April 30

Well I might as well tell you that I am not going to be staying in England for three months as I had originally planned. This is because the concept was that Carol would come over for a few weeks in the middle and that would give me my fix that I need from her. As it turns out, she is not able to come for a variety of reasons and I am unwilling to stay here that long without her. Therefore on May 6 I will be flying home. With yesterday my last day at the gardens, I am taking a week for travel. My first destination is to France. Four and a half years ago when we were here with Richard and Margan we spent a day and night at Bayeux visiting all the D-Day museums and beaches including Juno Beach. We didn’t have time to see the tapestry and I always said I was going to go back to see it. So I caught the 8:15 bus to Chichester, the 9:10 to Portsmouth and arrived at the Brittany Ferry Terminals at 10:00. My intention was to take the Fast Ferry across to Ouistreham outside Caen but would you believe it only travels on Friday to Sunday. Not to be put off I booked on the 2:30 traditional Ferry to Ouistreham and the Ferry folks were able to book a hotel right next to the arrival destination as I get in at 9:30 tonight and don’t want to bother travelling anywhere that late. I also booked a return trip on the Fast Ferry for Saturday getting back here for 3:00. I love the fact that everything can be booked in one place and the total cost was only 86 pounds, all taxes included. By 10:30 all was arranged and paid for. Nothing more to do but wait for the sailing.

I walked back a way into the city and picked up a few things to munch on; cheese, biscuits and allsorts, my favourite candy. Back to the terminal and bought a copy of the Times. Also had lunch from a cafeteria there – beef bolognaise and a Guinness. There must be lots of nutrition in that combination. We boarded for the ferry at 1:45 and the security check is nothing like the airport but that’s fine with me. There is a light mist in the air but as we were at sea about 3 and ½ hours, the sun started to shine. You know the English say I bring the good weather with me. Maybe the French will think the same thing. The crossing has been extremely comfortable, unlike the last time we crossed and the voyage is very comfortable. There are a lot of French students, junior high age, on board and they are having a great time, a lot of laughter and what appears to be good camaraderie and it is pleasant to see the youth enjoying themselves. There are lots of deals in the Duty Free shop but so far I have resisted. I will likely pick up a bottle of wine for the room tonight. I brought a corkscrew Alan.

I strolled the boat not really wanting a drink but did inquire about having access to a power source to charge my computer. After leaving my passport I was able to get an adaptor that the English adaptor that my computer was plugged into was able to fit. From then on I was able to download and arrange all the pictures I had taken. About 6:00 I was feeling a little peckish and walked down to the self serve cafeteria. The only substantial meal they had was roast chicken and I opted for it with fries. This was a far cry from last night and too soon to compare to Sarah’s. At any rate I drenched the fries with vinegar and salt; they were not home cut. The best part of the meal was the 250ml bottle of white wine from the Cellier des Dauphins, Cote du Rhone. Altogether the meal was 9.10 pounds and after I finished eating with the noisy kids outside the cafeteria, I took my glass and remaining wine to a lovely seating area on deck 8 and proceeded to have wine and cheese for dessert while I wrote this up. I also started the book “Les Girls” by Constance Tompkinson, Jane Riley’s Mother and it is well written and very amusing.

By 7:30 I could see France and we land in one hour. Now you know there is a first class on airlines and also on ferries. Apparently if you pay an extra fee you can sit in the front of the ship and actually see where you are going. Oh yes, they have large comfortable reclining seats. Well I found this just after 7:30 and opened the door and since no asked me for a ticket I sort of just walked in, found a nice seat two rows back and watched the rest of the trip. We landed a little early and it was no trouble getting off and then taking a shuttle to the ferry terminal. I stopped at the Tourist Bureau to ask directions to my hotel and discovered it was just across the street. I also discovered that tomorrow is a Bank Holiday in France. Who knew? What that means is that there is only one bus going to Caen in the morning and from there I catch the train to Bayeux, maybe. The only bus leaves at 7:00 am and I have already put in my wake up call. Every place I go has Bank Holidays. Even England has another one on Monday. I was able to connect to the WIFI at the hotel and update this blog tonight. You may not hear from me for a day or two if I don’t have further access or find another adaptor to charge my computer. So stay tuned for France. Good night.

April 29

Well today is my last day to Work at West Dean Gardens. I was up at 5:30 and packed my luggage so that I could store it with Cathy and Nigel while I do a little sightseeing. Its sunny and about 20 More about that later. I was off to work at 6:45 to get some early morning pictures. Half way there I realized that I had forgotten to make my lunch so it was back to the house and then after a quick lunch preparation was back to the Gardens. I did get a few pictures but mainly of birds; goldfinches that look nothing like ours except the shape and movement. I also took the time today to get pictures of everyone who worked there doing their regular jobs. I am going to miss them. This morning, work consisted of edging a bed opposite the laburnum arch and it went very well. At tea time, Sarah had provided a lovely cake to recognize my last day here and it was very much appreciated. I continued to work on the edging and a group of volunteers under Steve’s direction worked at the far end working towards me, cleaning and weeding. The result has turned out very well and is a huge improvement over when I first looked at this two weeks ago, This continued until 11:00, when Anne and I started to plant the rock garden using plants that Jim had set out in a pattern. There were ferns, cyclamen, hostas, violets, ajuga and others that made a very nice vista. Yesterday and today I had started using a bicycle for travelling back and forth to the staff room and I don’t know why I waited so long. At any rate I rode one back at lunch and joined two volunteers in the walled fruit garden while we ate our lunch. Some very interested and dedicated people volunteer here. It was sunny and about 20 degrees today. After lunch we continued to plant and the work was reasonable easy as Jim had ensured there were no rocks under the plants he set out. There were some rocks of course as the soil in Sussex is made up nearly entirely of flint and there were lots of roots around the centre of the bed. We were concerned that we wouldn’t get everything planted before the end of the day and tomorrow is forecast for heavy rain. We worked along however and did accomplish our goal (though Jim says I missed one at the very beginning) and even took our tea break. We were all done and cleaned up by 3:45 and started the walk back to the office. Lots more pictures and then said good bye to everyone. I was to meet Sarah and Jim at their place (the Gardeners Cottage) at 7:00 for supper.

