I discovered this morning that there is such a thing called “dandelion days” held in honour of this garden intruder. A fellow blogger mentioned it and so I decided to examine this strange idea a little closer. Of course they have their charm, the happy yellow flowers are one of the first to appear in the garden, almost everywhere, which is the first problem. They are everywhere, I even found two flower heads in my wonderful green lawn and if you find one, the others will not be far behind. This was the reason I removed the two flowers. Outside my garden there is a natural meadow where all wild flowers can grow as much as they want to. It is only removed at the end of the seeding season, to ensure it will grow again next year.

In the meanwhile the dandelions produce their many flowers which eventually become fluffy balls containing the seeds which are spread by the wind to other places to grow, ensuring that they will be back next year, perhaps even for a second show this year, they are everywhere. I remember the childhood days when we would pick this fluffly seed containers and empty them by blowing the feathered seeds into the wind, helping to propagate and spread the dandelion. Today I am not longer a child, and a dedicated enemy of the dreaded dandelion. Not only do they grow, but they produced roots resembling what a baby triffid would probably develop. The roots go deep and I need some sort of garden tool to dig them out to ensure that they will not return next year. I love flowers, but dandelions are too much of a good thing.

On a walk in the field next to my garden I discovered this new growth of dandelions, promising all the negative delights of a new dandelion plantation next to my garden. It is already showing a couple of stalks depleted of its seed heads (which have probably found a new future home near my garden) and is bearing the shape of things to come with new flower stalks. No, it is not one of those romantic dandelion flower pictures, but a mass of buds and leaves, probably growing its carrot like roots in the underground, a danger to all normal plant life as far as I am concerned. All I can say is feel free to celebrate your dandelion days, take your photos and afterwards, if your strength allows it, dig them up and throw them on the compost heap. My words to the international dandelion days, they do not need days, they need obituaries as far as I am concerned.

In the meanwhile the scaffolding construction work in our part of the world seemed to be approaching its end yesterday. All the various steel bits and pieces in our garden were cleared away and our building now resembles the Centre Pompidiou in Paris. That is a an art gallery constructed in the fashion of a building site, but more with architectural design and judged as a work of art. We are on the bottom on the right in the following photo.

I am not quite sure if this can be recommended as a work of art, but this seems to be the entrance to the stairs on this construction. It has been enclosed with Paul Klee-like colourful designs, which I am sure is eligible for a prize in art design.

I actually thought the scaffolding constructors will now be leaving to make way for the next troup, which will be the plasterers, but they have returned again today. They probably want to say goodbye to their creation and have a few bits and pieces to finish.  The first week of work was done by a couple of guys from Germany who seemed to be the experts.

This week a new troop arrived, speaking a language I did not at first recognise. However, when they were constructing our personal entrance to the stairs on the East side, which we are forbidden to use, I asked them if they could put my garden hose in a place where we could use it. The guy answered “je ne comprends pas” and so I realised they were all french speaking, although I did not actually recognised the language as French at first. After further conversation, me using my broken french, it seems they are all from Morocco and it must have been some sort of french patois they speak between themselves, although it seems they would be more comfortable with spanish. I then realised that this was not just a building site, but an internatonal building site.

And now to a normal Saturday with no unnecesary exitements,  I hope. Mr. Swiss said this morning everything was covered in mist outside, probably due to the rain we have been having in the last few days. I have no big plans for today, but might take a walk somewhere.

See you around later, have a nice week-end.