Nasturtiums and you.

The Nasturtium plant is an annual trailing plant with rounded edible leaves and bright yellow, orange, or red flowers.

Although the leaves are edible, they are a little on the strong side and although, along with the flowers, they are often used to decorate Salads, they are rarely eaten by the Hoi Polloi. (Yours truly included.)

Irregardless of how I feel about its edible qualities, I do love it as an easy, fast-growing, pretty, ground covering plant. As it is only an annual it does mean that if you want it permanently in your garden, you do have re-grow it every year. On the other hand the Nasturtium is one of those plants that once seeded, tends to self propagate itself, and thus all you usually need to do, is either thin them out, or pull out the resulting self-sown plants growing where you don’t really want them.

One major problem some people have with the Nasturtium plant is not the fault of the plant but rather the fault of the grower. Many people complain that whenever they try to grow Nasturtiums, no matter how much tender loving care and fertilizer that they put into them, all they get is a massive show of leaves and next to no flowers.

The problem here is that Nasturtiums unlike some plants do not need massive fertilization or rich soil to grow in. The plant grows and flowers best in average conditions, and by over feeding them, you encourage the plant to put all its energies into growth making at the expense of flowers.

The more you feed them, the less they produce what is expected of them and the rest goes into unwanted plant growth and not into desired flowers. This reminds me of the currant situation with obesity in our generation. A recent survey suggests that we get more than our daily need of energy, in just one Take Away meal, without the need of the extra energy taken in from our other meals for that day.

Because we are taking in more nourishment than we need for normal; activities the extra goes into excess growth and its resultant obesity, and resulting inefficiency in our normal activities; in some case, our former normal activities, as some are now too difficult to do anymore.

What about you? Are you over fertilizing your Nasturtiums and yourself? If you desire the proper results from your Nasturtiums, then you need to watch what you feed them. The same goes for yourself. Are you giving yourself the proper care needed to get the best out of you or are you over fed?

There is no easy solution to this but a major beginning would be to cut down on the size of your energy intakes, plus some extra exercise. Maybe even just to getting out into the garden to start with, Hey? Walter

Cardigan, Vest or Windcheater?

In my, “Me? Trendy,” article recently, I used interchangeably the words, Cardigan, Vest and Windcheater. Now you may be wondering which is correct.

I honestly don’t know. I was happy to generically call them Windcheaters, which is what I bought them as. However I had felt compelled to also refer to them as a Cardigan, so as to describe it more accurately verbally. Or so I thought!

At the same time, while I would never have called it a vest myself, I can see how others saw it that way. So at the end of this discussion, I don’t know the correct name for them. All I know is that they achieved the purpose I bought them for. To keep me warm from the Wind.

Instead of asking which is correct, it may be more instructive to ask, does it really matter what we call them?

Yes and no. On the one hand it doesn’t matter what you call it as long as it achieves the purpose that you bought it for.

On the other, it does help when talking about something if you are all on the same wave length. It did not help me to find it again by asking about a wind cheater, when my sister was thinking of a Cardigan.

Yes we did eventually work out that we were both talking about the same thing, but time and effort was wasted in doing so. This time, no real damage or delay was inflicted by/on us talking/thinking at cross purposes to each other, but that is not always so.

So we need to be careful when we are talking with others that we are all on the same wavelength and that when we use a word we also need to be sure that others understand it in the same way as we do or they and we can sometimes be completely misled.

What about you? Are you careful in what you say? Are you always hearing what the other person is actually saying, or do you only “hear” through your own understanding of the words said?

For your own sake, as well as others, be aware of what you are really saying: Walter

Me? Trendy?

Me and Trendy, especially related to clothes, is a real oxymoron. Me and comfortable clothes, is more accurate, even if everyone else thinks them daggy! Comfortable, not trendy, is my scene.

Real Australian men are supposed to wear Jumpers, not Cardigans. But me, I have always been a cardigan type person. Being a bit of a cold fish, I found Cardigans more accessible as you can still wear them, undone, and be cool, yet not cold, like I would if I had a jumper on and had taken it off. As Zippers came more and more into fashion, I much preferred them over buttons.

Since our return from O/S I have acquired a liking for those el-cheepo Windcheaters made of some warm but light material, which are also relatively quite cheap too.

