webcowgirl

This has been, I think, a very successful weekend, despite my being stood up on Friday night. Yesterday Sophie (a game designer I met on Twitter) came over a bit before lunch and got to work in my garden; she's missing hers and has become an "itinerant gardener" paid in the fine salary of home made lunches. wechsler showed up just in time for the stacked enchiladas I made; afterward we "dug back in" and just ripped through six months of weedy and brushy growth. The weeds are really knocked out now, and I think the hazels are finally done for; perhaps I'll actually have some luck growing dahlias this year. Then it was time for tea and crumpets and warming up - it was very cold all day - and Sophie went home and wechsler and I went out for some nice curry. Really, exactly what I'd be hoping my life here would be like, loving my house with its garden and feeling very homey and centered - the total opposite of how I felt last weekend when work was driving me crazy.

I just barely managed to get my review of Northern Ballet's Cleopatra (the ballet, which I kind of think robot_mel might like as it's pretty close to the actual history, so keep in mind for May when it's at Sadler's Wells) done before Sophie showed up, but I'm still behind two reviews, one for the butoh thing and one for the puppet show I saw last Sunday. But really, what I need to do is clean my house, as I won't be here for most of the next three weekends, go to Amy's house for the stich 'n bitch, timing it just right to hit the Ritzy in Brixton for the King's Speech. And then go out to dinner. I don't really see how the writing is going to happen at this rate. Solution? Nap. The shows have both closed anyway and I need the sleep.

I was going through my old posts reading about the time around Thanksgiving, seven years back. It was odd to see this post and think about how much my life had changed. It was also odd to read a bunch of other posts and reflect on how my life got to where it is now, which is basically a mess. Maybe I can get a novel out of it but mostly I feel like it is so mundane it's not worth writing about.

I said I'd write a bit about the Chelsea Flower and Garden show, because I went on Friday and I took lots of pictures. Key vocab item for day: Fairy Toad Flax. It is an incredibly cute flower that looks good in big piles, very wildflower-y. It was a part of the garden the Leeds team put up. Not sure why Leeds wanted to have a garden at a London flower show, but there you have it.

Anyway the flower show is about a ten minute walk from the Sloane Square tube stop. This neighborhood always seems posher than posh, a place where the moms' diaper bags look more expensive than my (former) car. I joined the stream of people walking to the Chelsea Barracks. I don't know much about the grounds, only that the "Chelsea Pensioners," which as near as I know are soldiers above a certain age with no living children or spouses, live. They were a red uniform, and as I walked into the gravel path leading to the grounds, they were out collecting donations, wisely enough.

There was a line of people waiting to get in (I think for the third entry period that day), but no line to pick up tickets (though there were touts outside trying to sell them - I hear they were going for 200 pounds a pop - as it was sold out). I went and got mine and discovered, though I hadn't been able to remember the correct entry time for my "afternoon" entry, in fact I'd shown up just 15 minutes after the entry time (3:30), so I went in right away.

The grounds of the festival were HUGE and the volumes of people unspeakable. To see any of the actual gardens you had to kind of bounce along like a stick in a stream, waiting for an opening so that you could get up to the front and have a peek - even worse than the Seattle Flower & Garden show I went to for years and years, although this was nicer because so many of the gardens were outside - and it wasn't raining. I think people who went yesterday did not have my kind of luck.

However, the festival seemed very little about the gardens - I don't know what I was thinking - and much more about the selling of garden junk. Clippers, trellises, garden design, gloves, flowers, memberships in various societies, it went on and on. The initial entryway, the gravel walkway, turned into a giant wall of vendors on each side. To be honest, the press of people was making me not feel good and at one point it all got a little sideways and then LARGE AND CIRCULAR and woo woo and I remembered that it was really just a bit late for me to have not had any lunch yet.

And just where were the actual gardens? Well, off on these side paths from the main one were little nooks that had been turned into display gardens. Some of them were clearly ideas for back yards, some more sculptural displays, some really about showing off the plants. It was a lot less about blooming flowers than the Seattle show usually is. I particularly enjoyed the Victorian Aviary garden (see picture above) with its cast-iron trellis and peacock stone inlay, made better by the inclusion of tiny terra-cotta bird tiles within the main design. Pretty much it was exactly what I'd like my back yard to look like. Another nice garden had a focus on bronze flowers, a nice change from previous trends of black and variegated foliage.

These gardens were a transition area between the main path and a giant, covered pavilion, the purpose of which was somewhat of a mystery to me. I only allowed myself about 45 minutes inside, as it was packed to the gills and I had to be somewhere on a pretty hard deadline after I left and couldn't really dawdle. The pavilion - about the size of two football fields - seemed to be mostly about garden designers and plant sellers showing what they had or what they could do. There was also a display of the "plant of the year," which I had a look at but can't describe now as it's left my brain. The Thai exhibit was quite exciting, just cascades of orchids and all of these exotic statues made of flower petals that looked like entrants in the Rose Parade in Pasadena. It made me want to go to Thailand - probably exactly the effect they were shooting for.

