Knowledge

It’s a hot Sunday afternoon during a national heatwave. Despite the temperature, I felt motivated to do some gardening. This isn’t actually such a big announcement unless you consider that this feeling, for me, is very rare. My position in the garden is awkward… I am an unwieldy gardener mainly because I know so little about plants. I am in awe at people’s knowledge of flora, and fauna, and their seasonal application of said knowledge to make the most of these spaces. My partner is one of those people, as is my ex. Yet their football World Cup knowledge is much slimmer in comparison and they would struggle with the ‘Trivial Pursuit’ question, who were England’s two too late substitutes in the 1982 competition. I knew the answer to this when I first played the board game and I may have won a slice of pie (but I’m also aware I may have embellished the tale to improve the stakes of a not very interesting story). Learning has never been my strong suit, not conventional learning. I am, oddly, adverse to being taught something unless it is a spontaneous learning, through action and play and most effectively through stealth. I was resistant to school and left academically penniless at 16. I picked up a guitar but couldn’t take tuition (partly because I didn’t know it existed). I was too young for punk, and too scared of them until it was all over, but definitely benefitted from the idea of - do you what you can with what you’ve got. My heavy hands and naïve playing style has been a companion for my song writing and creative expressions for some time. I love the way a guitar vibrates next to my heart and I enjoy singing. None of this really benefits my garden where the bamboo forest at the back is phenomenally large and probably visible from space… well, from the neighbours a few doors away. I’ve had letters from the council demanding I trim my bush as it causes an obstruction. I’ve tried many times to turn this into a joke but that’s something else I’ve never learned. Most people roll their eyes when I attempt a quip. However, when I dance or act it seems to cause much amusement and I’ve made a small career out of this happy accident. I know that the real knowledge of how to live with nature is probably the key to our future existence. I know that a sympathy with our surrounds is probably essential. I probably should know that knowledge and empathy is what could save us. I sometimes imagine a post-apocalyptic scene where the dominating despotic figure in the new world order is softened by my listing of the Wales goal scorers against Belgium in the 2016 quarter finals of the Euros. There are other things I know… things about the Young Ones and trivia about Alan Partridge, Patti Smith and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. My main gardening aim over the last years has been to create opportunities for bees to feed because this feels a legitimate excuse to let nature ‘go wild’. I have scattered wild flower seeds and tried to tame the dominating ivy to allow the plants that flower… to flower. My aim is to acquire knowledge gently and with certainty. I think that’s it… to be certain that what I know is correct. It doesn’t matter about the quantity of that knowledge, not for me… just the validity. I hope your garden is growing in the way you want, wish, hope… we can take our time to get to where we want, can’t we. I think that’s OK.