Two for a Thursday

Posted on June 18, 2015 by onedeckpete

The first tune of the night features a combination of an odd acoustic guitar sound, orchestral strings and great vocals courtesy of KEAB (BEAK spelt backwards) with “When we fall” played on Tom Ravenscroft’s show last week. The video even features a mini-seafort type structure which is a bonus for us, as you know we love a seafort here at weeds.

The second is a great dub of Kiko Bun’s “Tell me where I’m from” heard on the Rt Hon David Rodigan’s show the other week and what a dub!

Two tunes for blasting out loud from the kitchen window just as it’s getting dark (to ward off the slugs and snails) while watering the garden and sniffing night scented stock fumes. Nice!

Tall, tall, tall, as big as a wall, wall, wall

Posted on June 14, 2015 by onedeckpete

If you remember last November I bought an Eremurus aka foxtail lilly or desert candle bulb from Shannon’s. I loved the look of the bulb as it looked well odd so I just had to have it!
And look at it now, nearly 7ft, it looks great and the bees love the flowers. Next year I’ll be buying three!

Psychedelic shack

Posted on June 12, 2015 by onedeckpete

This week on Gardening with Tim and Joe on BBC Radio Leeds there was a mention of a variety of Hydrangea called Glam Rock. How mad is that?

And as the blurb on a website that is selling said shrubs says, “they will burst into a psychedelic frenzy of multicoloured flower heads, that will create a real ‘wow factor’ in your garden.”

What next, a pansy called Punk Pathetique, a runner bean called Speed Garage or a perfumed rose called Mark E. Smith?

Take stock my friend

Posted on June 12, 2015 by onedeckpete

Night scented stock 1 Here’s a favourite of mine, Night Scented Stock that is dotted all around the garden. The plant itself isn’t that impressive but the smell of the flower in the evening is great, especially if it’s near the back or front door. I sowed a load of the seed earlier this year in an old plastic Post Office container (found in the attic when we first moved in) and what’s good about that, is that it can be moved about for maximum effect.

I originally got into Night Scented Stock when I first started buying packet of seeds from the supermarket/garden centre and discovered the great smell of the flowers. I now have gone a bit hardcore and buy a whole load of seeds from ebay (2,000 for £3.94 inc P+P) and sprinkle them all over the garden over staggered intervals. Even Kate Bush has done a track about the plant. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed on a warm summers evening when the back door’s open!

One for the week-end!

Posted on June 11, 2015 by onedeckpete

Cadenza featuring Stylo G, Busy Signal – Foundation

Heard on The Rt Hon David Rodigan’s show the other week. A tune and a half on a speeded up Real Rock rhythm. One to play very loud before nipping out into the garden to tackle an afternoon’s worth of weeding!

Sound Dimension – Real Rock Real Dub (Studio 1)

Chronixx at Kingston’s Dub Club “Ghetto People” (over Real Rock)

Never mind the sell-by-date, feel the width!

Posted on June 7, 2015 by onedeckpete

Last week I got a right old bargain from ebay, 30 odd packs of seeds (plus a couple of seed collections thrown in on top too) for £9.56 including P&P! The oldest sell-by-date was 2013 so it weren’t that brilliant but most of the use-by-dates were at least 2015 and there wasn’t that many duplicates. Not bad for just under a tenner though!

A mate from work has just got an allotment and this weekend was going to the allotments’ annual Cheese and Wine, Seed Swap Barbecue, (how’s that for a good idea?) I gave her a massive handful to make a good impression and I still had loads for myself. Bargains, I love them! Remember this bargain related tune from many many moons ago?

It was easy, it was cheap, GO AND DO IT!

Posted on May 30, 2015 by onedeckpete

A big shout to our good mate Jim N who sent us pics of these great planters he put together last month. All the wood was from Wickes, that at the time had a deal on decking boards (4 for the price of 3). The small planter cost just under a tenner for the wood, and the big one just over twenty pounds. The tin of paint was £13, which was enough to cover the above two planters plus a couple of others he had as well.

With the large planter, over loosely spaced slats across the bottom it was lined with weed suppressant membrane which lets water through. Into the bottom of that was a layer of crocks to help with the drainage then potting compost. As it’s raised off the ground a bit by the slats at the bottom, any excess water just drains out. They’re looking good Jim and we’re loving that blue!

Have you knocked together any interesting planters, raised beds or the like of late? Send us your pics to stick up on the blog to onedeckpete (at) gmail.com

The ISS goes round and round, round and round etc

Posted on May 29, 2015 by onedeckpete

It’s that time again! The International Space Station is back around these parts, and can be seen up to five times a day if you’re feeling hardcore! I’ll be out in the back garden joining the slugs and snails over the next few nights, stumbling into the flowerbeds while looking up at the night sky!

For viewing times, stick in your location here or download the ISS Detector app for your mobile. Also if you want to get a bit on the deep tip, check out Heavens Above for all sorts of stuff to tilt up your head up at the night sky to.

Also here’s something ISS related from our sounds from the south podcast from last year. One small step for mankind and all that!

Thursday night style

Posted on May 21, 2015 by onedeckpete

It’s been a funny old week weather-wise here in London, sunny one day, rain the next, culminating in hail the other day. So to celebrate the lovely bit of sunshine we had this evening, here’s two oldies but goodies for your listening pleasure.

Bob Andy – You don’t Know – Harry J Blank

The first is a cracker of a tune from the great Bob Andy, which I first heard on the Rt Hon David Rodigan‘s show a while back and revisited on a youtube clip played by Gladdy Wax only the other day. The above is the vocal on the original Jamaican release from 1970. A tune!

Karen Young – Hot Shot – West End

And the second is something I first heard this week on an excellent vintage mix from Grandmaster Flowers recorded at a Brooklyn Park Jam from 1979. It’s a tune by Karen Young called Hot Shot on the excellent West End Records ran by Mel Cheren. Have a listen to the Grandmaster Flowers mixtape recorded in 1979 which is a great piece of musical history and available here. It’s got beat mixing and some great collaging of sounds from a DJ innovator now sadly passed away.

International gardening round-up

Posted on May 16, 2015 by onedeckpete

Thanks to a couple of good mates of ours for sending in some great gardening pics this week. First is from our good friend and musical collaborator Paul Greenstein formally of the East Dulwich parish now based in Melbourne, Australia of his (Jap or Kent) pumpkin harvest from only two plants, how good is that? Brilliant stuff Paul, hope you’ve got some good recipes to use them in!

And also to our fellow dub gardener Phil Harmony in Berlin for sending us pics of his tomato (from the free Heinz seed offer earlier this year) and peppers seedlings that he has on the go at the moment. Great stuff Phil, they’re looking good!

Weeds up to me knees

Madtone, gardening and life