Not surprisingly for me, the various companies displaying tulips - while impressing me that they'd manage to get them to bloom about two months later than the flowers wanted to (I still have about six in my backyard right now but tulip season was over, way over) - failed to wow me with the varieties they had on display. So many of these cultivars are just common, common - though it's only fair to say that they displayed way more creativity than the Seattle ones, which were Golden Appledoorn and Red Appledoorn everywhere as if red and yellow were the only acceptable tulip types. So I saw Shirleys and I saw Zorels but I was not wowed at all - though I was pleased to see a display from Dobbies, which had done such a nice job of kitting me out this year. But the big highlight for me was seeing the David Austin exhibit - so many of his gorgeous, gorgeous roses, all blooming at the same time, ready for me to admire and sniff. I did notice they almost all tended to look a bit floppy, as if the blooms were just too big for the stems to support. It was exciting, though, to see the new varieties for this year - but of course you really can have too many rosebushes, especially when you only have a tiny little yard like I do. I also got to see in some other garden a Himalayan blue poppy, which was exciting because they are so very forbidden to grow in the US.

Probably the best part about this show is the fact that there's a giant bandstand on the grounds (on the other side of the Row Of Vendors Of Doom) where the Chelsea Pensioners play music in a very brass-heavy way. I heard them play "I Am What I Am," some other showtunes I can't recall now, and at one point "The Mexican Hat Dance." There were all sorts of seats set up to sit in and enjoy the show, and lots of stands selling ice cream and (even better) glasses of Pimms. I was desperate for a chance to decompress after all of the crowds, and while this was still crowded, there was a bit more room (thank goodness). I think this is probably what is at the heart of the flower show mentally as well as physically - a chance to enjoy a lovely spring day with some music and a little bit of something nice to drink. There were a few more gardens on the far side of the grounds, near the exit, but these were pretty unimpressive compared to the larger gardens and generally forgettable.

So my thoughts: too crowded, too expensive, but a really good way to load up on all of the gardening tat you could want if you think it's a good idea to pay to go somewhere to go shopping. If you could go without the crowds maybe it would be fun, but frankly I think I would have done better going out to a proper garden somewhere and just seeing it in person.

Today I spent the day (from 2:30-4ish) doing the equivalent of talking about variations in Tardis technologies for the different doctors; but it was my style of geeking, and it was about flowers. I talked to the webmaster from the Hortus Bulborum _and_ I joined the Wakefield & North of England tulip society, the last remaining florists' association in England. I know what the difference is between a flamed and a feathered florist's tulip (though I can't yet differentiate bizarre, rose, and byblomen). And A won an apron in the raffle and gave it to me. I'm SO glad I didn't get discouraged and skip coming, this was a brilliant day!

Oh BRRR it was so cold last night that I couldn't sleep. I curled up next to J as tight as I could but it wasn't enough, even with three blankets on the bed and me in flannel jammies. I eventually gave up and turned the heater on - I usually don't leave it on overnight but I think the two or three hours it is on (it's on a timer and doesn't actually have a thermostat) wasn't enough to put a dent in the cold last night. At any rate, I finally fell asleep, but I feel short this morning even though I was in bed at 11 last night.

Monday night I was digging around for some onions under the sink and found the amaryllis bulbs I stuck under there (in their pots) months and months ago have sprouted! Surprise! It was a real treat for me, I jumped up and down and generally acted like a little girl. And last night I dreamed about seeing my garden in spring when I'll get to see the results of all the hard work I put in over October and November.

After work yesterday J, Amy, W and I all went to Wimbledon to see Pamela Anderson debut in a panto. While she was what enticed me to go, in fact the big highlight was Brian Blessed (King of the Hawkmen in Flash Gordon) as the evil sorcerer. He was truly fantastic - made for panto, I think - over the top and lots of jokes about his previous movie roles, and a great voice (and laugh) for the role. I think the show was in general too expensive at 30 quid a pop (I'm guessing the piles of group bookings there meant cheaper seats could be had, if you could buy ten at a time), but it was a good night out. Still, I think the Hackney Empire's panto (which I'm seeing next Tuesday) will once again win the crown for best panto. That said, I enjoyed myself so much I'm trying to figure out how to sneak in a trip to the Lyric Hammersmith's "Jack and the Beanstalk." I've never seen it as a panto and I'd really like to ...

Only one night of theater this week? Yes, but I tried to make it count by going to two, count 'em, two shows last night. One was supposed to be a spooky Halloween thing that ultimately just wasn't (Slung Low, "Visions: They Only Come Out at Night"). The other was a modern choreographer (Michael Clark) going wild with David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Velvet Underground and even a little Wire. This was obviously a can't miss thing for me though it did make me think of Bongwater's "David Bowie Needs New Ideas" song. My review is up, and you'll notice I managed to throw in a visit to an art gallery, too. Seriously, it was like drinking three Nutrashakes in a row after starving myself for days.

