Green Girl Gardener

I have quite a bit that I want to share at the moment, so I’ve decided that this post will have two topics to save having to spam you with updates! So, if you’re all sitting comfortably I’ll get on with act one.

I told you a few days ago that I was expecting a delivery this weekend (weather permitting). Well, in true Michael Fish style the weather didn’t do what was predicted, and it was a drizzly, mizzly, spitty kind of day (see my last post about rain!) but we forged ahead anyway because, honestly, if you couldn’t cope with a bit of wet stuff in the UK, you’d never get anything done!

Phoebe Buffay once said of Monica’s baking, ‘It’s hard to believe that just a little while ago this was nothing but ingredients’ and I had a similar experience today.

A few weeks ago my Dad sent me a photo of these ingredients in his garage.

Since then he’s been busy turning the ingredients into the most amazing early birthday present for me and today he and my stepmum came to deliver it. The finished product is too big to fit in a car, so we (mainly Dad!) assembled it in the garden.

In the words of Rolf Harris, ‘Can you tell what it is yet?’

Wait for it …………….

Drumroll ……………..

It’s a planter! An empty one at the moment, but an amazing planter that I’m going to really, really, REALLY enjoy planning and then filling with beautiful plants.

Isn’t my Dad talented to be able to make this from those simple ingredients? Thank you Dad – I love it! I can only hope that a fraction of your carpentry skill has passed on to me.

More on this to come once I’ve filled it with gardeny goodness, but for now it’s time for you all to pop to the loo (I hope the queue’s not too long) and buy your ice cream before the second half begins, and as with all good performances, there was a hint of what’s to come in act one.

Six young people all trying to find their way in New York City, three guys and three gals, one brother and sister, one kooky free spirit, a couple of roommates and the ultimate rich girl with a big heart. F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Timehop told me this morning that on this day twenty four years ago, the first ever episode of Friends aired. Twenty four years? How old am I again? A quick google (still a verb) has told me that it didn’t air in the UK until April 1995, but this really doesn’t make me feel much more youthful!

With this fact in mind, my choice of clothing this morning was a no brainer! It had to be this hoody that hubby bought me for my birthday a couple of years ago at Friends Fest at Blenheim Palace.

I absolutely love Friends. Always have, always will. I think there’s a little bit of each of the friends in us all. Chandler, a psychologist’s dream and searching for perfection and Joey, happy-go-lucky yet deep down craves fame and fortune. Monica, borderline OCD and desperate to find her soulmate and Phoebe, quirky and ditzy but probably the most self-assured of the six. Rachel, spoilt and materialistic yet kind hearted and loyal and Ross, super intelligent and successful but unlucky in love.

This photo was taken at Friends Fest. This was a great day. It was basically a whole load of photo opportunities. As well as this recreation of the intro, you could have photos taken in Monica and Rachel’s apartment, the guys apartment and Central Perk. It comes round every year to several locations – keep an eye on Comedy Central if you fancy going. It’s normally around this time of year.

Recently the entire ten series of Friends was shown on Netflix, the viewing choice of the millenial generation, and there’s been a bit of a backlash. They see offence and political incorrectness in some of the themes and storylines in Friends. I just can’t bring myself to see it this way. I think it’s important to remember that, much as I’d love to be best friends with Rachel, go running with Phoebe, eat pizza with Joey, have Monica clean my bathroom, correct grammar with Ross and look after a chick and a duck with Chandler, it’s not real! Its intention was never to poke fun at marginal groups in society or to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but rather it allowed millions of people some escapism and relaxation which surely can only be a good thing.

If there’s anyone left out there who hasn’t watched Friends, I’d urge you to do so (it’s coming to channel 5), don’t analyse it too much, just watch it and enjoy it in the way it was intended.