GETTING TO KNOW OXFORD

	Oxford is a university town, with 20,000 students and hundreds of lecturers and tutors living there. As well, there are the tourists and the rest of the residents, most of whom either work in the university or in the tourism industry. It makes for an interesting mix of shops with everything from  tailors making dinner suits to souvenir shops, shops selling books old and new, dozens of cafes, many expensive shoe shops, every type of jewelry and quite a collection of places dealing in organic / local food, like the organic butcher at left.
I had lunch amongst a whole lawnful of graves (right) at an excellent and very busy cafe serving seasonal, vegetarian, organic meals, called 'Vaults'. I took this photo early in the day but by lunchtime it was full. Before lunch I went on a tour of the university colleges, which date from the 12th century. The most astonishing thing to me was the quality and huge expanses of immaculate lawns which are not allowed to be walked on by the students or they are fined! I would love to use those lawn areas to grow vegetables!
This little bilby dates from the 18th century and is a feature on one of the walls of a college renowned for zoology.	This is the dining room of Exeter College where Alex will be living from next month.
Today there was a French market at Gloucester Green, selling all sorts of produce from these enormous tomatoes to bundles of garlic and shallots (below, right) as well as bowls of olives and stalls full of pastries. I bought some olives for tomorrow's picnic with the bloggers. I am really looking forward to the get together and to meeting Patrick, Steph and all the bloggers. Then I really will have something to write about!

PICTURESQUE IFFLEY....AND A FARMERS' MARKET IN OXFORD

I am not much of a tourist. Having returned to my room and looked at the photos of this day so far, there are none of the spires, churches, shops and old buildings so characteristic of Oxford. But, there are lots of the walk along the river and of the produce I found at the Oxford farmers'  market that happened to be on today! So feast on these and be grateful you are not being bombarded with the noise and hustle and bustle of the streets of Oxford, but rather on all that is peaceful and beautiful on a fine autumn day in the back-blocks of Iffley (the nearby village where the hotel is) and the farmers' market on Glousester Green, a little away from the main streets of Oxford.

The walk from the hotel at Iffley to the River Thames, then along its shores for an hour, to Oxford is idyllic..... let me show you.... if you are quiet you will hear the birds in the trees and the soft meandering of the river.
The sign says 'Logic Lane'....well it is a university town!	How lucky it was that I saw a sign to the farmers'  market that was happening today on Gloucester Green. It was hard to find a local to ask directions... so many tourists.... like me! It was just like our farmers' markets and the people selling were friendly and the produce excellent. Patrick has suggested a picnic for Saturday in the Botanic Gardens so I bought some cheeses, fruits and bits and pieces to take.... if I don't eat it all first! I have put more photos on the link, with captions.
	The apple lady has 60 varieties growing at the orchard but obviously not all were available today. Look at the colour here.... who needs to eat at a cafe with food like this available at the market?
Boats for hire.... one has my name...	My lunch.... all from the farmers' market....

OXFORD

I have arrived in Oxford after a great flight and then a 1 hour bus trip. The plane was only 1/3 full so I had 3 seats to myself and stretched out and did a few things like write that post Singapore thoughts and put captions to all the 125 photos of Singapore. I will keep uploading photos so check it out now and again. It is slow to upload from this connection and is not complete as I write this so check again later if it is not there yet. The food and service on this leg of the Singapore Airlines flight was fabulous but on the flight to Singapore (same airline) the food was dreadful and the service worse!

As the plane flew in to Heatrow I saw a couple of large allotments from the window and rows of vegetables all with their little rickety shed, just like you see in the movies. I have 2 days to myself here before the bloggers thing. Below is a little info on the Oxford Botanic Gardens where the bloggers thing is being held and I chose the spot I am staying for 2 reasons - it has free 24 hour wifi and I can walk to the gardens along a track beside the river and get my water fix !

University of Oxford Botanic Garden
Located just off the High Street opposite Magdalen College, and along the river Thames.

Founded by the Earl of Danby, Henry Danvers as a physic garden in 1621, this is the oldest botanic garden in Britain. It houses a good collection of trees and plants, has tropical greenhouses and a newly built Bog Garden and Rock Garden.

