Wednesday 13 March 2013

If money were no object.

That title is probably grammatically incorrect but I'm going to use it anyway. If you're not a spammer but are a British grammar expert please leave me a comment explaining why it's wrong! Thank you.

crocus 2009

Emma Cooper has just written a blog about money and her plans for the future when she finishes her ethnobotany course. She invited people to blog their own ideas for disposing of a lot of money.

One of my biggest problems is that despite having a very comfortable lifestyle where if I really wanted anything I could have it with a little effort, I cannot choose a path and stick to it. Naturally this leads to a lot of guilt when I consider the difficulties that other people overcome to achieve outstanding results. So perhaps, if there was so much money that it really could be regarded as no object the first stop would be some intensive therapy to remove all the blocks I seem to have erected in my own mind to stop myself from doing anything.

However, this is a gardening blog so let's consider some of the directions unlimited funds might allow me to explore.

farm 2012

Currently I'm thinking polytunnels for the farm. Last year's dreadful season has convinced me that self sufficiency to the style I'd like to be accustomed to isn't possible in the Northern European climate and a lifetime of living on swedes and blackberries is not my ultimate aim. Rather than risk further  disappointment or return my business to Waitrose I'd like to give some sheltered gardening a try. It would help with the year round problem too, and keep the deer off the winter veg.

I recently saw an offer on ScentedGeraniums for a pack of 12 mixed young plants. I love species and scented pelargoniums and used to have quite a variety before depression, divorce and white fly wreaked havoc with them. I'd love to rebuild that collection and the poly tunnel would help there too.


cherries 2003

A farm is a money pit, I wonder just how long the 'unlimited' supply would last if I really let loose. Apart from refurbishing all the buildings and living spaces I have in idle moments designed a new orchard for a heritage apple collection, a semi-commercial seed growing area, a sub tropical garden heated by ground source heat pumps, a massive forest garden (this is the one that might happen as most of the plants can be seed raised!), reworking all the boundaries, redoing the drainage, wild gardens for insects, new reed beds, basket willow plantations, a small northern adapted vineyard and a tissue culture lab.

And of course there are the cooking projects too. I think northern France needs an artisan tofu and fermented bean facility, an exotic mushroom shed and a self sufficient vegan restaurant with B&B rooms.

Perhaps that's enough to be going on with. Universe, lend us a fiver...

Friday 8 March 2013

Whatever happened to Blogger Spam filtering?

For a while it was almost o.k. and I thought I'd trained it sufficiently that I could relax a little but came by today to check (yes, I know) and found 100 absolutely clear spam messages waiting for moderation.

For the record, I hate spammers, I will not allow them to post their garbage on my page even though it destroys any chance of meeting new people or forming a community of like minded readers by preventing real people from commenting...

Quite simply I will suicide the blog rather than give in to them.

So back off you bastard fake boot sellers, snake oil merchants and faux sex aid manufacturers.

And Google, I know you can do it, so do it for me, please.