Gardening

Gardening

Gardening is an interest I’ve neglected over the past few years. This has been partly as I’ve felt less able to do things but mainly that with spending a big portion of time in our Whitby flat we are not around for all jobs necessary. Annette is particularly keen on gardening in pots. This is fine and is reasonably successful. However in the dry summer months pots need daily watering and if we are not around plants die. A subsidiary reason is that I only like to grow things I can eat and shop bought fruit and vegetables seem cheap and hassle free.

Faced with isolation in the coronavirus emergency we were casting around for things to do. Annette initially suggested some gardening as a worthwhile pastime. This has now expanded to become more ambitious. Our thinking is that fresh fruit and vegetables may well become rather limited when the recovery we hope for starts. This recovery is likely to be slowish as production ramps up after what has been a crash stop.

The recent bout of fine weather has helped enormously. It has been pleasant to be outside for a part of the day. Having been relatively keen in the past we have the tools and equipment. We would have liked to buy some growbags for use in our greenhouse but we are just too late. At this stage we are taking isolation completely seriously and a trip out to a garden centre is not to be contemplated.

Fortunately we have lots of garden compost as we haven’t used much in the past couple of years. We also have ground available that we can bring back into use. Some is inside our fruit cage which has mainly shielded raspberries plus a couple of redberry bushes. Our mini orchard has been rather neglected and one of the original trees is now smothered in ivy and another is rather diseased. These were large trees which I imagine were planted many years ago without the benefit of dwarfing rootstocks. Our modern apple trees aren’t in bad shape. I have found that they need dramatic fruit thinning as the natural “drop” is insufficient.

One disappointment will be blackberries. I like blackberries and I don’t mind the thorny process of picking them. Unfortunately my prize clump has been nearly wiped out by a tree falling from  next door. The top fell on the bush and clearing it has proven a long job which is still incomplete.. The bush will regenerate but not this year.

I have one big plum tree. All my other efforts with plums have failed miserably to the extent I’ve dug them up. I’m hoping for a good crop. I made plum jam last year and, even though I say so myself, it’s delicious.

The hard work of cultivating is being done by our friendly gardener. Social distancing is proving a bit odd but the first session has gone OK. We have arranged benches on the patio so that we can still have a coffee and a chat while keeping 2m apart.

So far I have been trying to get organised so haven’t had much time to just wonder round and look at buds forming. We’ve had a gorgeous crop of primroses, a lot self set, but they have certainly brightened the garden.

One relic we have rescued after being neglected for years is a strawberry tub. We never had any joy growing strawberries in it so we plan to try French beans. I still have a very large strawberry tub but we don’t have any plans for it.- in fact it has never been used except for storage in all the time we lived here.
Our big problem is rabbits. We border on open country and they have been a major problem- in fact one reason for growing in tubs. We will probably fall back on home made cloches used more for protection than warmth. That will dependent on finding the glass stored away several years ago

Wedding

As a parent of 3 children I was looking forward to 3 weddings. They are always a joyous occasion and an opportunity to both meet the relatives of the spouse and gather one’s own relations. This hasn’t worked out for me.

My son, Martin, after living with a girl for years, decided to on a registry office wedding telling no-one. His excuse was two fold. Firstly is his bride wanted no fuss. Secondly they were starting a family and felt they should regularise the relationship. Now I’m delighted in his bride and also delighted in subsequent grandchildren but I am disgusted that he did me out of a grand occasion. I suspect his mother-in-law wasn’t particularly bothered. When they first lived together I was worried she might object. When I first met her I said I wasn’t entirely comfortable. Her response reassured me “ I know he would marry her tomorrow if she would have him”

I have 2 daughters. The youngest, Frances, married in a hotel in Cumbria so that the frail and elderly grandparents of her spouse could attend. I applauded the idea and it was a charming ceremony but very small attendance - Matts’s parents, grandparents, brothers Martin, Alison and ourselves were the guests. I would have liked to meet Frances’s friends for whom they had a later celebration.. I threatened to go but  I realised I would have been the only “oldie” present ( Annette positively refused ) so reluctantly I didn’t.

