Summer on Sequoia

10 Nov '07 9:01 am

So that's why you've cloned yourself, Jack! Jack Two can be the first of many replicas! perhaps when you're up to Jack Fifty-Five the webmaster will take some notice.

Your pictures are wonderful - seems to me that everything happens two weeks at least earlier than here. You're talking about summer! I love the stripey rose picture, Aunty Corrie and Variegata di Bologna. What a lovely pair!

12 Nov '07 1:03 am

All of your adorable captures, Jack, speak of the process well into Summer!! They are uplifting , romantic, and joyful!! Wonderful!!

12 Nov '07 6:13 am

I went out for a quick late afternoon stroll about the garden - it ended up taking an hour and a half... I've still not prepared any Rondel or Anniversary Gdn rose posts, but I've added to the collection of material Wink

and posted a teaser below Razz

12 Nov '07 7:27 am

To hell with the counter-seasons idea - don't you agree?

12 Nov '07 2:30 pm

Rotary Centenary, what a chubby, cherubic rose blossom. I love it for it's fat grace and for it's luscious peachy tone. It is a very sensuous rose altogether, with an altogether unromantic name. Rotary Centenary. Another thing I loved in this latest post is the ethereal "Late Light" photos.

20 Nov '07 12:44 am

Well, follow-up to the visit by the press some weeks ago.

But first HI! to all my friends. I'm afraid I'm a little scarce at the moment as we wind up the year, although I have a growing collection of photo's ready and am planning a camera upgrade...

But I must brag. Last week the national Afrikaans Sunday paper carried an article on the Tzaneen garden route which commented on my garden and even included a picture of it. This week the Sunday Times, the paper with the largest circulation in the country, carried an article which I can only hope does something for garden tourism in SA... It was even published on their webpage at http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Lifestyle/Article.aspx?id=611340

What really amused me is that the upper photo - presumably taken at the neighbours' Cheerio Gardens although I don't recognize the exact spot, includes... wait for it!... the Alpha Male of the Mountain... the one time winner of the Moosey Pet of the Month award... the one and only... MONTGOMERY DOG Exclamation

That of course, he said modestly, is over and above the picture of The House That Jack Built...

20 Nov '07 3:53 am

Great article Jack! It made me want to plan a trip to SA to take the tour myself (and stay in some of those wonderful Inns). Montgomery looks right at home even though it is not his home garden and the view of your house was wonderful. I am so proud for you!

20 Nov '07 10:01 pm

Wow! Such wonderful publicity, Jack! Applause

May Sequoia Farm be visited by the millions and comes out top in growing number of tourists! Montgomery is such an adorable teaser in that first photo and amazing to see the other photo is almost the exact spot of the one beautifully captured by you as on the first page here. And, what a lovely set of gorgeous pictures you've shared, absolutely enchanting! Thanks, dear friend! Very Happy

21 Nov '07 10:46 am

Congrats, Jack - gosh that article makes you sound really interesting. Not that I'm saying you're not... Do you feel any personal connection with any of the Tintin characters, by the way?

I love the article, and am about to plaster it (well, link to it) in many, varied, indiscreet places. Welcome to the Gardener-Legends Hall of Fame!

23 Nov '07 4:54 am

Oops

Dealing with Moosey's unexpected and definitely undeserved comments plunges me into a morass of open-gardener self-doubt. Especially as my very first visitors (before the press even) were clearly wealthy people from a rather similar setting in the mountains of Kwazulu-Natal. An altogether more sophisticated community. But I did hear afterwards (from one of the local nursery-tearooms, and very good friends) that they had enjoyed both me and the garden...

And then the press... truth be told, I don't know how complimentary the Tintin image was. And I think he had one of the more gungho rustics in Tintin in mind - perhaps even one of the bad guys ( Twisted Evil

yipee!). He did get his facts rather muddled - about me and the queen and which tree and which garden...

But what I have realised from two newspaper articles and one set of visitors is that garden and gardener are inextricably intertwined in the minds of visitors... in fact, we seem to provide a form of theatre... to indulge or not to indulge, that is the question...

Anyway Moosey: good luck and ENJOY your visiting chorasters... and remember that they are keen to enjoy both you and your garden. And if they are not - watcha got a pond fur? Twisted Evil

More news. I have replaced my camera which had started giving trouble. I found a good 2nd hand Canon S2 IS at a very good price. It is a reasonable upgrade at minimal expense - in fact about 10% of what I was looking at to start upgrading to SLR... It arrived today - here are my first pics, taken on a dull, muggy afternoon.

Now its back to my marking...

Summer on Sequoia

Jack Flash

More Summer delights!!

A quick walk

My wintery summer avatar is not working

Thanks Jack

Fame?

Tzaneen Garden publicity

As thrilling as a Tintin adventure?

Dealing with fame - and sympathising with open gardening