The world is becoming a wild garden.
Deaths in Gaza; rockets raining down on Iran and Isreal.
Ukraine and Russia locked in endless confrontation.
Trump tariffs creating economic chaos everywhere.
UK public enquiries left hanging in the air.
The weeds are rapidly getting out of control.
But even in the darkest hour somewhere you can find a flower.
The world needs more gardeners.
GrumbleSmiles 
Amen. My twins are 13 and very aware of world events, so finding moments of positivity (And creating some of those moments) is vital. I will also never-forget those wonderful gardens created by our residents and staff at Coombe in 1994!
School
Interesting John ‘BlogS’ on gardening, flowers, blooms!
In My school days of the very early 1950;s I went at 7 years old to a council school, which had pupils from & until 15 years old- when these children would leave and find a job in the local industry. When, I reached the age of 11 and having failed my 11+ exam, the law had changed, But not the actual staff in my school. AT 12 years old one literally went across the road to the now secondary modern council school, [Which had the same headmaster as the primary school I had just left.
The premisses of the secondary modern school were interesting, they were situated in an old mill owners house, with parkland and a walled garden, and until the school took over the house and grounds as a school it had been a convalescent home/hospital for war time invalids, the gardens and parkland used to help then get back to a normal lifestyle.
We as school kids took over the walled gardens and the laid out gardens, while the parkland was developed into playing fields for sports cricket/football /athletics and netball.
The school ran a gardening lesson for all the classes, and each member of the class was split up into a gardening team! The teams were ‘ROOTS’ for root crops-potatoes/turnips/parsnips/ onions/carrots and few more root crops. Then there was ‘LAY’ this was the team that in the appropriate seasons =double dig/ crop and trim the trees and bushes. not forgetting all the veg and flower beds/ spread manure on the gardens/and generally plant grass so the garden/flower bed patch could rest for a year, before actively going back into state of providing a crop.- Then there was ‘GREENS’-here the crop would be green vegetables, Peas/beans-broad and runner/mint and herbs. The last Group was ‘FLORAL’ Here the crops were basically annual/biannual flowers, and bulbs.
All the groups took an active part in weeding throughout the seasons. So the teams were for one years attendance, and at the end of the year in the next class one would be appointed to a different garden team/group, so over a 4 year period of school 11 to 16 years of age one had appreciated an agricultural time period from actively cultivating crops of flowers and vegetable to the finial year where on a farm every 4th year one had a lay period where the ground/soil was rested ab]n treated for the next 4 year cultivation cycle.
So you may note the political voting election period is every 5 years, so they get mixed up maybe with a good gardening procedure of ideas and harvesting of ideas 5 not every 4 years, Hence the ‘BUMPF and gobbledegook in their manifestoes, without a rest [lay period] and refreshing new ideas, after resting the political ‘DOGMA’????
Bah Humbug!! It is so hot and humid just now in MK, and the evening breeze- if you can find it is just a ”PUFF”
It takes me back years to my time as an apprentice and junoir engineer on tankers trading from western Europw to the middle east in the summer months, The ships I sailed on were powere d by steam turbines and Boilers, no air coditioned controlrooms, the engine room was hot and humid around 125/139 Degrees farhenhiet, and the accommodation had no in built air conditioning, so one for every 24 hours in the red sea, aribian Gulf and India Ocean, we were ‘frazzled in the engine room boiler room, and the off watch one had to find a breeze. genearated by the ships speed 12/14 knots,, on deck or through ones porthole in the cabin { A beer box carton was the breeze director], , and again in the red sea, and arabian gulf on transit it could be humid, so one drank lots of liquid and sweated like an old pig? It was and could be unpleasant, and a relxed sleep was a luxuary.
During time off watch one may read, swim in the ships pool. or listen to BBC Overseas Radio Service, so music was what one sought to relax. not the utterings of politicians from the UK or Local radio Nations as one travelled from NW Europe to the MIddle EAST, all though the ;VOICE Of The Desert in OMAN was a most pleasant music station.
ITS Hot today, I am rambling, and concentrating on my memories, not the present issues OF Parliament, where I find even in this HOT weather in MK sleep and an occassional dozing off! a little difficult.
to day the 2nd of JULY 2025!!! What can one expect?? Pitter-Patter maybe not of little feet and past mischief? But raindrops on the window, a most welcome sight and feeling for all the gardners and farmers of this world of ours. Wonderful!!!!
well I never it has been and come rain lashings of it with a thunderstorm, and then back to dry weather, with the occssional shower this sat sunday just past. the gardners and farmrs may now be able to relax and crop their harvestt ready to plough the field dig the gardens for next years flowers and crops GOODIE GOODIE