Carlton & Leroy – Not Responsible (Lord Koo’s)
An excellent seven inch from 1974 on the Lord Koo’s record label by Carlton (Patterson) & Leroy (Smith). The flip is an excellent version from the King (Tubby’s), “Psalms of Dub”. If it sounds familiar, it’s because it’s also the rhythm track of Mikey Dread’s “Love the Dread” released a few years later. Bought for a couple of quid years ago at the excellent Rat Records in Camberwell Green.
There isn’t going to be much gardening done today, I tell you! Thank god the worms are in the garage and I’m warm in the house. If I was working on the parks for the council today, the kettle would be on, a topic for the all-day discussion chosen and a family pack of povvy digestives purchased for the long day of non-work inside the confides of a park keepers hut (10ftx10ft)!
This is the only gardening that is going to done here today, the leggy Coriander and Basil seedlings on the kitchen windowsill:
And our mate Nigel Slater’s favourite, Lemon Thyme purchased for a quid or so off ebay a few weeks ago (Terracotta pot and saucer optional. Bought from the local garden centre for around around about £1.50):
Big up the council work ethic of yesteryear!
The above features versions of Keith Hudson’s Hot Stuff (and boy do we need something hot!)
I couldn’t believe it, the sun came out last Sunday so I moved the wormery (a bucket I found in the street perched upon an old xmas tree container which catches any liquid) into the garage as the forthcoming cold months outside won’t do the worms much good. I’ll pop in on a weekly basis and top up with kitchen peelings, tea bags etc and see if they are still okay. There was a good bit of liquid in the bottom bucket which I’ve drained off and will use as a great plant feed this summer comng. All for nothing by just keeping your kitchen waste!
The pots on the kitchen windowsill with the seeds I sowed just before xmas are coming along, the Corriander is looking a bit leggy but I’ll use the seedlings for cooking so nothings wasted, the Basil seeds did germinate but are very slow off the mark but that’s to be expected at this time of the year. Also I’m holding off a while with starting the Tomatoes indoors as last year I sowed them far too early and they were well lanky when finally put in the garden. A lesson learned, don’t be too keen!
For the second time now I got this great book from my library, The allotment keeper’s handbook (a down to earth guide to growing your own food) by Jane Perrone (The Guardian 2007). The first time I got it out, I renewed it to the max allowed as it was so informative, trouble is I dropped it into the bath by accident so had to return it with my head down in shame! On getting it out again a year later, it looks like someone has done the same and possibly dropped it out in the garden too! If you’re getting an allotment or thinking of starting to grow vegetables in the garden/patio at home this book is a must. It covers everything including composting, planning and preparation, heritage seeds, the magic of Comfrey and some mad tips too (starting seeds off in empty egg shells, I never thought of that one!) An informative read with some humour throw in to boot. A book not to read in the bath tho! Have a look a Jane’s blog which is great too.
This week I rediscovered on the web a right old gem of a mix I used to own on cassette years ago. It’s a recording off a Mikey Dread radio show from JBC, Jamaica around Christmas 1978. It’s a classic and includes some right old corkers. It’s available from the excellent “Who Cork the Dance” website. Scroll down (past the Barry Brown and I-Roy tributes) to “Dread at the controls – Tribute to Mikey ‘Dread’ Campbell” and download away. One to listen to while thumbing through those seed catalogues!
“It is what it is” the eclectic radio show from Laurent Garnier has been keeping me sane since returning to work after the festive break. Show 17 (22nd December) features one bonkers minimal ambient tune from Sylvain Chauveau called “An nombre des choses” from an LP on Fat Cat. All shows are downloadable too! Excellent stuff.
Thanks to last week’s On the Wire for bringing to our attention the excellent “King of Disco” programme on BBC Radio Lancashire featuring Tom Moulton. As it’s only available until next Tuesday, give it a listen now!
How good is this for a posh planter-to-be? This ex-champagne box was left for the binmen outside someone’s house and it caught my eye ironically on new years eve when I was on my way to the offie! This’ll need a good few holes drilled in the bottom for drainage, a bit of waterproofing and then it’s ready for some potting compost and away we go! Champagne charlie indeed!
Located in the hallway of the NCP car park, Wilson Street, Covent Garden, this is one very neglected planter. The actual container is well made (I’d love something like that at home!) and in the past has looked quite good but this is enough to make you weep. Someone somewhere give it some water…
I found this brilliant tip last night while flicking through the magazine I bought at the market the other day. It suggests keeping your gardening tools in a fake compost bin on the allotment. How great is that? I mean whatever next, storing those important insurance policies in a hidden drawer beneath a raised bed, the spare house keys dangling on a string between the runner bean canes or keeping your passport in a plastic bag submerged in the garden pond? Excellent.
On that note, a big Happy New Year to all our gardening and music friends out there and we wish for some better weather in 2013. As I’m writing this the rain is lashing against the back window, not a great sign but we live in hope!
It’s great what you can pick up cheap at a market. Yesterday I had a mooch at the out of date magazine stall at Leather Lane and found a gardening one from April 2012 with a free pack of 5 varieties of brassica seeds on the front. There’s purple sprouting broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, calabrese and kale, all for the bargain price of a quid, how good is that? There’s also an article about egyptian walking onions in it, something I’ve been thinking about trying next year. Definitely keep ’em peeled!
Also, today through the post I got the 2013 edition of Maria and Matthias Thun’s Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar. Big thanks to our good mate Scarlett Cannon for getting us into the old biodynamics lark. It might be bonkers but it’s costs nothing extra to try (that’s what we like!) and it’s something that hasn’t done us too badly this year even with the rubbish weather we’ve had. The latest guide has a nice piece on Maria, who passed away earlier this year at the grand old age of 89. A book worth having a butchers at (and it comes with a handy wallchart too!), available for around £7.
Finally a big thanks to everyone who has got in touch with us and had a butchers at the blog this year. A big festive greetings and best of luck in the garden for 2013 to all!
Weeds up to me knees 