November 7th. -- Plant the indoor bulbs. Just as I am in the middle of them, Lady Boxe calls. I say, untruthfully, how nice to see her, and beg her to sit down while I just finish the bulbs. Lady B. makes determined attempt to sit down in armchair where I have already placed two bulb-bowls and the bag of charcoal, is headed off just in time, and takes the sofa.
Do you know, she asks, how very late it is for indoor bulbs? September, really, or even October, is the time. Do I know that the only reliable firm for hyacinths is somebody from Haarlem? Cannot catch the name of the firm, which is Dutch, but reply Yes, I do know, but think it my duty to buy Empire products. Feel at the time, and still think, that this is an excellent reply. Unfortunately Vicky comes into the drawing-room later and says: "O Mumie, are those the bulbs we got at Woolworths?"
Lady B. stays to tea. (Mem.: Bread-and-butter too thick. Speak to Ethel.) We talk some more about bulbs, the Dutch School of Paintings, our Vicar's wife, sciatica, and All Quiet on the Western Front.
(Query: Is it possible to cultivate the art of conversation when living in the country all year round?)
Britta says: I LOVE the hilarious books by E.M.Delafield - read them often - and just in time: November is coming near, and I have planted a few bulbs of snowdrops - "a few" means: 7 - hahaha, that is the number of snowdrops that were in the bag.
Well - I garden on the balcony, and only in one box I planted perennials, and there I put the little bulbs in between. Am curious whether they manage...
I also thought that the only plants that counted were in the back and front gardens, surrounded by trees and lawns.
ReplyDeleteBut a garden on the balcony makes perfect sense, especially if you spend time reading or drinking coffee on your balcony. Even better, the perennials look fantastic from inside the glass windows and door to the balcony.
Dear Helen, oh yes, I used both balconies in a recreative way! First thing in the morning (as you know I wake up early) is to step on the balcony and look at the stars - surprisingly I can see a lot in Berlin too! And then I go and smell at my roses (which flower 3x this year, so happy!) and look at the plants of the season. In Bavaria the huge balcony faces South, which wasn't that easy this year - but I can roll out shades from above, which gives it an Italian flair.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Provincial Lady is utterly hilarious! Bonne chance with your snowdrops - see what I did there with a little bit of Hyacinth-speak, hahah. Growing up we had small clumps of them in the garden and they seemed to be able to power on all by themselves with plenty of neglect.
ReplyDeleteSo cool to find a fellow provincial lady fan! And thanks for alerting me to this blog!
ReplyDeleteDear Boud - it seems I answered to your comment on another version - I seem to have confused something.
DeleteI am an ardent lover of the Provincial Lady - all sequels too, and can still laugh at it.
For a while I had to re-educate myself when I had started to write in her breathless style too - omitting the personal pronoun "I".
As to the "you" - is your surname Liz?