Verkopen van Kinderopvang hoe doe je dat?

Nu een paar weken geleden is de verkoop rondgekomen van de Kinderopvang van Combiwel Amsterdam. Tot die tijd een brede welzijnsinstelling waar ruim 1.100 mensen werkten. Vanuit het perspectief van lid van de Raad van Toezicht is dat een bijzonder proces. In de rol van toezichthouder sta je op afstand, maar is het onmogelijk om afstandelijk te opereren. Na een intensief jaar waarin tussen toezichthouder en bestuurder is gesproken over de koers van de Combiwel is in de zomer de knoop doorgehakt: verkoop van de kinderopvang. Reden van de verkoop is de strategische koerswijziging als gevolg van een fundamentele discussie over rol en positie van een brede welzijnsinstelling.

De bestuurder Hans Zuiver verwoordt het als volgt: ‘We willen ons volledig richten op welzijnswerk nieuwe stijl. Daarbij focussen we op twee pijlers: wijk- en buurtwerk en de brede school. Aan de ene kant gaat het om participatie, zorg en wonen in de wijk, aan de andere kant om ontwikkeling, opvoeding en onderwijs rond de brede school.” Daarbinnen past kinderopvang in grote volumes niet meer. Wel kinderopvang in bijvoorbeeld brede scholen waarbij een duidelijke inhoudelijke en welzijnscomponent aan de orde is. Bovendien is een belangrijke overweging geweest om klaar te zijn voor de barre tijden die de komende jaren gaan neerdalen op welzijnsinstellingen in het kader van de bezuinigingen. De kunst is om in tijden van heroverweging, kerntakendiscussie, uit- en inbesteden, aanbesteden en wat dies meer zij de bedrijfsvoering op orde te hebben en een financiële buffer op te bouwen. Dit om niet bij het minste geringste te hoeven inleveren op de inhoudelijke kwaliteit die je wil bieden.

Nadat het besluit is genomen komt er een ‘circus’ op gang waar ik me hooglijk over heb verbaasd. De Angelsaksische invloed op dergelijke verkoopprocessen wordt wel heel duidelijk. Allereerst komen er zogenaamde ‘mergers & acquisition’ adviseurs om de hoek kijken: specialisten in fusies en overnames. Vervolgens wordt er een ‘bidbook’ opgesteld waarin staat wat er te koop wordt aangeboden. Vervolgens komen er kopers in beeld die al of niet gefinancierd zijn met behulp van ‘private equity’. Dan begint het proces van ‘due diligence’ waarbij geïnteresseerde kopers precies gaan kijken wat er nu te koop is. Dan komt het proces van onderhandelen waarbij je met een of meerder partijen onderhandelt over de verkoopprijs en de voorwaarden. Kom je daar uit dan kom je in de buurt van de zogenaamde ‘closure’ het daadwerkelijk sluiten van de ‘deal’. Dat alles gaat in een moordend tempo en vraagt veel van de medewerkers op de afdelingen administratie en financiën. Als toezichthouder gaat het er om de belangen van de achterblijvende organisatie te bewaken en zorgvuldigheid in overgang van het personeel te waarborgen. Want bij dit alles lijk je haast te vergeten dat het gaat over 400 betrokken medewerkers die van werkgever veranderen en nog veel meer kinderen en ouders die bij een andere kinderopvangorganisatie terecht komen. De strategische vraagstukken en keuzes hebben altijd gevolgen voor de werkpraktijk. De strategische keuzes kunnen naar mijn stellige overtuiging ook alleen maar gemaakt worden met het oog op de gevolgen in de dag dagelijkse praktijk van medewerkers en klanten

The notion of returning to Western Australia one month after my trip to the Kimberly seemed crazy on the face of it, but my wife had vacation time coming and she had been impressed by my enthusiasm for W.A., as it is called here.  She was keen to see the Margaret River area just south of Perth, the state capital.  It is renowned for its wineries, tall trees and a spectacular coastline.

