OPTIMISM

OPTIMISMThe optimist in me says that the ‘oceans are clear and blue’, all mountain streams are fresh, rain water is pure and that the glass of water is always full.

The pessimist in me never swims in oceans, lakes, canals, public swimming pools or rivers and buys a very good quality water filter for use in my own kitchen, bathroom and garden!

Whether you are optimist and view a partly filled glass of Water as half full, or a pessimist with a half empty glass of water, you always want your Water to be Clean.

You want to be able to swim at the beach party, shower and make a drink without risking your health. We all want this – all of us on this ‘blue planet’ – all the Whales, Dolphins, Fish, Birds, Plants and every other creature needs clean water to be healthy.

As we steadily pollute the land, sky and waters around us, we damage this planet. The sure ‘slow kill’ of most pollutants often goes un-noticed, unlike an oil tanker disaster where the destruction of marine life can be photographed for the World’s front pages.

I am still an optimist. There’s an old saying that ‘optimists tend to make things happen whilst pessimists tend to allow things to happen’. For things to get better, we need to believe they will whilst designing and implementing balanced progress.

“We are what we think we are and we become what we want to become”

Once we knew a sea full of fish with no fishing quotas needed – now we land on Mars wanting to find life thus water there. We need to look after the water we have on this planet. We need to be thankful for how far we have come and be positive about how far we have to go.

I believe that both optimism and pessimism are self fuelling and become in themselves, self fulfilling prophecies. If people think that things will get better they surely will. Our home, this small blue-planet, needs to be a better ‘home-sweet-home’ for its wide ranging group of inhabitants. We can learn thus make it better or ignore life’s lessons and make it worse.

Waves ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ <+))))))))>< ~~~ Grant

Away in a Manger, one quid for a garden design gem

manger in Garden DesignAlongside the top terrace, beneath the newly planted White Wisteria, we’ve formed a railing from three sections of an old manger which cost us just one (UK) pound in a local farm auction – and we love it.

If you are over this way on a Wednesday and have never experienced the buzz of a local auction, let us know and we’ll introduce you.

Trying to find instant maturity to blend-in around here, often delays the finish of features but we can afford the luxury of delay on our own project house. Most internal and external features at the HoBB ‘grow’ as we find the next piece they need regardless of the ‘wait’.

This method of incremental architecture allows us to enjoy the art of construction in many ways. Visiting friends contribute their thoughts and actions to HoBB features in the same way that Cairns in Scotland are often built, one rock at a time, and by returning to a feature with freshened eyes it remains alive.

Some see the many features at the HoBB as ‘unfinished’, but they are ‘in progress’ and grow as steadily as our young trees. Gardeners, and farmers, are forever seeing the changes they cultivate and I have been both farmer and gardener in my time.

Many modern makers of finished ‘product’ remain proudly attached to their finished works and in this ‘build and move on’ climate, too few remain in touch with their former ‘babies’ long enough to experience their growing pains. When I design a garden I enjoy seeing it grow more than designing it.

If you are right at the start of a garden re-think and want to bat ideas around you are welcome to say hi when over this way. Drop me a line.