Our eldest, Alison, did me proud. She married Steve at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford and afterwards a reception at New Cross college nearby. Alison was both an undergraduate at Oxford and did her doctorate there. As a post graduate she was a member of New Cross and this entitled her to use the college facilities for the reception. It was my idea of a wedding with all our relatives and meeting Steve’s relatives and the friends they had invited. A grand occasion I thoroughly enjoyed

The friends were a source of retrospective embarrassment. The included both a girl actually named Alison Hall and another girl called Alison. I thought that to have as a guest someone with same name was a rare coincidence. I had once worked with someone called John Smith and I used to say to him that if he didn’t want to use his real name he should have chosen better. At the reception I said something along the same lines to Alison Hall. I thought she looked slightly puzzled but she didn’t say anything. I found out later I had the wrong Alison so she was probably thinking-“ silly old fool, babbling nonsense”

Sadly some fifteen years later the marriage collapsed. Steve never got used to family life and while not a bad father he was more of an uninterested one. Steve after some time took up with a careerist lady colleague. She is very nice and the children seem to get on well with her. He has been very generous with Alison which he can afford to be as he is now a big wheel at BP. Ironically he is now a better father than he ever was before. He has older children now for short periods which seems to suit him.

Alison was upset by the split, swore never to marry again, but met Debajit through an online dating service. Ever since I saw Nate, her son,  responding so positively to Debajit I have been sure it is a good relationship. Debajit is Indian, came to Britain shortly after graduating and has worked in the City in various IT roles. He is naturalised British. Both he and Alison often work from home even in normal times but I’m amused to find they are based at opposite ends of the house.

Debajit has the rather charming characteristic that he thinks carefully before he speaks. I don’t think this is his facility with the language as his English is flawless. I also don’t mean that he is taciturn just rather quiet..

Today is their wedding day. We had agreed with Alison that is was too risky for us to attend and in the event they have called off their reception plans. They were expecting two guests from overseas but they can’t travel. Right up to the last minute Frances intended to attend but the registry office are now imposing a strict limit. I’m expecting that Alison’s children, Debajits two sons and one other witness to be the only people attending. The witness is intended to be one of Alison’s local friends as only Rajiv, Debajit’s eldest boy is old enough to be a witness.

I’m happy for them both and I send my good wishes but I’m sad I’m not to be there in person.

Various: TV, cinema

TV

I first saw TV when I was about 6 in 1948 or 9. TV had come to the Midlands with the opening of the Sutton Coldfield transmitting station in 1948. TV sets were very few and households with them had to put up with expense and frequent breaks.. We were visiting my Aunt Amy and Uncle Jim in Coventry  when Amy said that a friend would welcome a visit to see their new set. Because TV was so new people who had sets were proud of the fact and were pleased to show off their acquisition

So we trooped around to Amy’s friends. The programme was the Remembrance Day Service which I thought stunningly boring as a programme but fascinating to watch the television. We didn’t have electricity so there was no chance we could have TV. Not only was the set very expensive but there were frequent technical breaks in transmission. Some of the gaps were filled with clips which became famous such as the potter’s wheel.

As time wore on gradually more people had bought sets. The Queen’s Coronation in 1953 has been attributed as the reason for a rapid increase just before. Certainly we watched the Coronation at my Aunt ( actually great Aunt )  Ethels house. It was wonderful and really made you feel part of the event. The BBC ( the monopoly broadcaster ) pulled out all the stops and had a huge commentary team anchored by Richard Dimblebly who was the “goto” man for the type of event.

Dimbleby was far more versatile than commentary at public occasions. He was a panellist on a very popular show “What’s my Line”. I went with mother to watch a recording in London. The panel of 4 had to guess the contestants occupation by a series of yes/no questions. The panel of two men, two women also had Gilbert Harding who was famously rather grumpy and Lady Isobel Barnett. The panellists did change a bit throughout the run over 1950-57, I think that Barbara Kelly was the second lady when I watched. Lady Isobel Barnett was a genuine peer who was famous for taking the show very seriously and made some extraordinary leaps of intuition. The show had Eamon Andrews as compere who introduced the contestants, and sometimes helped with answers to awkward questions.