In the meantime I went home, sorted out the rest of my packing and then showered and over to the college to update email and my blog which you saw last night. Got to Jim and Sarah’s a few minutes early and had a lovely time watching Sarah prepare the meal and enjoying an ale. Jim joined us shortly and the conversations covered a broad series of topics from gardening, travel, beer, art, music and geography. Sarah and Jim are very erudite and can talk on any topic in an informed manner. Jim gave me a tour of the cottage which was built in the early 1700s and that fact is reflected in the design and additions that have taken place over the years. Some doors are quite short and the third floor has two rooms that would challenge those with any height. One of the things they asked was what I wanted to accomplish while I was there and did I. My response was to experience life in England while living and working in one place, gaining knowledge of garden practises that I could take home with me and just seeing if I could work at physical labour for an extended period now that I am getting older. I definitely accomplished all three of these goals. Dinner was a fabulous roast chicken dinner, with a full suite of vegetables including home cut potatoes. Dessert was a custard flan creation and the wine was a lovely Pinot Grigio.We finished off with coffee which Sarah pretended to be concerned about because I had done a rant once saying that I couldn’t get a good cup of coffee in England and the cups they served it in were meant for tea and too small. Well she did a great job of preparing a lovely Java and I was offered a large mug. It was quite good and definitely the best I have had yet. Jim and Sarah are great hosts and a lot of fun. They don’t take themselves too seriously, just their work and have the ability to laugh at themselves. At 9:45 I left for a walk home for the last time through the walled fruit gardens, around the college and down the back lane to the Selsey Arms and across the road to 108. I have walked many times at night and have always felt very safe. Home at 10:00, charged my computer and off to bed at 11:00.

April 27 and 28

Apr 27
Up and off to work at 7:00. The day is dreary looking but no rain yet. I brought my rain gear but decided against the wellies. My job today is to work on the rock garden and I have it nearly finished by 9:00 tea time and Jim suggests I work in the grape glasshouse with Rob as it is raining quite steady now. This is a nice dry job and I get to see the grapes developing. This is the third time I have been at them and they are really coming along. The process is to ensure espaliered branches have two twist ties on them, trim the ends where growth has extended to the desired limit and cut off any offshoots we might have missed. (There is a picture showing the grapes today)This lasted until 2:30 and then Rob, Steve, Chris and I were asked to replant about 1000 plugs that had been pulled up over the weekend we think by a rogue pheasant. The plugs were simply lying beside the holes so we didn’t know if it was a game they were playing or what. Anyway by this time the grass we were in was quite long and very wet and my decision not to wear the wellies was shown to be a mistake as there is only so much water that can be absorbed by regular boots with the obvious result.

Off work at 4:00 and walked home in a light rain. Had a nice shower to warm me up, then a beer to cool me off. Supper was a lovely roast beef carvery. I was pretty tired and started to read a book but fell asleep about 8:00. I think the dreariness of the day did me in.

April 28
Woke up at 4:00, no surprise here. Finally got up at 6, and after a light breakfast left for work at 7. Even though it was a lovely sunny morning the temperature was only 3 and there was a fairly heavy frost. I don’t think anything was damaged. Today Anne and I worked on planting the rest of the laburnum arch. Jim had laid out all the plants in the desired design. We mainly used cyclamen, asarum and ferns. We finished this by 10:30 and continued to work on the rock garden. It is really coming along and I have spent a lot of time doing the lower path by the water. I finished the job after lunch. In the early afternoon we took delivery of 60 bags of mulch delivered by Rob. Anne and I worked together mulching the entire bed on both sides of the arch and finished up just at 4:00 though we worked through our tea break. It was gratifying to see this completed and the plants really stand out against the mulch. The laburnum is just starting to put out blossoms and I know it will look stunning when it does. Pictures today show the mulched arch and the laburnum in blossom.

On short notice I had invited any of the staff who wanted to go to the Selsey Arms at 6 when they open. Shirley, Brian and Anne were able to go and we enjoyed a couple of drinks and had some friendly conversation. At 7:30 I was back at the house and had another good meal. Nigel and Cathy and I watched Chelsea vs. Barcelona in the first leg of a two game soccer match in the world championship It was a 0-0 tie and they played an extra 6 minutes. This game was in Barcelona and the next game is in May here at home. I must admit to falling asleep part way through the game and may have missed about 30 minutes of it. Off to bed at 11:00

April 26

Awake and up at 6:50. Had a light breakfast and after reading for a while caught the 10:00 bus to Chichester. I walked around the south gate walls and the Bishop’s garden. It is a very pleasant morning and about 15. Hardly a trace of wind. I attended the 11:00 service at the Cathedral and even sat in the same seat as the last time I was there. I feel like a regular. At the end of the service, an older gentleman sitting next to me asked me where I was from and so began the story again. This time however he had actually worked for Thompson Corp.for many years and had lived in Toronto for several of them. Sadly though he had never visited NS.