When I began putting the trip together, we toyed with several side trips, narrowing it down in the end to Perth, Margaret River and the Ningaloo Reef up north.  We would fly to Perth, stay a couple of days, then catch a local airline up to Exmouth to snorkel in the Indian Ocean at a place called Coral Bay.  A mid afternoon flight back to Perth would give us just enough time to drive down to Margaret River before it got dark.  That was the idea, anyway.  Nothing ever goes as planned.

Looking out over the Swan River from the plateau of King’s Park in Perth, it is hard to imagine the Dutch and French discovering  this place and then sailing on.  But the French were interested in exploring the area for its scientific curiosities and the Dutch were looking for trade goods.  Neither had positive things to say about the area.  It would have created a mess if the French had settled here with the British colony already established in Sydney.  That is still causing trouble in Quebec after 350 years.

On 25 April 1829, Captain Fremantle arrived in the ship HMS Challenger to make preparations for the  Swan River Colony.  On 2 May 1829, he formally took possession of the entire west coast of New Holland on behalf of King George IV.   A few days later, a camp was set up in a bay just south of the head, and the town of Fremantle was established.  It has been occupied ever since.  Two more towns were soon created upriver, Perth and Guildford.

Australians insist on abbreviating any words longer than one syllable, so it is understandable that they have shortened Western Australia and the name of the port of Fremantle,  although how they came up with Freo is a mystery.   The Swan River colony grew very slowly until about 1850, when convicts were brought in to alleviate the labor shortage.  Many of the public buildings in Perth and Fremantle were constructed with convict labor.  The discovery of gold in the 1880’s finally got things rolling for the new settlements.  Mineral wealth continues to drive  the economy.

The highlights of our quick visit were quite a contrast– King’s Park in Perth (which rivals Central Park in New York in size and variety and outdoes it in beauty) and Fremantle Prison.  Within walking distance of the business district, the park is on a bluff overlooking the Swan River.  It has the botanic gardens, of course, an excellent restaurant, a lovely cafe and great gift shop, graceful trees of all kinds and the wildflowers for which Western Australia is known throughout the world.

Fremantle Prison existed in my imagination long before our visit.  I had been taken there on a sea of words when we were living in Washington DC. Donal O’Kelly’s one-man play “The Catalpa”  is based on the true story of the daring rescue of six Irish political prisoners in 1875.  It is a bit of “Moby Dick” followed by “The Great Escape” capped by “Gone With the Wind,” literally.  From New Bedford, Massachusetts to Fremantle, Australia, across the high seas on the whaling ship Catalpa.  It culminates with the first ever ticker-tape parade in New York City.

The romance of theater hardly prepares you for the claustrophobic cells and the scary reality of the hanging room.  The prison was cut from local limestone and built by convicts over an eight-year period in the 1850’s.  It remained in operation until 1991.  Our guide made a distinction between convicts and prisoners which is worth bearing in mind in Australia.  Roughly ten thousand convicts were transported to Western Australia, but transport ceased in 1868.  By the end of the 19th Century, Fremantle Prison was for the incarceration of prisoners.

Our guide, who must have been a former guard, seemed to take a perverse delight in letting us know exactly how miserable the conditions were.  For years, there was no shade in the exercise yards.   There was no heat in winter or fans in summer.   There were no toilets in the cell blocks.   There was one bucket in each cell.   Two men to a cell.  There were no liberal notions of rehabilitation in the air.  This was a place of punishment.

We had made our way from Perth down to Fremantle by ferry, but we were relieved to be able to walk out through the front gates and catch a train back to the City.  It was a quick and easy escape.  One day of “doing time” in Fremantle Prison was time enough for me.

