Been having a gentle, uneventful bank holiday weekend so far. I've finished reading Gregory David Roberts' Shantaram, a 930-page doorstop relating the author's own story at the third attempt, the first two MSS having been destroyed by his prison guards. Armed robber (to feed heroin habit), man of violence, drug dealer, money launderer, passport forger and Bombay mafioso. And yet a likeable character with boundless goodness in him... Read it yourself. Having finished it yesterday morning, I'm now half-way through a newish Sandy McCall Smith, Corduroy Mansions.
The garden is starting to mature. Last year's helianthemum seedlings are slowly coming into flower, and the roses are budding well. The Bramley apple tree has set quite a lot of fruit, most of which will fall, of course, during the June drop. But we might get more than the three apples we got in its first year in the garden. The spuds are growing like mad: those in plastic containers are well beyond the top of the pots, so have been earthed up. The beans seem to be settling in, and there are a few flowers on the blueberry that Corina gave us last year. We still have a lot to plant out/sell/give away - about 70 aquilegia seedlings, and a dozen or so lavateras, with seed trays of thunbergia, zinnia and helichrysum still to be dealt with.
The birds are feeding like mad things - we have the occasional football crowd of starlings down at the bird table, with quite a few juveniles in the mob. The squirrels have succeeded in breaking the chains on both peanut feeders, so I've bodged them up with hanging basket chains and wire coathangers, which may get us through the season. Someone was flogging squirrel-proof nut and seed feeders on ebay the other day, but I haven't succeeded in getting through all the layers of deterrents to payment...
I tore out some miles of brambles on Saturday, and bear the scars. Rain later that day filled the smaller water butt (which is hooked up to the big south-facing roof, and even the conservatory roof gathered a foot or so of water in the new large butt. Modifies one's attitude to rain somewhat!
Jack of Kent comments on the Gary McK1nn0n case, linking to the various indictments and judgments so far. I hadn't studied it any depth before, but was conscious of a few references to it in the media: he had hacked into a large number of US military computers, leaving messages that US foreign policy amounted to little more than state-sponsored terrorism [discuss.], and also causing 24-hour shut-down of one base's systems and making hundreds of computers malfunction. Taking the prosecution's case at its highest, he has very serious allegations to answer, and has largely admitted them. His intent was clear, and considering the appalling resources to which he might have had access, the potential for harm was infinite. So it remains to be seen what the US judicial system will make of him, and his subsequent diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome. But Schadenfreude is probably my strongest feeling in the case: a grim satisfaction at seeing the might of the US war machine lessened by a lonely nerd with a battered laptop.
Monday, 31 May 2010
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
26 May
On the negative side, the central heating is malfunctioning, our Sky TV box has gone flop-bot and now the internet connection is not working. On the positive side, the weather has started to cool down, so we may want to take advantage of the fact that we can’t shut off the heating other than by turning off the radiators; I hate TV anyway, and if, gentle reader, you can read this, the broadband service may have hobbled back to its usual mediocrity. The nice young man in Mumbai says to expect it back later this evening, once the Disgustedville oilies have finished fiddling at the local telephone exchange. At this point I would probably elect to vegetate in front of the TV, but….
Martyn planted out the beans yesterday, taking advantage of what looks like some decent compost from the black plastic job at the top of the garden. We’ve planted out zinnias and more rudbeckias, and I pricked out the last of the antirrhinum seedlings yesterday; a glance out of the study window just now suggests that they’re OK. I’m gradually moving perennials in amongst the annual colour, so that we ought to need less of the latter in coming years. Oriental poppies, echinaceas and penstemons went in yesterday. And I’ve potted up some gerbera seedlings which may come to something some day. Newts, frogs and tadpoles are less in evidence today than of late, perhaps because the temperature has plummeted. I’m hoping to see some rain soon: having hooked up the water butts, it’s really frustrating to have to resort to costly chlorinated tap water for the plants.