For me as a boy I was fascinated by TV. The TV series “Quatermass” was much talked about at school and I felt I was missing out. The main attraction on visiting relatives was to watch TV. I certainly recall a young Bruce Forsyth in a slapstick comedy routine papering a room. My mother particularly enjoyed the comic “Mr Pastry” ( Richard Hearne ) dancing with himself doing the lancers.

I always enjoyed visits to folks with TV. Fairly regularly this was to Great Aunt Ethel in the nearby village where we watched the Queens Coronation in 1953. This was the event which was credited with establishing TV as the dominant mass media. Our village was geared to the event on the day with TV in the morning, sports in the afternoon and children’s tea in late afternoon.

Cinema

We are not regular cinema goers. It was a novel experience to visit over Christmas as Annette particularly wanted to see “Cats” the film of the Lloyd Webber musical. She is a great fan of Lloyd Webber and we must have seen all his musicals at least once. We had been to see a theatrical performance of “Cats” in Birmingham some years ago.

We were a bit taken aback by the prices at the Odeon Luxe, £10 each for seniors. But we are becoming rather used to most things costing more than  we expect as we refence back. We were mildly surprised at the automated ticket machines but they proved easy to use. The lobby was a mini shopping mall but things like popcorn are easy to resist

Our real surprise was in the cinema proper. Only a few seats but each with power recline and adjust; we had to seek advice on the use as the controls were not obvious. The warm environment and comfortable seating made for a soporific environment and I must admit to dozing off at one stage.

The film has been slammed by the critics. I’m not quite sure why. I guess they took exception to the actors dressed,  and trying to act like cats, without quite succeeding. They appear to be in the often remarked “uncanny valley” of semi realism. It probably doesn’t help that there is no defined plot but rather a series of songs with lyrics based on poems.

There is some speculation about the references to the “Heaviside layer” This slightly old fashioned term refers to a layer of ionised gas in the upper atmosphere which reflects medium frequency radio waves. In the show it is a poetic reference to cat heaven.

Coronavirus

I’m as alarmed as anyone by the coronavirus outbreak. There is a plethora of news about it to which I can add one suggestion. I can also warn that fake news and daft conspiracy theories are out there. I think you can take input from reputable news sources as being fairly accurate; it is essential to use common sense. The difficulty is that there is only limited information at present as much is still unknown.

My take is based largely on the BBC and sites I consider reputable. It seems that this is a virus ( not any other type of germ such as bacteria ) which is highly infectious. The virus particularly infects the lungs and travels via droplets expelled in coughs or sneezes. The droplets containing the virus land on surfaces where it can live for several days. You can catch the virus by breathing in droplets from an infected person but this appears to be a secondary cause of rapid spreading.

The key to preventing exposure appears to be to clean any surface where the virus may linger. The most talked about measure is to wash hands. Washing means thoroughly with soap and water for the time it takes to sing “ Happy Birthday “ twice. This is a surprisingly long time, about 40 seconds by my reckoning. I see that 20 seconds is being widely reported but I question whether this is sufficient. It is important to wash the webs between fingers.

In terms of surface cleaning; of skin, regular hot showers, hard surfaces by wiping with a sanitiser, clothes by normal washing using a hot  cycle and utensils in dishwasher also with a hot cycle. If hand washing dishes then use hot water.

For a sanitiser hand cleaner or wipe this should be alcohol based. The important warning is that sanitiser products claiming to be anti bacterial will be of little or no use. Coronavirus is not a bacteria which are much more susceptible to attack.

