Gardening

Observation Post, Volume 1, Issue 30, 11 December 1942, Page 2

Gardening

CAMP ADVANTAGES. Seeing all the flowers blooming around the camp makes one realise how much i the Army studies the individual and his ! comfort, not that have supplied the flowers, oh no ! ! - AT HOME. When one lived at home one had a ' sitting-room, a kitchen and a bathroom. 1 A- man had to get out of a comfortable ‘chair (perhaps, that is if no guests were present) stretch himself, open two or three doors, go along a cold, draughty passage to his bedroom, there to crawl ; between cold sheets to bed. If he wanted friends he 'either had to go to their house and return home in the cold or ■ else invite them to his home, and let them make his home as untidy as thej pleased. Further if he wanted to do a spot of gardening he had to change his clothes, wander down the garden and do what his mother or wife wanted, in the I way they wanted, with . them ever-last-ingly pointing out errors and accusing him of slacking. . IN THE ARMY. Now, in the Army things are so much better. A man is supplied with a bed sitting-room without a chair to get out of. He can lie and rest so much more ’ comfortably on his bed and when he wants to retire to his truckle couch all he has to do is roll in. The Army finds 'guests for everyone, they ' are semipermanently with one, it would be terrible to allow a soldier to be lonely so two, four or eight men live together. Then there is no need to waste time (looking at the clock or passing; broad hints that it is time to go to bed. The (Army fixes that for everyone,’ and does it with music too. Even then the Army is not satisfied that the soldiers have been properly looked after, it sends an orderly sergeant round to tuck every man up in bed and kiss him good-night. When it comes to gardens—well Army is super-kind, it plonks the soldiers’ home down on beautiful soil and invites him through R.O. to dig a slit trench and with the rest of the area, make a garden. Now this soil’supplies ! nearly everything he requires, there are some . delightful stones or boulders which he can excavate to make borders for the paths, empty bottles to remind him that temptation has been removed from his ken and vast quantities of mosquitoes which, ensure that he will not' knock off until the very last moment.' As if . this were not enough, the Army supplies a nice kind sergeant to help out. . He won’t nag, he’ll just run over to the Y.M. and shout you an ice cream or cup of tea. All sergeants are- kind (Continued at Foot of Previous Column)

A doctor, in want of a strong lad, advertised, and, being a ventriloquist, adopted the following grim ruse to test the nerves of the applicants. The first he sent with a basin of hot water to feed a skeleton he had in a dark cupboard. During the process- of feeding, the skeleton observed in sepulchre tones: “It’s deuced hot.-” The boy’s hair stood., on end. He dropped the basin and fled in terror. The second applicant, a small, shockhaired lad, had to go through the same ordeal; but when the skeleton made his remark, he replied unconcernedly; “I could have told you that. Blow on it, you fool! ” A " He got the job.

Our modern plum puddings are but a small survival of a very gigantic old dish. This was originally plum porridge and was served from a huge tureen as a soup consisting of beef and mutton broth, well spiced and thickened with brown bread. During the puding age of the Georges more bread was added; it was stiffened by degrees into a pudding, eaten.at the end of the beginning of the meal, and so, at last, was called pliftn pudding. Mince pies in olden days were known as “shredded mutton pies’’ and, composed of meats of all kinds and the costliest spices, meant to symbolise the gifts of the Wise Men. They were originally oval in shape, to represent the manger in which the Holy Child was laid.