From 2 billion to 7 billion and then...

In 1951, the year of my birth, there were 2,58 billion people.  Today it is 7.6 billion.  No wonder everything is crowded and resources are being used up.  I had wondered if I should have a more positive view towards the future, but this seems to say it all.  This many people today are not doing a good job of living 'with' the planet.  Can you imagine how much better or worse it will go with more people? The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released their Climate Change report yesterday. It is what brought my attention to the population plight. That report gave 2030 as the defining year by which action must be taken. The well-used number for the maximum population that the earth can sustain is said to be 10 billion people.  It is based on food resources.  The common statement is that 2050 is the year that will happen. The statement goes:  "By 2050, the world’s population is expected to reach 9.1 billion, and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that at that point, the world would need to produce 70% more food than today to feed all those people." This is considered contentious by the American Council on Science and Health.  They are pro-industry, but fact-based, and they think the 70% increase is an inflated number, along with the prediction discounting the advances in technology, and that it disregards the drops in population that are happening. The Economist says it is not time to panic yet - that the number of hungry people has fallen, that eliminating waste will raise food production by 60% or more, and so on. So the pros and cons for the maximum population are debated. Yet isn't that date looming near for those who will be alive in 2050? Anyone 18 years old today will be 50 years old then - perhaps just over half way through a typical lifespan.  And think of 2030 - those born in 2000 will only be 30 years old.  I wonder what our young people think of these urgent messages and concerns and how they will deal with them as the urgency grows. We are looking at the Sunnylea garden in an August rain.

Taking Things for Granted

I looked up the expression to take things for granted. "There are things we consider to be true, to exist, to be present.  We take them for granted. By doing so we underestimate its value and don't give recognition or thanks".   Then there's surmise - to suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it. What about assumptions? This is a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof. And presumption?  This is an idea that is taken to be true, and often used as the basis for other ideas, although it is not known for certain. It can also indicate behaviour perceived as arrogant, disrespectful, and transgressing the limits of what is permitted or appropriate. Comparing presumption and assumption I found this: A presumption is something you think is true before you know any facts about the matter. An assumption is something you think is true when you miss information, but you think you have it. The difference can be subtle. When you have certain set ideas about some things, they are also presumptions. Women can not drive cars is a presumption. Based on the presumption, I can assume that you can not drive, because you are a woman. Isn't that so interesting in its subtlety. We might even move on to inferences.  However, I say lets stop - this involves too much logic and philosophy.  So to conclude here are a few assumption jokes: Q. Is there a Fourth of July in England? A. Yes, it comes after the third of July! Q. How many birthdays does the average man have? A. Just one! Q. Some months have 31 days; how many have 28? A. All of them! Here's a picture of our front garden taken last week.

Up on the Roof

The contents of my conservatory greenhouse are still in the garden.   Compared to yesterday morning, it is very clean outside and in. How does one clean the outside of a greenhouse?  From the roof!  The little yellow chord in the picture is the water supply. What is the difference between a conservatory and a greenhouse?  Wikipedia gives us three options: Conservatory (greenhouse), a substantial building or room where plants are cultivated, including medicinal ones and including attached residential solariums Music school, or a school devoted to other arts such as dance Sunroom, a smaller glass enclosure or garden shed attached to a house, also called a conservatory So greenhouse and conservatory are interchangeable.   Along the way, I saw that a conservatory and musikgymnasium appear similar.  Musikgymnasiums are in Germany.  In Germany, this term describes one of three types of the most advanced types of German secondary schools.  It sounds similar to the Royal Conservatory of Music - musical education for youth.  The Royal Conservatory is outside the regulated education system in Ontario. Its is an independent institution, although it used to be governed by the University of Toronto.  Its royal charter came from King George VI in 1947.   Who would be considered its most famous pupil?  Would it be Glenn Gould or Oscar Peterson?  There's a very long list of graduates HERE.  They include Gordon Lightfoot, Diana Krall, Gordon Pinsent, Norman Jewish, and Randy Bachman.  Jeff Healey is listed, but I heard him on his JazzFM show say that he was disgusted by their lack of interest in early Jazz (his specialty), and he left in the first semester.  In his biography it says he received an Honorary Licentiate from the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Gnome Story Now Known

The Gnome Garden across the street made the front page of the Grimsby NewsNow newspaper yesterday, with Laurie-Ann pictured next to her gnome, named JR.  The headline is "A home 'gnome' more". This is complemented by an Editorial on the last page.  Laurie-Ann's story book-ended the newspaper.  The editor, Mike Williscroft wrote a great editorial with a message delivered with fun and humour.  He titled the editorial  'Say "no" to gnome profiling".  It starts with:  "OK, let's get right into this gnome thing..."   Here's the online edition for you to look at. Our picture today shows another whimsical garden story, from last year's Hamilton Spectator Open Garden Week.   I hope this homeless gnome story continues - it has whistle-blowing and entertaining  - a great combination in news.

How a Picture Influences the Garden Design

Now that I photograph gardens a lot, I realize how much of an interplay there is between the photographic image of the garden and the garden design itself.  Great garden designs usually result in great pictures, and pictures can help lead to great garden design.

I took tho picture of the new water feature in my garden at 3 Sunnylea Cres in Grimsby.  The summer garden encircles the fountain in the lower portion of the picture, making a nice frame for the feature.  I noticed though, that the stone edging in the far background ended part way through the image, leaving my eye wondering where to go next.

I've corrected the line in the picture, and next will get out to the garden to correct the design so that the actual experience is as pleasant as the still one.

Here is the before and after.

Garden Corners

Every garden tells a story.  Really great gardens have side stories and subplots along the way.  The Grimsby garden across the street on Sunnylea is such a garden.  Here's one of its little corners at the front, with a bird house and miniature hostas. I've used Filter Forge effects to create the painterly look.

Sunnylea Garden's 2014 Milestone

Hi everyone,
The Sunnylea Garden was ready for the July 5th Grimsby Garden Club Garden Tour.  It took a lot of work over the last 2 months to get the back yard into tour-ready shape.  It was only last October that the hardscaping was installed, and the end of May this year that the garden carpentry was completed.  The original concept ideas were done by Frank Kershaw.  Christopher Campbell, who designed my back garden at 46 Orchard Crescent in Toronto, did the design.  I particularly appreciated his design of the Rendezvous with its trellis work and seating area.

Here are a few images of the garden on the morning of the tour:

This is a significant change from 2011, where the back garden featured a large deck, seating area, hot tub and ponds.   With the move of the Conservatory from Toronto, the raised deck, hot tub and bedroom wall were in for major changes.   The front garden was renovated to include a parking area for a second car, and a seating area under the mature red maple tree.