I have found that common sanitisers are in limited availability. My suggestion for a very effective alternative is to use dilute bleach. Bleach is readily available (at time of writing ). Thick bleach used for toilet cleaning is fine but ensure it is bleach containing and not a toilet cleaner. To use, dilute to about 5% in cold or cool water and wipe on surfaces Do not use hot water for dilution as the bleach will decompose faster. Bleach is a strong skin irritant and protective gloves ( washing up gloves ) must be worn. Bleach solution is damaging to the eyes and must not be splashed around, ideally wear eye protection. The dilute solution has a limited life, I suggest a day maximum. The active chemical in bleach reacts with the virus effectively destroying it.

The usual form of bleach essentially releases chlorine as the reactive ingredient.  Diluted bleach should smell faintly of chlorine. Mixing with acidic materials such as vinegar produces a rapid evolution of chlorine. Where there is a strong chlorine odour avoid breathing in the gas and discard the solution.

I’ve spent a significant part of my career concerned with cleaning of all types. While cleaning visible soil decreases bacteria and algae I haven’t seen any evidence that soiling makes any difference to the coronavirus. This means that there are no visual cues to the virus or its disinfection.

As for ourselves we have decided to “cocoon”. This for us means staying at home only venturing out when strictly necessary. Both Annette and I fall very clearly into the vulnerable category both by age and pre existing issues. So although our precautions are fairly extreme equally the risk is high if we contract the disease. So far we are on Day 2 as I write.  On Day 1 I sanitised all the handles etc. around the house. I am feeling a bit daunted as yesterday the Chief Scientist and Chief Health guy talked about 14 weeks to the peak if delay tactics are successful  In a way we are prepared with most recently taking instruction on video links to our children. While we have some food stock as a Brexit precaution we are relying on home deliveries.
We have both become big internet users and that is expected to be big source of information and contact. For the present we have modest stocks of books and jigsaws. The latter has become a big pastime for Annette. I have suspended the local book club and although I attended a U3A meeting a few days ago I intend it to be the last for the present. The last thing we attended was the funeral of Sam’s husband. Sam, originally Alison’s schoolfriend, has become a family friend over the years and we wished to support her

Digging and open fires

I have attended a poetry workshop run by Staffordshire poet laureate Mal Dewhirst. This was organised by our local library reading group. I’m a member but rather intermittent in attendance as the timing clashes with visits to Whitby rather often. Dewhurst had presented us with about a dozen poems on which to comment. These varied from local authors to well known national figures such as Carol Ann Duffy and Ted Hughes.

I particularly enjoyed “Digging” by Seamus Heaney. This was about him remembering his father and grandfather digging and reflecting he digs with his pen. This spoke to me about my own father and my memories of him digging.

My father was a keen gardener who focused on growing food for the table. For him the ritual digging in spring was very special and it took on a near mystical character for me as a young child. He kept a spade for the purpose only used at this time. He lavished care on this spade. It was carefully cleaned and oiled after every use. Consequently it was bright steel. It wasn’t kept with other garden tools but rather kept in a cupboard in the house

The procedure was deliberate and unvarying. First the garden was cleared and poultry manure put to hand. We had plenty of this as we kept poultry. I always thought it strange when he gifted some to fellow gardeners to be solemnly carried away in plastic sacks. Then digging would commence, one spit deep( never double digging ) and with manure in the trench. He was keen to take out any sign of “twitch” a pernicious weed which can grow from even a short length of root. As I know from my own experience it is virtually impossible to eliminate twitch but diligent digging and root removal will keep it to an acceptable level. He was diligent in seeking out twitch and his losses were minor. I remember his spade ringing as it flexed while digging striking stones in the ground. I still find the sound evocative..

Digging is hard work. When my father was younger and fitter this wasn’t an issue. However he suffered a  wasting disease on his back muscles in later life which limited digging. In the earlier stages this was acceptable for smaller areas. For the large area such as his allotment he resorted to ploughing by a friendly farmer. This was only practicable if access was available.

It was a sadness to him when digging on any scale became impossible.

Open fires

I like a coal fire. I grew up with one and ever since we moved into our present house we have had one. I leave a shovel full of small coal pieces when I make the fire to dry and warm for the next day. Annette remarked my mother used to do the same. She also made me realise we are possibly the last generation to use an open fire. I think about our children. Gas central heating supplemented by a gas fire for the girls while my son uses fully enclosed wood burners.

