If you’re missing the sunshine…

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Summer seems a million miles away but thanks to our good friend Paul Greenstein once of SE22, here’s a taste of the sun. Paul’s been based in Melbourne, Australia for some years now (we’ve featured his garden a few of times here and here) and here’s some recent pics.

Here’s a fine example of the Bramley Apple he put in his garden as he said “You can’t get decent cooking apples over here!” and here’s the fruits in all their glory (above).

The Artichoke (above) is looking fine under the Sunflower and it looks like it’s appreciating the shade. And (below) look at the Sunflower!

And he keeps Bees too and he tells us he may be getting a nice harvest of honey this year. Brilliant Paul, the garden is making us think of summer even more and it’s looking great!

And below is some of Paul’s musical output. This was his contribution to the Cities and Memory Shortwave Transmissions project last year called Another Universe. Like he says on the C&M site “Like the narrators, I have a fondness for all things space, astrophysics and the big questions like: is the Universe going to end, what are black holes, and why does Surf Guitar sound dangerous?”

Love the garden Paul and send us more pictures of the Bees please!

The compost heap at minus one

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We popped down the compost heap with some tea bags and kitchen peelings this morning. Even in this freezing weather, it’s a chance to stretch the legs and see what’s happening in the garden.

There ain’t much going on at the moment so we decided to give the heap a turn with a garden fork, not sure if it’s the right thing to do at this time of year but fork it we did. The brandling worms are still at work and the decaying waste is looking good. Work never stops for the worms (unless perhaps a giant fork appears from above).

We felt sorry for the worms (who will just return to the heat of the lower part of the pile we hope) so we covered the heap with some sheets of cardboard and to hold them in place we stuck a plastic tray and a jug on top. There was no specific reason for the jug apart from it was the only thing we could get our hands on at the time. Perhaps we could start a new trend in the gardening mags of “household items on top of compost heaps”. You saw it here first!

While we were writing this piece we’ve had on the excellent new bandcamp set from Jah Wobble – The bus routes of south London. To say it’s good is an unstatement. It’s great that the 35 and 12 routes have been represented on here as they are ones we’ve been on often and in the direction stated. Two buses which weren’t featured on here are the P4 and P12, they are not bad buses when they do arrive but they certainly have their moments and we just don’t know how inspirational they’d be musicwise. 35 Towards Clapham Junction is our favourite tune at the moment and we’d love to know what the instrument/sample is at 3.30 on the track as it’s one mad sound especially when it goes up a pitch. Top stuff!

All about the weather

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And we’ve been complaining about the weather today. A big thanks to our good music/radio friend across the pond Justin Patrick Moore for getting in touch. Here’s what his back garden in Cincinnati looks like at the moment. Now that is cold. Thank goodness there’s no elephant garlic been planted in his garden lately as they wouldn’t stand a chance. Cheers for the pic Justin.

What a difference a day makes (again)

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We popped down to the compost heap just and the whole garden is well frosted over (above).  We wonder how those giant garlic bulbs are doing? Will a couple of days worth of a covering of polythene actually help save said bulbs? The foxglove plugs are still in pots on the windowsill waiting until we “build” a coldframe.

It’s funny as yesterday was a bright and sunny day and nowhere as cold as today. We went out with our good mate Mark B for a south London stroll which took in the only pedestrian railway crossing in London at Angerstien Wharf (here), Jools Holland’s studio and the Saxon Tumuli at Greenwich Park (top half of the above photo above). Even though in this John Rogers’ video here (at 20 mins in) the artist Andrew Kötting mentions Julian Cope told him they were pre-Paleolithic.The change in the weather today reminded me of many years ago when we went to Fordham Park Festival (here). We met an old punk bloke in his late 50’s wearing a biker’s jacket with a well faded Crass symbol on the back. He was ranting and raving about all of the estate agents, coffee companies and cupcake vendors who were fuming that they couldn’t have stalls at the site (“We don’t want all those capitalist b’s ruining our festy”). He reckoned they all got together the day before and with a bit of alchemy, influenced some bad weather to fall on the site (It was tipping it down all day even though it had been glorious sunshine the days leading up to the festival). We love that idea that with a bit of influence and getting around a table you can change the weather. Can we have some heat this week then?

