Cutting gardens, Scrabble words and the need to be right

I love being right. Yes, yes, I know everyone loves being right but I really love being right.

Sadly, this seems to be a genetic fault, transferred directly down the Isaac bloodline.  My daughter has it (and oh, won't that make for a fun time in those teenage years) and my eldest brother definitely suffers from it. In fact he once called me whilst holidaying with friends in Scotland so I could look up his latest offering on the Scrabble board as no-one believed it to be a real word. It was, but, as I said (so wisely, I felt) at the time "NIck you can be right, or you can be popular, but you can't be both".  And do you know what - I was right (which felt good, of course).

Anyway, this need to be right is being tested at the moment because I am in the midst of trying out lots of children's projects for my book. Some I have done many times, but others I have simply planned in my head and on paper. This means that one or two, when tested, just won't come right. In particular my (if I might say) genius idea for a miniature knot garden has been abandoned because the seeds weren't quite as sure about it as I was.

Then again, sometimes the plans come to fruition. Our rainbow cutting garden took a great deal of planning to find the right bulbs with the right colours that would come out at the right time. Then it was a matter of planting up, waiting and hoping.

But look!  It worked.  And you know what that means don't you?

Yes - I was right (but not necessarily popular...)

Comments

[JamesA-S]

Being right about a planting scheme is okay but not as good as being right about something when somebody else is wrong,wrong,wrong.

I reckon Archie could pick all those flowers in under two minutes. In fact, I would really like to see a video of him doing exactly that.

[Dawn]

James - You are right! It is important that someone else is wrong. I still get a warm glow when I remember winning a bet with me brother about the lyrics for 'My Boomerang Won't Come Back' (for future reference, no-one should challenge my knowledge of either Charlie Drake's or Rolf Harris' back catalogues).

And I think you underestimate me son. 'Gone in 60 Seconds' - maximum.

[Lia Leendertz]

That is lovely, and is very impressive if you *actually* planned it all and planted them as bulbs. It is amazing what a quick dash round b&q at this time of year can turn up tho, eh? *taps nose* Say no more...
The question lingering in my mind is: what was the word?!

[Dawn]

Lia - Cheeky mare! I have the 'before' shots too (although having said that I may also be able to find a few genuine shots of some fairies at the bottom of the garden.

Sadly, I can't remember the word but I do recall it was one of those two letter ones and that, tragically, my brother had memorised them all for just such occurrences.

[Allie Kidman]

You were right! Love it! It's colourful and so pretty! Very effective. I so wanted this to be the year when I finally make some pretty borders and flower beds in our garden but alas, as yet I've failed miserably. It remains a blank canvas of getting on for a third of an acre with just one badly placed Rose border in a far corner and plenty of daffodils now on their way out. With five children and the youngest only five months I can't seem to find time to even going to the loo alone! Still my garden is up there on my to do list, along with reading lovely books and painting my nails one day!

[Dawn]

Allie - You have five chilren so quite frankly the fact you can find the time to read this drivel and write a comment is fiercely impressive. I just hope you didn't have to sacrifice a loo stop to achieve it!

[Carolyn @ Urban Veg patch]

Rainbow cutting garden? Childrens' projects? Sounds very like the plans I have for gardening with the kids this year - except now my brain is beginning to go numb and I might have to put my pyjamas back on. Oh. Wait. I haven't taken them off yet.
I also have a ferociously competitive Scrabble playing sister who has also fiendishly memorised the 2 letter words (I call that cheating). In arguments I tell her that I'd agree with her but then we'd both be wrong. Thanks for your hilarious comment on my garden plans post! Caro xx

[Arabella]

My parents were always right. I always had a suspicion my mother wasn't and I was right. Sadly when I found out that my father who was 'always right' was wrong about so much I felt quite devastated! So beware!

You were right about that bed though it looks brilliant - love the pots around the back

[Metropolitan Mum]

We could be very very very good real life friends, because mostly, I don't care to be right. There's only one thing I have - so far - always been right about: the first impression of people and how they turned out to be. Not a very good case of being right when someone turns out to be a complete a** and you are sitting there, thinking, 'I have been right about him/her from the start'. Sometimes I really wished I had been proven wrong.
PS: More updates on the book, please. How are you getting on?

[Dawn]

Caro - Are you still in PJs? Respect! Yes, if not cheating, then memorising all 2-letter Scrabble words must at least be morally questionable.

Arabella - My father has, to my knowledge, still only admitted to being wrong once in his life and apparetnly, this led to a better outcome so, in being wrong, he was really right. I, too, am not sure if I could take it if he really was wrong so as I am always right I always agree with him to ensure this never occurs.

MM - I'm not sure we could now be friends because you will take one look at me and think 'well she's a complete nightmare' and do you know what? You'll be right.

PS The easiest way to spot someone who has just finished their book is because they ask for updates on your, barely started one!

[Metropolitan Mum]

Haha. :-)