Right after the service I walked down East Street to St. John where I knocked on the door of Stephen and Jane Riley, friends of Eric and Barb Ruff of Yarmouth. We had been corresponding by email for some time and today was the day that finally we would get to meet in person. Eric had said they were very nice and he did not exaggerate. They treated me as if we had known each other for years. They have a lovely home just outside the town walls built in the 1800s. They have a wonderful backyard that is filled with gardens and a lovely birdbath which is a memorial to Jane’s parents. As it turns out her mother was born in Canso NS, the daughter of a minister. She moved to New York in her twenties to become a dancer and eventually appeared on stage. We had a lovely bottle of rose and talked in their backyard for about an hour. It was so pleasant as they have flint walls about 8 feet tall and this creates their own little micro climate. There is also a sculpted hanging on the wall that reminded me of Eric. I’ll include it in today’s photos.

Dinner was served about 2:00 and it was a marvellous shepherd’s pie with peas and cabbage, followed by a dessert of cheeses, grapes and a lovely red wine. After dinner we talked again for quite some time and then left for a walk around the town including a Catholic church which I had been unable to find and a section of the Roman walls that I had not seen before. They also took me to St. John’s Chapel, a former church now managed by trustees. One of the features of this chapel is a three tiered pulpit, quite rare. Two of the pictures today shows Stephen and Jane preparing to deliver not a sermon but a rant and one of myself. Back to the house for tea and biscuits (not cookies) and finally they showed me a shortcut to my bus and waited with me until it arrived at 5:10. They have travelled extensively in Nova Scotia, visiting with Barb and Eric and just touring around by themselves. They are true adventurers, not afraid to take the road least travelled and often find themselves in places others might not go, but they have wonderful experiences when they do. I hope that when they return to Nova Scotia, Carol will have the opportunity to meet them and maybe the six of us will get together. There is a picture of Stephen and Jane as well as one of their backyard included today.

Just an update from last night. I had gone to supper with Derek and his wife Angela. Derek picked me up and brought me back home which was good because I don’t think I would have found his place easily. After a lovely bit of conversation and drinks, I was treated to a lovely salmon dinner, followed by coffee and dessert. Home by 10:00. The treatment I have received at this end has been nothing short of terrific and reminds me to be welcoming to visitors to our area when I get home. Here is a picture of Derek and Angela.

April 25
Up at 6:00. Rain had fallen over night and likely had just stopped. Hoping for a clear day but expecting it to be cooler. After a good breakfast I caught the 8:20 bus to Chichester and after some minor confusion took the 700 to Portsmouth at 9:55. I was able to buy a single ticket that was for unlimited trips today on the bus, the Cat Ferry return to Isle of Wight and bus service on the island all for 16.50 pounds. That is a very good deal. The bus stops frequently on the shore route and took about an hour to arrive in Portsmouth. The sun is shining and the temperature is about 15. There is a breeze though and I am glad I wore a jacket. I basically walked off the bus directly to the Fast Ferry Terminal and we departed for the Isle of Wight at 11:20. Crossing takes about 18 minutes and is reasonably smooth. There are a lot of sailboats out on the water, but the ferry goes right through them. After landing I walked about a half mile across a walk/roadway to the island arriving in the town of Ryde. It is a fairly small island with about 70 miles of paved roads around the perimeter. I checked at the Tourist Bureau for information on Dinosaur Isle, the main attraction for me. If I had time I would consider something else. The bus station was right across the road and a bus comes along every 15 minutes. It is very efficient for a small island. It took about 20 minutes to go about 10 miles due to the frequency of stops, but I ended up in the town of Sanddown, sort a seaside resort. A ten minute walk along the coast put me at Dinosaur Isle.
Along the way I saw a lot of children playing some sort of an organized sport on the beach, lots of people walking dogs and several families playing in the sand. Off in the distance was a huge chalk cliff. The admission to Dinosaur Isle, a museum, is 5 pounds. It had a very good illustration of how geology has played such an important role in the formation of fossils and had lots of examples of fossilized mammal bones and marine fossils. They even had a section on Ichthyosaurs, large marine dinosaurs and an illustration of the largest one collected in British Columbia by Betsy Nicholls (deceased) of the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Also they had a picture of Samuel Buckland, a prominent palaeontologist and I wonder if he is related to the Garden Manager, Jim Buckland. I must ask him. They also explained how rocks called flint are formed. As you will know from previous postings, flint is the prevalent rock material in this region. Apparently sponges have spines which are made of silica. When sponges die en masse or over time where they are heavily populated, the soft material decomposes and the silica spines are left. They are then compressed over great lengths of time through the chalk mud in a marine environment and form flint.

I was too hungry to continue at this time and went next door for something to eat. It was 2:00 and I went next door to what looked like a nice restaurant and I chose a crab sandwich which was very disappointing, perhaps my first poor meal, while I was here. Oh well! I returned to the museum and continued through the dinosaur collection which though relatively small was extremely well documented and displayed. They have a few complete or near complete skeletons of sauropods. I struck up a conversation with Peter, the manager and he was very helpful. He was interested in where I was from and I told him about Joggins and Parrsboro. I also complimented him on the Betsy Nicholls reference and told him about my association with the RTM. He said that their curator, Steve has been to North America to give talks, likely at symposia and I’m sure I would have a good time talking to him. Peter directed me to the cliffs where I could look for fossils and I spent a very pleasant 2 hours walking on the sand scouring the area near the base. There is a lot of erosion there so lots of mud slides are occurring naturally. I did turn up one piece of material that had lots of trace fossils on it, likely worm tubes, and when I turned it over discovered a small tooth about 5mm long. It is permissible to keep fossils collected on the shore so it will be coming home to my collection. I also scooped up a little sand for Carol as she likes to collect sand from beaches we have visited.