I was quite excited when we moved here in the 80’s. The fireplace had been covered up but the chimney wasn’t sealed. We bought a new fireplace and had the back boiler installed. The back boiler feeds a balancing tank so it supplements our central heating.

Open fires are very inefficient as most of the heat goes up the chimney. They also allow small particles of dust into the room which are bad for the health. More worryingly still they emit a lot of smoke, dust and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. I half rationalised by having a back boiler to improve efficiency and by burning wood to reduce overall carbon dioxide production. The idea is that CO2 is taken up by growing trees and is released when wood is burned. Thus overall wood is carbon neutral. This is well and good but I’m finding the proportion of wood to coal is falling. Partly because my ready supply of wood is reducing and partly because my energy to cut it up isn’t what it was.

A friend who likes to mock my defence of climate change as a global issue tut-tuts at my coal burning and rightly so.. When I look at starting the fire and the smoke given off I realise that the day of the open fire is past. It is just a bit hypocritical to persist but it is rather cosy to sit by a glowing fire on a winter evening.

Rock Island Line

Rock Island Line

“Rock Island Line is a mighty fine line

If you want to ride it

Get your ticket at the station

On the Rock Island Line”

I’ve been watching a fascinating TV documentary on this song from the fifties. It has a great resonance with me as it was a favourite in 1957. The singer, Lonnie Donegan, chose many of his early songs from American, often black American songs. I listened to them at my friend Anthony’s house. I didn’t have access to a record player at home; we didn’t even have electricity. Both Anthony and I were big train enthusiasts ( we were train spotting buddies earlier ) and many of Donegan’s songs such as Wabash Cannonball and Wreck of the old ’97 were like this concerned with trains and railroads.

The significance of Rock Island Line is that, more than any other, it represented the change from the mix of ballads etc which had been popular music and ushered in the modern rock based pop music which has dominated ever since. This happened via a new “homemade” music called skiffle. Skiffle had a short life before it gave way to Elvis Presley and the like in the rock’n’roll genre. This was also heavily influenced by American blues tradition..

Rock Island Line was originally a prison song taken up by Hudie Ledbetter the famous American folk singer Leadbelly.. Hudie wrote the lengthy prologue which was itself highly unusual. Donegan gave it the verve and skiffle sound which made the song a huge popular success

Skiffle had a strange gestation as it was firstly interval music in jazz performances. At the time jazz, another precursor to modern pop, had split into several types.  There was swing, modern and traditional. The latter usually abbreviated to trad, adhered to the original New Orleans style. It was trad interval music that started skiffle. The skiffle combo had washboard, .guitar and tea chest bass. The washboard  of corrugated metal was rubbed rhythmically while the tea chest bass was an upturned large box ( typically a tea chest ) with a string attached to the centre ( the sounding board ) and to a broom handle. Plucking the string produced low notes varied in pitch by changing the string length

At school I was forced to study music because the alternative was art. I no talent for either so it was an arbitrary choice. A new boy in our group, Bob, was extremely self confident not to say bumptious and so annoyed our teacher that to shut him up was invited to give a talk on jazz. I’m sure we all expected a feeble performance but in the event Bob gave an excellent talk on the origins and progress of jazz.. My friend Anthony was interested in music and through him I also became friends with Bob.

Because I was his friend Bob gave me an audition on a tea chest bass for the skiffle group he formed. I was a miserable failure which didn’t surprise me as our music teacher had said I was tone deaf. Despite this we still remained close friends. In retrospect I find this quite surprising as we were quite different; I was rather quiet and diffident particularly around girls while Bob was extremely self confident and more than a bit anarchic.

It was actually via Bob I became involved with Annette. She was just one of many girls in our newly merged co-ed school. Bob would say to me that she seemed nice and he would ask her out. She gave him very short shrift but I was intrigued, talked to her a bit, then we went out and I've never looked back..