We had quite a thunderstorm yesterday afternoon -- you can see it building in the sky in the photo above, which was really meant to show off our freshly-mowed lawn. It reminded me a lot of a Florida summer rain, stopping and starting quickly, but for a while it was really coming down.
Fortunately, I'd planted the rest of the foxgloves that morning, so they got the benefit of the rain to help water them in. I was very cranky about this task -- and having to stake the plants so Olga wouldn't walk/sit/lie on them. I planted six or seven of them the other day and I had nine more to go, and even digging a single hole seemed like a huge obstacle. But I did it, and now they can live or die. I am pretty much hands-off from here on out. Not all of them will survive the winter but that's how it goes.
(I put several of them in pots, which is kind of cheating, but I just couldn't dig another hole. The pots are big enough that they can stay there throughout their blooming season, I think.)
When I walked the dog on Friday morning, we came across this pile of stuff next to a trash can on the next street over. It looked like a young woman had cleaned out her teenage effects -- Jacqueline Wilson books, fan stuff about a young Justin Bieber, mixed-up DVDs all in the wrong cases, shoes, bags, and even a small Bible. I picked up a DVD of "The Inbetweeners Movie" (one of the first movies Dave and I went to see after moving to the UK, on the same day that we got our fish pedicure), as well as a DVD of the first half of the first season of "Little Britain." I'm sure the second half was in there somewhere but I didn't want to make a spectacle of myself by digging through the bags.
So Dave and I watched "Little Britain" last night and had some laughs. Even though it's not a very old show (2003-06), it employed edgy comedy elements (such as blackface) and characterizations that became more controversial in recent years. One of the blackface characters even appeared on the cover of the DVD box. I thought the whole show had been pulled from circulation but apparently you can now see edited versions on BBC iPlayer. Only one brief skit on the shows we watched last night seemed problematic, but it's interesting how comedy has changed in a relatively short time.
Our red-hot pokers are finally blooming. They haven't had a great year. Like the sunflowers, they seem to be lagging, perhaps because of the cool, damp summer. They like heat.
Last night Dave and I had hamburgers for dinner, and Dave bought a new bottle of ketchup. Only when I was putting everything away later did I discover we already have a nearly full bottle of ketchup in the refrigerator. It MAKES ME CRAZY when Dave buys things we already have. It feels lazy and wasteful. I know he doesn't understand why I react so strongly -- he sees nothing wrong with having multiple containers of the same products. I guess I need to just let it slide because as failings go it's a fairly minor one. But if I had hair, I would have been pulling it out.
Doesn't a thundery sky accentuate the colours of the garden beautifully!
ReplyDeleteSad to see a clear out like that..but people do move on.
Attitudes do change..reminds me of sharing a photo of a picture bike made of orange sections. When I tried to share it from memory on fb, I was suspended for posting against decency standards.....
I always keep stock of things we use regularly..one open, one in the store cupboard. I do draw the line at having more than one open, mind you!
The ketchup won't go off. Just make sure you are not using two bottles. That would drive me mad.
ReplyDeleteIt is odd that our red hot pokers have started to flower, unless they are a different variety.
I know the US has a different attitude to black face than we naturally do. Was the character the large black women normally in a towel or wrap? It could have been a black actor, but weren't the roles all performed Matt and David? The sketches could make you cringe at times, it was great comedy. I think our comedy now is being so sanitised.
The garden looks truly beautiful after the mow. SG does the same thing when shopping. It drives me crazy, too.
ReplyDeleteI notice that "MAKES ME CRAZY" was capitalised so you must really mean it. Also you were "cranky" about planting baby foxgloves. I think you may be developing anger issues Steve. All I can say is - CHILL OUT MAN!
ReplyDeleteI see a copy of Night at the Museum there, one of my favourites.
ReplyDeleteI always buy extra tomato sauce, it's an old habit left over from when I had four kids at home and we used about two litres a week, much of it in cooking.
I've heard of those fish pedicures before but have never seen one in action. I wonder how long one would need to sit there before all the dead skin from a foot had been removed, days, weeks?
ReplyDeleteA wise person once told me that in marriage, one must pick and choose your battles. Two bottles of ketchup in the refrigerator would not be a hill where I would want to plant my flag. Just saying.
Ooh, a chance to say kniphophia, which I may or may not spell correctly. It's a favorite word. Red hot pokers.
ReplyDeleteThat first photo is a keeper, wonderful composition and framing.
Love the thunderstorm building up. It's so dramatic when that happens!
ReplyDeleteWe shall not discuss how many open jars of pickles I have in my refrigerator. These things do happen. And to be honest- I have two open bottles of ketchup in there too. Don't hate me!
They may be late but the red hot pokers are gorgeous.
I often buy two bottles of ketchup at a time, when they are BOGO at Publix. That first photo of your newly mowed garden is just outstanding. I never had cannas until we moved to Florida. Up north you have to pull them up and try to store them in your basements over the winter. Too much work.
ReplyDeleteFunny how people will open a bag of trash looking for something and then leave it.
ReplyDeleteI would have over-reacted to the two open bottles of ketchup. It makes me think of something the grandkids said to me about something a few years ago, after I over-reacted about something, "Calm down, grandma." LOL!
ReplyDeleteYour yard looks so beautiful.
Carlos is very good at saying to me after we've done the groceries, "You forgot this or that." And I invariably say, "Gosh, I am so dumb." And walk to a cupboard and take out the product still on the shelf. Carlos mutters, "I don't like you." And I say, "Well, at least we don't have five containers of chocolate."
