A break in the rain

We have had a terrible summer in London. What started off with so much promise with the driest start of the year I can remember, all went wrong from June when it started raining and it hasn't really stopped since. It has also been really cold at night.  Normally we eat in the garden 3 or 4 times a week, this year we have managed it 3 or 4 times in 3 months!

So when we had a gap in the rain last night and figuring we wouldn't have many more opportunities, we headed outside for the evening (admittedly with some warm cloths at the ready). It was an opportunity use the use the storm lantern  I posted about back in February.

What you can't see in the photo is all the colour (the photos either showed the colour of the lanterns but nothing else, or as above where you can see the whole area but no colour).

Just a shame we haven't been able to use it more.

The perfect plant pot

Pots seem to be a common theme in things I read at the moment and searching for that perfect pot can be almost as hard as searching for the perfect plant. Most of the time the only decisions I make over pots are: plastic or terracotta, and full or half depth. I tend to automatically put all my agaves in unglazed terracotta pots to ensure they dry out quickly, limiting the amount of pot hunting I have to do. One of my favourites at the moment is this lovely little starter pot.

I don't know what it is about this one that I love, it just seems to have the perfect proportions and has been ideal for one of my bonsai experiments on echeveria minima. It came with a cutting from a friend and was so much better than the little take out coffee cups I was using for my seedlings.

Not all pots fit in the tasteful category and novelty pots are everywhere.  So far I have managed to mainly avoid them but I do have two that go with my African 'garden tat'. This one is the hippo and currently has an flowering echeveria john catlin on its back.

Moving swiftly on, the thing about the perfect pot, is finding a pot that works for the plant and in the location.  How often do you see something that looks amazing only to know it wouldn't work for you.  Pots more than anything need to fit in with the garden.  I have shown these painted pots before, I loved them this garden in Morocco, but they would never work for me.

One other thing about pots is that they don't have to be filled to be part of the garden. The friend that gave me the little pot has a great used pots pile.  She has the most amazing garden full of different sections with hidden bits, I will have to do a post on it at some point soon.  Last time I was there I took some photos of the behinds the scenes areas and one of those was this pots pile:

She is very embarrassed about it, sorry Mel, but I think it's great. Apart from looking good, I imagine it is an ideal wildlife refuge. Most of the pots are broken and are stored here until they are given a new life in a mosaic style wall somewhere in their garden.

I doubt having all my plants in fancy pots would make them more acceptable to my OH, so for now I do not need to expand my search for pots. No doubt I will continue to keep an eye out whenever I visit a nursery as you never know when you will find that perfect pot.

Storm Lantern

Given the recent Moroccan theme with the post on  Jardin Majorelle, I thought I would continue it with my latest stained glass project.  I am almost as pleased with the photo as I am with the actual storm lantern. It would have been even better if I hadn't put it together wrong, the orange sections were meant to alternate.  But then I guess if I didn't point it out no one would know. Now we just need some warmer weather so we can sit outside in the garden with it.

And if I decide it doesn't work as a lantern  I can always use it a terrarium.

Statues

One of the things I like about visiting different countries is looking at the statues the locals carve.  I have a particular love of local gods, idols or fertility figures, much to my OHs horror!  I usually try to pick up at least one little souvenir on each trip, but this has slowed dramatically since traveling with my OH, she seems to think we don't need lots of fertility statues around the garden let alone the house.

A lot of the statues have come from various parts of the pacific.  I was lucky enough to travel around quite a few of the islands and loved all the different images.  This little fella is from the Cook Islands (which if you ever get a chance to visit are stunning and my favourite place in the world). At some point I will have to do a post on the carved palm trees I saw there.

This next one is from Papaya New Guinea.  Sadly I have yet to get there, but found it on one of the other islands in the area.  It is quite a bit more scary than most and is not one many people seem to like.  I think it has a certain something though.

I have a couple form Hawaii, again they seem to have gone for more ferocious than cute and cuddly. Sadly I had run out of money by the time I got there and this one is a bit tourist,  but I hope one day to carve a nicer version myself. (one of the many things on my to-do list). Actually the idea for this post came from from the blog Laguna Dirt and their Tiki statues (thank you for the idea).

Next is Ghana and again I have a few from here.  This one is by far my favourite, not just because I haven't seen another like it, but because of the look of surprise on her face. I was working out there at the time,  and had the strangest haggling experience every to get this.  I am sure most people are used to the usual ask a price,  then haggle it down to something that is reasonable and fair.  The price for this was so low I was a bit taken aback, so offered a much higher price.  We then went back and forwards them haggling the price down me haggling up.  In the end we settled on something that was still stupidly cheap but I thought fairer.  The only time I have ended up paying more than the original asking price.

The back of this one is fun as she has a baby clinging to her, and excuse my language, but very well defined buttocks.

I will finish in Nepal. This Buddha for which I am sure there is an official term, but which I refer to as stretching Buddha is probably where I go from interesting to tat.  I am not sure it has artistic merit when the value was determined by the weight of the metal. I read a book before my visit called Shopping for Buddhas by Jeff Greenwald about the joy of searching for the perfect Buddha statue in Nepal, and so I did a little searching myself. I found this little round bellied gem in a pile of metal being sold probably for scrap. However he was valued,  I like him,  and whenever I look at him I am instantly transported back to the narrow winding streets of Kathmandu with their colours, sounds and smells.

Overall i think they are more tasteful than tat, but my OH thinks otherwise, I guess the saying is true: one mans tasteful is another womans tat. But do not worry we have not stopped collecting,  only when my OH gets involved it is no longer little statues that can be hidden away.