mish mash ups odds n ends etc

• edited to add - if anyone knows where the first half of this post went please get in touch. had a whole list of links to cool audio stuff i'm liking. pah!
• i can't remember if i posted this already, but regardless, i've listened several times now to Sam Keen's In The Absence of God. i love this talk. fits really nicely with some ikon themes and has a lovely emotional and community groundedness to it. i can't recommend this one highly enough. very much looking forward to reading his book on this theme. 

• also enjoyed seeing Ta-Nehisi Coates interview David Remnick at the NYPL. and while we're at it - TNC's ongoing series of posts 'honouring Confederate History Month (CHM)' (just one example of many here) has been my daily must-read of the past few weeks. brilliant posts and excellent conversations resulting in the comments. really really worth one's time. 

• i'm listening to a series of southern gardening podcasts and trying to decide what i wanna keep up with. i think this is one from MSU is my fave so far (archives / podcast).

this has been a somewhat strange week. my step-mother's in hospital (although hopefully not for much longer), there's an ash cloud hanging over our heads and not a plane in the sky. i've a friend due to visit from Chicago on Saturday and i'm hoping things will be back to normal so we don't miss out on several days of chat we have planned.

but despite the uncertainty, it's spring here in Dublin and although it's a little cool, it's dry and quite lovely.

i've planted some seeds in my window boxes and pots...
*sunflowers
*sweet peas
*gypsophlia
*clarkia
*night scented stock
*two different types of nasturtium

once they're established i'll be looking into staking options.
and just in case none of them grow (which not only shows a lack of trust in my own green fingers but a silly lack of faith in soil+sun+water+life) - i got a couple of geraniums.

all in all things are good. i miss my love but so far it's not proved a fatal separation. i fell asleep in last night with him on skype beside me while he worked on some weeds in a flower bed.

blessings all,

LB