I am going to give a plug for the Tree Hotel, Iffley Village, because it is quaint, Ash who runs it is very nice, the food is outstanding, the price includes a full breakfast and it is in a very quiet street...all important for travelers.

SINGAPORE THOUGHTS

Of course there is more to Singapore than just the gardens..... there is the why and how and I was very lucky to have spent the day with people who not only answered all my questions but also who were and are responsible for Singapore having the green ambience that makes it probably the most beautiful city I have visited. Some people will be surprised that I felt this way because it is often seen as sterile and too perfect. However, once your eyes are opened by people such as Cheow Kheng and Mr. Raj I hope you will look at it differently.

First, some history....just a little...as I am not good with regurgitating facts but rather prefer to take them in, digest them a while and then talk about the gist of it all and give an opinion or two.....

Singapore has only been an independent county for about 50 years. The first Prime Minister was Lee Kwan Yew who more or less saw it as an opportunity to create a nation united, peaceful, viable and above all else, a nation of happy people. He saw the squalor, the lack of hygiene, the dense living conditions and the stresses elsewhere in the world and understood that humans needed greenery, a feeling of space and, in the tropics, a lot of shade, amongst other things. So started the plan that continues today to ensure that every road is lined with trees that reach across to the centre, for shade; there is an understorey of hedges and flowering shrubs lining every street and that every development - housing, business or factory complex is completely surrounded by a wide expanse of green space filled with trees and beauty. The current leader of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, is the son of the original and shares this same vision.

Cheow Kheng has been responsible for ensuring this happens over the last 20 years or so. And so, as I was being told about it direct from him, as he drove us around Singapore, I could feel the passion he has for choosing the right plants, planning the right landscaping and designing the right plantings. There are wonderful parks in Singapore and he has been responsible for creating many of them as well. He said he has never worked a day in his life.....because everyday he has been able to follow his dream, use his passion and create beauty.

For a city of 4.5 million, Singapore has relatively little air pollution because of the abundance of trees  and yesterday we could see the distant mountains of Malaysia very clearly from the peak of Mt, Faber. There is total water recycling.... not a drop is ever wasted. The roads are wide and the traffic flows well ..... mostly...also reducing pollution.  Under the trees, the temperature is much cooler and having the bitumen shaded must reduce the heat retained by the roads and so allow the city to cool at night.

We drove past what Cheow Kheng called 'tree banks' where saplings are grown to a size for transplanting but, instead of being in pots above the ground and liable to drying out and being blown over, the roots are surrounded in a fabric and dug into the ground.

Cheow Kheng has recently moved to a new job.... the next stage of the greening process .... and that it to make Singaporeans aware of the uniqueness of their lifestyle and then to encourage the development of community gardens. This is where Wilson Wong comes into it because he has created one in the park around the group of apartments where he lives. Because space has been left, and trees planted, there is now the opportunity to get the residents involved in gardening and reconnect them with the earth. This pro-active approach by the Singapore government should be adopted world-wide. Singapore is leading, as a nation, because the leaders can see the benefits for its residents and happy residents bring prosperity and peace and economic success. It is a win:win situation.

During the afternoon we visited Mr.Raj, the director of CUGE - Centre for Urban Greening and Ecology. We shook hands and he handed me a nice, smooth, green business card and smiling with a gorgeous grin said he preferred it to his dull, official one. I liked Mr. Raj immediately! I asked him about the word ecology in the title and he explained that there is more to greenery than just greenery.....and he used my favourite word.....we need biodiversity! Mr. Raj and I got on famously and I was so impressed with the Singapore government for taking yet another initiative and further increasing the benefits of a green environment to include am improvement for all life, with many native plants now being introduced between the original plantings to increase the biodiversity and make habitats.

So, why then were these men interested in taking the time to talk to me? It came up early in the day that Wilson had said I was in a seedsavers group and this idea of saving seeds is an avenue the Singapore government had never yet considered. It obviously was of immense interest to them and I felt quite inadequately equipped to do much other than tell them why people are saving seeds and how this all links to biodiversity of the planet as well as to enhancing an awareness of life, the earth and the universe! Actually I had a ball talking to these men who share with me a passion for plants and sustainability and biodiversity etc etc and was honoured when each said he would like to keep in touch and to learn more and perhaps be able to form some sort of alliance with people in Australia to promote seedsaving.....and I thought I was just there to visit Wilson's garden and that was exciting enough!

