BlueDragon's New Writeups

November 14, 2004 (idea)

2004-11-14T17:44:13Z

Well, it's been a gorgeous autumn weekend, and time to take stock in the garden. Lots of pruning, weeding, digging and moving. A hard pruning session sometimes means sacrificing some leaves and flowers the following year, and having to look at bare, naked wood for a while, but needs must, and in the longer term the benefits of all that hard work will become obvious.

It is a time for reflection and decision making. There is that plant in the corner that you love dearly, and have tried to nurture. But now, in autumn, you know that it was planted in the wrong place, and it will never reach its full potential. If it's not too late, move it to another spot. If it's suffered too much damage you might have to bite the bullet and decide that it's time to give up on it.

But why, what went wrong? Sometimes you make a mistake, and the plant is too strong and vigorous for its situation, and tiny, more delicate plants are suffering under its shadow…

Kimmy's angels (person)

2004-11-08T22:08:21Z

He bent forward and leaned his head on the gate post, aware of the rough, cool grain of wood against his face. With his left hand he touched his cheek, warm and soft, like suede. Then ran his fingers down the post, where he felt the smooth, slippery slime of algae - a billion living things just sitting there on the wood waiting. Just there, just like him, kicking around, waiting.

He wasn't really sure what he was waiting for, so he waited for the weather. He waited for the sharp breeze to catch his hair, raising it, tickling his scalp. He waited for the soft rain to drizzle down on him like the spray his father playfully squirted in his face when he used to 'help' in the greenhouse. And he waited for the thunder which rarely came, but when it did it filled him with wonder - there were angels and they were shifting boxes in Heaven again.…

Himalayan balsam (thing)

2004-10-28T14:53:07Z

Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Anthophyta
Class Magnoliopsida
Order Geraniales
Family Balsaminaceae
Genus Impatiens

Impatiens glandulifera a.k.a. Policeman's Helmet, Poor Man's Orchid, bee-bums

Himalayan Balsam, or Indian Balsam, is a species on the run! Victorian flower collectors introduced this attractive plant into the Britain from the Himalayas in 1839. It has since escaped the garden and now threatens many natural wetland habitats where it competes with native plants for pollinators and its vigorous growth chokes that of smaller natural species. It is now common all over the British Isles, many parts of temperate Europe and the USA.

Himalayan Balsam is an annual plant, growing up to 2m high and bears many large white, pink or purple flowers from July to October. The stems are deep red, the leaves dark green and serrated, and the flowers are hooded, somewhat orchid-like and shaped like an old…

lardy cake (thing)

2004-10-12T23:47:51Z

It's been a long, wet walk home. Your ears are burning, your fingers freezing and your socks are wet, but it's been worth it. You throw down the white paper bag from the baker's shop, put on the kettle and prepare yourself for a nice cup of tea and some serious comfort food ...

Lardy cake is a type of rich sweetened fruit bread. It's moist and delicious, fluffy but filling, sweet and fruity and ... not suitable for vegetarians ;) Oh, and it's made with lard!

For some reason people wince at the thought of lard in a cake, and think only of butter or margarine for sweet recipes. I'm not sure why - pastry is made with lard as often as with butter. Some people think nothing of eating bacon with maple syrup - really just lard and sugar with a bit of protein thrown in for good measure, but very alien to the Brits! So, in this recipe, we use lard, which is really just another type of solid, saturated fat, as is butter, and with none of those…

October 10, 2004 (idea)

2004-10-10T11:48:02Z

Struggle!
It's Sunday, and there are gale force winds from the east - that means cold! Brrrr.

It's Sunday - the Biblical day of rest. For some perhaps. It's usually a busy day for me - everyone (myself included, so I'm not complaining!) expecting a huge roast dinner. Then there's washing to sort, the ironing, all the usual stuff. Plus last minute homework (should've been done days ago) - 'Help me please mum'; and an enormous Sunday paper with umpteen sections strewn across the coffee table to sit there, mostly unread, until next Saturday.

Looking out the window - nothing's resting outside either. Flocks of birds fly erratically against the wind - 'Why go that way?', I wonder. It crosses my mind for a moment that they might be swallows beginning their migration, but they fly south not east, and, I'm not sure, but I think they should've gone by now. Barely turned leaves and…

Forever Autumn (idea)

2004-09-23T21:57:16Z

The summer sun is fading as the year grows old
And darker days are drawing near.
The winter winds will be much colder
Now you're not here.

And so it goes on ...

The sun has reached the Tropic of Cancer, and day and night pause briefly in their battle for supremacy. Darkness will predominate for the next six months, munching minute by minute into the daylight hours, as we slowly head towards winter. I am in total awe of nature, amazed that a 23.5° tilt of the earth's axis can have such a profound effect on our tiny planet, over a distance of 93 million miles. But there we have it, the beauty of the seasons, the thrill of change, the joy that suffuses my whole being - it is autumn!

Seductive autumn, with her soft evening mists rising from the meadows, her damp and dewy mornings, and the breathtaking…