New beginnings…. again!

Part of the deal in moving out of London and giving up work was to embrace difference, so this week I am in the process of developing a new set of skills including: gardening and learning about wildlife.

The most exciting things I have ever achieved in the garden are well cooked steaks and moist fish en papillotte on the barbecue. So Spring in the garden has both filled me with dread and excited me at the same time. I am not a gardener, have never been a gardener and have therefore hitherto fully supported the writer her indoors’ green fingered activities. These consisted of hanging coloured lanterns from the bare trees in our garden in London and putting a variety of brightly coloured plastic flowers around the garden. The dead and dying plants, colours ranging from the more attractive browns to a less attractive dirty green, looked like a carefully planned backdrop to showcase exciting bursts of colour. Things needed to be different here…

A quick internet search for the best local garden centres and we were soon walking round a large site filled with plants the names of most of which I had never encountered before. Luckily sibling #1 was visiting and was able to guide us through the advantages of ‘hybrid tea’ over ‘climbing’ roses, to help us understand what sorts of plants might go against the shaded wall and to indicate which fruit trees might be successful; I quickly realised how little I know. We bought plants with names that sounded like frittata and syphilis vowing to return after more research. My favourite moment, however, came in the café, which, despite being ‘highly recommended’ according to the poster on the wall, failed to live up to such billing. It took an hour and a half to be served with some teas, coffees and toasted sandwiches. To be fair, at the moment when the cafe filled up, one lone worker was left to explain that the sandwich toaster had just stopped working and that she couldn’t make ordinary sandwiches as the bread was frozen…. need I go on? We left exhausted by the effort of watching the poor woman trying to juggle the lunchtime rush in such difficult circumstances. You don’t need to stress about the time that things can take in the countryside- just enjoy the moment (well several long, drawn-out moments!).

Despite, or perhaps because of the above however, I have discovered a real satisfaction in some elements of gardening. There is the fact that you are outside, in (glorious) sunshine for long periods of time. Clearing a small flowerbed of weeds, digging it over and then planting the frittata/syphilis feels like a job well done. It is also hard work, so I don’t need to feel quite so guilty about not jogging for the last week. The writer her outdoors has developed a worrying desire for a chainsaw to address the dead tree stump and wields an axe with an ability that has kept me on my toes. A day’s weeding and digging mean that a long leisurely bath, complete with wine and podcasts has been well and truly earned. And don’t get me started on the joys of a freshly mowed lawn…

… so much for a quiet life in the country!

Eating: Pistachio and cardamon cake with pistachio cream – recipe from Ruby Tandoh for the cake. I made up the cream using roasted pistachios, blitzed and added to whipped cream and icing sugar.

Drinking: Ice cider from the Somerset Cider Brandy Company – served on ice with the above… tasty as!

Listening to: I am trying to listen to complete albums at the moment rather than individual tracks. The The’s Soul Mining wasn’t as good as I remembered it (you we’re right, my friend), though Uncertain Smile and This is the Day are still great. I settled on Passenger‘s album All The Little Lights as an album which is consistently good throughout (no filler side 1 track 4, side 2 track 3 songs) – personal favourite probably The Wrong Direction – joyous rhythm, lively brass yet melancholic sentiments.