ReplyDeleteIt's fun.
As usual, I love your yard. Looks like somewhere I'd like to hang out for a while.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't too bad about buying something we already have, but I do remember one time when we had about four containers of broccoli in the freezer because I kept forgetting we already had some. Ha!
Michael does the same exact thing. We have multiples of a lot of things. You should see our cupboard where we have our canned items. It is way too much!
ReplyDeleteThat red hot poker is more attuned to the climate here in the desert than the English summer but it's good to see it bloomed anyway. And, why wouldn't it? You have a magical garden for sure.
ReplyDeleteLovely garden. Is it unusual to have such a large garden in your suburban neighborhood? Having such a large outdoor space is a real bonus.
ReplyDeleteIf one of them has been open for a long time, I throw it out because stuff gets stale after a while. I'm wasteful too! I try not to duplicate though. I don't have much in my refrigerator so it's easy to spot what I have or don't have.
ReplyDeleteI love your garden and the red hot poker. maybe I should try that as we have plenty of heat here!
ReplyDeletere the ketchup. some people don't put ketchup in the fridge so maybe that's why Dave thought you didn't have any or maybe he just didn't look. maybe you should try a running grocery list, if it's not on the list, don't buy it. we keep one. as soon as we are out of something or nearly out it goes on the list, s does any non staple item that might be needed for a recipe to be made in the next week or so. I shop off the list and rarely do I buy something I don't need. but I'll also pick up a few things sometimes like last week. I knew we had ground beef in the freezer so I picked up taco shells and seasoning that wasn't on the list for a quick easy meal.
Your freshly mowed yard looks absolutely beautiful. And I'm with Dave. So you've got two bottles of ketchup. So what. Relax, Steve, relax. Think about Donald Trump. Imagine him making license plates. Relax, Steve.
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems obsessed with the catsup! I'm curious as to why you planted more foxgloves if you really didn't want to do that!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't have catsup in my fridge, but I am the only one here, so it doesn't really matter to me!! I don't use the stuff!
If this library gig doesn't pan out, I see a great future for you in inventory control.
ReplyDeleteWe either have a gazillion tins of chicken gravy or none at all. Drives me batty.
ReplyDeleteGZ: I'm confused about why a bike made of orange sections would offend decency standards! LOL
ReplyDeleteAndrew: That was one of the blackface characters, yes. And those scenes were HILARIOUS, but the blackface was incidental. It's a shame they didn't just film them with a white character. Would have been just as funny.
Mitchell: I just firmly believe we should use up what we have before we buy more. Call me crazy!
YP: I was having a bit of a day on Saturday, it's true.
River: Yeah, I didn't pick that one up, but maybe I should have!
Ed: I'm sure those fish pedicures were all for novelty's sake and had no practical effect whatsoever! I also wonder what happened to all those fish when that place closed down. They're probably in the Thames. You're absolutely right about picking battles!
Boud: Yes, Kniphofia is a GREAT word. And I have to look up the spelling EVERY TIME!
Ms Moon: I do not know why it makes me so crazy. To be fair, though, you'll consume yours in less time than we will ours, with your grandkids staying over all the time!
Colette: I wouldn't mind buying two on BOGO and just using one. But buying two full price and then having them BOTH open?! I'm making too much of this, I know. We do cover our cannas and when it gets really cold I move them into the shed. (They're in a big pot.)
Red: I see so much junk strewn over the sidewalks in our neighborhood it's ridiculous!
Robin: Every now and then I need someone to tell me to calm down! (Or "chill out," as YP said.)
Bob: Ah, marriage! LOL
Bug: At least it was in the freezer! It won't go bad there!
Michael: This is why, on the rare occasions when Dave goes out of town, I resist shopping and eat only what I can find in the house. It reduces the overstock!
Sharon: It blooms almost every year but yeah, this seems like an alien environment for it.
Victoria: It's definitely an unusually large garden for London. We got very lucky finding this place! (Shame we don't own it!)
Margaret: I really try not to throw anything out but sometimes it's inevitable!
Ellen: We SHOULD do a list, you're right. Dave usually orders our groceries online for delivery, so he could go check in the kitchen if he's unsure about anything, but he often doesn't bother.
Catalyst: Remember those old Sanka commercials, with Robert Young? "Why so tense, Bob? You should try Sanka brand decaffeinated coffee!"
Marcia: I love foxgloves and I wanted more, but the problem is, when I grow them from seed I wind up with WAY too many because the seeds are very tiny, like dust. And then I can't kill them so I have to find a home for all of them!
Marty: Ha! Or garbology! (If that's a career.)
Caro: EXACTLY! I'm glad it makes you batty too. I feel less alone now. :)
The multiples-of-products thing drives me wild and brings out levels of pettiness I usually suppress! The classics are condiments, toiletries, and cleaning supplies. I get so bent out of shape I hide the new/ full containers and only get them out once the old ones are finished. There are dedicated hidden pantries in my small home for exactly this. I sound crazy, but at least my bathroom isn't cluttered with 10 bottles of unfinished stuff!
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks absolutely spectacular, especially for the end of August, and especially THIS particular August!
Those red hot pokers are amazing and your garden is looking terrific. Nice find in the street. Hmmm. You find small things. I come home with a bookcase. (Fortunately, only a couple of doors away.) When we head home from the lake and close the cottage it seems we always have an overload of condiments. They take up way too much real estate in the fridge and I hate to throw them out. No one ever seems to want them!
ReplyDelete