In contrast with our earlier green experiment, which ended up rather sadly for the little bonsais, my 94 year old neighbour tried to kill a huge (20m) Catalpa tree she had planted about 45 years ago and which she thought was rotten and thus threatening. As she was afraid it would fall, she called a tree gardening service who came last December and only left the trunk and a few stems, at 5m or so… The assumption was that rain and rot would take care of the remainder. (There was no sign of disease nor of hole in the cut branches, however.)

As it happens, the tree survived the winter and grew new branches over the summer. It is not back to its former glory but new branches of 5m or so have grown from the trunk and hopefully will keep going over the coming years.

De kinderdagverblijven van Elan Kinderopvang in West-Friesland vallen voortaan onder Catalpa uit Hengelo. Dit is de grootste kinderopvangorganisatie van ons land. Volgens financieel directeur Manuela Spaninks van Catalpa wordt de kinderopvang bij Elan voor ouders niet goedkoper door de schaalvergroting, dat schrijft het Noordhollands Dagblad vandaag op haar website.

Elan heeft dertien vestigingen in Andijk, Hoogkarspel, Medemblik, Middenmeer, Oosterblokker, Grootebroek, Bovenkarspel, Venhuizen en Wervershoof. Dagelijks vangt Elan circa 700 kinderen op. Bij Elan werken 195 mensen, onder wie veel parttimers.

,,Wij waren sinds eind vorig jaar in gesprek met de voormalige eigenaren van Elan, Elly Kok en Ans Schneider, over de overname”, vertelt Spaninks. ,,Zij wilden het stokje na jaren doorgeven.” Kok en Schneider startten met Elan in 1991. Het verkopen van Elan aan Catalpa is volgens Maaike Twisk, hoofd personeel en organisatie van Elan, hun beslissing geweest. ,,Zij werken hier al niet meer. We nemen eind augustus nog afscheid van hen.”

De kinderdagverblijven in West-Friesland blijven Elan heten, ook al vallen zij nu bestuurlijk en financieel onder Catalpa. ,,Wij gaan Elan voortzetten zoals Elan nu ook draait”, verzekert Spaninks. ,,Er verandert in principe niets. Elan draait zelfstandig door en moet zelf de broek ophouden. Elan krijgt één directeur, daarover zijn wij nu met iemand in gesprek.”

Meer hierover leest u in de krant van morgen

Onze gele catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’) begint stilaan te groeien.

Hij heeft er een hele tijd maar mistriestig bijgestaan, maar nu het gazon is aangelegd, kan hij trots wezen. Ook het opkomend gerst  laat zijn gele kleur mooi uitkomen.

One of the things that sold me on this house when we bought it in ‘04, was the Catalpa tree. I have loved these interesting trees since we lived in Minnesota. They have huge heart shaped leaves, incredibly fragrant flowers, and long slender pods that form in late summer. Ours is probably 40 feet tall and the trunk is more than 2 feet diameter. It has the perfect branch for a swing for our Granddaughter.

Now, I knew that the poor thing was located way too close to the house. It is literally 2 feet from the back corner. I think what happened is this. When the previous owners and builders of this house moved in back in ‘55, they planted the Catalpa in the backyard. At that time it was 20 feet from the corner of the house. As time went on and their family grew to 5 kids, they built an addition…right up to the Catalpa tree. I’m sure many main roots were cut to accommodate the foundation. Then they placed a paver in sand type patio around it and life went on.

So here we are 54 years later, and the poor thing is dying. I have sought the opinions of a professional arborist. There is no hope. It may have a year, maybe 2. In any case, it looks terrible. The leaves that it has are small, by catalpa standards. There is a lot of dead branches. It is struggling to make a few flowers. The worst part: the ants have moved in.

Carpenter ants. I have seen many outside. They are all over the tree. More so at night. There is a large crack in the bark, up high, that they are going in and out of. I know that these are a symptom and not what is killing the tree. To make matters worse, the ants are now in the house. I was hoping to squeeze a little time out of our catalpa before footing $1000 to have it taken down. But with the ants in the house, can I risk the wait? I don’t think so. In the meantime, I’m trying ant traps.

