The view has changed from the living room window

As an independent international capital markets infrastructure and training consultant, the onset of Covid–19 very quickly put an abrupt halt to all my scheduled overseas and domestic assignments with projects in Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Cyprus being put on hold for the time being. And of course the TNF Africa, Russia and Berlin Annual Meetings.

With retirement age slowly creeping up on me, a decision had to be made on how to fill my days other than the usual clearing up the garage and garden shed, which by the way were accomplished at an early stageand the contents disposed of prior to the local recycling centre being closed.

Even though not classified as being “shielded”, but having underlying kidney and blood autoimmune (APS) problems and combined with the work drought, I decided to self-isolate and eventually furlough myself. It was then I embarked on trying something that would keep me outdoors and at the same time take advantage of the every purifying Surrey air.

My past experiences in the garden were the odd planting of dubious colourful plants, which usually only flourished for a few weeks acquired from the gardening section of my local DIY chain.

This decision came at the same time that the vast majority of the UK population also came to the conclusion that gardening may be a good idea. This dramatic sea change immediately resulted on a “run” on gardening products akin to the “toilet roll saga”. My initial challenges were:

1) Acquiring the material for a raised bed

2) Sourcing suitable planting compost

3) Finding something to actually try and grow

At the outset, the kitchen and dining room windowsills became the seed propagation location prior to being transferred to a mini greenhouse frame on the patio. These early seedlings met an early demise when a strong gust of wind attributed to them being scattered across the patio. So, my initial foray suffered a setback but, undaunted, I continued with my endeavours. This has resulted in a growing selection of fruit and vegetables, most of which originated from seed and include Green Beans, Peas, Courgettes, Parsnips, Celeriac, Sweet Peppers, Carrots, Lettuce, Radish, Strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries, Blueberries, Rhubarb and the usual array of garden herbs. Seed Potatoes have recently been added to the portfolio. I drew upon a wide selection of containers to grow my produce, which included my local council glass and bottle recycling box for the tomatoes and an electrical transmitter shipping box for the beans and peas. Due to publication deadlines we are still awaiting the fruits of our labours but more importantly we have a good selection of “work in progress”.

Another part of the learning process was that once planted and in the various stages of growth, these plants require feeding and have had to resort to setting up calendar reminders as to what and when they require feeding. Also, at the age of 64, the acquisition of a sturdy gardening stool-come-kneeler is essential.

The greenhouse frame continues to be used to bring on Cherry and Watermelon from seeds extracted from the consumed fruit and Sunflowers nicked from the wife’s bird feeders along with additional Carrots, Lettuce and Radishes in various stages of growth. My biggest failure, especially as most of us must have tried it during our youth, was the growing of various varieties of Cress.

COVID-19 has also been the catalyst in my decision to give up my office in Morden after 23 years. That clear out process gave me the opportunity to re-live the various mediums we have used over the years to give presentations at the various conferences I have presented at over the years, including those from overhead projector transparency film, 35mm slides, floppy disks, CD-ROMs and USB sticks. Most of which now reside in the detritus of my local commercial waste recycling plant.

I was lucky enough to source a suitable supply of compost and a limited selection of vegetable seeds before they became extinct and the local garden centres were forced to close. One of my biggest mistakes was underestimating the amount of compost required, especially as it was purchased in litres - which I thought only related to fuel.

Google was overworked, even more than the increasing reliance on “Zoom” conferencing and when successful, having to endure the interminable wait for the product to arrive. My record to date was 47 days waiting for some strawberry and tomato plugs to arrive. One couldn’t believe how resilient plants can be after having to endure the UK postage or courier system and how quickly they can be revived with a good dosing of water.

The garden dustbin incinerator has also been put to good use during the lockdown period, albeit during the twilight hours when it caused little to no inconvenience to my neighbours. Not only has it been used to dispose of the growing pile of garden waste, it has also come in very handy in the disposal of out of “retention period” for my companies corporate and VAT records and receipts.

I believe I have now reached a stage of enjoyment and more importantly a form of relaxation to make sure that once this is all over, I will adhere to my wife’s instructions to “make sure you keep it up”!

Bruce Lawrence MD, HBL Consultancy Services