Personal Firsts

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Does this make one unable to lunch?

Anyway, I've just posted without a typo; that might not be a first but it sure feels like one!

No typo, but one blatant Americanism.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Trouble is, as you get older there are (probably) fewer and fewer 'firsts' to celebrate.

Gosh! How can you say that? There are so many new things to do. There must be so many things we've thought about, but haven't had the time. . .

[Pabmusic]

...one blatant Americanism.

It seems not:

PRATTLE. I always to be ſure, makes a point to keep up the dignity of the family I lives in. Wou'd you take a more ſolid refreſhment?--Have you lunch'd, Mr. Bribe?

BRIBE. Lunch'd O dear! Permit me, my dear Mrs. Prattle, to refreſh my sponge, upon the honey dew that clings to your raviſhing pouters. O! Mrs. Prattle, this ſhall be my lunch. (kiſſes)

["The Mode," in William Davies' "Plays Written for a Private Theatre," London, 1786]

[This is supposedly the earliest instance in print.]

[Pabmusic]

Gosh! How can you say that? There are so many new things to do. There must be so many things we've thought about, but haven't had the time. . .

I know, but I was extremely busy when younger.

[greenilex]

Following the discussion about ears, I am reminded of the one and only time I was present at a surgical operation (as part of the Teacher of the Deaf course I was following).
A small girl, fully anaesthetised, was wheeled in, and we watched through a scope as she had grommets inserted in her ear.
It made a very strong impression on me, and reinforced my determination to steer clear of medicine if at all possible!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Gosh! How can you say that? There are so many new things to do. There must be so many things we've thought about, but haven't had the time. . .

... and then there are the things one had never expected to get interested in, too. Last year I "inherited" a (partly unfinished) garden from a professional Garden Designer. I have always loved gardens, and was lucky (like Walton and Delius) to have lived with someone who loved and knew about gardening - but the actual business of gardening itself never attracted me (put off by parents). For much of last year, I hardly dared touch the garden in case I ruined it - and, as a result, it became overgrown and a real, untidy mess. So, all this year I've been much more "hands-on" - first of all laying the gravel path that had been intended by the previous owner. Looking at it now, it's immediately obvious that a complete novice has made it, but it's safe, functional (no more muddy tracks) and looks much better than it used to, setting off the plants and hedging of the design as intended. I now know what mistakes to avoid should I ever do another one (the main one being "Don't use gravel, use paving bricks" - easier to clear of leaves at this time of year!) but I'm keeping it as it is, and have grown amusedly fond of the - ahem - rustic sight of it. And the spring it gives to my step (nothing to do with pride - the folded-over carpet weed-barrier under the gravel hasn't "settled" yet)!

Emboldened, I have further been hacking away at the overgrowth, clearing out the geraniums that had appeared everywhere and even planted my own choice of plants, as well as feeding, weeding, composting, deadheading and all the other activities associated with gardening - and I'm making plans for moving a Fuschia bush from its present position early next Spring.

It hasn't been "fun" a lot of the time - thorns scars, backache and kneepain frequently accompanied my heart-felt and sometimes loudly-vented cursings - but the sense of complete absorption in a task, the increasing self-confidence, the enhanced pleasure in the garden that comes from seeing something that I have chosen and planted grow into life - and, especially, the sense of "communion" - of continuing work that the previous "owner" had started: all that is a new and welcome experience for me - something I'd never have expected, something that I was initially very reluctant to get involved in, and something that has given me another new sense of enjoyment/purpose in life to add to all those I already had.

[Lat-Literal]

My grandmother lifted a sack of potatoes for the first time at the age of 49. That was when she started to get up daily at 4am in the morning to walk from the Walworth Road to one of the markets - probably Borough - and purchase vegetables for the greengrocers shop she had just rented. Her husband had just died, it was 1939 and just on the eve of six years of world war. Relatives did the bookwork as she could barely read or write. 30 years years later, she was in the same shop and going through the same routines where she would have stayed until 91 had it not been for the authorities deciding to bulldoze the entire area on the grounds that some properties were not in a good enough state to inhabit.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Oh! I forgot to say, Alpie, how impressed I was by the photos in #20 - many thanks.

And Pabs - #34 - way to go!

[ahinton]

No typo, but one blatant Americanism.

Not sure about blatant, but present, certainly - and I can think of only one member of this forum who might take umbrage at its use (and, whilst discretion discourages me from naming names, said member has reccently contributed posts to it after what I believe to have been a considerable period of silence)...