I walked back into town and caught the bus back to Ryde. It was about 4:45. There are a lot of nice shops on Union St. Going up towards the town centre so I took a stroll. I got one really nice picture looking back at Portsmouth and could see what is called the Spinnaker Building, Portsmouth’s Millennium project. I captured a picture of house prices in a realty store and it is apparent that they are much more reasonable than the mainland. Upon further investigation, the employment situation is not too bright on the island; so many people travel the ferries daily to the mainland for employment. This would definitely have a dampening effect. One business that seems pretty popular is pubs however and as it was nearing time and lunch had not been that successful I decided to try out S Fowler & Co. Pub a JD Weatherspoon franchise who were having a Festival of Ales. You could get a burger and fries and an ale for 5.10 pounds, a very good price. I chose one from Stoke on Trent, a dark ale that looked like Guinness but was said to be flavoured with Chocolate and Vanilla. It was called Titanic Velvet Curtain and was very good, despite its name. The burger was good and the fries were home cut. One thing I really like about British prices is that they include the VAT in the menu price so that is what you pay. I think we should be able to devise a program in Canada that does that even if we have to adjust other variables because of provincial disparity in taxation.

I finished my meal and ale and walked back to the ferry terminal. The tide is dead low now so I understand why the terminal is so far offshore. One other method of getting here is by hovercraft and I have 2 good pictures, one where it is 50 metres out in the water and another where it is 50 metres on the mud. The channel now is dead calm and the ride back was very smooth. On the way over I had struck up a conversation with a couple who were going to the island for a family affair. They were very interested in what I was doing in the area and I saw them again on the way back so we sat together on the ferry and talked about our respective days. It is always my accent that gives me away and from there conversations about where I’m from just naturally occur. They are always fascinated by Canada. It is amazing how many of them have a relative here but it invariably turns out to be Vancouver.
Once again getting the right bus back to Chichester was a little confusing but I struck up a conversation with another couple who were basically going my way and between us we managed to get on the correct bus. Again the conversation developed over my volunteering at West Dean and what a marvellous idea they think it is. We both had to change buses in Chichester and since they were about 30 minutes off we decided to go to a nearby pub, have an ale and continue the conversation. The gent introduced me to Abbott’s Ale, a very nice brew indeed. These Brits really know their ales. We said good night and went to our respective bus stops. At mine, there was a fellow about my age waiting. We exchanged pleasantries and again the story of my being here was repeated. As it turns out he had been involved in some of the instruction at West Dean College and was very knowledgeable about the Edward James Foundation. He recommended that I visit Bosham back toward Portsmouth and see the church there that is reputed to be the burial place of King Kanute. We sat together on the bus and he said that he thought I was the first Nova Scotian he had ever spoken to. Well there is one less of the uninitiated in the world today. I got home about 9:15, had a talk with Cathy and Nigel about my experiences today and went off to my room to read before going to bed. Turns out I only read two pages of a good PD James novel and fell asleep. Pictures today are of the chalk cliffs at Sanddown, Sailboats on Isle of Wight and a dinosaur from Dinosaur Isle

Apr 22, 23 & 24

Well I know it has been a few days since I updated but will try and bring you up to date. Weather wise this week has been absolutely lovely. Sunshine, light breezes and temperatures around 20 for the high and about 10 for the low. I have been able to get up early each day and have a nice walk to the gardens. Sometimes I am greeted by a rooster crowing as I pass by its pen on the other side of a hedge before I get to the College gate. Yesterday morning there was a heavy fog in the air that caused a coolness on my bare legs as I have started wearing shorts to work rather than changing part way through. However with a sweater on I am very comfortable. This will be the earliest I have ever had a tan.

As for work, I told you on my last post that we were expecting to plant 25,000 plugs. Well that figure has been updated to 31,000 and I believe that figure is closer to reality. On Wednesday, Rob, Steve, Chris and I continued to plant several different beds around the college. On Thursday Steve was replaced by Dennis, a student from Holland for the day and we finished planting the beds around the college including an area outside a tennis court on the river Lavant that flows through the gardens. Some of the soil in this area was quite flinty, which meant a lot of pounding the dibber into the ground to make a hole big enough for the plug to fit in. Then in the late afternoon, we went to the arboretum with Jim, Garden Manager and the five of us continued to plant plugs for the remainder of the day in some lovely open areas; not quite glades but places that show the flowers very well. By now we are mainly planting primroses. After the primroses were all done we took the remaining trays full of cowslips and went further into the arboretum. We finished the day here knowing that tomorrow we would be finished the entire planting. Transportation for this stage was in an open wagon on the back of a tractor. This is a rough form of conveyance over mostly a dirt track and some times over a cattle gate. Jim has been known to say to the tractor operator “those aren’t potatoes in the back” when the passengers might feel a bit of a bumpy ride.