Singapore is a wonderful place, full of initiative and innovation and thinking people and I would very much like to go again and learn more.... I just wish some of our Australian government ministers would take a leaf out of their book and start doing some forward thinking. Thankyou, Wilson for introducing me to your world!

(This photo is of Wilson only moments after we met at the hotel where I was staying..... we are excitedly exchanging seeds and gifts!)

Singapore day 2

	Teresa took me out for a vegetarian  Indian breakfast which was something very delicious and very decorative! This thin, crisp 'pastry' was torn off and dipped into 3 different sauces. The triangle was filled with spiced vegetables and also had dipping sauces. With it, I had a mango lassi and Teresa had tea with ginger.
Cheow Kheng, from the National Parks took us around all day and I am totally indebted to him for his time and energy and sense of humour! First we visited the Ivory Heights Community Garden where a wonderful, inspiring man called Richard showed us over the garden he has called 'Our Garden' and helped develop with some of the 2000 residents of this private apartment block. That man's soul should be preserved for all time. He has such a creative and artistic spirit and an ability to draw people together and help them to discover the joys of gardening. I want to write a whole post about this place.... Below, left, is a bed of dragon fruit plants!
	After a fabulous seafood  lunch at the Mt. Faber marine Deck Restaurant by courtesy of Cheow Kheng, we went to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.... and the ginger collection..... Beauty beyond comparison and being there with Wilson was wonderful because ginger plants are his passion and he knows every one by name! .....The jungle walk was a wonderful way to escape some of the fierce afternoon heat of the pre-monsoon weather...... And then.....
Wilson's garden! Single handedly Wilson has instigated setting up this masterpiece in the land around the apartments where he lives. It is awe-inspiring and deserves a post of its own. Here, though, is a taste of the things he grows - edible and ornamental....papaws (right), peanuts (below right) and the view in through  the entrance...... I had a fabulous day and to think it is all because of the blogs....I am speechless....see you again Wilson and Teresa and thanks so much.

SINGAPORE

I had only just arrived at the hotel when there was a phone call from Wilson (Gardening with Wilson) and shortly afterwards he arrived with bags and bags of amazing seeds and other lovely things for me! Then we met up with Teresa from Balcony Greens and off we went to eat...of course!  Here is a photo of the local specialties they bought for dinner... all so delicious.

Tomorrow is going to be busy out and about in the surprisingly green Singapore and here I am now, at 4am, posting this so you can all know I really am taking the blogging part seriously!

The decorative  lights in Singapore are all these beautiful 3D images of flowers....up and down the streets......in preparation for a festival next week. I had better get back to sleep or I won't make it through tomorrow!

SEEDS TO SHARE

 

Yesterday I finished packing up the seeds to take on my trip to give to people far and wide. I used Laura's template (from Mas du Diable) and this made things very easy. It seems that there are a couple of requirements to ensuring the packets get into the countries where I am going. Firstly they need to have the botanical names on each and secondly the closer the packaging  resembles commercial seed packets the better. To give a bit of added authority I made a sticker for the front of the large envelope I am carrying them in, saying "SEEDSAVERS AND VEGETABLE GROWERS' CONVENTION, OXFORD UNIVERSITY BOTANIC GARDENS"  and the date..... well, it is isn't it? I have lots more packets than this.....but they were already packed away before I remembered to take a photo.

Tomorrow evening.... Singapore.....see you there....well, you will see me there when I get something to post about.

 

 

ps...I made a fabulous chicken dish the other night and have just put it on Gardeners' Gastronomy. Sounds basic but the flavour was extraordinarily good...helped along by Deb's preserved limes, I am sure.The thing that made it superb though was the polenta I cooked to go with it, which was flavoured with lots of left-over bits of good, strong cheeses, including something blue.

Also, Maggie made me delicious pakoras recently too and this is a reminder for her to give us the recipe ASAP!