Have a guess who the new presenter on Beechgrove Garden might be. Then
check out:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...rove-garden-tv

Bet you were wrong!

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes
it's raining and sometimes it's not.

"The Original Jake" wrote

Have a guess who the new presenter on Beechgrove Garden might be. Then
check out:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...rove-garden-tv

Bet you were wrong!


Yes I was, but at least he holds an M.A. in Landscape Architecture and also
taught at a Horticultural College if my memory serves me right.

--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

But I can understand the need to give it a southern content if it's going Nationwide, time will tell.

Yet every night for the last two weeks, three or four times a night we've had the same stupid advert on BBC2 for Top Gear, so much so that I'm sick and tired of it and now wont watch the programme under any circumstances.

On 08/02/2013 22:42, Martin wrote:
On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:45:47 +0000, The Original Jake
wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:07:21 +0100, Martin wrote:


One of the joys of Beechgrove was that it didn't need a front man.

On his web site, Chris says he'll be traveling around Scotland. I hope
this means he won't be a "front man" but will fit in with the team.

And talking about adverts, I do wonder how many people are aware of
the little hidden gem on BBC2 on Sunday mornings - the A-Z of TV
gardening.

I wasn't.
I never anything so daft as Monty in a straw hat driving a 2CV between
French gardens on TV this evening.


I get the feeling he'd really like to wear petticoats

On Fri, 8 Feb 2013 Martin wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:45:47 +0000, The Original Jake
wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:07:21 +0100, Martin wrote:


One of the joys of Beechgrove was that it didn't need a front man.

On his web site, Chris says he'll be traveling around Scotland. I hope
this means he won't be a "front man" but will fit in with the team.

And talking about adverts, I do wonder how many people are aware of
the little hidden gem on BBC2 on Sunday mornings - the A-Z of TV
gardening.

I wasn't.
I never anything so daft as Monty in a straw hat driving a 2CV between
French gardens on TV this evening.

Actually I enjoyed the programme very much. What on earth was daft about
it?

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK

On 2013-02-08 22:42:18 +0000, Martin said:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:45:47 +0000, The Original Jake
wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:07:21 +0100, Martin wrote:


One of the joys of Beechgrove was that it didn't need a front man.

On his web site, Chris says he'll be traveling around Scotland. I hope
this means he won't be a "front man" but will fit in with the team.

And talking about adverts, I do wonder how many people are aware of
the little hidden gem on BBC2 on Sunday mornings - the A-Z of TV
gardening.

I wasn't.
I never anything so daft as Monty in a straw hat driving a 2CV between
French gardens on TV this evening.

In the serge de Nîmes jacket? I do wonder if it's the producers or the
presenters who get these ideas. I'm only surprised he wasn't made to
carry an accordion, too. But we think he does these 'big' programmes
rather well, though Ray was genuinely horrified at his remark that the
cucumber wasn't ripe enough. I didn't see that bit but according to Ray
it was a truly daft comment!
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On 09/02/2013 15:37, Martin wrote:
One of the joys of Beechgrove was that it didn't need a front man.


are you actually saying Chris B is going to be a rpsneter/ God forbid!!
there's so many better presenters. Why don't they leave the programme alone?

--
Janet T.
Amersham

On Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:43:34 +0000, David Rance wrote:

On Fri, 8 Feb 2013 Martin wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:45:47 +0000, The Original Jake
wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:07:21 +0100, Martin wrote:


One of the joys of Beechgrove was that it didn't need a front man.

On his web site, Chris says he'll be traveling around Scotland. I hope
this means he won't be a "front man" but will fit in with the team.

And talking about adverts, I do wonder how many people are aware of the
little hidden gem on BBC2 on Sunday mornings - the A-Z of TV gardening.

I wasn't.
I never anything so daft as Monty in a straw hat driving a 2CV between
French gardens on TV this evening.

Actually I enjoyed the programme very much. What on earth was daft about
it?

Lord his French was awful. He was actually quite insulting to several of
the characters. Especially the nice lady with the allotment who was
doing her best to be a really good sport. Not to mention the onion
farmer, where Monty insisted they were the "best" even when the guy said
"the sweetest." I love to cook with Cevennes onions but they don't
exactly replace the classic yellow.

