging off it which was used as a large percussion instrument, and which the assembled crowd was encouraged to have a play on as well. I didn't need to be asked twice. And I enjoyed both evenings - but there is a definite sense of wanting to Do more. There's a plan in there somewhere...