We will be losing our only source of shade on our patio. I am going to have to come up with something clever. I can’t imagine what a loss this is to our property value. There really is no room or excuse to put another tree in an already crowded space.

I do have a glimmer of a silver lining here. A few years ago I gave my sister and brother-in-law a seedling catalpa that had helped itself in the perennial bed. They planted it in a rather wide open place on their couple of acres. It is doing well, I’m told. Oh Mother Nature, you are so wise.

CATALPA, NOT JUST A SIDE STREET (04/19)

How often have you walked by a tree and wondered what type of a tree it was? Often, I presume. Such was the case with me and this tree:

Catalpa Tree

It is sometimes called the “Cigar Tree” because the pods visible in the picture above continue to brown. (thus looking like cigars)

The Catalpa tree is found in forests from southern Illinois and Indiana to western Tennessee and Arkansas. First cultivated in 1754, the wood was used for fence posts and railroad ties because of its resistance to rot coupled with the fast growth rate of the tree. In the south, Catalpa trees are traditional sources of fish bait. Catalpa worms, the larvae of Catalpa Sphinx Moths, are eagerly sought in early summer by anglers.

Catalpa Worms

And my Mom would be happy to know that hummingbirds visit these trees.

BOOK IT (04/20)

I learned a bit about book binding:

signature |’signə ch ər; – ch oŏr|
noun

3. Printing a letter or figure printed at the foot of one or more pages of each sheet of a book as a guide in binding.
• a printed sheet after being folded to form a group of pages.

LOOK UP! (but I don’t see anything!)* (04/21)

Perseids |’pərsēidz| Astronomy
an annual meteor shower radiating from a point in the constellation Perseus, reaching a peak about August 12.

Read more at BBC’s website.

*title in reference to an old Detroit Edison commercial featuring Isiah Thomas.

OH DEERE! (04/22)

While sitting in a concept meeting for a book about the John Deere company I learned the following:

The first John Deere tractor was not made until 1912. However, the company began in 1837 selling plows and parts

to read a full chronological history visit Deere.com

SAND DOLLARS (04/23)

I have always love sand dollars. In fact, I remember learning about them in grade school (Catholic School) and something religious being taught about them. (which I found a poem explaining this here.)

Recently, sand dollars came up in a conversation and their genus was questioned. (My guess was there were related to a sponge, I was wrong.)

Sand dollars are of the Phylum Echinodermata, class Echinoidea. They, like the sea urchin, have no arms or legs but move around by tiny spines on their body. Sand dollars are usually found lying in a bed buried under a layer of sand. If a sand dollar is found alive it will appear to have a layer of very fine hair on its body. These are the spines. They are a slow moving grazer that feeds on disintegrating organic material found within their sand beds.

read more.

I went out with the camera yesterday, after the big snowstorm, and shot a few photos. Most of them were of snow laden shrubbery, but when I looked up toward the sky I noticed that the beans on the Chinese Catalpa were still hanging in there and providing quite a funky contrast against the winter sky. In my September 26 Bloom Report, my Funky Feature of the Week was the Catalpa. To recap… Located on the main path between the Courtyard and the Rose Garden, beside the pond, is our Chinese Catalpa. This large tropical-looking tree is now sporting its bean-like seed pods, making it quite a funky sight (catalpas are sometimes called Indian Bean Trees, for obvious reasons.)

Chinese Catalpa - Sept 2008

Chinese Catalpa - Shadows

Chinese Catalpa - Feb 2009

Chinese Catalpa - Feb 2009

Equity research company Resource Capital Research (RCR) has launched its major quarterly research report covering 20 global gold exploration and development companies with a focus on Australia, Canada, USA and the UK.