My father on the other hand was a jumper man nearly all of his grown years. Right up to a couple of months before his passing. Before then I had visited him in the Hospital one day and he was sitting dressed in a chair by his bed and although reasonably warm, he was complaining of being cold. At that time I had on a light, tight warm jumper, which I knew he would never be able to get his arms into. Then I remembered that I had one of these windcheaters in the car, so I went and got that and put it on him, and later left it with him. A couple of weeks later I enquired of my youngest sister where the windcheater was. When she worked out that I was asking about what she called a cardigan with a zip, she told me that he loved it because it was easier for him to get on and off.

With that thought in mind and his 86^th Birthday, we went out and bought him a new one of his own and at the same time bought him a sleeveless one too. I have never really been a fan of sleeveless jumpers and such; but as I am a real cold fish, I thought I would buy one of these zippered windcheaters for myself and wear it under the normal one when it was really cold and over a jumper, when it was only so so. Over the course of 3 days, both of my daughters independently remarked on how trendy I looked in my new vest.

This prompted the following thoughts. Firstly that there is hope for every one at some stage or another. Even though it has taken some 55 years, even daggy old me, has finely been called trendy.

Secondly I find it incredible that something as simple as one piece of clothing can change people’s opinions so easily.

Thirdly at how cheaply this change can be. In my case, these particular items of clothes were marked down to $7.95 or two for $12.

This got me to further thinking. Firstly, as to how easily someone else’s words can effect your/our mental well-bearing. And likewise how ours can affect theirs!

Secondly, at how often, we can effect a person’s well being, with some thing very simple and basic to everyday life.

And thirdly, at how often this can also be so inexpensive for us to do.

Is there some simple, easy inexpensive thing that you can do, to improve the life of others, even if you never get called trendy by doing it?

Last Born or a cockroach?

In South Africa among the Xhosa People with whom we spent an enjoyable 10 years plus, they have a habit of referring to their children in the order of their birth. Ie. First Born; Second Born: & so on down to the last, as Last Born.

Some are even named similarly. We know a boy who was their 3^rd son and thus called “Sithathu”, which means “We are three”. We also met another Child who, wishfully thinking perhaps, was named, "NoLiphelo” which means, last born. Unfortunately for them they had at least one more child after him! Another family, when they decided that they had had enough, named their last born son, “Sikhosonkhe”. ”Now we are all here.”

In writing my stories I have refrained from using my children’s actual names and using the Xhosa referencing framework instead, to refer to them. When it came to referring to my second daughter and last born child, I was reminded of an incident that happened in our time in Umtata, (Now spelt/pronounced, “Mthatha”,) the then Capital of the Xhosa homeland of Transkei, now re-incorporated back into The Republic of South Africa.

Using the Xhosa phrase, I often refereed to her as my “Liphelo”. The problem I later found out that sometimes, in stead of saying “Liphelo” I would say, “Liphela”. Now I was only one letter off so you wouldn’t think it to big a deal would you? I mean what difference can one vowel make anyway? Well it did in that case, because in stead of referring to my last born child I was in reality and unintentionally referring to my “Cockroach”!

Now I know that there are times when her brother and sister might be tempted to call her that, but even then, not in public, like I was doing. Fortunately someone finally corrected me but I have no idea how many times I had previously and more embarrassingly for her, publicly misrepresented my beloved daughter to the Xhosa world. I guess at times, most people expected to hear the word "Liphelo" and so never noticed the difference. Others may have noticed the difference and thought, “Well what can you expect from a foreigner anyway? At least he is trying”.

Now trying is good but without correction, wrongfully trying doesn’t help in the long run. Incorrect pronunciation, like any wrongly done deed, needs to be corrected and the sooner the better. Not just to avoid future embarrassment, but also future potential damage of a possibly more serious nature.

What about you are you? Are you always clear in what you say? Especially yes, in using new and foreign words, but also in every word you say?

Are you always saying what you think you are? And are people hearing what you are saying or what they expect you to say? Likewise are you really listening to what people are saying or simply hearing what you expect them to say?

Also are you prepared to nicely and quietly correct some when you see or hear them do the wrong thing? Are you prepared to put yourself out to help others? Not to put to other person down or to make somebody of yourself, but to help somebody. Some anybody and not just your friends and acquaintances?

Are you a “good friend” or a “good fiend” instead? Again there is only one letter different but a whole world of difference in the meaning!

Who will visit you?

I was recently thinking of something which reminded me of an event that happened over a quarter of a century ago.