Martyn planted out the beans yesterday, taking advantage of what looks like some decent compost from the black plastic job at the top of the garden. We’ve planted out zinnias and more rudbeckias, and I pricked out the last of the antirrhinum seedlings yesterday; a glance out of the study window just now suggests that they’re OK. I’m gradually moving perennials in amongst the annual colour, so that we ought to need less of the latter in coming years. Oriental poppies, echinaceas and penstemons went in yesterday. And I’ve potted up some gerbera seedlings which may come to something some day. Newts, frogs and tadpoles are less in evidence today than of late, perhaps because the temperature has plummeted. I’m hoping to see some rain soon: having hooked up the water butts, it’s really frustrating to have to resort to costly chlorinated tap water for the plants.
Saturday, 22 May 2010
22 May
The warm weather has worked wonders on the garden, though part of that has to do with our being motivated to get out there and work. Our three trays of antirrhinum seedlings are now planted out, and some of the rudbeckias as well. There's no method in our madness: another tray of seedlings reaches the point at which it needs planting out, and we then decide where to plant them. Some of the perennials we started last year are beginning to look promising, so we're planting them out in amongst the annuals so that there will be less bare ground to fill in years to come: aubrieta, alyssum saxatile and achilleas so far. Some of last year's lupins, thrift and echinaceas are looking quite promising, and the aquilegias are now pretty well established. Alpine phlox plants that we bought last year are now in flower, and it looks like we didn't lose the gaillardia after all. There's something else shooting from its base up in the rock garden, but I can't remember what it was....
We have bought another water butt, over twice the capacity of the first one, which filled up pretty quickly when we had some rain and overnight dew. The smaller one is now outside the back door where (when we get some rain) I'll be able to draw water for the staging nearby. Oh, and for the spuds, which are almost ready for another earthing-up. Interesting to note how much better they do in plastic tubs that don't wick away the moisture like the terra cotta jobs. We need to get some netting up on the fence to support the beans, which have germinated like mad things.
The wildlife is thriving. The tadpoles are doing pretty well despite attrition by blackbirds, and there were five frogs in the pond yesterday. Wouldn't be surprised to come down one morning and find a further batch of frogspawn in the pond. I counted three water snails as well yesterday, and a newt. Goodness knows where they all come from. Perhaps the frogs carry in the snail eggs on their skin from the big pond up the road.
Given all this preoccupation with the garden, you won't be amazed to know that we have booked a long weekend back here in the middle of our French summer sojourn. We're doing it by train, changing in Lille on the way home, and Paris on the way back out again. There's long-term parking at the stations in Narbonne and Montpellier, reserveable in advance, so we'll probably use one or t'other. I wouldn't be surprised if the door-to-door times are shorter than for the corresponding flights. We determined last year that Gatport Airwick is The Place Not To Be in August.
Although I made some progress on Thursday with the current daub, there's still work to be done on it, and I got home from class feeling thoroughly stressed. So relaxing, painting, they say. Don't you believe it. It is blood, toil, tears and sweat every inch of the way, from the daunting blank canvas to the point at which you decide to stop fiddling and slap on the varnish. I must have a masochistic streak, I guess: but once I'm finally happy with a piece, the reward is clear. And the quicker I work, the better the result, I think. Must try to flog a few.
Been nobbled for a three-day yewf trial next week. Definitely my swansong in the said court. As a condition of agreeing, I've got out of my June yewf sitting, replacing it with a sitting in the chair at some sort of adult court. Knowing my luck, it'll be council tax, fare-dodging or TV license default.
We have bought another water butt, over twice the capacity of the first one, which filled up pretty quickly when we had some rain and overnight dew. The smaller one is now outside the back door where (when we get some rain) I'll be able to draw water for the staging nearby. Oh, and for the spuds, which are almost ready for another earthing-up. Interesting to note how much better they do in plastic tubs that don't wick away the moisture like the terra cotta jobs. We need to get some netting up on the fence to support the beans, which have germinated like mad things.
The wildlife is thriving. The tadpoles are doing pretty well despite attrition by blackbirds, and there were five frogs in the pond yesterday. Wouldn't be surprised to come down one morning and find a further batch of frogspawn in the pond. I counted three water snails as well yesterday, and a newt. Goodness knows where they all come from. Perhaps the frogs carry in the snail eggs on their skin from the big pond up the road.