Yesterday, April 23 was St. George’s Day and I did get an email reminder of this from Margan and Richard. Google’s home page was all done in the red and white for the occasion. I had made contact with the Chichester Priory Rotary Club and indicated I wanted to go to their regular meeting. I spoke to a Mr. Hall who informed me that they had switched the night to Thursday in honour of ST. George and that the usual venue was changed but I was indeed welcome to come. And in the true Rotary fashion he offered to come and pick me up, drive me to the event and take me home afterwards. He picked me up outside the Selsey Arms, an easily recognized landmark and drove me through Goodwood, telling me about the various events that are held there. We ended up in Oving a small community outside of Chichester at a large hall. The parking lot was full. The cost of the meal was 20 pounds and a good bottle of wine could be had for 5 pounds. I bought the wine for my host and myself. I was seated by several Rotarians from the Midhurst club that I had visited two weeks ago and renewed acquaintances. I was introduced to the President, Bernard who I had corresponded with prior to coming over and he had been very helpful in suggesting things to do while I was here. They had a meal which was a fabulous meat pie with vegetables and potatoes and a nice chocolate dessert. They served coffee but so help me I just can’t take another cup of this. During the evening which lasted about 3 hours they had various toasts by celebrities including someone with the title of “Sir” and a very funny pageant about St. George and the slaying of the dragon. It was the hit of the night. It concluded with the singing of three British songs, one about Sussex by the Sea and There’ll always be an England. Quite rousing indeed. One of the requirements of attending was to wear something red and when I told my host I didn’t have anything, he offered to and did bring a tie for me so I wasn’t out of place. Of course I forgot to give it back to him so will have to try and find a way to return it when I am next in Chichester. I didn’t get home until after 10:30 and was right off to bed.

Friday morning was the latest I slept in -6:30. No problem as I have good routine now. I still had breakfast and made my lunch and was off to work by 7:10. The sun was shining and it was likely 15. Jim had told us that a troublesome pheasant was out last night picking out some of the plugs that we had put in by the sunken garden. He was setting up a sprinkler and the pheasant was oblivious to his presence and no doubt shouts. There is someone involved with pest control in the gardens and he had been alerted to the interloper. He wasn‘t seen today. As I knew was to happen, Rob and I alone were left to plant the remainder of the cowslips in the arboretum. We took the tractor and trailer up the hill and got to work. In order to get the plugs out of the trays in which they were grown (by the way they were started as seedlings on Aug 1 last year) you invert the trays and drop them from a height of about 2 feet onto a table. This is most effective at releasing about 95% of them and the remainder can be taken out by hand. There are about 100 to a tray and two trays fill a bucket. While Rob dibbered, I plugged and we continued right through lunch and finished at 12:30. We gathered up the gear and drove back to the staff room where we had lunch and then finished off the afternoon, which stops at 3:00 on Friday by cleaning up boxwood hedge clippings so that the gardens would look neat and tidy for the weekend patrons. There is no doubt that Jim and Sarah have instilled the staff with the fact that in these gardens, appearances are very important.

Tonight I have been invited by one of the volunteers, Derek of the bowler hat to have supper with him and his wife and he is picking me up at 6:00. Must go and get ready.
Today’s pictures include, one of me planting, the Orangery at the Gardens and a picture of the fridge in the staff room. Talk about being made to feel welcome.

April 21

Slept very well last night after a wonderful ham, neeps and tatties and creamed asparagus dinner. I woke up and rose at 5:45. Had my breakfast and made a lunch as usual and headed off to work early, arriving at 7:00. Lots of time to write up my journal and talk to the other workers. I was able to get a couple of plants identified that I had photographed. There are lots of resource materials and Anne is particularly helpful. One thing I had forgotten to mention last night was that I had seen a pair of kites circling over the college. They have been reintroduced to this region and as far as Sarah is aware, the Estate is the only area where they have been successful. They are large birds and often waft on the currents.

Today I am assigned to work on planting plugs. These are plants such as primrose, cowslips, clover and others that are planted in specific lawns to naturalize. A plug is the soil and plant after a seedling has started to grow and leaves have established. The process to plant them is to use a dibble which is a tool made of iron, about 3 feet long and a pointed metal end. It has two foot bars near the bottom for pressing the dibble into the ground. The result is a hole about 2 inches deep and about 1 inch square. Into this hole is placed a plug so that the top of the plug is at or slightly below the surface. It is best done with one person using the dibble followed by another person planting the plugs which are carried in a pail. We used this process today with 4 people, Chris, Rob, Steve and myself. It was a beautiful sunny day likely 20 degrees and I worked in shorts and a t shirt in the afternoon. Jim and Sarah were taking the plugs from plastic planting trays, putting them in the buckets and then wheeling them down on a yard bicycle, the standard form of transport for them and very practical indeed. I have a couple of pictures today of my three partners plugging and one of Jim, his first day in shorts. They are a short version of the overalls he wears daily as seen on the West Dean Gardens website.

We have about 25,000 plugs to plant before Friday. Earlier this year Jim, the Head Gardener had previously surveyed the lawns to be plugged and sprayed the grass. This has two effects, it turns the grass brown to show the dibber where to put the hole and kills the grass to take away competition from the new plant, giving it a fighting chance to succeed. Today we were able to put in the full allotment of plugs in three different areas. We finished up right at 4;00 and it was a very enjoyable day with a lot of good humour from everyone. As is my usual practise I picked up my computer and headed back to the college to update this blog. I am writing this at 6:15 enjoying a Guinness. The wisteria on the pergola is starting to leaf out and I have included a picture of it for your viewing pleasure.

