I'M STAYING Chapter 1

 

CHAPTER 20

 

ENGLAND

 

MEETINGS

Planting hyacinth bulbs for Christmas in priceless bowls

 

From the day we started working we were called in for a daily meeting with Sir Duncan. Lady Felicity would be in attendance, sitting very importantly with her notebook and pen poised, now in her role of “secretary”.  And so the tedious discussions would begin. When I say discussions they were mostly very one-sided with us making a comment now and then merely to show that we were still awake.

Oh how we dreaded those meetings!

We soon understood that this was Sir Duncan's “business” and not actually a garden as we had been led to believe. Every single item in the garden, forests, glasshouse, conservatory, and propagator had to be labeled and listed in various books with reference numbers, dates, and botanical names and in some cases where it had been obtained from. Each plant was then closely analysed at these meeting;

“Is there a leaf at the top of that tree that looks slightly floppy, discoloured, misshapen?” and if so, whose fault is it, what haven’t we done, what have we done and what are we going to do about it?

He would have a large untidy pile of scrap papers in front of him. Each of these pages had his scribbles on it which had been made during the previous day or night when a thought came to him.

I suppose in his dreams he was chairman of the board, sitting at the head of his large table bellowing out instructions. 

Each paper had to be read by him and we would be thoroughly drilled on the contents until we had all come to a satisfactory solution. But only if it was satisfactory to him. If we had a different opinion or in fact knew exactly what was wrong with a plant or had the answer to a query but it wasn’t the answer he had, this would just cause a longer meeting and a follow-up meeting the next day after he had contacted every “expert” he could think of in order to prove us wrong and himself right. A very complex chap!

He very rarely looked us in the eye when we sat across the table from him but instead looked down at the floor as he began his endless and monotonous speeches. Now and again his wife would chirp in about something whereupon he would immediately shout her down. It always angered me to see how she took all his insults and never said a word back in her defense. 

In order to please him I would pretend to take copious notes in shorthand, all of which were thrown in the bin as soon as we left the room.

And so we began to realise that this was not just a job in a garden but a position in a large corporation where Sir Duncan was the boss and everything was run by timetables, copious amounts of paper, meetings, emails, lists upon lists of instructions and above all, obedience no matter what our opinions were or whether our knowledge differed from what he had decided. We stopped being gardeners and doing the work instinctively and the way we knew was right and began to do what he demanded instead and for the sake of peace.

In fact he didn’t require employees with knowledge, experience, and qualifications. He could have taken anyone off the street, as long as they were willing to obey.

And so the joy was removed from the garden. Every plant was controlled with stakes, rope, wire and absolutely everything had to be labeled with its name. Long lists of instructions were followed on how to sow, plant, grow, feed, harvest. Straight lines of vegetables standing to attention like little soldiers, sweet peas tied to within an inch of their life, rambling roses tied and re-tied to ensure they didn’t ramble where they shouldn’t. (Maybe he thought they'd run away if he didn't have them tied down?) I recall using a long ruler while planting vegetable seeds and measuring the exact distance between the rows.  I’m not sure how this helped them to grow but it pleased the master.

I think for maybe the first week we noticed the beauty of the property, the trees and flowers and woods but after that it was lost in reams of paper, instructions barked at us throughout the day and the incessant meetings.

Imagine having to clip all those hedges

When we finally learnt how to deal with our boss and treat him the way all bullies should be treated, by confrontation and not by yielding to his demands, the meetings suddenly came to a halt. Our instructions were emailed to us and the meetings became just weekly occasions which I think he had begun to dread now that we were taking control of them. He began to avoid us during the day and life became a little more bearable.

I have all the emails sent to us by our boss, most are just too long to add to this story.   Here are just a few of the many many long lists of instructions we received on a daily and twice daily basis. Note how he liked to pit his staff against each other, he would never praise anyone to their face but he liked to compare and tell each person individually how the other staff were doing a much better job.  This fed jealousy and resentment and seemed to be his favourite tactics in controlling his "company".  I suppose it prevented a mutiny while everyone disliked one another.

I see he implies that he worked alongside staff members in the gardens.  This absolutely NEVER happened, he probably watched the work from his study window.

Recap on Monday's work: I have not had much of a look around but was glad to find the bulbs finished by lunchtime. I must warn: time spent not working in the Estate Gardens will be unpaid. It was disappointing to learn that the raspberry canes all need redoing because the ties are too loose or aren't done. If there were jobs done in the afternoon, I would be pleased if Becky would tell me what they were so that I can be sure that they are remunerated. At the moment I am recording that John was absent 8 AM to 11 AM. Jack and Eric did a wonderful job finishing all the very difficult berries and all the currants so very quickly.

