Two nice bits of hidden gardening found while strolling around London town last week. The first, a (blurred) Bob Flowerdew type pram planter (with nice railway sleeper-type wood surrounds) in Drury Lane:
and Figs in front (of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square):
Gardening eh? It’s all around us!
Utraísta – Smalltalk (Four Tet remix) Here’s a lovely mix from Kieran Hebden which has been played to death by Gilles P over the last few weeks. Nice and glitchy, bonkers video and well catchy tune to boot!
A big thanks going out to Scarlett Cannon for her excellent piece on “weeds up to me knees” (and enlightened cushions) in this month’s I-D online. Brilliant stuff, cheers! Also have a look at Scarlett’s own blog Heavenly Healer for some great garden related reading too!
Kid Koala on Beats In Space – Damon Albarn, Kid Koala And Dan The Automator – Untitled
One of my favourite Beats In Space shows is from 2011 and features the great Kid Koala and Terence Bernardo. It’s on a downtempo tip and a bit on the melancholic side but a great show all the same and on repeat play some days here.
Last week I was searching the Damon Albarn/Kid Koala/Dan the Automator track to stick on “weeds” and discovered by accident Kid Koala live in action on the show. A lovely piece of footage complete with the sound of hands at work on the mixer! Excellent!
londoninyourlunchhour.wordpress.com
A quick one to let you know of a new blog I’m involved in with a good mate of mine Will. about what you can get up to during that sacred hour you don’t get paid for at work (usually around 1-2pm). The blog is still in it’s early stages and we’re always up for contributions and ideas on what to do. Remember, there’s life outside the sarnie box!
http://londoninyourlunchhour.wordpress.com/
Prompted by our good friend Scarlett’s reply on “I’m going to wash that tarp right out of my hair” here’s a pictorial update of one of my favourite local front gardens. It’s different from the norm but one that delivers the goods. As this picture was taken clandestinely at 7.30am this morning, it doesn’t really do it justice but you get the idea!
One from the great ‘spear complete with bird noises. Dedicated to the late great Duke Vin who passed away in London last Sunday. Respect to UK’s first soundman (originally selector on Jamaica’s Tom The Great Sebastian alongside the DJ, Count Machucki). In a BBC interview in 2009 asked when he will retire the duke replied, “It’s in my blood. It is my life. Death has to retire me.” Respect, let’s hope there’s some nice bass bins in the afterlife!
http://www.right-on.org/duke-vin.html
Prof.Logik – Entering unfamiliar land (intro)
Here’s a lovely piece of glitchy slow-mo hip-hop heard on this week’s excellent truthseekers radio show available as a free download on bandcamp.
http://proflogik1.bandcamp.com/track/entering-unfamiliar-lands-intro http://truthseekersradio.org/
Sheila Rickards – Jamaican Fruit Of African Roots – Shella
What a flipping tune! This was the first record I heard at work this morning on Gilles’ show via I-player. I’ve heard the heavy dub of this before but never the vocal, turns out it’s a Bunny Lee tune scorcher and there’s a touch of the Shirley Basseys about the intro too. What a tune and re-released on 10” vinyl in the new year, super! Only a minute on youtube, but it gives you a taste!
Full vocal and dub on this podcast http://www.studiofeed.com/main/studiofeed-radio-the-bass-kultcha-show-episode-7-ft-earl-grey/
And “The mystery of Sheila Rickards” from the gleaner http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080528/ent/ent1.html
For the past week there’s been a tarpaulin covering the six feet high (and rising) mound of woody materials collected over the year at the bottom of our garden. It looked like there was an old car rusting away down there much to the disgust of the neighbours. Earlier in the week I treated myself to a dustbin incinerator (£32 at Wickes) and last night as part of the bonfire night celebrations burnt a whole heap of waste. That bin will be a boon as they say, what with all the un-compostable stuff that stacks up and if you use the funnel lid it can create some decent heat inside. I also treated myself to a mushroom growing kit (£3.99 from Robert Dyas). It’s now festering under the stairs and there will be a ‘shroom update next week if everything goes to plan.
Yesterday I did a little bit in the garden (little and often is my motto), preparing for winter including some weeding, cutting back and pulling out any old annuals, tomato plants etc and either stuck them on the compost heap or the pile for the bonfire. I also put a cover over the wormery (a council supplied hessian gardening bag) as it’s starting to get cold now and I might have to move it to the garage or near the house later on. Bubblewrap over the compost heap/wormery is also good to keep the heat in and I know Bob Flowerdew uses old carpet but the heap would have to be well out of view from the house as that method don’t look too attractive.
I’ll be netting the cabbages soon for protection against pigeons but at the moment the net’s being used to keep falling autumn leaves (and this weekend stray rockets and air bombs too) off the pond. The lady down the road who has the mad veg plot in her front garden (spinach, cabbages, lettuces, a grape vine and more) uses old supermarket shopping baskets and what looks like wire trays from an old fridge to keep the pests off her plants. Bob Flowerdew would be proud of her! He’d be proud of me too, as I used last year’s plastic sweet tub from halloween upside down as winter protection for the parsley plant near the kitchen door.
Finally, I heard a good tip this week on “gardening with tim and joe” about putting any pots that will be overwintering outside, up on bricks, stones or purpose built “feet” you can buy at garden centres to help with drainage over the cold spell. Lift up those pots! http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/gwtj
Ta to Amanda for wicker man pumpkin pic idea and Paul W for the inspiration to start this blog. It’s been well over a year now!
Weeds up to me knees 