Given all this preoccupation with the garden, you won't be amazed to know that we have booked a long weekend back here in the middle of our French summer sojourn. We're doing it by train, changing in Lille on the way home, and Paris on the way back out again. There's long-term parking at the stations in Narbonne and Montpellier, reserveable in advance, so we'll probably use one or t'other. I wouldn't be surprised if the door-to-door times are shorter than for the corresponding flights. We determined last year that Gatport Airwick is The Place Not To Be in August.
Although I made some progress on Thursday with the current daub, there's still work to be done on it, and I got home from class feeling thoroughly stressed. So relaxing, painting, they say. Don't you believe it. It is blood, toil, tears and sweat every inch of the way, from the daunting blank canvas to the point at which you decide to stop fiddling and slap on the varnish. I must have a masochistic streak, I guess: but once I'm finally happy with a piece, the reward is clear. And the quicker I work, the better the result, I think. Must try to flog a few.
Been nobbled for a three-day yewf trial next week. Definitely my swansong in the said court. As a condition of agreeing, I've got out of my June yewf sitting, replacing it with a sitting in the chair at some sort of adult court. Knowing my luck, it'll be council tax, fare-dodging or TV license default.
Monday, 17 May 2010
17 May
There's a rash spreading along the street: tatty tarmac drives are being replaced with block-paved ditto. The tarmac at Forges-l'Evêque is a bit tired, for sure. But we've seen so many block-paved drives degenerate too soon after installation that we're in no hurry to sign up to the local fashion. And there seemed to be rather a lot of oiks standing around joking and pissing on walls opposite, as distinct from doing a bit of work on our neighbours' drive, so we'll defer that decision. Goodness knows, we have a recalcitrant central heating system to see to and pay for, after all.
The garden is coming along just fine. We planted out antirrhinums yesterday, and hoiked out a lot of weeds. The hostas are fighting off the slugs, with a bit of help from the blue pellets that I scatter without the slightest compunction. We feed the birds decent stuff, after all, so they're at little risk from the slug pellets, and if the blue jobs also discourage the cats, tant mieux. The squirrels, on the other hand, have brought down both our peanut feeders in the past few days, so I suspect we may have to invest in squirrel-proof Fort Knox jobs. (Or hire one of my colleagues with her shotgun. Story on application, if you haven't heard it already.) We haven't seen a nuthatch yet this year, but the blue and great tits are much in evidence, together with blackbirds, song thrushes, dunnocks, chaf- and greenfinches, and starlings. And the robins supervise us constantly.
Have you read Shantaram? If so, I'd be interested to know what you made of it. For my part, 200 pages in, I'm enjoying it greatly, but not quite succeeding in articulating why that is. Watch - and contribute to - this space (email me at smithd11220@yahoo.com).
The garden is coming along just fine. We planted out antirrhinums yesterday, and hoiked out a lot of weeds. The hostas are fighting off the slugs, with a bit of help from the blue pellets that I scatter without the slightest compunction. We feed the birds decent stuff, after all, so they're at little risk from the slug pellets, and if the blue jobs also discourage the cats, tant mieux. The squirrels, on the other hand, have brought down both our peanut feeders in the past few days, so I suspect we may have to invest in squirrel-proof Fort Knox jobs. (Or hire one of my colleagues with her shotgun. Story on application, if you haven't heard it already.) We haven't seen a nuthatch yet this year, but the blue and great tits are much in evidence, together with blackbirds, song thrushes, dunnocks, chaf- and greenfinches, and starlings. And the robins supervise us constantly.
Have you read Shantaram? If so, I'd be interested to know what you made of it. For my part, 200 pages in, I'm enjoying it greatly, but not quite succeeding in articulating why that is. Watch - and contribute to - this space (email me at smithd11220@yahoo.com).
