In article , Frogleg
writes
On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 16:29:32 +0100, Kay
wrote:

Over adopted in the context of a country where for many months of the
year any fallen rain does not evaporate for a considerable time. If we
had heavy rain which dried quickly in hot sun, decking would be
admirable. Decking is not suitable where you have periods of drizzle
interrupted by periods of cloud.

I've read Brit lit since I was a tiny child, and eventually became
familiar with terms that define "two countries divided by a single
language," but it took forever to figure out "airing cupboard."

Moving from the relatively dry SE to more northerly and wetter
Yorkshire, one of the things that struck me about house hunting is how
all the owners proudly showed off their airing cupboards built around
giant sized central heating boilers ;-)

I'm sure ironing developed, not as a cosmetic thing, but as the only way
most of the year to completely dry clothes that had been hanging on a
line outside.


The quarrel *I* had with 'Ground Force' was the introduction of
blooming plants for a pretty TV episode conclusion. I would *love* to
see a "1-2 Years Later" feature on some of these transformations.

They did some 'a few months later' programmes. But not on all of them. I
wonder if they only showed those that had survived?

Still, "makeover" programs are more like fairy tales than reality.
They illustrate principles and suggest ideas, and can hardly detail
the care and habits of each plant in 30 minutes.

They're great for ideas (and I was thinking yesterday how much more
interesting gardens in our town have become over the last few years).
But the down side is that they suggest gardening is an instant thing,
like repainting a room. Not only does this lead to disappointment when
it gets overgrown and unkempt, but it also misses out on a very positive
side of gardening, which is watching things develop over the years.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"