Potting Shed Poetry

Ms Tagalong had waited many moons to be able to replicate this initiative she had seen in Bridport,Dorset last year and here it was.  Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young poets from the local Tighes Hill Primary School took part in the Community Garden Open Day.  

It was too hot for the poets to stand and recite in the gardens amongst the veggies and flowers but they stood amongst the watering cans under the pergola and spoke of bugs and butterflies, hummingbirds and bees.

Ms Mova’s favourite from Gus:

Our little garden

Our little garden,

In Tighes Hill,

Not so big,

But not so li’l.

Stephanie showed deep thinking:

Under the wings of a kind heartYou will find a secret.

Do you want to know what secret it is?

The secret of a sparkley butterfly.

So keep your kind hearts, gardeners. 

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Massage that kale like Sven!

Massaged kale!

It was an amazing Open Day. From beauty products to wick beds, there was something for all.

‘You must massage it strongly, you know Sven-like!’ said Michelle from Embrace Family Nutrition as she demonstrated how to bully the somewhat tough kale into submission.  Having cut out the ribs and chopped it finely it was now being squeezed to within an inch of its life before the other ingredients were added.

Ms Tagalong was all ears. She had been reading how kale and quinoa were trending on Twitter!  Mmm, well maybe not but they are certainly popular at present.

And this was Michelle’s recipe as made by Sarah Britton for a delicious kale salad which everyone tasted and came back for more.

Kale Salad

1 bunch of kale, stemmed and sliced into ribbons

1 lemon, squeezed plus pinch sea salt

Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

2 handfuls of grapes, cut in half

1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes

¼ cup of toasted pine seeds

Dressing

¼ cup cold pressed olive oil

2 Tbls apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ shallot, diced

1 Tbls poppy seeds

Pinch sea salt

1 tsp honey

1.       In a large bowl, dress kale with a bit of olive oil and a pinch or two of sea salt

2.       Massage kale with your hands until it’s deep dark green, approx 2-3 minutes (remember Sven)

3.       To make dressing , place all ingredients into a clean glass jar and shake vigorously

4.       Assemble remaining salad ingredients and dressing. Toss and serve.

5.       This can stay in fridge for a few days as is already wilted! 

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When Danny became Dan

And so it came to pass…a wise granddaughter was proven correct.

It was the unmasking, the day that Danny became Dan! Yes, the white chicken was indeed a cockerel.

Danny and Kylie had still not been sleeping with the others. 

They were being slightly more tolerated but still chased away from food, most felt sorry for them.  Mr Ideasman rumbled on about Danny chucking seed around.

‘That’s a cockerel, look he’s showing off,’ he said.

‘I’ve seen the others do that too’ said Ms Mova, ‘she’s not a rooster, I’m sure.’

Fast forward a few weeks when Ms Earth Mother and her silver children were mingling with the chickens when one who shall remain nameless rose onto tiptoes, flapped wings and crowed.

Well, that was it. A fine specimen but not for our chicken yard. Ms Mova arranged a capture and he was taken off to the chicken man at the local markets to breed happily ever after or breed happily in the ever after.

And so to our wonderful Open Day.  Ms Mova and Ms Tagalong are still congratulating themselves and reeling from the fabulous rallying around by our wonderful gardening community to provide such an entertaining and enjoyable day.

But that’s another story! 

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Danny and Kylie - the truth

‘Well I think that one’s a crow and that one’s a cockerel!’ Ms Mova’s granddaughter was adamant. And Ms Mova thought she had brought in two young hens! The granddaughter was gracious enough to say she would come back and give another assessment if needed.

Danny and Kylie, for so they are named, arrived on Saturday. Danny fell unceremoniously from the bottom of a broken cardboard box, not quite the planned entry. Slightly dazed, Ms Tagalong was able to pick her up and pop her with Kylie in the separate pen.

This morning they thought they were ready for the big stage and were out there trying to strut their stuff with the other ladies. They didn’t even belong in the chorus line, booed and hissed off stage they cowered in the corners behind the curtains until they were rightfully returned to the nursery pen!

Maybe in a week or so they will be ready for a short number with the others and then whisked offstage quickly until the next show. It might take a while for the main cast to accept them and certainly many moons until they can take centre stage and become the main layers in what has pretty much become an old chook’s home! Ms Tagalong should bite her tongue, though, four eggs were laid the other day. The warmth and Spring weather encouraging all things reproductive.

It has also encouraged all people working as the garden is being prepared for the grand Open Day on Sunday, October 13^th. Ms Mova is making a list of all prospective volunteers so sign up by email or when you see her with a clipboard!

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If life gives you lemons...

Ms Tagalong and Ms Mova have been planning a great event. No excuse for not posting but so busy...

It's not Spring yet but the flowers think it is and the flurry of activity in the garden brought on by the mild weather and the keen gardeners made Ms Tagalong happy to take part in the renewal process.

The flowers on the lemon tree seem particularly happy to be out and promise great fruit for great lemonade in the long hot Summer to come.

The bean trellis recently erected will provide shade and shelter for mini-gardeners whilst they play.

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The famous Kew Gardens

A year ago found Ms Tagalong and Mr Ideasman in the famous London gardens of Kew.  Maybe it is the continuing wet weather which made Ms Tagalong reminisce about the day she and her family spent there.

Stunning Victorian spiral staircase and metalwork taking you up to the gallery above

Giant Lilypads 

Orchids

Fan formwork! A photographer's dream!

An old man orchid!

In the orchid house

Doesn't everyone picnic in the rain? When in England....!

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5 ways to increase your blog readership!

5 ways to increase your blog readership!

1. Make sure your posts have a number in the title! Short and sharp is probably better. 100 ways might just be overdoing it.
2. Post the best photos that you can, even if they don't have anything to do with your post.
3. Be shameless, mention Facebook, Twitter and anything else that is newsworthy on that day. By the way, Nadal was beaten in the first round of Wimbledon today.
4. Link to other websites or blogs that might be useful.
5. Blog regularly. Once or twice a week is recommended. But of course you might want to go on holiday or travel or something so don't worry about it then, your readers will find something else to read.
6. If you have read this far you might be realising that Ms Tagalong's tongue is very firmly wedged against her cheek as she needed to come up with a blog for this week in very few minutes!   

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