And the end: this guy's hotel and "first garden" is the most beautiful
kitchen garden in France? That's just silly, and we thought it reeked of
sponsorship or kickback.

And all the BS about (mispronounced) paysans, honestly.

We certainly enjoyed the scenery, summer in the south and all that. Good
stuff when you're stuck here in the mud! But that straw hat...

-E



--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

On 2013-02-09 19:42:55 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:43:34 +0000, David Rance wrote:

On Fri, 8 Feb 2013 Martin wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:45:47 +0000, The Original Jake
wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:07:21 +0100, Martin wrote:


One of the joys of Beechgrove was that it didn't need a front man.

On his web site, Chris says he'll be traveling around Scotland. I hope
this means he won't be a "front man" but will fit in with the team.

And talking about adverts, I do wonder how many people are aware of the
little hidden gem on BBC2 on Sunday mornings - the A-Z of TV gardening.

I wasn't.
I never anything so daft as Monty in a straw hat driving a 2CV between
French gardens on TV this evening.

Actually I enjoyed the programme very much. What on earth was daft about
it?

Lord his French was awful. He was actually quite insulting to several of
the characters. Especially the nice lady with the allotment who was
doing her best to be a really good sport. Not to mention the onion
farmer, where Monty insisted they were the "best" even when the guy said
"the sweetest." I love to cook with Cevennes onions but they don't
exactly replace the classic yellow.

And the end: this guy's hotel and "first garden" is the most beautiful
kitchen garden in France? That's just silly, and we thought it reeked of
sponsorship or kickback.

And all the BS about (mispronounced) paysans, honestly.

We certainly enjoyed the scenery, summer in the south and all that. Good
stuff when you're stuck here in the mud! But that straw hat...

-E

In the first episode, which is the only one I saw all the way through,
he just said 'Bien' a lot. It would be better for everyone's
credibility if they just did a straightforward programme. He doesn't
speak French, or if he does, they're not allowing him to do so. Take
the programme in which the Italian chef, Giorgio Locatelli and English
art expert, Andrew Graham-Dixon, toured Italy. The Englishman really
could speak Italian well and was allowed to do so. Viewers aren't total
idiots! Chucking in the odd 'oui' and 'merci' really doesn't do it for
anyone! And we're pretty sure the 2CV changed number plates halfway
through! Just cut the gimmicks, programme makers. And the music
PLEASE. Oh - and give us plant names onscreen. Thank you.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On Sat, 9 Feb 2013 Martin wrote:

On 9 Feb 2013 19:42:55 GMT, Emery Davis wrote:

On Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:43:34 +0000, David Rance wrote:

On Fri, 8 Feb 2013 Martin wrote:

I never anything so daft as Monty in a straw hat driving a 2CV between
French gardens on TV this evening.

Actually I enjoyed the programme very much. What on earth was daft about
it?

Lord his French was awful.

near to non existent.

Nonsense! True, his pronunciation was very poor, but so is that of most
English people, isn't it? He'd obviously lived in France some time ago
because he could come out with some common phrases quite fluently but he
did find other things less easy to express.

Our attitude to the pronunciation of foreign languages has been coloured
by the way we were taught when at school - at the least for the older
among us. The emphasis was too much on pronunciation, correct grammar
and agreements, to the detriment of being able to express ourselves. My
wife, who was a teacher of French for forty years and is now an "A"
level aural examiner, says, "What's the point of learning French, if the
thought that the French are going to laugh at you if you get things
wrong prevents you from going into a cake shop and buying a cake?"

Monty's lack of fluency is a lesson to us all that it doesn't *have* to
be perfectly correct! And those who sneer at him (because, presumably
their French is more fluent than his) ought to know better!

And all the BS about (mispronounced) paysans, honestly.

We certainly enjoyed the scenery, summer in the south and all that. Good
stuff when you're stuck here in the mud! But that straw hat...

Did you ever see a paysan wearing a straw hat and driving a 2CV?

Yes, my neighbour in Normandy always did when gardening (he died about
six years ago) and he'd lived in the same village all his life. It's not
unknown! And he would continually tell me off for *not* wearing a hat
(but not for not driving a 2CV!).