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Helpful graphic
The Worshipful Bystander publishes this image in his current blog as a reminder to recently appointed ministers of the importance of distinguishing between the two anatomical regions, particularly when it comes to drafting (or, better still, repealing) criminal justice legislation.Meanwhile here at Fabrica Episcopi, the chaffinch maddens, the rain rains, the blackbirds predate the tadpoles, the beans are sprouting and hence all's broadly well with the world.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
12 May
Well, I was unimpressed by Mr Cl3gg when I met him back in the early 1990s. I did think he might have grown up with a bit more sense. But then, I suppose his career will be better served by a stint as Deputy PM of a coalition that commands a majority, and he did come in with the reputation of being a right-wing liberal. Can't imagine how his delightful wife puts up with him. Well, I hope that, between them, they'll appoint a Lord Chancellor who'll stand his ground when it comes to budget wrangling with the egregious 0sborne.
We had a delightful lunch yesterday with Elizabeth and Peter. Their garden, which opens each year under the National Gardens Scheme, is already looking superb with its apple, pear and cherry blossom, lots of fine tulips and some rather good double polyanthus. We came away with the leftovers of Peter's gaillardia seedlings, ours having succumbed to drought, cold and neglect. His were still in the greenhouse. Lesson.
We had a delightful lunch yesterday with Elizabeth and Peter. Their garden, which opens each year under the National Gardens Scheme, is already looking superb with its apple, pear and cherry blossom, lots of fine tulips and some rather good double polyanthus. We came away with the leftovers of Peter's gaillardia seedlings, ours having succumbed to drought, cold and neglect. His were still in the greenhouse. Lesson.
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Saturday 8 May
How late did fellow Brits stay up, hoping for a Portillo moment? We made it until midnight, by which point it was starting to become clear that nothing was going to be clear. As remains the case, thirty-some hours later. To me, the current scrabbling around for alliances or coalitions looks rather undignified, but I guess it could bring a blend of continental intrigue and pragmatism to the UK political scene. Since a lot of the founders of the Liberal Democrats were refugees from the right wing of the Labour Party, and since the Labour Party has now veered a long way to the right, that would point to a more logical and potentially more constructive alliance than one between the Lib Dems and the Tories. Whatever we get, I don't see a new parliament lasting anything like a full term of office.
We didn't stir far from home yesterday - perhaps because, having turned in late and awakened very early, energy levels were a bit on the low side. The post brought five hand-cancelled letters that I'd posted to myself on behalf of Phil the philatelist in Costa Rica. He likes to have a mint set and a used set of new UK stamp issues, so had asked me to get the local post office to frank them by hand, this evidently adding to their value. I took another walk to the Post Office yesterday, therefore, to send them off to Phil under the last two of the new-issue stamps. The counter clerk is getting quite good at placing her stamp elegantly over the corners of the stamps!
Item N°6 in the post was a stack of plastic sheeting for Martyn's modelling. Upstairs in Eggwilikon, he has built a new set of sidings for his vast array of rolling stock, and since our improbable miniature canton of the Swiss Confederation has now almost run out of loft space, he is building the airport on top of the storage sidings. Like you do. It now takes his TGV a minute and a half to get all the way round the layout at full tilt.
Item N°7 was a washing machine part. Having once again come down earlier in the week to find the kitchen floor awash, we did some slightly more scientific diagnosis. The drum of the machine was slowly filling up with water between washes, and eventually overflowing. We emptied the machine and shut off the supply to the cold water side, guessing that if the machine still filled up, the hot water valve was leaking - unless, of course, it's some esoteric problem with clockworks or electronics. Well, the drum seems to have remained dry for a few days, so I've replaced the cold water valve, and all appears to be well. Cost: £19.55, about a quarter of an hour comparing the prices of parts, postage and packing on the internet and maybe a total of half an hour hauling the machine out, fiddling with its innards and cleaning the floor underneath. Modestly pleased with self for saving the call-out, labour charges and parts mark-up that we'd have had to cough up for Getting Someone In.
No such cheap solution, alas, for the problems with the heating. A while back, the central heating stopped responding to the controls, staying on at full tilt until we shut down the whole system, hot water included. The eponymous and excellent Mr Waterman came round and poked and prodded, guessing that the problem was some dirt in the motorised valve that directs hot water to the tank or the heating system, according to demand. Well, he must have kicked it in the right place, because things returned to normal. For a while. The day after I paid his bill, it started its old tricks again. Only now it doesn't seem to be heating the water properly, as one discovered with surprise on availing oneself of the bidet... Not a DIY job, so unfortunately it's back to GSI.