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Flowers of the Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) tree, also known as Indian Bean, and Cigar-tree…

2008 D L Ennis, All rights reserved.

NOTE: Permission for the use of my images is granted for personal websites and blogs but is to include a link back to this site and proper credit given to me, D L Ennis. Link to be used…(Visual Thoughts http://dlennis.wordpress.com/)

NOTE: Commercial use, and the creation of prints, must be purchased! For more information you can contact me here.

Catalpa trees

I run with the wind sprites and cavort with the garden fairies. I admit it. I have even been known to hug a tree, both for my sake and when I can see the tree needs it.

I am also a dedicated Catalpa whisperer. I love the Catalpa tree. Considering it is such a perfect tree for my Zone 4 garden of Minneapolis, it is also so wonderfully tropical. The enormous ace of spade leaves are a little tropical and a bit pre-historic. The elegantly hanging seedpods are like nature’s Christmas tree ornaments. The orchid-like, fragrant flowers that appear en masse’ in mid to late June are heaven scent. It has an upright growth habit, making it ideal for small city lots and even though mine has never been tested, they have been reported to be quite storm resistant. When tornadoes whipped through southern Minnesota seven or so years ago, the Catalpa was listed as a perfect replacement tree. Oh, and they re-seed prolifically.

Which prompted my Catalpa project. Now, I certainly don’t advocate the overplanting of a particular species (think Elms), but I do think they have their place in many a Minnesota yard.

The above photo captures two skinny little fellows, transplanted from my yard, awaiting pick-up by a fellow Catalpa lover. They had been wilting a bit from stress, but this morning when they were doing so well, as if they picked themselves up by the bootstraps and put on their best face for their new owner.

They were excited to be going to their new home, like an adopted puppy from the pound. I was a little melancholy to see them go.

If you live in south Minneapolis and would like a Catalpa seedling, let me know.

A catalpa flower, fallen among the clover.

It amazes me that such tropical-seeming plants can flourish in Wisconsin.  Not only the catalpa,

but the hardy hibiscus

which always seems completely incongruous here (this one is waiting to be planted outdoors, it’s not a patio plant).

Of course, right now, we are heading into the tropical season in Wisconsin in truth.

I’ve never understood how fluctuating between -20 degrees F in winter and 90 degrees F in summer with high humidity (-30 to +30 ° C), could be considered a “temperate” climate.

Perhaps there’s another definition of “temperate” in the dictionary that I’m overlooking?

I’ve been spending a few minutes each morning in a devotional called God Calling. Two British women in the 1930s wrote down comforting and encouraging messages they believe God gave them as they faced great difficulties in their lives. One of the book’s major themes is finding joy, which all three of my devoted readers know is one of my favorite topics. Several days ago, a passage in the book told how our burdens distract us from joy, and how Jesus died so he could carry those burdens for us:

How foolish is any one of My disciples who seeks to bear his own burdens, when there is only one place for them – My Cross.

It is like a weary man on a hot and dusty road, bearing a heavy load, when all plans have been made for its carriage. The road, the scenery, flowers, beauty around – all are lost.

Reading this, I had the same kind of “Aha!” feeling I got in college when I’d finally understand a complex theorem. Wouldn’t it just take a road metaphor to help me understand?

I was sorting through my photographs recently looking for a few I might enlarge and frame. I was surprised by how many flowers I had photographed last year, many of them at the roadside as I explored an old highway. I felt pretty good as I realized just how often I stopped to take in the beauty around me.

I still lived in the church parsonage last spring when the bulbs on the grounds began to sprout. I wondered what they were – I can name only a few flowers, mostly the ones I like. I’d been a member at that church for three years but had never noticed the spring bulbs coming up before. I guess living on the church grounds focused my attention.

I had just bought a digital camera and took the opportunity to see how it would perform. I think it did a remarkable job of capturing the colors and details, as you can see in the three photos I’ve included so far.

Many kinds of weeds grow along the narrow creek that runs behind the parsonage. One had a vivid yellow flower that grabbed my attention even from the kitchen window fifty feet away. During the time these flowers flourished along the creek’s bank, I explored the orignal path of State Road 37. Wherever I stopped to take photographs, I was surprised to see entire farm fields full of this weed. It was quite arresting.