[Lat-Literal]

... and then there are the things one had never expected to get interested in, too. Last year I "inherited" a (partly unfinished) garden from a professional Garden Designer. I have always loved gardens, and was lucky (like Walton and Delius) to have lived with someone who loved and knew about gardening - but the actual business of gardening itself never attracted me (put off by parents). For much of last year, I hardly dared touch the garden in case I ruined it - and, as a result, it became overgrown and a real, untidy mess. So, all this year I've been much more "hands-on" - first of all laying the gravel path that had been intended by the previous owner. Looking at it now, it's immediately obvious that a complete novice has made it, but it's safe, functional (no more muddy tracks) and looks much better than it used to, setting off the plants and hedging of the design as intended. I now know what mistakes to avoid should I ever do another one (the main one being "Don't use gravel, use paving bricks" - easier to clear of leaves at this time of year!) but I'm keeping it as it is, and have grown amusedly fond of the - ahem - rustic sight of it. And the spring it gives to my step (nothing to do with pride - the folded-over carpet weed-barrier under the gravel hasn't "settled" yet)!

Emboldened, I have further been hacking away at the overgrowth, clearing out the geraniums that had appeared everywhere and even planted my own choice of plants, as well as feeding, weeding, composting, deadheading and all the other activities associated with gardening - and I'm making plans for moving a Fuschia bush from its present position early next Spring.

It hasn't been "fun" a lot of the time - thorns scars, backache and kneepain frequently accompanied my heart-felt and sometimes loudly-vented cursings - but the sense of complete absorption in a task, the increasing self-confidence, the enhanced pleasure in the garden that comes from seeing something that I have chosen and planted grow into life - and, especially, the sense of "communion" - of continuing work that the previous "owner" had started: all that is a new and welcome experience for me - something I'd never have expected, something that I was initially very reluctant to get involved in, and something that has given me another new sense of enjoyment/purpose in life to add to all those I already had.

A very uplifting post.

You must feel a real sense of achievement.

[Dave2002]

I now know what mistakes to avoid should I ever do another one (the main one being "Don't use gravel, use paving bricks" - easier to clear of leaves at this time of year!) but I'm keeping it as it is, and have grown amusedly fond of the - ahem - rustic sight of it. .

Interesting comment about gravel. Bricks may be bad for drainage, unless one takes special care - which I suspect many people don't. I suppose it depends where one lives. My parents lived in a very rural area, and they had gravel, which either by accident or design had accumulated a lot of smallish wild flowers. These were not weeds. Perhaps city dwellers wouls have called it untidy, but actually it did look rather pleasant. These did not impede vehicles at all - they simply drove over them as and when necessary.

Currently we live in what might be called a semi rural area, and arguably our currently rather dilapidated driveway may be frowned upon by some of the neighbours. We do have some gravel, and also some crumbly old crazy paving, but should I really get it all paved over to conform to some kind of "neat and tidy" urban ideal? Being "urbanised" is, apparently, not the desire of many of the local residents, myself included.

The worst problem at some times of year is the wretched mare's tail which manages to poke its way out from underneath the gravel. This is a very resiliant weed which we've been trying unsuccessfully to eradicate for years.

[Anastasius]

I recently baked a Bara Brith for the first time. Well first time doing any baking, actually.

[Anastasius]

.....but should I really get it all paved over to conform to some kind of "neat and tidy" urban ideal? ....

Please don't. Stick with your gravel. Unless you're going to capture the rainwater run-off.

[umslopogaas]

#41 Dave 2002, I expect you've already discovered this, but the RHS advice for marestail control is to bruise the plants in mid summer and apply a strong herbicide containing glyphosate (eg Roundup). Bruising helps absorbance. They do say that it is persistent and several applications over more than one year may be needed.

[Dave2002]

#41 Dave 2002, I expect you've already discovered this, but the RHS advice for marestail control is to bruise the plants in mid summer and apply a strong herbicide containing glyphosate (eg Roundup). Bruising helps absorbance. They do say that it is persistent and several applications over more than one year may be needed.

Thanks. I didn't know about bruising.

One piece of advice I found which worked for a while was "never let it see Sunday" but it's very intensive and needs to be done continuously. The other problem we have is that we have a border with some similar plants, so it tucks itself in there ready to attack the surroundings. I don't suppose we're going to dig the whole area up for quite a while - which would be another possible solution.

Quite possibly soaking a towel or rag in Roundup, then applying directly to the larger ones might work - rubber gloves or similar essential for that. Use of an old towel - discarded afterwards of course!

Anastasius: I'm not going to pave or concrete over any time soon. Probably the next owner, if we ever get round to selling will do that, but my conscience will be clear.