We didn't stir far from home yesterday - perhaps because, having turned in late and awakened very early, energy levels were a bit on the low side. The post brought five hand-cancelled letters that I'd posted to myself on behalf of Phil the philatelist in Costa Rica. He likes to have a mint set and a used set of new UK stamp issues, so had asked me to get the local post office to frank them by hand, this evidently adding to their value. I took another walk to the Post Office yesterday, therefore, to send them off to Phil under the last two of the new-issue stamps. The counter clerk is getting quite good at placing her stamp elegantly over the corners of the stamps!
Item N°6 in the post was a stack of plastic sheeting for Martyn's modelling. Upstairs in Eggwilikon, he has built a new set of sidings for his vast array of rolling stock, and since our improbable miniature canton of the Swiss Confederation has now almost run out of loft space, he is building the airport on top of the storage sidings. Like you do. It now takes his TGV a minute and a half to get all the way round the layout at full tilt.
Item N°7 was a washing machine part. Having once again come down earlier in the week to find the kitchen floor awash, we did some slightly more scientific diagnosis. The drum of the machine was slowly filling up with water between washes, and eventually overflowing. We emptied the machine and shut off the supply to the cold water side, guessing that if the machine still filled up, the hot water valve was leaking - unless, of course, it's some esoteric problem with clockworks or electronics. Well, the drum seems to have remained dry for a few days, so I've replaced the cold water valve, and all appears to be well. Cost: £19.55, about a quarter of an hour comparing the prices of parts, postage and packing on the internet and maybe a total of half an hour hauling the machine out, fiddling with its innards and cleaning the floor underneath. Modestly pleased with self for saving the call-out, labour charges and parts mark-up that we'd have had to cough up for Getting Someone In.
No such cheap solution, alas, for the problems with the heating. A while back, the central heating stopped responding to the controls, staying on at full tilt until we shut down the whole system, hot water included. The eponymous and excellent Mr Waterman came round and poked and prodded, guessing that the problem was some dirt in the motorised valve that directs hot water to the tank or the heating system, according to demand. Well, he must have kicked it in the right place, because things returned to normal. For a while. The day after I paid his bill, it started its old tricks again. Only now it doesn't seem to be heating the water properly, as one discovered with surprise on availing oneself of the bidet... Not a DIY job, so unfortunately it's back to GSI.
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Election Day
We went and exercised our democratic rights first thing this morning, giving the Labour parliamentary candidate what could turn out to be his only two votes from the constituency. They didn't even put up a candidate for the locals, which is a bit shocking, however pragmatic.
Bad news yesterday, I thought, about the new car. I happened upon an announcement that the model we have ordered would in future get the better, more efficient (DSG) gearbox that we're used to in Eggs 1 and 2: I had ordered one with a conventional slush pump automatic, that being all that was on offer last week, and was somewhat hacked off. Got confirmation today that ours will be a 2011 model, and that it will have the DSG box. It will have seven speeds, but at least we won't have to shift them unless we feel like it. Shadow blue has also been discontinued, to be replaced by night blue. Well, hurrah.
Lovely morning here, improved by the presence of the art class. It being election day, our usual venue wasn't available, since it also serves as a polling station. We weren't slapping paint around the walls and carpets: instead, we had a quick workshop on digital photography. Unfortunately, my laptop had a dose of the heebie-jeebies, so it was as well that Miss had brought hers. But I couldn't hook up the projector to it - it's a Mac, and we're a PC household - so people were forced to huddle round the dining room table and peer down at the screen. I'd made some teacakes yesterday, and they seemed to go down all right. But the gels arrived laden with goodies - cheese nibbles, Belgian chocky bikkies, a sponge cake etc etc, so there is no early prospect of weight loss hereabouts.