April 20

Woke up at 5:00 and rose at 6.00. It was a nice morning and a good walk to work. Today I am doing the edging on the rock garden and it turned out very well. There was also another small bed opposite that required deep edging and I completed that as well. Between the two beds I removed a wheelbarrow full of flint rocks. You have seen enough edging so I am not going to bore you with another picture. After lunch I used the magic onion hoe and scoured the rock garden. The intention was to remove any moss that was not growing on rocks and define the edges of the rocks so that when mulch is added they will show up plainly. While there are many nice plants here, the concept is to show off the rocks as well. Using the onion hoe is a process that is best done on your hands and knees and placing weeds and moss in a bucket to be carried to a wheelbarrow for subsequent disposal in the mulching yard. By the end of the day I was still only ¾ way through and will finish tomorrow morning. After the mulch is applied I will add a picture.

Now for the nature news. Everyone was twitterpated (Bambi reference) I saw Pigeons doing it, 4 drakes chasing a duck and I heard other suspicious noises in the bushes. I am including a picture of 5 ducklings and their Mom, products of previous action as well as a nest that was on a little island right off the rock garden. I didn’t even know it was there until the small black duck, which I believe is a coot, (not an old one like Barry) until she started to make warning noises as I must have been getting a little too close. There are 4 brown eggs in the nest. I will include a picture of her on it tomorrow. Yesterday I showed you a few lambs and today I’ll show you a whole field. More evidence of promiscuity.

Well for some reason I am very tired today; it was only a 2 day weekend rather than 4 last weekend; so I am going back to the house for a hot meal, will likely read a book and drop off to sleep a little early. In the Immortal words of Elmer Fudd.....That’s All Folks!

More pictures from April 19

Here are the photos from the second half of yesterday's post.

April 19

Awake at 6:00 and up at 7. Cooked a lovely breakfast and left for the college to meet Sarah Wain from West Dean Gardens who has offered to take me on a walk encompassing the arboretum and Trundle Hill. I wore shorts and a T shirt and a sweater. It looked really nice out the bedroom window. When I got outside I realized there was a brisk NE wind blowing and the temperature was no more than 10. Not to worry, we're tough in Canada. We exited the gardens and entered a pasture with sheep and relatively young lambs. (see the picture). We walked through the extensive arboretum and Sarah showed me the damage that had been done in the hurricane of 1987 and how it has actually turned into an opportunity to develop this area into glades and open spaces. The hurricane is estimated to have taken away 25 years of production in the woodland. One place we looked at was a cowslip glade that is being naturalized with a blanket of cowslips. They are just staring to flower now and I expect it to be spectacular within 2 weeks. In other areas, laurel and bramble had nearly taken over and this has required vigorous cutback to allow plants underneath to flourish. We exited the arboretum and passed through the gate at the gatehouse which was once used to monitor traffic onto the estate and is now rented out. It is a lovely property. We then proceeded down a wood road through part of the managed forest and started our walk up to Trundle Hill. This is an Iron Age fort (approx. 3,000 years old) but all that is left today is a walled surround covered with vegetation. At this point the wind decided to escalate to near gale force and I am sure the wind chill factor was now down to 0. I had to keep my hands in my pockets and ensure my Tilley hat was tied on; another true testament to its functionality. See the accompanying picture.

We walked all around the hill which is the highest point on the estate. We were right above Goodwood which is the home of the Earl of March (yes the same one that the pub is named for.) It is also famous for its turf horse race track which was easy to see. (I’ve included a picture of this.) I could see Lavant to the west, my former community, the spire on Chichester Cathedral to the south, the village of Singleton to the east and lovely fields to the north where that vicious wind blew from. Sarah apologized for the wind but it certainly wasn’t her fault, and she was reasonably well dressed for the occasion. I think she knew what we were in for. We continued our walk by passing between two fields that were recently sown in grain and were just starting to show growth. The major crop however was flint stone, which was everywhere. There is too much to remove and more is produced annually by its migration from below to the surface. We saw a couple of meadowlarks that have a lovely call. We continued to walk downhill’ past the old dairy and back along a bridal path where I had started. From the hill we could see many houses and cottages and it was then that I realised as advised by Sarah that the Estate owns approx. 160 homes and nearly all are rented.
This morning I came to the college, updated some pictures and my blog from yesterday. We ate lunch outside in the garden and while it wasn’t too warm, the wind was broken by the hedges surrounding it and it was quite comfortable. About 3:30 we drove to Chichester where I did some banking and Cathy bought some items for her garden. On the way back we stopped at Goodwood Auto Race Track where they have seveal races throughout the year. Here is another photo. We also drove by Goodwood House, where the Earl lives and along with that picture I am enclosing one of a cricket match that was in progress. Nigel tried to explain this to me but I am still in a fog. Back home to watch a football (soccer) match between the highly favoured Eveston and Man United. It was decided on penalty kicks in favour of Eveston who will now meet Nigel’s team, Chelsea in the final on May 30. Cathy cooked a lovely roast pork dinner, the nicest meal I have had here.

Talk to you tomorrow

Update to April 18

At 8:00 last night we did go to the Selsey Arms and met John the Innkeeper. We had a pint of ale, before ordering supper. I left this to Cathy and Nigel (see picture) and we had a variety of chicken dishes accompanied by a special rice and noodles. The food was very good and reasonably priced. We had a couple of more pints, Guinness this time and were home by 10:00 where we watched the replay of the Chelsea game which they won 2-1. Nigel is a big Chelsea fan and he has helped me understand it better.