It was only a few months after my wife and I were converted at Bulleen Baptist Church and started worshipping there. At that time there were at least a half dozen of the members at Bulleen who were doctors. Three of whom had Practices at Greensborough and were among the imminent Doctors there and frequent attendees at the Greensborough Hospital. (One of whom later went on to remove the Appendix of both my Mother and older brother, but that’s another story.)

We were living at Hurstbridge at the time and using the services of the local Doctor there, who also went on to deliver our second born, at said Greensborough Hospital, shortly after we started attending the Bulleen Baptist Church.

So it was no real surprise that after our second born arrived, my wife had visits from her own doctor plus, independent social visits from each of these three doctors from our Church, two of whom were Specialists there. Well no surprise to us, but a big surprise to the Nurses and other Hospital staff, who started to wonder who this “Nobody” was who could merit visits from at least 4 eminent Doctors.

It is wonderful to have visitors at any time and the more so when we are not well and in Hospital. But you know we don’t have to wait till then, nor go to such extreme measures just to get a visitor. And from someone more imminent than a Doctor or even a Specialist Doctor!

As Christians we have a greater visitor in Jesus Christ. And all we need to do to have him visit us is to ask.

To paraphrase both a James Taylor song and Scripture, “all we Have to do is call out His name and where ever He is, He will come to us because we have a friend in Jesus.”

And this visitor is more than just a visitor He is a friend who will stick even closer than a brother or sister.

Remember that famous piece of scripture that says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If any man* hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelations 3: 20. KJV.)

* Any man refers equally to women and men and to young and old alike! So what are you waiting for?

Your friendly visitor stands knocking even now. Will you let him in? Walter

What is a great thing?

Recently I was told by a third party that I had done a great thing in the past week. Which threw me a little bit, as apart from having a rather hectic first week back at work after the holidays, I was not aware of having done anything remotely out of the ordinary, let alone any ”Great thing”.

When I was told that the great thing that I had done was encouraging someone by a phone call during the week, (to enquire as to their health after a minor eye incident,) I was very surprised by this, as I had not actually spoken to either of them on the phone as they were not home. I simply left a message as to my intention for the call on the Answering Service, meaning to ring back later, which I never did.

I was even more surprised by this comment by the third party, as I had just previously spoken personally to these people and they didn’t even acknowledge to me that they had even received the message. Of course I know now they must have, otherwise they third party would not have known about my attempted phone call.

It just goes to show that you never can tell how other people will respond to even the smallest gesture on your part. Not only had I not followed through with a follow up phone call, which had been my intention, when I failed to make direct contact the first time, but even now I still think I did nothing extraordinary. In fact as I am the Pastoral Deacon, a phone call should have been the least that they should have expected from Me. I would have thought that a miserly phone call would have been a valid reason to complain about, rather than compliment.

It just goes to show how sometimes, even just the minutest of actions on our part, can bring about a response. Sometimes positive, sometimes negative. Here I wish to focus on the positive side and wonder what other “great thing” I can do for someone else this week?

What about you? Is there someone who you can reach out to even if just via the phone, or even a smile? Don’t worry whether you get a response from them or from a third party, but do what you can to encourage others, no matter how small or minor you may think your action is.

So, what “great thing” will you do this week for someone?

Smoking? Or Smoked out?

Over the past month and a half, at various times, there has been an awful lot of smoke around Melbourne even though the Bush fires are a few hundred kilometers away.

These fires have been very destructive having burnt out over a Million Hectares. However they have in and off themselves proposed no fire danger to Melbourne itself.

However, on certain days when the wind is in our direction, Melbourne is occasionally blanketed with grey smoke. Fortunately it is too far for the hot embers to blow, so there are no spot fires arising from it, but the smoke has been causing some hazard, especially to those with breathing difficulties; and also causing some visibility problems, not to mention the increased humidity.

It has often been said that where there is smoke there is fire. Well it is certainly true that this smoke has fire as its cause. Unfortunately, although separated by some distance from its source, the prevailing winds have sent it to us and it is still causing problems. Certainly it would be worse for us if we had the fires too, but the smoke by itself is troublesome enough.

What about you? You may not be causing the smoke but you may be constantly battling with the drifting smoke of distant fires. Are distant problems enveloping you in their resulting smoke and fallout? Unfortunately, at this distance there is little one can do to extinguish the source. All you can really do, is to take all the necessary precautions you can, and wait it out till either the wind changes again or the fire is finally extinguished.

So if you are going through a rough patch at the moment, do all you can to address the problem, taking all the precautions and necessary changes you can, and simply wait it out.

Change will eventually come, but will you be ready for it?