I know that Monty was not universally liked by urglers when he presented
Gardeners' World and, because of this, it seems that urglers will always
take the opportunity to ridicule him. But this is a different kind of
programme which seeks to present the different kinds of French gardens.
He was not trying to be an expert but an enthusiast. The first programme
in the series, in which he talked about the formal gardens designed by
Le Nôtre and his followers, I thought was excellent and his presentation
most engaging. But then I don't have a dislike of his style.

Just trying to put the other point of view.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK

On 2013-02-10 08:27:49 +0000, Martin said:

On Sat, 9 Feb 2013 22:45:01 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2013-02-09 19:42:55 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:43:34 +0000, David Rance wrote:

On Fri, 8 Feb 2013 Martin wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:45:47 +0000, The Original Jake
wrote:

On Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:07:21 +0100, Martin wrote:


One of the joys of Beechgrove was that it didn't need a front man.

On his web site, Chris says he'll be traveling around Scotland. I hope
this means he won't be a "front man" but will fit in with the team.

And talking about adverts, I do wonder how many people are aware of the
little hidden gem on BBC2 on Sunday mornings - the A-Z of TV gardening.

I wasn't.
I never anything so daft as Monty in a straw hat driving a 2CV between
French gardens on TV this evening.

Actually I enjoyed the programme very much. What on earth was daft about
it?

Lord his French was awful. He was actually quite insulting to several of
the characters. Especially the nice lady with the allotment who was
doing her best to be a really good sport. Not to mention the onion
farmer, where Monty insisted they were the "best" even when the guy said
"the sweetest." I love to cook with Cevennes onions but they don't
exactly replace the classic yellow.

And the end: this guy's hotel and "first garden" is the most beautiful
kitchen garden in France? That's just silly, and we thought it reeked of
sponsorship or kickback.

And all the BS about (mispronounced) paysans, honestly.

We certainly enjoyed the scenery, summer in the south and all that. Good
stuff when you're stuck here in the mud! But that straw hat...

-E

In the first episode, which is the only one I saw all the way through,
he just said 'Bien' a lot. It would be better for everyone's
credibility if they just did a straightforward programme. He doesn't
speak French, or if he does, they're not allowing him to do so. Take
the programme in which the Italian chef, Giorgio Locatelli and English
art expert, Andrew Graham-Dixon, toured Italy. The Englishman really
could speak Italian well and was allowed to do so. Viewers aren't total
idiots! Chucking in the odd 'oui' and 'merci' really doesn't do it for
anyone! And we're pretty sure the 2CV changed number plates halfway
through! Just cut the gimmicks, programme makers. And the music
PLEASE. Oh - and give us plant names onscreen. Thank you.

It's 'Allo 'Allo set in French gardens with a touch Delboy French.

Well, as I say, we think he does the big programmes well and his
enthusiasm is rather engaging. But it's the gimmicky stuff that gets to
us, such as the 2CV and the jacket and the hat etc. It's just not
necessary and implies that they don't think the programme is good
enough on its own merits. Just let the man present French gardens
without the props. He knows his subject, it seems to be well-researched
and it isn't necessary to add the nonsense to make us realise he's in
FRANCE looking at FRENCH gardens!
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

"David Rance" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 9 Feb 2013 Martin wrote:

On 9 Feb 2013 19:42:55 GMT, Emery Davis wrote:

On Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:43:34 +0000, David Rance wrote:

On Fri, 8 Feb 2013 Martin wrote:

I never anything so daft as Monty in a straw hat driving a 2CV between
French gardens on TV this evening.

Actually I enjoyed the programme very much. What on earth was daft
about
it?

Lord his French was awful.

near to non existent.

Nonsense! True, his pronunciation was very poor, but so is that of most
English people, isn't it? He'd obviously lived in France some time ago
because he could come out with some common phrases quite fluently but he
did find other things less easy to express.

Our attitude to the pronunciation of foreign languages has been coloured
by the way we were taught when at school - at the least for the older
among us. The emphasis was too much on pronunciation, correct grammar and
agreements, to the detriment of being able to express ourselves. My wife,
who was a teacher of French for forty years and is now an "A" level aural
examiner, says, "What's the point of learning French, if the thought that
the French are going to laugh at you if you get things wrong prevents you
from going into a cake shop and buying a cake?"

Monty's lack of fluency is a lesson to us all that it doesn't *have* to be
perfectly correct! And those who sneer at him (because, presumably their
French is more fluent than his) ought to know better!

And all the BS about (mispronounced) paysans, honestly.