April 18

Up at 7:00. Made a breakfast of a couple of rashers of bacon (must find out while they call it that, Maybe Eric can help), toast, yogurt and coffee. Then off to the College to update my blog. Stopped on the way at the village church and went around the cemetery. I wonder when the concept of using gravestones began? Of course with the Art in Memory exhibit being on (check out his site) www.westdean.org.uk/gardens/artmemory.html there were many stones to look at. Two were in wood and all were very interesting. Three of them were all a tribute to one lady. Two stones really caught my interest. The first was just inside the gate and it said on the face “Like that of leaves are the generations of men.” That was nice but carved around the outside not visible to the camera were the words “Life does not consist of what we can do, but we love and are love.” The second was very fitting I thought for Carol. It said “Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.” Carol’s brother Clary passed away on June 21, 2008 and she has been feeling his loss. May she find comfort. I am constantly reminded of him on this trip as I carry a knife of his with me and am using one of his tote bags which I couldn’t have done without. Today I think I’ll head to Petworth House, an historic property with lovely gardens. The sun seems to be trying to break through, maybe my clothes will dry.

I took the #60 bus to Midhurst at 12:00 and was able to catch a connecting bus ten minutes later to Petworth about 8 miles away. A one day bus pass costs £7.30 pounds and is good value. There I visited Petworth House. Admission is 10.60 pounds but well worth it. This includes access to the grounds which are large and vast. They are not so much about flowers as they are about shrubs and perennials. See the picture of the rhododendron that is in full bloom now as well as the Magnolias. I walked around the grounds taking perhaps an hour. There is a separate section set aside for a park which was designed by the prominent landscape designer Capability Brown. He was thus called because he could take advantage of every capable option in a setting and he lived up to his name here. I did not venture into the park but have a few pictures that show it. The sun was out, but the wind kept the temperature at about 15. Overall the grounds encompass 700 acres. After the grounds I entered the house and from here on in I was unable to use my camera. I have included a picture of the house from the back exterior from the park but it belies totally the grandeur of the home. I suggest you view the following webpage to see this property. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-petworthhouse/. I used an audio tour, which I have found to be the best way to understand large properties. It cost £2.50 pounds. This home has been owned for family use for the past 700 years. It started with the Percy family in the mid 1100s who became the Earl of Northumberland in the late 1300s and then passed to the Duke of Somerset in 1682 when he married a granddaughter of the Earl. In 1947 it was given to the National Trust in an arrangement that allows Estate taxes to be avoided, which are onerous and usually as in this case, the family is allowed to occupy a portion of the property for its personal residence.


The Chapel is the oldest part of the house dating to the 14th century. There are stained glass windows from the 1700s. A draped curtain carved of wood must be 25 feet long and 8 feet high and tremendously ornate. There are not enough superlatives to describe the grandeur and dripping wealth of this family and its home. The Somerset Room contains paintings by many masters. There is an original book hand written and decorated - Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. It is 15th century on velum with original cover and binding. The 10th Earl of Norfolk was a huge collector of Van Dyke and there are several pictures on display. These were contemporaries so you often seen portraits of the family done by Van Dyke. The Marble Hall is just that. A spacious room (every room is huge) covered on the floor with marble tiles. Then all about are marble statues and busts as well as many paintings. There are Lime wood carvings done by Gibbons, some so finely done of musical instruments that include a score written for an opera and historians have been able to read the score in the carving. A marble bust of Aphrodite is said to be one of the finest pieces in the National Trust collections. The Piece de Resistance however is called the Great Picture and Sculpture Gallery. I stood at the entrance and literally felt my jaw drop. Here is a cavernous room under several arches with wall niches 8 feet tall all housing sculptures from many periods. The family even encouraged English sculpture and one piece showing St. Michael slaying Satan is the centrepiece of one hall. The 10th Earl of Somerset was a patron of Turner, who has been acclaimed as one of the greatest English painters who ever picked up a brush. Many of his works are on display and were actually commissioned by the Earl, so they show many local scenes including the park. I literally could not take it all in, there was so much opulence.

At any rate I ended my tour at 4:00, walked to the centre of town and found I had 35 minutes to kill before the next bus. I just wanted to sit but did manage to find a nice bottle of wine, a Liebframilch at a local shop and waited patiently for the bus to Midhurst reversing the transfer to West Dean and arrived home at about 5:00. The clothes on the line were all dry if slightly wrinkled and it felt good to get them in. I am back at the college now typing yesterday and today’s blog and will go to supper at the Selsey Arms for Thai food with the folks I am staying with. See you tomorrow.

April 17

Woke at 6:20. Without an alarm clock it’s always a concern about oversleeping but I haven’t yet. In this new place I feel right at home because early in the morning the crows in the real rookery across the road from me start to wake up too. A picture is included today. Last night I did two loads of wash and hung one out on the clothesline and put the second out this morning. It rained last night so everything is quite damp but I am hoping for sunshine today. One of today’s pictures shows my handiwork at hanging laundry and I know Carol is cringing because I haven’t got the shirts right. Now the rule about the back door is that if the key is not in the lock on the outside it will be under a flower pot by the back entry. (pretty novel eh?) Well when I got back to the door after hanging the laundry, the door was locked so I looked under the flower pot and a moment of panic set in – no key. You see my landlady was in hospital overnight for arm surgery, her husband works the night shift at Tesco and hadn’t come back yet and their daughter was asleep in her room. I had about 10 minutes before I had to leave for work and my shoulder bag with some of my gear and lunch were inside as well as my hat. I rang the doorbell and after 3 times, Lucy came to the door, very sleepy but not annoyed with me thank goodness.

