To blog, or not to blog?

I haven’t blogged for a few days and this has set me to wondering about blogging, specifically when and when not to blog.  Across the course of this weekend I have been upto plenty of things in the garden, but none have really seemed worth blogging about. 

This is, of course, my subjective opinion, but I am not sure that as a reader you really want more pictures of plants just coming into bud or Alliums and Delphiniums slowly growing (perhaps 1 inch bigger than in last weeks picture)? Or of seeds which have germinated; extemely exting to me, but to you?

Sunday was spent taking down a shed where a new garage is to be built.  Again I thought about posting a comment relating to this.  But again, how interesting would a post showing a shed and then a space where a shed once was really be?  There was also a tremendous bonfire to accompany the removal of said shed but I’ve already posted about bonfires.  I am worried about becoming repetitive.

Maybe I just take this blogging too seriously and should contribute more whimsical posts to my blog.  I came to this realisation having taken a look at Dave’s latest post on the respective merits or the garden bird as a tasty bite to eat.

I’ll try whimsy another day, however, as at this moment I have a great need to vent some frustration, bordering on anger: a work colleague was eating a scant selection of fruit packed in a plastic tub and sealed with a celophane lid; perhaps two slithers of apple, a couple of orange segments, three grapes and a slice or two of kiwi. WHY?

Not only do these little packs cost a fortune but their very existence defies reason.  Like so many things in modern society these little packs are a sign of the obsession with choice, ultimately driven by consumption.  Why not just buy one apple, or one orange and enjoy it.  At worst you’ll have a core or some peel to dispose of rather than yet more plastic (has anyone seen the film Wall-E? I think that amount of rubbish will build up one day).  Convenience food at this level is a nonsense and I really can’t abide it. 

So, next time, light and whimsical!

Autumn sown Sweet Peas; and Hellebores in the garden

Things are starting to happen in the garden; more on that at the weekend, but here’s a taster with this lovely Hellebore just about to come into flower:

There are also plenty of Sweet Peas coming on that were sown in late autumn last year. These should make strong plants but in order to try and extend the growing season I sowed some more Sweet Peas last week. The result of all this should hopefully be the soaring stems that you see below:

My wife cutting the Sweet Peas that we grow at the end of the veg beds.

 

My wife is picking the Sweet Peas. She is a florist and cut flower grower. Have a look at her work at

Taormina Public Garden, Sicily

Back in 2008 my wife and I spent a wonderful week in Taormina, Sicily.  One of the highlights was our daily visit to the Public Gardens (Giardino Pubblico), a shady retreat from the intense heat of the Italian summer.

The gardens were awash with Bougainvillea, which provided an intense swathe of colour to the sunbaked surroundings.