Jobs for Tuesday: anything off Monday’s list not yet done. Please clear away the debris that Jack and Eric could not finish. When both those items are finished, it will be good to get some mowing done – starting with both sides of the drive with suitable machines as necessary; the next mowing should be each side, 1 yard wide, of all the paths with the exception of the waterlogged one at the bottom of the pleasure grounds were some yards of them must be avoided, please.(When cutting the path immediately north of Grange East, from the corner of the Cedar clump down to the ride going left and right from the Avenue field through to the vegetable garden, please make that a straight path: it has developed a curve which should not be there)

With anticipatory thanks, SD

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I understand that a start has been made on the verges outside the main gates; please complete this work by raking up all debris, cut weeds, hedge clippings, etc etc within 50 yards of each side. That will then look quite good.

Simon and I did half an hour each in the area of the thick grass in the pleasure grounds and dug up a fair amount of nettles, docks, thistles. This really is not a difficult job. I should think one hour of your time, John, would finish the job. Do not move too close to the plants there for fear of damaging their roots. At the same time, please, remove the results of today's work in a wheelbarrow together with yours.

Simon and I saw the worst red spider mite infection we've ever seen in that Buddleja which had the whitefly in the garden room. Many other plants were similarly affected, albeit not so badly. This is something of a body blow, I am afraid. It did not look as if you have been treating the red spider, but Simon has now done this for you.

Another more or less disaster is that almost all, if not all, the Caesalpinia seedlings you  raised from the pods I gave you have been so neglected, high up in the glasshouse, that they are now either dead or near enough dead. It appears that the same thing happened to all the Plectranthus as well???????????

When I showed Simon the West Meadow he said it would take him a half an hour to mow it with the track master, but I think you relented and did it yourself, which is good news.

Please don't forget to do a plan to show exactly where each squirrel trap is situated.

Please complete the post chipping mess clearance.

Please tie up the high roses on the big shed northside.

Thank you for moving the BMW wheels. I had asked that they should be placed on top of a sheet of green plastic netting that we have with plenty enough to wrap up around them so that they are completely covered-- to be kept clean. Could this please now be done.

I did not get around to visiting the Wicks today. If the large gravel has not all been gathered on to the green nylon, and all the Wicks dug up, I do so hope this job can be fully finished tomorrow.

Please mount all the plant pots containing tulips outside the toy town and on the glasshouse steps on four same size stones to allow drainage please cover them with nets to keep out mice which have been threatening them.

If the glass houses have not been swept of leaves et cetera, everywhere, that is another job for the day, please.

With anticipatory thanks, SD

*********

General:

1. I hope you had an agreeable weekend.

2. I asked for stones to be put under the Tulip pots and those big pebbles from the Wicks would have been ideal. The terracotta feet are for the garden room, but never mind, now.

3. Please be sure daily to empty your wheelbarrows. On Friday you forgot and seemed to ignore Simon's that he forgot unless, that is, he left it out for you to familiarise yourselves with red spider mite. It is good practice to leave wheelbarrows available and ready for others to use.

4. Thank you for spending a moment or two with the planks to put into stick.

5. Please, each day, this week, keep a special eye on the wood-burning boiler, if necessary.

6. Please do not take any vehicle across the mown cottage Meadow, but, instead, travel by the paths.

7. Becky need not worry any more about the wood purchase orders as Catherine is now doing this work for her.

8. Please could Becky return the health and safety document given to her by Margeret.

9. Please be certain to water any plants now in the glasshouse which have been propagated. No more must be allowed to die.

10. I will do another note on Monday evening for Tuesday when Simon will be here.

*******

Monday:                                

This is essentially bulb planting day for the two of you with help from Eric. The first priority with this job is to identify where the electric cables run. These must, at all costs, be avoided, of course. Three people should make short work of this job….. Another person, Bob, will come to do some work on the soft fruit in the vegetable garden.

As previously requested, could John please put the portable radiator into working order, now in the potting shed.

I am afraid that the potting shed is not looking as tidy as it was and is also now very muddy, as are the red brick paths between there and the glasshouse. All, please, wants sweeping….

I am expecting that there will be time available on Monday, beyond bulb planting. If that is so, please brush out the East end of the glasshouse so as to remove all dead and detached leaves from everywhere for the compost heap. Likewise, please return to the grass verges, 50 yards either side of the entrance gates, and complete the job, which will then look very good indeed, by removing all the leaves including hedge cuttings. Some of these are now blowing onto the road. Another job is to return to the Wicks: Neville Browne asked for them to be dugout and not dug in, which seems to be what has happened-- so they now need to be hand removed as far as is possible even at this late stage, please. Should there still be time, please return to the rough grass in the pleasure grounds to remove the rest of the weeds left by Simon and me and do another hour or so of digging and pulling so as to, perhaps, get near to finishing the job. There are still trailing roses on the north side of the big shed to tie in.

When all the above is done, if further time is still available, J should, please, start cutting the drive sides with such machinery as is necessary…. Eric should help Jack with his pruning…

Good luck to all,