Off to work on time using the back lane and entering the College and Garden grounds through a code operated door for staff and students only. This is a much shorter walk than yesterday. Work today consisted of continuing to fix the bed on the left side of the arch by edging and weeding. I have cut a much better line and the work is going well. While I am doing this, Anne one of the staff is further preparing the beds for planting by removing stones. I’ll stop here to say that the ground is full of flint, an igneous rock that is prolific in this area. It is very hard and continually works to the surface. It is used in many of the houses and walls in the Sussex area. From the two beds we removed ten 2 gallon pails full of stones which are collected and used for construction or fill at a future time. As the plants are set in according to a plan designed by Jim and Sarah, mulch is added which will ensure we have less weeding to do next year. There is a constant mist in the air, and the temperature is likely 15 in the am and stayed that way all day. I am wearing shorts and with the work am very comfortable. At the 9:00 morning break I sat in a thatched hut reminiscent of a jungle hut near what is called the Roundel due to its circular shape at a crossroads. It was a lovely place to sit and was better than walking all the way to the staff lounge which many people do. Here is a picture of the hut and its floor which was reconstructed in 2004. Also a picture of the Roundel which is seeded with grass.

After lunch the mist was a little heavier more like a drizzle but never a rain. I wore a raincoat but continued with the shorts. The soil was getting a little heavier but still easy to work and the planting continued. There is a picture of the mulched and planted beds with much crisper edges. Once I had the edging done Jim had me plant some boxwood and lift some plants that required moving and storage until a new location was determined for them. On Fridays we knock off at 3:00 so at 2:45 I wheeled a full load of sod and debris to the mulching yards where it is saved until sufficient amounts are available for chipping and reuse on the beds. Cleaning up and washing all the tools we used during the day is an end of shift requirement. By 3:15 I was on my way walking home and had been provided with a connection to the WIFI at the college which I plan to use this evening.

Showered and ate a meal of Chile Con Carne provided by my hostess who was home from the hospital after a successful surgery. She had prepared several meals before going in the day before. At 6:45 I left for the college and entered through the coded door and checked in with the registration desk and was given access to their internet. The only place you can use the WIFI is in Oak Hall. Rules do not allow pictures being taken in the house and I will not abuse the privileges that I have been given, however let me describe my location. From where I am sitting, directly in front is a floor to ceiling fireplace carved out of beautiful sandstone with the date 1892 inscribed at the top. The firebox itself is approx. Six feet wide and six feet tall with a depth of three feet. The ceiling in this room is about 24 feet high and entirely covered with oak panelling inset in beams. To either side of the fireplace are a set of armour and various weapons, including shields, spears, axes and swords. No dates are available but one looks medieval and the other looks oriental. On the oak floors are two carpets 27’ x 15 and a runner 27’ x 4’. The room itself is approximately 26’ x 40’ with oak panelling all around up 12’. At one end sits a grand piano with stained glass windows about 12’ tall. On the opposite end a gallery from the bedrooms on the second floor looks down upon the room I am in. The walls of the gallery are ornate carved wood and stretches the full width of the room. A large carved upright provides support to the gallery and is richly carved and about 30” square. The tables and chairs are oak and the chairs are a combination of oak and leather. There are various coaches and settees in the room. I am the only person here. I wish I could have taken a picture but hope my description will suffice for now.

Back to my room at 9:00, read for a while and off to bed at my usual time.

Pictures

I added pictures to April 13 and the Happy Easter posts, that I wasn't able to do before.

April 16

Up at 6:10 without an alarm clock. Downstairs to make breakfast and lunch. Walked up the road 10 minutes to work, this is a nice aspect. I was already for my edging assignment when Jim advised that he had some other plans. He showed me the Laburnum Arch gardens again and said while I did a fairly good job, there were aspects that could be improved upon. Namely a better job of edging and weeding. Basically everything I had done yesterday. He reviewed the edging technique and wanted me to be more severe in creating a crisp edge and then showed me a tool previously unavailable to me. I think it was a test. The tool known as an onion hoe is a small handheld tool with a small blade that is used to get around delicate plants such as the cyclamen. Used effectively it will disturb the top inch of soil, breaking up all the little weeds. It can only be used on hands and knees with a keeling pad. As you can imagine it takes quite a bit longer; reminds me of washing your car with a toothbrush. So Brian like Tigger was a little quieter and a more chastened Brian. But I’ve got to tell you I am a believer. Getting a lesson from Jim Buckland is like gardening with John Tredescant. (look him up). The beds looked absolutely fabulous when I finished them and it took all day to do one side. I’ll load a picture later for you. Today’s shots show the tool shop and various tools and wheelbarrows used at the gardens.

Oh yes, it was also a lovely day, sunny and 18 and after lunch I changed into shorts, which drew many whistles and lots more stares. It was very comfortable working in a t-shirt and shorts; I hear it was cold in NS yesterday. Knocked off at 4:00 and walked home on a back road, through the village and bought a few supplies at the local store. Home to 108, and took a shower before supper. Then at 7:30 one of the volunteers , Derek and Steve, who used to work at the gardens, picked me up and drove me a few miles north to a pub in Singleton called The Fox Goes Free. We didn’t sample the fare but certainly enjoyed the milk. One of their dairies is called Harvest and the other Ballards. Harvest was the popular choice by 2 to 1. We were also joined by two other volunteers, Ken and Ian. These are a great group of people and I really enjoyed their company. I am including a picture of Derek and Ken at work in the gardens. Derek is over 70 and wears a bowler hat. Ken wears an Australian style hat and Derek said he started wearing the bowler to get some of the attention that was being given to Ken. We got back home at 10:00 and it was time for bed.