green fingers wanted

distraught and at the end of my wits. my wonderful abundant oregano plant looks like this after 2 months in my care.
i had to give him a haircut to get rid of the brown leaves.
what am i doing wrong? too little water? too much? too dark? too bright?
surely an oregano is not so sensitive.
and i want it to be fit for my pasta sauce! help!

saturday's pleasures

it was sooo hot today that even the belisha beacons took their yellow tops off.
unfortunately it was also a windy day, so our outdoor badminton match ended when the shuttle got blown into a tree, got comfy and did not move a millimeter after that.
now at home and unwilling to start my exam prep. i just finished my last essay for this year (hurra!!) and want to enjoy a care-FREE, study-FREE weekend.
just watched half a documentary on prince charles as a bachelor in the 70s. an inflated, arrogant, self-centred and useless man, not the sharpest tool in the box, who goes through the mares (sorry: girls) that are being paraded in front of him without much emotion and thinks he's not answerable to anyone.
much like the asbo kids of today, really.
i guess the sign of a true democracy is that rogueish, irresponsible behaviour is there for everybody to portray, not just the offspring of the ruling classes.

spot the shuttle cock in the tree:

the perfect latte

e.t. property

so we have finally discovered a planet out there with a good atmosphere to live.
and already some earthlings are thinking about spoiling it. hmm.
i wonder what property prices will be like there. the first person to land on the planet should be english.
he'll put up... not the union jack, but a foxton's *for sale* sign. i bet.
a small step for man, a big jump on the property ladder.

positive messages from east germany

a prussian career and the end of it

max lindig died in bad duerrenberg in 1937. he was buried with the title of *wirklicher geheimer oberregierungsrat*.
wow.
in the ranks of prussian civil service, titles do not come much higher than this.
he may have worked directly under bismarck.
he died just in time to not get his fingers too dirty.
unfortunately for him, he must have died without children because his grave is in a mess.
stone fallen over, dusty, no flowers.
interesting. i'd like to investigate him further.

ploetzliche erinnerungen

gerade musste ich an die tschechischen maerchenfilmserien meiner ddr kinder- und jugendzeit denken. die musste man am wochenende gesehen haben, wenn man am montag auf dem schulhof mitreden wollte. das maedchen auf dem besenstiel, luzie, arabella, und natuerlich pan tau, der mit der melone!
noch was, was in england keiner kennt. da sind wir deutschen ganz unter uns.

mit den tschechen, natuerlich.

carbon neutral

dear mister gore,
please get carbon neutral.
in fact, please go and neutralise the entire carbon-neutral movement.
i so wish this fad will go away quickly (just like live aid did) without too much damage to the environment.
the channel 4 news just calculated the annual co2 emissions of the red hot chilli peppers versus those of the average person: it's 200 tons to 10.
well done then that the peppers will be at the live earth gig.
probably the one in antarctica.
to promote tourism there.

sorry to rant on. i just hate this high-moral luxury political correctness. hypocrisy reached a new height it seems. politicians should just raise taxes on flying (which is what this is all about), some old rock stars should just release the cd and collect the revenues, and let's all get on with it.
it is insulting to assume that people are only interested in doing worthwhile things if they are fun. or get a free concert.
dear wasters of non-renewable resources (i mean you, americans and especially my neighbours here in london),
go to germany and scandinavia to learn how to live environmentally-friendly: to start with, recycle, switch the engine off when waiting for mum to pick up the dry cleaning. and stop talking about things you don't know anything about!

rent a dog

as i walked around the cornish coast last weekend, surrounded by dogs of all shapes and barks, i felt a positive outcast without a little rex or rover by my side that would race after every stick i threw (or pretended to throw because, let's face it, dogs are a bit thick).
so a cunning plan developed in my sunkissed head (the same as every time i'm in a dog dense area): why not set up a dog rental business?
i could go on explaining details of the scheme, but it's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?

dumplings

while you are still digesting your easter eggs, i'm watching dumplings on tv. a charming film about the one-child policy in china, unfaithful husbands, cooking recipes and how to look young forever.
stay young to die old looking young? working on your looks is something you cannot retire from. when would you be too old to care about your looks, or so exhausted from working on your looks that you wish you'd die now?
just look at cher.
bai ling is excellent in dumplings.

possessing and giving

quote of the day in, well, celebration of the release of 15 british sailors who got lost in the shallow waters of the persian gulf:
*complete possession is proved only by giving. all you are unable to give possesses you.* - andre gide

just browsing

out of boredom, after a big dinner, i googled my name.
first time ever, i swear.
look what i found (apart from the south african rugby player that shares my name):
this one is clearly up to no good. and she's cheap. only 3 pounds at amazon!

word of the month

bantustanization

5 working days or: the johnlewis experience

hurra! off to cornwall on friday. for a stiff atlantic breeze and sandy beaches. we're staying in an inn, so will have guinness for breakfast, bitter for lunch and an ale for dinner. can't wait.

but before the reward comes hard work. we ordered a computer desk at *never knowingly undersold* john lewis. 3 weeks ago. so i could give a home to my laptop that is sending out these postings to you. delivery within 5 working days.
emailed customer service after 7 days to find that the courier had given the goods to someone called a. kang as they could not find our address. lots of sorries and pledges to investigate the incident. i know, call centres have a tough job, mistakes can happen.
then: nothing. i called again after another 3 days, to be told that they were still investigating. i asked for a new delivery date instead of an investigation. still friendly, it's a busy time of year for deliveries. they promised we'd have it within 5 working days. that was last wednesday.
well, you may have guessed it: no computer desk as yet. but lots of patronising attitude. hours in the loop, tortured by katie melua lalala. and sorries. and explanations where i need a solution. someone to say: i'm on the case, i'll make sure that this desk gets delivered. because that's my job.
i demanded to *speak to the manager*. This speaking to the manager is never more than a limp attempt to reassert one's authority and to vent some anger. which i did, and plenty! the *manager*, joe, was equally *empathetic* to my frustration as his army of call centre agents before. he promised to have the desk delivered... within 5 working days. but only after he corrected the address in the computer (why does 80a sound like 88?) and i got his details, and we agreed (i.e. i instructed him) to call me when the delivery is on its way.
fingers crossed!

but first, on friday, we're off to cornwall!

henley. what really happened

as i was posting idyllic swan and bum pics from my sunday in henley-o.-t., a tragedy unfolded 1km upstream.
the women's oxford-cambridge race was about to start. high waves brought on a mass crash of boats, rowers fell into the river, start was delayed, cancelled, recalled...
further downstream, we had a great time in blissful ignorance of the boating disaster.

welcome and farewell

spent a wonderful afternoon in henley. on thames. luvvly. clean. middle class. sporty.
the kind of quaint middle-england place where you get tea shops that serve cream tea and scones, the monsoon shop in the high street, the church, the war memorial (any particular war i may be talking about here??) and of course a plethora of estate agents.
famous for boatraces.
we would have watched a boatrace if we had made an effort. instead, we went against the stream and photographed swans.
and rowers' bums. which sounds like something unpleasant, like athlete's foot, but is really quite nice to watch.
my first time in henley, my first posting on my new laptop.
and the last day i wore my olive camouflage pants that i roughed up in 5 middle eastern countries. i tore them in a sensitive spot... now they are in the bin.