I blog pictures of this housing estate in St. John's Wood every year when the daffodils come out, and I can't resist doing it again. I love the way they're planted in a long, curvy drift across the lawn. Monty Don on the BBC show "Gardener's World" is always reminding people not to plant their bulbs in rows, but in naturalistic scatterings. He recommends casting them on the ground and planting where they fall. This is a bit more calculated than that, perhaps, but still not overly regimented.
That's Leon's "Ideas" sculpture on the oxidized stone column in the middle.
And here they are at night.
Yesterday was another grind at work. When my boss asked me at 3:45 to start on another project (we close at 4:30) I actually complained to her that my job had become "relentless." I'd been busy all day covering books, checking out, helping change out two displays, working in the Lower School, re-shelving and other stuff. "It's a lot, I know," she said, and offered to help with this new task, but dear God, why do we have to be so non-stop? The atmosphere has changed so much and my workload is no longer commensurate with my paycheck. Twenty-three more days!
I had not one but two martinis last night.
Meanwhile, I have nothing specific to do this weekend. I'm hoping to do some reading and catch up in blogland, where I am way behind. (In addition to the laundry and gardening and plants and all that stuff!)
Those daffies are beautiful, year after year!
ReplyDeleteCan't blame you for the two martinis after the day and week you've had at work. Long before I started to have wine with meals on weekends and threw my first cockatil party for my birthday, I distinctly remember such a particularly relentless day at work (two employments before my current one); by the time I left the building and made my way to the train station, I felt breathless as if I'd just run a race, and for the first time in my life it crossed my mind that I could really understand why some folks wanted a drink after work.
After you're gone, she will realize all the things you do that she doesn't really see now, and they either hire two people to replace you or things will simply go undone until a crisis happens. I've seen it happen over and over again.
ReplyDeleteOur neighbour insisted on planted crocuses in his front garden in neat alternating orange and purple rows. It looked completely weird next spring...
ReplyDeleteThe daffs look great. Only twenty three days to go? You can take lots of walks along the Thames bank, and then you will be bored stiff and wish you were still working! No?
ReplyDeleteLate on a Friday afternoon, all schools wind down for the weekend. Nobody should begin new tasks unless they are absolutely vital. You ought to have told Margaret Thatcher to "**** OFF!" or held up your middle finger in the manner of the Leon's Ideas air-conditioning pipe.
ReplyDeleteI bet those twenty three days can't pass fast enough!
ReplyDeleteNo job should be relentless especially not a school library job. You used to have time to do special things for the kids. But only 23 days left (which are beginning to look like a year). Thanks for the annual daffodils. Ours in Guilford were much more random, but I love this look.
ReplyDeleteOnce to have your end date, work is much harder, but to ask you to start a new, I assume non urgent task late on a Friday afternoon is in my mind flexing her power over you. No one wants or needs a boss like that.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI'd love a whole curving bed of daffodils across the yard!
ReplyDelete