Six-on-Saturday: The 2023 Series Is Here

I’m on the ferris wheel once again, as I attempt to revive my Six-on-Saturday garden updates after an extended period of rest and recovery. Be warned, however! The NEW 2023 SERIES will be different. It will be a bit more concise, and it will not be EVERY Saturday. Why so, you’re surely asking yourself in your head? At present, I am in the process of WRITING MY FIRST BOOK and I’ve blocked off lots of hours to get it to the publisher by early Autumn. Ask me no questions, and I’ll tell you no lies.

For starters, some readers may know that I do a cycling blog from time to time. With that in mind the Six-on-Saturday will be five items from the garden and one bike-related update. I could do a separate Five-on-Friday but the Six-on-Saturday has a ring to it.

Here’s the shape of things in the garden on the third Saturday of the month…

Cordyline

I can’t understand why a plant would cost thirty euro. Maybe it’s something to do with how long it takes to get the plant from seed or cutting to the selling size.

In any case I did part with good money because I love the many shades of red/maroon on the leaves. It’s a Cordyline, the variety being Torbay Dazzler. It will grow to about a metre. Likely it will live happily in this large tub. I love it for several reasons:

• Looks great all through the year, but especially in winter
• Plant summer annuals around it… yes, you guessed, in summer
• Primroses and crocuses around it for spring
• I could go on and on…

Empty Chair

Mam left us on January 30th. She will be missed. Up to 2017, she did love to potter about our garden after Sunday dinner. Mostly she asked:

Is that a flower or a weed?

and I always replied:

If you like it, it’s a flower. If you don’t, it’s a weed.

I will miss mam’s puzzled expression at such an illogical generality.

Cyclamen

Many Cyclamen varieties sold in garden centres are not worth tuppence. They get mouldy and die a terrible death. Not so with Cyclamen coum, recommended to me by Paddy. In just one year it has spread nicely I’ll be looking forward to seeing this fill the space quickly.

February flowers are small, but on the other hand, so delightful. Spring is on the way!

After The Chiropractor

My quarterly visit to Dungarvan Chiropractic Clinic was last Wednesday. I was strongly advised not to do any heavy gardening or long cycling for twenty-four hours. That said, about three hours later, I got stuck in to attaching a home-made trellis to the back fence. There’s a beautiful climber here, but it needs a lot of support to spread along the entire width of the space.

In all, I was busy for about two hours, measuring, cutting, screwing and tidying up after me. Marion doesn’t like the power tools left lying about. She’s right too! On a positive note, I did not do any long cycling.

All going well, I’ll update the progress this time next year. Can you see the bamboo sticks on the fence?

Kilmacthomas

I cycle most Sundays with Dungarvan Cycling Club, and specifically with Group 3. Since 2019, Covid played havoc with our collective cycling, and whereas other groups within the club found ways to muddle through in order to survive, recover and even thrive, our Group 3 struggled and almost ceased to exist.

In the Autumn of 2022, some wise men decided to formulate a plan to bring the group back from the dead, rise from the ashes and pick a path that will allow us return to our days of former fun. The process seemed slow, yet we knew we were going in the right direction. In particular, the last two Sundays were exciting. The banter and group bonding was very evident. Today, we finished Chapter One of the journey. There will be many exciting chapters to be written in the months ahead.

Here’s the Captain’s Report:

“Group 3 had a real revival feeling today. Declaring the coffee stop distance, people could choose to start or finish with the group, or as in the case for two of us we started, took a short cut to the coffee stop and finished with the group. We had eight starting out heading east into a brisk south-easterly to Durrow, Lemybrien and on to Crehana where the group turned for Kilmacthomas. On the way to the coffee, we picked up one more, and two more joined after the coffee. The now ten strong group headed to 5-Cross-Roads with more riders than we started with, clipping along with a tail wind finally. A fabulous and very enjoyable 78km spin. Roll on the Spring.”

Blue Carpet

In order to show where a very small plant fits into the big picture, here’s a small picture! Top left: four large containers, each contain six or seven pots-within-a pot. Then I’ve zoomed in to just one container and finally to Juniperus Blue Carpet.

This is a Juniper, a low-growing spreading evergreen that boasts the AGM (Award of Garden Merit) tag. The full details are below. It’ll save me lots of typing because I’m unable to copy-n-paste from a photograph.

It’s a real favourite here in my garden, particularly as it’s beautiful in winter, although it has no flower. I’ll keep it in its pot until next year. In the meantime, I’ll grow about half a dozen clones from slips. For benefit of some readers, slips are cuttings that I will get to take root. All going well, next year I’ll have seven. I’ll keep some and offer the others to a good home.

As you know, I’ve (almost) perfected my patented pot-in-a-pot technique. I can simply lift each plant out, move them around, remove if out of season, or just about anything I want to do without hard work. Great for the hours immediately after a visit to DCC (Dungarvan Chiropractic Clinic).

My Purple Heart

I’m being economical with my time. This appeared here and on FB during the week, and I just practiced my copy-n-paste skills. If I don’t practice, these skills get lost slowly, until there comes a point where they’re lost forever. Yes, Marion would surely help a doddery oul copy-n-paste amnesiac, and she will when the time comes.

Throughout history, purple robes were worn by royalty and people of authority or high rank. Many believe this to be true because the rare occurrence of purple in nature made it one of the most expensive color dyes to create. The United States Military awards the Purple Heart to soldiers wounded in battle. In Thailand, purple is the color of mourning for widows.

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Bits-n-Pieces

Change number 27: When I publish this on my website, I’ll share it to FB, but I’ll share it publicly in such a way that when you read it, you’ll be able to SHARE it to your friends. This would mean an awful lot to me. It would be better than buying me a coffee, better than Manchester United getting beaten, even better than se… se… sentences written by readers as comments.

Finally, we come to change number 148… I love collage pictures and doctoring photographs. It may be my way of changing reality. Anyway, I’m planning to include this when I get the time. For example…

148 above reminds me of a genius Waterford Whispers spoof last week. They secured actual real drone footage of the All-Ireland Club Football Final between Kilmacud Crokes and the other team. Whereas there was controversy over the sixteen players on the winning team, the footage proved beyond doubt that there were 148 players on the pitch for the last thirty seconds. I’m in awe of Waterford Whispers and of any small parish team that can field 148 players. Imagine the job of the kit-man washing them for next match!

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Thought for the week:

Summary of Changes

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You can expect the following:

• 5 garden items
• 1 bike
• 1 collage / PipCamera alternative reality
• 1 philosophical quote… While I have you reading, I’ll slip in something heavy, just to balance my mischievous nature
• Continued fun and a bit of blackguarding
• Posted publicly to enable sharing

Final Thought

You are presented with a free read, and I hope you enjoy. But ask yourself this question… Am I happy to read Páraig’s Six-on-Saturday but not to spread the word? Am I contributing in any small way to this entertainment? Like the fella in Gomorrah, if I could get ten good men readers to share the article, I’d be beside myself! That’s how social media works. Are you just soaking it up or are you willing to be an active participant? I have lofty expectations.

Gallery

Click the first hotograph and swipe right. (Late edit: 😜 mea culpa, photograph, but as there’s fun & banter on the FB comments, I’m happy to leave hotograph as is.)

Páraig.