Anyway, today I haven't so much as walked out the door, though I did let the cat play in the backyard. I thought I was going to do some gardening, but when I opened my boxes I discovered the reason the big one was so light was that it was mostly empty (bad!), and the rest of the bulbs are sitting in some delivery company's warehouse, waiting for a second delivery that was supposed to be the next business day after Thursday, though for some reason it appears Friday and Saturday do not rate. Maybe on Monday they'll show up and then somehow I'll find the time to plant these things ... gah, Saturday and Sunday next week are both gone, maybe the 14th?

Well, I'm too late for tulips, but I could certainly plant glads. Unfortunately I won't be able to get any flowers here from Old House Gardens (like this lovely number - Firedance - such a name!) nor from Cates Family Glads. This pretty thing from the ShowGlads.com website has promise, though.

I really do miss gardening. I wonder when the right time would be to visit the Hortus Bulborum?

SOOOO ... I slept for about 15 hours today, as I'd previously mentioned, but I still wanted to go out! Yep, I had an invitation to a birthday dinner AND a present to give, it was sunny, there was no reason to stay at home!

Our radically revised plan was to take a walk on the canal that goes through Camden and to Little Venice. So at ONLY 4 PM or so, we finally actually made it to our starting point, then promptly stopped to have tea with wechsler (who was in the neighborhood).

Afterwards we began our walk in earnest. Now, let's be honest, it's a really neat walk and I was finding myself suffering from some serious house envy. That said ...

I was also worn out. Tired. Wanting to sit for the next two hours, and then haul my butt down south and sit and eat and just do not much. But no, I was on a walk. So I kept going at a leisurely pace, until we got to Regents Park (a mere half hour, I'm sure), at which point I decided I was Very Very Tired and I was going to need to sit down.

There was no choice but to cross the park, really (as I had to get to the tube station), and, though I would under most circumstances say that it was a lovely park, today it seemed unbearably large. What were people thinking, wasting all of this open space on grass and trees? Eventually we made it to the rose garden, and, hurray, there were benches, and with so many people picnicking or using the lawn chairs, I was able to flop down ...

and then find out I didn't have to take the train down south for dinner. Shoot me, but the way I was feeling it just all seemed like a reprieve.

After a great deal of sitting and a bit of flower sniffing (and playing with the new camera to see if it more accurately reproduces the color of roses than shadowdaddy's camera, and playing with the phone to see if it could really connect with the interweb, and lo, I got movie times), we wound up in Hammersmith eating at the Green Pepper on Kings Road and then going to the Cineworld (the cheapest of the theater chains - tends to stint on toliet paper) to see the 8:30 Harry Potter (or the 8:50 if you only count from when the commercials ended) because, hey, wingedelf liked it, and why not.

And, what do you know, it was good, better than all of the others, with some genuine Act Ting and no long boring bits that made me want to claw my eyes out to make the pain go away. So thumbs up to old Danny and the gang for showing me a good time tonight.

Now we're home drinking plum wine and looking out the window, and the lights were just turned off in Bishops Park, and we both agreed that this evening really played out just like it might have any old not-really-got-our-crap-together kind of way in Seattle, only there we might have wandered around Volunteer Park and somehow it seems likely we'd have had dinner in Chinatown. I did learn, though, that while you should let sleeping dogs lie, poking sleeping cats is extremely funny, especially if they're hiding behind the toliet. And, I think, we should take a train trip in Scotland.

My life is overly complex and it's bad for me to stay up so late because I've gone to see a long show. I'm not sure what I'm doing tonight (sleep, Bueller?), but I guess I could go to Betty Ford tomorrow. Saturday we've got plans to have dinner with a couple J knew in Seattle (day, I'm thinking the Hogarth exhibition at the Tate); Sunday, er, I don't know yet, but Michael Nyman is performing his original score to a silent movie (Kinopravda 21) at the Curzon Mayvair at 1 PM, and I'm leaning toward that even though a picnic either day might be fun. So would a trip to the pub Friday. Bueller?

I took a walk to get some more filtered water for tea and noticed that some white columbines were blooming, as well as some white calla lilies. Gorgeous!

Just had a random Canadian colleague "console" me over the Virgina Tech thing. What am I supposed to say? 121 Iraqis died that same day, and overall I'm far more traumatized by the murders of the burner kids on Capitol Hill last year. Then we were talking about the US pulling out of Iraq; is it already civil war? Would it be better if we just left now? I mean, of course it's about the oil, but is it the oil that's keeping us from pulling out, or the threat of civil war?

Also, I finally broke down and bought the last book in the Bitterbynde trilogy, new, last night while we were waiting for our play to start. Cecelia Dart-Thornton, you have broken me! I'm going to get several books I want sent to my sister so she can bring them over with her, but I figured if I'd been looking for this for three weeks, it was time to give in and just make the purchase.