h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is the first paid holiday I've had for four years and it is amazing how much more relaxed I feel No worries about missed deadlines; what emails might have arrived with offers of work; when the next invoice will be paid into my bank; how on earth I'm going to pay for petrol next week....

Not until now did I realise quite how much background stress I put myself under as a consultant. As a fulltime employee I don't have to think about w*rk at all Instead I've been thinking about the garden And long walks And fishing (only thinking about that so far). And painting And writing And cooking

On Saturday I had a walk in the foothills of the S Alps () where we found trees dripping with ripe cherries. The next day we returned armed with containers and picked 4kg I do love free food. The walk took us up through recently planted pine trees, into a huge gully of natural beech forest. It was a real education for me to see what NZ once looked like... a high canopy with tiny leaves, through which the sun easily shines onto the lower storeys of coprosmas and saplings, ferns and mosses. There was a big-bouldered stream tumbling down through the gully: crystal clear water and deep pools which invited you to dip We didn't

If 2009 is as good as the end of 2008, it'll be a good one at Bean Acres

I hope that all of you have a good one too.


Fb

and richly deserved flower


not jealousholiday

Dear fb

What a lovely description.

Do you really mean that you found lovely cherries growing WILD?

Were'nt they the sour ones?

I just love the dark red and also the black cherries.
Was it an abandoned orchard?

Your description of this wonderful country is absolutely mouthwatering. I reckon that the tourist bureau of New Zealand, if there is one - should give you their top job. !!

Incidentally I must remember to write to those French people whose names you sent me. I have forgotten both their names and when you sent the names to me. when you first arrived I think.

I do not know whether to STRAIN my brain trying to remember, or EXERCISE it by trying to remember. At the moment I feel like a rest. !!

with affection.

Christiane AlsoRan.80

Sounds lovely!

Fb, that walk sounds glorious. As do the cherries, sweet or tart.

You've earned some stress-free, laid-back time. Knowing you, I'm sure you'll find lots of ways to enjoy it.

Wishing you and all others present here a fabulous 2009.

Frenchbean,

It is good to hear you sounding happy and stress free. I just want to say thank you very much for sharing all your trials and tribulations with us over the years. It always makes fascinating reading, and I know I have learnt a lot along the way. Whether I remember it of course is another matter

A friend of mine has been back home from Australia this week and I visited her today. It is a couple of years or more since I last saw her, and I was struck how much she had picked up the Australian accent (Melbourne)! I doubt she will ever come back here to live.

Wishing you a happy, fruitful, veg full and full 2009, with lots of friends with which to share it.



Websailor

Thanks Prof, Beatrice, Hyp/Prez Holidays are to be recommended Stress-free ones in particular.

Christiane: I don't remember those names either ...so don't worry about brain strain. Fortunately gmail should be able to hunt them out and I'll email you.

I think it must have been an old orchard; there were too many trees for it to be anything else, but they are intertwined with pines, beech, elder and all sorts of other things. It's a lovely spot, with that same tumbling stream passing through the trees.

Websailor - thank you for enjoying my ramblings: it's great to know I'm not writing into a void Mind you, even if everybody in the world thinks it's rubbish, I can be 100% sure that my Mum will read it

Today's plans include a trip to a couple of garden centres for compost (more tomatoes to plant up), canes and a big rubbish trug so that I can get going on taming the flower beds which are overrun with big daisies, grasses and mint (and cat poo ). I probably shan't do much gardening until later though, as it's shaping up to be a 28C+ day Conducive to sitting in the shade with a good book and a bottle of

Fb

Good luck taming the mint... There's a patch of mint near here which is flourishing in the middle of a busy, concrete footpath.

I cut the grass today and was overtaken by the heady aroma of mint... it has escaped! Lovely stuff

A belated Happy New Year to you Frenchbean, May all in your garden grow well in 2009.



Websailor

Thanks Websailor

Some of the garden won't grow: I've just spent the morning cutting back swathes of jungle I'm a little scratched and sore, but the back garden looks fabulous now.

Next job: tackle the front

However, I'm taking an hour or so indoors, because the temperature's back up to 30+ Great way to start 2009!

I'm very envious of you, FB

It all sounds great. Now I'm even more anxious for spring to arrive.

Yesterday afternoon a humungous hailstorm hit us. Hail pummelled down for 10 minutes and absolutely shredded all my courgettes, pumpkin and brassicae plants All I could do was stand (undercover - the stones were cherry-sized and really hurt) and shout at the clouds.

Time will tell whether the remaining bits of leaf will be sufficient to enable them to survive and grow....

Pah!

Oh dear, what a terrible time for it to hail.

What I failed to say was that an hour later the sky was blue, the sun was out and the weather was acting all innocent again

Amd I am sure that all the veggies are beginning to perk up.

I remember hailstorms well - but I thought one only got them in the Tropics.

Your garden looks so super.

with affection

~Christiane
AR80

Hello Christiane
Yes, all the veggies seem to have survived - some by the skin of their teeth. One of the courgette plants even threw open its first flower 36 hours after the storm

Fb

Beating them into submission!!

Much affection

Christiane AlsoRan80