Much Fun Destroying the Environment


Today was the day when the garden at the flat was sorted out. I had mixed feelings. It had gone somewhat wild because I've been away so much, but that wasn't so bad: I was thinking of all the insect and other life. But the neighbours and the council, and (as the last straw), Herself were looking askance, so this morning I hired a fuck-off strimmer for £25 quid the weekend and cut it all down. And also pruned the feral rose bushes so that now they're domesticated rose bushes again.

As a concession to the plans for a wild life garden I've put all rose bush cuttings in the log corner where creatures should find a place to hang out. I'm leaving all the grass, dock, nettle and other trimmings on the ground to mulch in and provide yet another habitat. AND I've left two huge thistle plants standing alone, big (six foot) as shrubs, food for bees and goldfinches, and like two fingers to the manicured-lawn fans.

Another compensation was the industrial size strimmer. The local youths aspire to owning strimmers, so that they can become strimming entrepreneurs and go around chopping down unruly gardens for cash; they kept calling by and asking how much it cost and how many CCs it was.

And now, the Mediterranean pine, the bay tree, the aspiring hedge, they're all able to breath. I was having a breather when Herself came to tell me that there was a 'giant butterfly' in the bedroom. Actually, it was a bloody big and very lively moth. Took some catching. When I did inveigle it into a container and release it on the shorn front garden, it flew off vigorously, climbing quickly higher than the building, looking almost like a tiny bat.

All done, we went to Murray's Club for a pint. This was after 7pm and there were several fellas slaveringly drunk. Others arrived looking like big fat human lobsters after another hot sunny Saturday. We didn't stop long. Came home and watched that Birthday Girl on C4. A nice wee film. Had my first hubbly bubbly since I came back to Blighty: seems a bit weird, here.

Herself took the photo.

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