The Jewel Garden: Monty and Sarah Don.
Travelling on a ferry half an hour a day and five days a week. It's given me the perfect opportunity to read Kindle books on by dog and bone (mobile phone). In fact I'm on my fourth book in four weeks.
Monty Don is up there with my favourite television gardeners: Geoffrey Smith, Bob Flowerdew, Geoff Hamilton and Carol Klein.
In the book Monty takes the reader around his Herefordshire garden created from fields and how plants self seed and care little about his formal garden plans. He also talks about his personal business successes and failures and depression and how a day gardening refreshes him both mentally and spiritually.
There's some wonderful prose about how the exhausted swallows arrive at his Herefordshire homestead from South Africa every May and a fox howling in the distance.
I enjoyed the book and I like him and his wife because they use organic gardening methods. I also find my polytunnel friend 'Portugal' and veg plot and herbaceous perennials borders cathartic and edifying to mind and soul. We won't mention what it does to the back, especially my back.
It would make a good Christmas or birthday present for any soil slave!😊
I enjoy watching Monty Don on Gardeners World, and I agree with you on your other favourites too, although I have to admit to finding Carol Klein a bit irritating sometimes. Sorry Carol!
ReplyDeleteCarol's a great Lancashire gardener lass JayCee. I nearly mentioned a TV gardener who irritates me but I won't. I wish I had their talent and luck.
ReplyDeleteI've actually come to prefer Adam Frost on Gardeners' World, a bit more down to earth, but then he did work for Geoff Hamilton. I've really enjoyed the short videos sent in by viewers from all over the place - why don't you send one in???
ReplyDeleteYes Adam is very amiable like Monty, Carol or Frances Tophill. I wouldn't know where to start with a video the veg artist. I'm a writer gardener. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice way to pass the ferry time. How much longer will you be made to visit Alcatraz? What exactly are you doing there anyway Dave?
ReplyDeleteAs I Walked Out One Summer Morning by Laurie Lee is the book I am reading at the moment YP. I've read Cider With Rosie. I'm a fetch ne carrier or General operative at the moment. I think it's a posh term for a Labourer.
ReplyDeleteLabourer? Don't you mean Labrador? Down boy!
DeleteI have always thought that "As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning" is a lovely title for a nostalgic semi-autobiographical novel.
I thought Manual Labourer was a Spaniard YP. Yes a great title it would be. Laurie Lee is/was a wonderful writer.
ReplyDelete