Elsewhere on this trip I was walking along what I thought was an abandoned section of State Road 37. There was a bridge along this secluded segment, typical of bridges built on Indiana highways in the 1920s and 1930s.

I enjoyed the cool shade as I took photos of the bridge, which was overgrown. The flowers in the photo at right are a weed, I’m sure, and they were going to town here where nobody was keeping them in check.

About the time I snapped this photo, I noticed a hovering police car. I noticed a No Trespassing sign on a tree behind me. Whoops! I drove off, and fortunately the officer let me be chased off.

On my trip along the National Road in Illinois last July, scraggly plants with bright blue flowers, chicory, could be found growing along the road for several miles. We encountered these flowers on many stops.

The National Road’s path just east of Marshall is uncertain for a few miles. The flowers in this photo are growing up a signpost along US 40, which lies between two potential National Road alignments. I wonder if all the flowers have 13 petals, as the flower inset.

When we reached the National Road’s end in Vandalia, the city had placed big cement planters around the courthouse there. I’m drawn to all things purple, including the petunias they planted. Vandalia was the state’s capitol before Springfield, and the courthouse was previously the Statehouse.

Later in the summer, the catalpa tree on the church grounds bloomed. The flowers looked delicate but felt thick and sturdy when I took them into my fingers. I especially liked the purple stretching along like veins from the flowers’ centers. The flowers didn’t last long, though. I first saw them the day I took these photos. When I mowed the grass the following weekend, most of the flowers had fallen, and the grass was blanketed in white petals.

This tree has got to be well over 100 years old. Its branches have grown twisted and knurled like the fingers of fifty old men all brought together. Its leaves grow large, thick, and heavy, but wither to nearly nothing before falling to the ground at autumn. The flowers come and go, of course, but its long seed pods, which remind me of giant green beans, last for weeks before they open and drop their seeds.

I came to feel a lot of affection for this old tree during my time in the parsonage.

Ask my mom and my ex-wife, both successful and prolific gardeners: I have never before given two shakes about things that grow out of the ground. But I’m sure glad that I’ve finally slowed down enough to enjoy the colorful scenery that rolls out before me as I go.

What about you? When you slow down, what things do you notice that bring you joy?

(And if you’d like to see some really good flower photography, check out Bernie Kasper’s blog.)

Dopo aver preso in considerazione l’utilizzo dei pipistrelli per combattere le zanzare, giunge ora la notizia della “Catambra” ®, un brevetto Europeo della Ambrogio S.r.l. Questa pianta è caratterizzata da contenuto di “catalpolo” quattro volte superiore (confermato da analisi hplc), che conferisce un efficacie effetto repellente sulle zanzare e quindi rappresenta un mezzo assolutamente biologico, identificata attraverso analisi del dna “finger printing” (che è l’impronta digitale genetica).
Anni fa durante una gita lungo il Po, a Giovanni Ambrogio, intraprendente e fantasioso vivaista di Leno, nel Bresciano, venne l’idea di una pianta che respingesse le zanzare. Una piccola zona prospiciente il fiume, nel Cremonese, non era infatti infestata dal fastidioso insetto. Ambrogio studiò la vegetazione del posto ed elaborò il progetto di una pianta anti-zanzara che si è concretizzato in un albero da giardino e in una versione da appartamento.

