I have been catching up on some gardening books. One was the Complete Idiot's Guide to Self Sufficiency. An pragmatic American tome for the wannabe goat farmers, beekeepers and cheese makers amongst us who see earth as a 'spaceship' and the other was a philosophical English thesis called 'Therapeutic Gardening' with lots of quotes by esteemed literary types extolling the sybaritic virtues of gardening. It's interesting how both extremes, complete idiots and literati alike, have taken to gardening.
Can I be said to be somewhere in the middle? Middle child that I am? I want to make peace with the earthy types with soil underneath their fingernails (mine are often a disaster) and the brainy types with their heads in the clouds reciting Wordsworth (yes, the clouds are lonely, but they also bring much needed rain for our fair isles).
One thing I can't deal with though, is people who don't like gardening at all. And who want to stop other people from doing it. I don't get that. When has a garden ever threatened their wellbeing, or harmed them in some way, or somehow interfered with their lives? Why do those people who say no to gardening but then don't do anything else worthwhile want to impose their rules on people who like gardening? I don't see them offering the fruits of their labours (no fruits, because, only gardening can give you fruit) and sharing with others, or brightening up peoples lives with flowers, or giving them fresh air.
I can deal with the control freak type, who want every weed banished and only want you to grow well behaved plants in rows. They can go live in america on Kansas that's where those types ought to be sent. I can deal with the lazy types, who just want to be. They can just go to the bush and forage.
I can deal with beginners, who just need to be taught, and know-it-alls, who just need to go find an ivory tower to write their expert book on how to garden.
But the people who say, we don't want a garden here because its more important to have the land used as a car park. Or, any trees will be blocking our view of the sea. I think God has a special place reserved for them that is very hot, has no trees, no air, no water, no light, and it starts with H and ends in L.
