Sunday 19 December 2010

Cabin Fever

Oh snow, not again. Am snow scunnered. Sorry to drop into dialect, but sometimes English is just not enough. I am not annoyed, irritated or fed up, I'm scunnered.
Right, that's that off my chest.
Last week was spent doing some serious number-crunching, so to cheer myself up I indulged in a spot of retail therapy, courtesy of you, the tax-payer. I ordered four apples, a plum, a pear and a cherry for the potager. The apples will be trained as stepovers along the central path and the plum, pear and cherry will, eventually, be fans to make a lovely backdrop of blossom and fruit. I know it's a gamble, given the precarious state of local government finance, but although you should live each day as if it's going to be your last, you have to garden as if you're going to live forever.
So thank you, fellow tax-payer, your generosity is appreciated. I also ordered some young perennials. Potted up and grown on, I'll sell them at our open day and the profit from that will more than cover the cost of the fruit trees. El Jeffe is talking about having three open days next year. Not sure if that's economically sound, but who am I to question my superiors?
Well, it's stopped snowing, so I'll go and clear the drive. May you all have a wonderful Christmas, and a happy New Year. Lang may yir lum reek!

11 comments:

Britta said...

Dear Is the Wiz,
I love to learn new words - so when it will snow on and on - which it does here, today minus 17° at night, minus 9° in the day - I will use it :-)
I loved your sentence: "but although you should live each day as if it's going to be your last, you have to garden as if you're going to live forever."
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Britta

Is the Wiz said...

Frohe Weihnachten, Britta

Britta said...

Oh, danke - das ist eine große Überraschung!
I am proud to announce that I had the first opportunity to use "scunnered": on Kevin Musgroves's blog, Helmingdale. The way they are cutting back on libraries (and others) is shocking!

Kevin Musgrove said...

(Britta did!)

The potager sounds good. Just be careful nobody decides to impose an income target on the fruit.

Is the Wiz said...

Hello, Kevin, and welcome. When I first came here, I was told not to prune the old orchard as the accountants couldn't put a value on it. Luckily, my current boss is still a gardener at heart.

Phil said...

"Garden as if you're going to live forever". That's a great philosophy

Mal's Allotment said...

I guess it's hard to be crabbit when Hogmonay is just around the corner. Have a good one Izzie.

Is the Wiz said...

Dear Phil and Mal, many thanks to both of you for sharing your exploits throughout the year. May 2011 bring you all you wish for yourself X

Bub said...

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you and your family in snowy Scotland, from all of us here in icy Essex!

The Idiot said...

Take care, Is, and have a bloody good one!

Is the Wiz said...

God bless us, everyone!