Calling all agents

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Whilst looking for some tunes for a forthcoming shortwave mix we found an excellent tune from Ax Martz out of Mexico City called Coded Messages which samples a couple of well known number stations. It’s an uptempo tune as well and one that will bring a smile to you face!

A frosty reception this morning

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It’s always the way, awoke to a frost this morning (above). Typically a couple of days after planting the elephant garlic out under a thick mat of leaf mulch. We reckon we may have lost them but let’s see if they survive. That’s the trouble with gardening, just like life you get good days and bad days. We’ll update you about the garlic.

At lunchtime we got some plug plants through the post, some White Foxgloves off ebay (below). Expertly packed or what? They’re not going out just yet even though it said on the supplied notes they can be overwintered in a cold frame. Possibly, but they’re staying on the windowsill for a couple of days before we can knock up some sort of cold frame-like structure with protection outside in the garden. We’re talking an old piece of glass on some bricks or something, it won’t be pretty but it may work. Trouble is we don’t want the plugs to get too comfortable indoors even though they’ve probably come from a greenhouse before being posted.

And below is the latest episode of Imaginary Stations, KBUS which was broadcast last night on WRMI (also home to This is a music show and Radio Northern Europe International). The show’s theme is travel which features all sorts of eclectic goodness as ever featuring this tune below by Wesley Willis “Harmony Joy Bus Ride” which we’ve never heard of, shamefully we’ve never of the artist before either. We must do some more research on Wesley Willis as he was an interesting fellow by all accounts.

And at 43 minutes in on the show is One Deck Pete’s “Where’s me travel card?” mix.
Here’s the tracks:
John Harvey – Automated Announcement, Platform 7, Shewsbury station
Ceramic The Band – Tickets, Please
Tabasco Driver meets Delroy Wilson in Dub
N&L – Metropolis
Inteus – Angry Bus Driver
Phil Pratt – Safe Travel
kK4P M3TR0 – NEXT STOP – Riverside – Town Creek

Fingers crossed those garlic bulbs survive!

Who’s your mate?

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Today was great weatherwise compared to yesterday where it was a day of rain and doom and gloom. We spent about an hour finishing tidying up the wild bed at the bottom of the garden and have ordered a wildflower seed mix for shady areas and some foxglove plugs off e-bay for down there. We even had a mate (pic above) join us for some of the time. Cue bad birdsong whistling impressions and “Who’s a good Robin then?” daft questioning.

Garlic for Eno’s waterlogged garden

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We obtained more Giant Elephant Garlic bulbs off ebay this week and actually put it in the ground even though it’s January and God knows what the weather will be like in the next few weeks. We’ve put them in raised beds without protective covering over them but we may change that situation over the next few days, who knows.There’s protection from the squirrels with the wire shelves from an old mini plastic greenhouse over both beds and more leaf mulch. Fingers crossed they’ll be okay over the winter. Viva la garlic again!

 

Music for Eno’s waterlogged garden

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A big thanks to our good friend Gerry Hectic who just forwarded on a couple of musical recommendations this wet Saturday morning. The first is on a KBUS tip from Psychic Temple with Music For Bus Stops. It’s a great jazzed out groove with a bassline that reminded us in parts of Human League’s Being Boiled. One for supping a large of mug of tea to whilst looking out of the window.

The next is a crazy dubbed out track called Strange Times At Roswell High Dub by the X Ray Cat Trio from “Leeds, England” (as Cowboy Joe would say, 6 minutes in here). Play this whilst putting on your gardening footwear when having to pop down the garden in the pouring rain when that kitchen waste container is well overflowing and a compost heap visit is a must. By the way supposedly better weather tomorrow.