Anything Stephen Fry does is top notch in my opinion. It sounds like a charming series and when I looked it up I noticed that Phyllida Law plays the aunt. She is a wonderful actress and is the mother of Emma Thompson. Wish I could see an episode of this series.

Niwashisan, perhaps I am revealing my ignorance of proper pine care (and the reason that all of the pines I've tried to care for have gone on to that Great Big Japanese Garden in the Sky), but I thought that evergreens shed needles year-round, with an increase in shedding rate in the fall, so that autumnal needle-stripping would reduce, but not eliminate, subsequent needle fall? Greg, thanks for the un-pined version of the Adachi garden photo. I do like that much better, but I would even do away with the one pine you "transplanted" to the grass. On reflection, perhaps my problem with the pines are not so much that they are "Hello Kitty" and/or lizard-cage-decor, but that they are exaggeratedly "Japanesey", in the geisha-gazing-at-Fuji-san-through-falling-cherry-blossoms sort of way. Admittedly, the cliches may have been inspired by the trees at the Adachi or in similar gardens, not the other way around. (Am I the only one who cringes at all the cliches in Shakespeare? "All that glisters is not gold.", "Neither a borrower nor a lender be.", "A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse." Sheesh, the greatest writer in the English language and he doesn't know that those have all been *done to death*? :) :) :) I agree with Fran about the scale problem. IMHO, the tamamono are perfect as they are, but the rocks certainly could stand to grow a bit :) Herb, I like the "Shogun's Wedding" garden :), but I personally would increase the magnification of the background to bring it further into scale with the foreground. - Evelyn

I have searched and searched and cannot find any basic gardening classes or clinics in Louisville. Does anyone know whether such a thing exists? I have checked on the county extension's website and am only finding UK references, and since Lexington is too far to go, I would love to find something closer. Or should I just try to find an experienced, or even master, gardener who would like an "apprentice" in exchange for a little hard labor ;-)? Angela

Vee, I didn't grow up with English boys but I really didn't notice the Englishmen I knew as co-workers, friends, and male relatives of friends as being as allergic to female company as you describe. Maybe the ones I knew had outgrown it. :-) I did notice the shyness of both males and females, though. As for American guys having 'trophy' girlfriends and wives: sure, there are those but I think gals were/are just as likely to collect 'trophy' boyfriends and husbands. The quarterback of the football team was always more popular than a defensive lineman (a necessary but less glamorous position); the guy with a 'hot' car impressed the girls while the poor fellow who had to drive his parents' car on dates was a 'drip'. I was probably a typical snotty female in some respects: I was mortified when I was a senior (12th grader) in high school and a sophomore (10th grader) boy asked me to an important dance. He was too young for me. I think it's funny now that I have a husband six years younger than me. Annpan, it's true that Americans are obsessed with the appearance of teeth. Martin Amis (Kingsley's son) said that before he dared go to the US he had to get himself 'an American smile'. Looking at YouTube video clips of singers such as Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) and David Bowie before they had their teeth fixed always draws comments from younger Americans nowadays. How could these guys dare sing with such teeth? As if shiny, white plastic chompers are a prerequisite to singing talent...apparently so in their opinion. Americans are just about as obsessed with body hair as with teeth. It wasn't always so, but it is now. Females should have hair in three places only: the head, the eyebrows and the eyelashes. Males are allowed facial hair in addition. If you're wondering about the other region where hair usually grows...that's just ick, ick, ick! Hair removal is big business in the US. Mudlady, I've run across that parental attitude you describe that sons are always more important than daughters. I think it must be a holdover or throwback in American culture and not the norm as it is in certain other cultures. I never felt that I was less important than my brothers, but I was the only girl and youngest child and that probably made a lot of difference. Ah yes, cars had character back then! I can barely tell one make & model from the next nowadays. My first car is only a fond memory but I still have my second car, a metallic-blue 1966 Plymouth Satellite with a 383 engine, 5-speed manual on the floor. Lots of girls never learned to drive a standard transmission, but they missed out on loads of fun! I'm glad I grew up in the heyday of American car culture. As frivolous as it might seem, it signified freedom to me more than anything else could at the time. I didn't think anything of jumping into my car and driving alone from Iowa to Texas. I drove from Paris to Istanbul one time, too. It was marvelous.