We certainly enjoyed the scenery, summer in the south and all that. Good
stuff when you're stuck here in the mud! But that straw hat...

Did you ever see a paysan wearing a straw hat and driving a 2CV?

Yes, my neighbour in Normandy always did when gardening (he died about six
years ago) and he'd lived in the same village all his life. It's not
unknown! And he would continually tell me off for *not* wearing a hat (but
not for not driving a 2CV!).

I know that Monty was not universally liked by urglers when he presented
Gardeners' World and, because of this, it seems that urglers will always
take the opportunity to ridicule him. But this is a different kind of
programme which seeks to present the different kinds of French gardens. He
was not trying to be an expert but an enthusiast. The first programme in
the series, in which he talked about the formal gardens designed by Le
Nôtre and his followers, I thought was excellent and his presentation most
engaging. But then I don't have a dislike of his style.

Just trying to put the other point of view.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK


David well said. Monty Don just 'has' to be hated by urglers no matter what
he does. I was waiting for the knives to come out and to those wielding the
knife, if you can do better, then get off your keyboards and present a
gardening programme that will please everybody.

I didn't see the programme, I am not a gardener, my wife is with over 50
years experience, but she liked it and after hearing her reports on it, I
was waiting for those to come out on the attack. I didn't have to wait long.

Now sit back and wait for the attacks on me, a non gardener, for DARING to
post on here. You won't have to wait long and we know who will be to the
fore

Have a nice day if you can.

Chucking it down with rain on the South East Coast of the Isle of Wight

Mike


--

....................................

I'm an Angel, honest ! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight.

....................................

On Sat, 9 Feb 2013 Sacha wrote:

In the first episode, which is the only one I saw all the way through,
he just said 'Bien' a lot. It would be better for everyone's
credibility if they just did a straightforward programme. He doesn't
speak French, or if he does, they're not allowing him to do so.

In fact you do hear French from him. I've just looked at the second
programme again and, in both programmes, he does speak quite a bit of
French.

Take the programme in which the Italian chef, Giorgio Locatelli and
English art expert, Andrew Graham-Dixon, toured Italy. The Englishman
really could speak Italian well and was allowed to do so.

Yes, that was a good series.

And we're pretty sure the 2CV changed number plates halfway through!

There are two 2CVs. He uses one when in the north of France and the
other in the south. I suppose that emphasises just how large a country
it is and that it would take too long to actually drive from the north
to the south! They didn't explain that but then why should they?

And the music PLEASE.

The choice of music was very good, I thought. It didn't irritate me as
the music in some television programmes. In additional to the
traditional French accordion-type music (whether played on the accordion
or not) there was some Verdi (La Forza del destino), Fauré and Satie.
Tastefully done and not too repetitive. Some programmes repeat the same
bit of music again and again. While there was a little repetition it
wasn't obtrusive.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK

On Sat, 9 Feb 2013 Emery Davis wrote:

On Sat, 09 Feb 2013 09:43:34 +0000, David Rance wrote:

On Fri, 8 Feb 2013 Martin wrote:

I never anything so daft as Monty in a straw hat driving a 2CV between
French gardens on TV this evening.

I've just watched that programme again and I'm going to disagree with
you.

Lord his French was awful.

No, It wasn't that bad. Don't criticise him for not getting everything
completely right.

He was actually quite insulting to several of
the characters. Especially the nice lady with the allotment who was
doing her best to be a really good sport.

That's not true. He wasn't insulting at all. What made you think that?

Not to mention the onion farmer, where Monty insisted they were
the "best" even when the guy said "the sweetest."

No, Monty started off by saying that he understood they were the best
onions. The guy then corrected him by saying they were the sweetest.

And all the BS about (mispronounced) paysans, honestly.

He pronounced it in two different ways. One was when he was using it as
an English word in an English sentence. The other, which was a correct
pronunciation, was when he was explaining what the French word implied.

We certainly enjoyed the scenery, summer in the south and all that.

I wonder that you didn't criticise the southern accents! "Bieng" for
"bien" and "jardaing" for "jardin!. ;-)

Judging by all the unjustified criticisms I don't think that any of you
really paid full attention to the programme.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK

On Sun, 10 Feb 2013 'Mike' wrote:

David well said.

Thank you, Mike, but I don't need your support.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk