I’ll have Wales, please Bob

A big shout to Mike P, one of the owners of the great Ffynnonofi Farm near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire where we stayed last month. Mike’s a massive reggae fan and he’s very kindly sent us an ace photo of his.bob marleys cottageIt’s a picture from the late 1980’s of Bob Marley‘s secret hideaway in Littlebay, Jamaica. Bob wrote a good few songs there and the house even had a lovely garden created by the great man himself so Mike tells us.

Considering that the house is nearly no more (no) thanks to time and those Hurricanes, Gilbert and Ivan, this is a great piece of history documented. Thanks Mike!

Back to Wales, one of the caretakers of Ffynnonofi Farm is only the son of the author of the fantastic book we reviewed over a couple of years ago here called “The new complete book of self-sufficiency” by John Seymour. I got the book for the bargain price of a  pound in a used book sale at Holborn Library and one well worth getting.

It sure is a small world!


Lone Ranger – Tribute To Bob Marley


Derrick Harriot – Solomon

I’ve had years of being on the wire

A massive birthday shout out to Steve Barker, Fenny and Jim for Thirty years of the excellent On The Wire on BBC Radio Lancashire. Well worth tuning into Live on a Saturday night from Midnight to 2am on Sunday or on Listen again here. Cheers for the One Deck & Popular and Madtone radio plays in the past, it’s appreciated!

On last week’s show Fenny replayed his first record he ever spun on the show, one that I’ve never heard before by the ace Mark Perry (I’m very partial to Mark’s delivery of Reggae, ATV’s Life after Life is one of my favourite ever tunes!) with a cover of a BB Seaton/Ken Boothe’s “Whole world’s down on me.” I didn’t even know of that one either. Cheers to On The Wire for passing on their musical knowledge yet again!

While we’re on the subject of great radio shows, a big shout goes out to our good friend Dr Strangedub for playing a track off Hayereyah’s new CD on this week’s (September 10th) Echo Chamber on KFAI available on listen again here. Big up the radio!

Dub like dirt

Sounds from the South – Episode 6

Every Sunday from 6-8pm on Fab Radio International is “a gardening programme like no other” called The Dirt. Every week, we at weeds do a spot called Sounds from the south (usually around 10-15 mins into the show) where we say a few words and select a tune.

This week’s is a tribute to “Big Ray’s Country & Western Disco” a legendary club night at The Joiners Arms, Camberwell in the 90’s. The tune is the excellent Ranking Toyan with “How the west was won.”

If you want to listen to our tribute to the legendary country night, have a listen on play again later this week to the 7th September show here at about 10-15 mins in.

There’s older episodes of the show up there too and our spot is usually around the same time in every week. Thanks very much to Simon, Ricky and Paul for having us on!

Last of the summer lime

Lord Creator – Such is life – Randy’s

Big thanks to everyone who attended yesterday’s “The last Saturday of Summer” at Limewharf  and for making it a great day out! Big thanks to Emma at Limewharf for sorting it out, Marc B for the idea and The Rhythm Doctor (who played the above), Thea and Mark G for playing some brilliant tunes! It was a perfect venue for getting together and chatting over a few bevies to some great music.

A couple of gardening related things picked up while at Limewharf yesterday. Firstly, thanks to Dell for letting us know about the forthcoming Cordwainers Garden Autumn Show on Saturday 20th September at 182 Mare Street E8 3RE from 11am-3pm. Look’s great, who’s the local celebrity I wonder?

cordwainersAlso thanks to our old musical collaborator, Hayereyah for passing on his new CD with a gardening themed cover. Great rootsy stuff as per from Hayereyah, no gardening pun intended!humility before honor

Settee of the week (not available at DFS)

Slate Settee of the weekWe at weeds have just got back from a week away in Pembrokeshire, Wales and how’s this for a slate settee seen at Aberbach Beach, near Dinas Cross. Comfy or what?aberbachbeachThe model doesn’t come with an adjustable headrest nor a footstool, there’s not 15 other colour variations and it’s not the most comfortable of sofas to have a kip on, but who cares, it has a sea view! Big up the seaside stone settee!

Dennis Brown, Sly & Robbie – Sitting And Watching – Taxi 12″

The Chi-lites – Stoned out of my mind – Brunswick

Got to get away…

Garnett Mimms & The Enchanters – A quiet place – United Artists

Tune in to The Dirt “a gardening programme like no other” on Radio Fab International this Sunday night from 6-8pm for the usual gardening related stuff and our very own “sounds from the south” spot. Listen in from 6pm here to find out more!

Dr Alimantado – Poison Flour

Also a big thanks to A Robbins for letting us know about another great South London Reggae do, this weekend (flyer below). Look’s like it’ll be a good night, the music will brilliant, the pub is ace and Earl Gateshead’s a nice chap too!

Lewisham business

I’d rather be working


Caribou – Can’t Do Without You – City Slang
A couple of tunes for this nice afternoon. Stuck on the weeds all-in-one music centre last night by our good mate Maz, a lovely tune from the great Caribou on the great City Slang label (some great free downloads from the label here.)

The 2 Bears feat. Stylo G – Money Man – Southern Fried

This one was on the mighty David Rodigan show this week, a nice chilled out reggae type thing from The 2 Bears with Stylo G. Great stuff, making two tunes for dossing around in the garden to, while taking photo’s of your crops, when you should be at work.
Below: Second attempt at growing Corn and I can see one cob coming at least!

Cornus alba(Below) And, this Pepper on the right, I’ll be having for me tea tonight!peppers in tinsAnd below, a nice old Sunflower in a pastel yellow style, taken last night!Sunny evening

An allotment like no other

Phil_2Looking on the web over the last few weeks, I discovered a great community gardening project in Berlin called Allmende Kontor. The collection of allotments, which are mostly in an experimental style, are housed on part of the disused Tempelhof Airport.Phil_1And this is what I’ve managed to gleam image-wise about the place from the internet. There’s some really good “out there” stuff going on, I mean, look at this mad runner bean igloo (above.) Brilliant, you could even kip in there!Phil_4If this was in the UK, the allotment committee would be well on your case and you’d be given your marching orders straight away I reckon, but look at the madness, it’s great!

Does anyone know anything more about the project? If so, we’d love to find out more! This site here has some great images from the project on it, it really is bonkers (in the best way possible!)

Or is there the equivalent of the above in the UK, if so we’d love to see pics of it too! Send your info about Allmende Kontor and/or photo’s of UK allotment madness to onedeckpete (at) gmail (dot) com.

***UPDATE*** We’ve just received an email from the folks at Allmende Kontor who told us that “the Igloo isn’t part of the Allmende-Garden and belongs to the Schillerkiez-Garten as there are three more garden projects around the area.” What, more mad gardening projects? Brilliant! More about Schillerkiez-Garten here.

Thieves like us

angry seagullA big shout to Simon, Ricky and Paul at The Dirt on Radio Fab International. Tune in every Sunday night from 6-8pm here for “a gardening programme like no other.”

Tomorrow night’s show will feature weeds’ very own “sounds from the south” spot which this week is called “True life bird business.” Listen in from 6pm to find out more!

There’s a Mojo in me garden, what am I gonna do?

A big shout to our very good mate The Rhythm Doctor for posting up his latest mix of the stuff he and DJ Von Koff play at their Mojo nights in Tallinn, Estonia. There’s a bit of reggae, soul and funk, some real mix up business!

It’s sounding great this Saturday afternoon! I’ve got it cranked up while I’m trying to catch up on the weeding!