On Tuesday we went to collect some sausages we'd ordered from Immy and Jon, and got to see the next generation of sausages on the hoof. Jon has fenced off a section of woodland on their land and the pigs root around happily there for much of the day. We arrived just before feeding time, and went down with him to see the ceremony. I'd never have thought of Jon as a champion hog caller, but he's certainly learned some new skills recently! It was lovely to see the five saddlebacks trotting up out of the woods to get their table d'hôte menu, trotters in trough. Lovely creatures, pigs, and although they are on earth for one purpose only, they appear to enjoy the brief time they get. And Jon certainly gives them a fine life, however brief. They are hoping to breed their own soon, sending at intervals for a peripatetic boar. We learn that boars have to be kept at it, else they go off the idea. Comments on a postcard......
Bad news yesterday, I thought, about the new car. I happened upon an announcement that the model we have ordered would in future get the better, more efficient (DSG) gearbox that we're used to in Eggs 1 and 2: I had ordered one with a conventional slush pump automatic, that being all that was on offer last week, and was somewhat hacked off. Got confirmation today that ours will be a 2011 model, and that it will have the DSG box. It will have seven speeds, but at least we won't have to shift them unless we feel like it. Shadow blue has also been discontinued, to be replaced by night blue. Well, hurrah.
Lovely morning here, improved by the presence of the art class. It being election day, our usual venue wasn't available, since it also serves as a polling station. We weren't slapping paint around the walls and carpets: instead, we had a quick workshop on digital photography. Unfortunately, my laptop had a dose of the heebie-jeebies, so it was as well that Miss had brought hers. But I couldn't hook up the projector to it - it's a Mac, and we're a PC household - so people were forced to huddle round the dining room table and peer down at the screen. I'd made some teacakes yesterday, and they seemed to go down all right. But the gels arrived laden with goodies - cheese nibbles, Belgian chocky bikkies, a sponge cake etc etc, so there is no early prospect of weight loss hereabouts.
On Tuesday we went to collect some sausages we'd ordered from Immy and Jon, and got to see the next generation of sausages on the hoof. Jon has fenced off a section of woodland on their land and the pigs root around happily there for much of the day. We arrived just before feeding time, and went down with him to see the ceremony. I'd never have thought of Jon as a champion hog caller, but he's certainly learned some new skills recently! It was lovely to see the five saddlebacks trotting up out of the woods to get their table d'hôte menu, trotters in trough. Lovely creatures, pigs, and although they are on earth for one purpose only, they appear to enjoy the brief time they get. And Jon certainly gives them a fine life, however brief. They are hoping to breed their own soon, sending at intervals for a peripatetic boar. We learn that boars have to be kept at it, else they go off the idea. Comments on a postcard......
Saturday, 1 May 2010
May Day
Last week marking the ninth anniversary of our meeting, we celebrated yesterday with a trip to the flicks and a late lunch afterwards. Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang. Glorious rubbish, but some nice special FX, eg synchronised swimming piglets...and a good performance by Emma T. Very exclusive screening, though: we were the only ones in the cinema! I'd had an inkling that it wouldn't be necessary to book on line...
Sonst, not a lot. The grass looks better of a proper cut, but with today's heavy rain, it'll be ready for another next week. Seedling zinnias and helichrysums are already sprouting from Tuesday's sowing, and our new water butt is filling up steadily with overnight dew and the spots of rain we've had. Remarkable, considering how much rainwater is leaking from the gutter a little further along. I feel another acrimonious dialogue with the conservatory builders coming on.
And if you think I'm an isolated grizzler about the life of an unpaid meter and doler of unequal laws unto a savage race, check out what my colleague Bystander has to say here. I've invited our local MP to comment on it, since he must be desperate for something to do at the moment.
Sonst, not a lot. The grass looks better of a proper cut, but with today's heavy rain, it'll be ready for another next week. Seedling zinnias and helichrysums are already sprouting from Tuesday's sowing, and our new water butt is filling up steadily with overnight dew and the spots of rain we've had. Remarkable, considering how much rainwater is leaking from the gutter a little further along. I feel another acrimonious dialogue with the conservatory builders coming on.
And if you think I'm an isolated grizzler about the life of an unpaid meter and doler of unequal laws unto a savage race, check out what my colleague Bystander has to say here. I've invited our local MP to comment on it, since he must be desperate for something to do at the moment.
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