Chi ha sperimentato la pianta selezionata da Ambrogio giura che è infallibile. Basta zampironi, strisce Vape, fornelli, spray e ogni genere di insetticida, più o meno tossico. Se le promesse saranno mantenute, le zanzare verranno tenute a distanza in modo naturale con piante che abbelliscono giardini, balconi e terrazze. «Provare per credere» assicura il vivaista.
Intanto Giovanni Ambrogio, ora affiancato dal figlio Marino, dopo una vita dedicata alle piante e alla selezione delle erbe officinali, ha attrezzato un sito web per illustrare i prodigi della sua invenzione.
La pianta anti-zanzara è efficace anche contro la temibile variante tigre, giunta anche da noi, come certifica Tito Schiva, direttore del Centro sperimentale floricoltura di Sanremo che ha collaborato con Ambrogio Vivai nello sviluppo del progetto.(Tratto da un’articolo di Vittoriano Zanolli pubblicato sul Giornale di Brescia, martedì 7 Novembre 2006)
La Catambra (catalpa di Ambrogio) è protetta dal marchio commerciale (trade mark) ambrös’ plants e dal brevetto europeo (patent-pending) n. 2006/0119.

Caratteristiche tecniche

• Famiglia delle Bignogniacee
• Origine: America Boreale
• Altezza massima: m 3,5
• Larghezza massima della chioma: m 6,0
• Forma della chioma: tondeggiante
• Raggio d’azione della repellenza: il doppio della chioma
• Esposizione: sia al sole che all’ombra
• Non serve potatura
• Non fiorisce
• È inodore
• È a foglia caduca.

Personalmente intendo provare questa pianta, ho riscontrato che nella nostra zona, l’unico vivaista autorizzato alla vendita è Baldacci a Lastra a Signa – Tel. 3386821627

Potrebbe essere una valida soluzione anche per Campi Bisenzio, in virtù del ripopolamento sempre in attuazione del verde pubblico (vedi ad esempio l’iniziativa di un’albero per ogni bambino nato) in contrapposizione alla vasta invasione delle zanzare che già dalla primavera popolano la nostra zona, vi invito a provare ed a riportare le vostre impressioni.

Argomenti correlati sul blog : Viviamo l’estate ! tutti uniti contro le zanzare.

Stevia rebaudiana è una pianta a dir poco anonima. Mi correggo: nessuna pianta lo è; alcune però, come la stevia, quanto meno non si fanno ricordare per originalità, come se la natura nel crearle si fosse trovata a corto di fantasia. Ebbene, questa specie originaria del Paraguay, dove viene chiamata yerba dulce, ha attirato l’attenzione perché le sue foglie hanno potere dolcificante. C’è un vivaista bresciano che, più delle regole dell’ortofloricoltura e dell’etica, conosce bene quelle del marketing e, con una supponenza a mio parere fastidiosissima, brevetta piante che la natura assai più generosamente aveva regalato a tutti. Lanciata la stevia qualche anno fa come dolcificante naturale alternativo allo zucchero, ha fatto parlare i giornali e le televisioni, sino a quando qualcuno ha puntualizzato che la Comunità Europea, non essendo chiari i meccanismi di certi possibili effetti collaterali se si consumano foglie di stevia, ne vieta la commercializzazione come dolcificante. Tutto questo dura da anni eppure qui e là questa piantina erbacea di scarso impatto visivo continua a comparire con la specifica “dolcificante naturale” , talvolta con l’aggiunta “addolcisce cento volte più dello zucchero bianco” e sul sito del vivaio in questione continua ad essere definita “una delle piante più meravigliose del mondo”, e già la terminologia dice molto dell’onestà di chi la propone.
Post scriptum: se vi imbattete in un albero brevettato chiamato catambra presentato come eccezionale antizanzare e a voi sembra solo una comune catalpa; se, prendendo visione dei prezzi sul sito che lo illustra, vi sembra che un alberetto di “catambra” di 2,5 m in vaso a 450 euro sia una esagerazione, sappiate che il “vivaio”  scopritore di quest’altra pianta più meravigliosa, nonché detentore dei diritti di riproduzione, manco a dirlo è lo stesso della stevia. Qualcuno dovrebbe avvertire la giornalista del Venerdì di Repubblica che, buona ultima, dopo due o tre anni che nell’ambiente se ne parla e se ne ride, l’altro giorno ha annunciato ai suoi lettori che la catambra è la soluzione vegetale contro le zanzare!

