Saturday, March 31, 2007

Winterizing the house


Just calling to say I’m off.

What time?

Fifteen fifteen. That’s IF the flight is on time and we are not kept waiting on the ground for straggling bumpkins doing last minute duty free.

House all cleaned up?

It’s winterized as far as poss. Leaks have been siliconed, Lichen sprayed. Enemies of the wisteria have fallen to merely quietly grumbling now it’s had its crewcut. Cars have their wheels clamped. Doors nailed shut…

“NAILED?

Well you know what the burglary rate is like in Godzone. And after my luck so far this year with being targeted. So see you again down here near the end of the year.

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Sunday, March 25, 2007

Wisteria


Any apple sauce to go with the turkey ham?

Sure, I’ll make up a dishful.

No, no, don’t bother, it’s fine as it is.

It doesn’t take a minute. Honestly.

Can I help?

Here, you can peel the apple if you like. It’s really, REALLY simple. Peel the apple, grate it, then add lemon juice…

Lemon? Why you do that?

For flavor – and to stop the color changing. Never add to fish.

Fish. Yes. Never. Why?

Lemon, meat OK. Never with fish. Doesn’t go. Try it yourself you don’t believe.

Wisteria looks nice.

Ugh.

You don’t like wisteria?

Such a thing, it’s so aggressive. It gets under the spouting and lifts the roof. It cracks foundations, it grows down into the walls, strangles trees and destroys houses …

But here you live near the sea, the country is windy, I imagine wisteria, being so HARDY, is all you can train up a pergola here.

I HAD tried camellias, but I was away a lot and they DID like their drink, I HAD tried a bougainvillea, all aphids and thorns, feijoas but Trevor next door fretted about the roots, you’re right, the wind was too strong, they all gave up the ghost. The wisteria IS high maintenance, you have to keep him cut right back, but he is, as you say, HARDY.

And I see you are in the middle of pruning.

The very midst of it. If I am severe every year in autumn, chop, chop, lop, lop, he behaves. I have to be. That’s the secret of a docile wisteria. Same with children and pets. Let him know who’s boss.

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