07 | April | 2020 | Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

If you do not want a garden that resembles one big shamble, then call the gardener. Today he is here at last. I must admit I am a little late this year, no knowing whether my garden would actually see a gardener after the Corona event, but I was assured that the gardeners are still doing their work. And so here he is, trimming my apple tree although not such a big trim as usual. He told me that the tree is now in its juicy period and it would do more harm than good to cut it back completely. I think the first thing he did was to remove the wild cannabis plants that were growing between the tiles on the porch. Me a drug dealer, no not at all, but cannabis seeds seem to form one of the main ingredients of bird food. Actually the little hemp shoots look quite sweet with their jagged little leaves, and I might perhaps save one of two for my raised beds. I was assured that you cannot smoke this sort of hemp.

Hemp

RDP Tuesday: Shambles

Well I got here at last although I had a journey around my garden first of all trying to find something for a photo or two. This isolation thing certainly interferes with your routine. Normally I would have a few new photos in the camera and now I am just taking photos with my mobile from home. At least improvements have been made on the mobile cameras, although I read that there should now be the introduction of a new and even better iPhone. Even that has been delayed due to coronus etc., but I can put up with that and am not ready to buy yet another new phone. I now have two as the one I mislaid appeared again, but as it is in perfect condition, I am keeping that for No. 2 son when we meet up again, coronus permitting.

Things are gradually getting into a routine, although an unwelcome routine. I read yesterday in Swiss news that store invasions are expected on Saturday due to the Easter holiday. I will not be invading and have just one more shopping safari to do and then I have everything. Mr. Swiss said something about Easter eggs, but that is the least important on my list. When the Easter holiday is at last over, all the remainders will be marked down at half price so I can wait. Easter is the worst time of the year for shopping, it always has been.

At least my tulips have begun to flower in the garden. They are the Darwin sort, which have really wonderful flowers on high stems.

I also have them in yellow. I planted them many years ago and they return bigger and better every year.

I had quite a nice surprise yesterday. Since reorganising my housewife life in view of the new invading microbes, I have been stocking up on some food items: things you can keep like rice and pasta, or frozen goods for my new freezer chest. Of course that costs more, but buying food is not waste. My bank account might be empty at the end, but my digestive system will not be. However yesterday I had an online payment to make and again looked at my current account in the post office which is the one I use for daily needs. I had not been there for at least a month and expected an all time low. However, it seems that everything was in normal proportions, and more than I expected. This does not mean that I am now a tycoon, but my new organisation is paying off. All my life I never bothered with organising stocks of food, and just bought what I needed.

I have now learned it otherwise. It is mainly due to the greed of the human race, that I realised the last to arrive are the last to be served in the store. It is not only the toilet roll famine, but food in general and I now keep an eye on the special offers and what I should have a stock of. I am planning a self made pizza on Saturday evening and have already bought the rolled out ready made pastry as I am sure if I wait until the end of the week there will be none left. I am beginning to study the sales of the supermarket provisions: something I have absolutely never bothered with. Although our country does have enough provisions to last and that is not a problem, it can become a problem when the panic buying housewives arrive early in the morning and take everything, leaving nothing for us afternoon shoppers.

It is amazing the thought process I am going through since the invasion of the hairy peas. It seems that the curve is now flattening to a degree in Switzerland that calls are being made to our government to relax the lockdown. However, they are being careful, and rightfully so, and say it is too early, another peak could arrive. On the other hand the economy is suffering and the sooner the better for business to revive.

I am glad I am not a politician in these hard times. Somehow I am getting a feeling that the European governments are in a little one sided competition to see who deals with the mess better and quicker than the others.

And now to depart to another economic problem, clearing up at home. I wish you all a good day in isolation and don’t forget to wave to the neighbours now and again over the balcony or garden wall. Have a good one, I am waving from my computer.

I found some grape hyacinths growing at the edge of my garden. No idea where they came from, perhaps something the gardener cleared out of my garden when I had the raised beds installed.