DE BELANGRIJKHEID VAN HET BOOM ZIJN

Ik sta voor een zeer zware beslissing. Die zou vandaag eigenlijk al moeten genomen zijn. Maar het lukt me niet. Ik moet een boom kiezen. Lach niet. Of voor u lacht, denk eens welke zware gevolgen de verkeerde boomkeuze kan hebben. Dat plant je niet zomaar. Dat ontplant je niet zomaar. Dat groeit en dat wordt groot. Dat gaat langer mee dan een doorsnee mensenleven. Iets om over na te denken. Over de keuze van een boom, over de belangrijkheid van een boom.

Drie bomen moesten een paar weken geleden sneuvelen. Wijken voor de heilige koe auto. Tegen mijn zin maar noodzakelijk. Er moest een opritje vergroot worden. Maar het lege gat dat overblijft op de rest van het lapje verkavelingsgrond moet opnieuw opgevuld worden. De leegte in de lucht is bijna ondraaglijk. Het licht dat niet meer gefilterd wordt te fel. En zelfs indien dit niet het geval was, het koppel stokduiven dat al jaren in mijn tuin vertoeft is hun vaste stekje kwijt. Die moeten opnieuw een landingsplaats hebben.

Ik dacht dat het simpel was. Tot mijn tuinaannemer er zich ging mee moeien. Neen, ik wil echt geen lolly’s in mijn voortuintje. Geen suikerspinnetjes op een stokje omgeven door een haagje buxussen. Robuust. Flink. Stevig. Geen frullerij. Doe mij maar een olijfboom. Paniek. Dat overleeft niet, dat groeit traag! Ok, doe me dan maar een vijgenboom. De prijs van 164 eur was niet echt een bezwaar, maar dat je daarvoor slechts een stokje van hoogstens 1 m hoog en 14 cm diameter had, dat was wat anders. Hoe lang eer dit iets is wat zich met recht en rede boom mag noemen? Zie je dat daar al onooglijk staan? Een plataan dan maar? Goh, dat wordt wel reuzegroot. Stelt u zich die al eens binnen twintig jaar voor, daarvoor is het misschien net wel iets te klein.

Goed. Maar daar sta ik nu. Wat kan daar nu zo moeilijk aan zijn? Mijn voorwaarden: niet echt siertuinachtig, het mag niet in elke voortuin staan, je moet er kunnen onder zitten op een bankje, vooral als je in de zeventig bent. Als hij bloesemt moet het wit zijn, fruit mag, vogelvriendelijk, niet te klein en niet te groot. En toch kom ik er niet uit. En oja, groot blad, veertjesgedoe, daar houdt ik niet van. Geen knotjes, die horen in de vrije natuur en geen boom waar een hele winter dode bladeren blijven aanhangen. Dat maakt me neerslachtig.

Zal ik maar de gemakkelijkste oplossing kiezen en gewoon dezelfde boom nemen waarmee de straat nu al volstaat? Als dat niet ruimdenkend is en stedebouwkundig verantwoord.

Zucht.

(En zeggen dat ik nog een tweede belangrijke keuze moet maken deze week. Nog een zucht.)

I may (or may not) have mentioned that Sweet Baboo has, for the past 3 or 4 years, planted Morning Glory seeds at the base of our Catalpa “bushes” ( I don’t believe that there is an actual Catalpa bush — we have two in the front yard that were stunted by the previous owners. Sort of like Banzai trees.) During the summer, the leaves go berserk starting about mid July and they have to be trimmed almost weekly. By letting the Morning Glories climb to the top, they keep the leaves from growing (somehow — I don’t understand how the whole thing works, but it does) plus they look kinda cool.

Here’s a close up shot — check out the dark blue blossom amidst the pink ones. We usually have white ones here and there, but this year there aren’t any.