Noel's Adventure(s): March 26: Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race

I actually got some sleep last night! The neighbors were shining a light directly in the window, so I got out my book and read by that for awhile before getting smart. I hung my two darkest scarves from my bed and was able to make it dark enough in my bottom bunk to sleep. Yay! I slept from about midnight to 4, when the birds came out, then fell back to sleep from 5 to 7, so I'm really excited. I spent the morning looking at this years available koi. The first shipments came in from Japan before disaster hit. I have no clue what the koi market will be like this year because of the quake, but I don't think it's going to be good. However, there are some nice ones already imported to drool over. Mom, Erin and I all have totally different types that we're looking for, of course, so actually finding the one we want is going to get interesting. I want a doitsu (scale-less) red and white kohaku or kikusui or even a red, black and white doitsu showa. I'd also love a longfinned shusui, white with red sides and a "zipper" of blueish-gray scales down the back. I've been looking for the perfect one for years but so far I haven't found any that are right, though I know they exist because we have 3 of them in the pond at work! Erin wants a chagoi, a brownish-colored (kind of ugly) koi that has throwback carp genes but is known to be the "golden retriever" of koi, meaning they are super friendly and get absolutely huge. Mom says she'd like a chagoi, too, but it has to be gin rin (sparkly-scaled), and long-finned as well as reddish in color. Aaahhhh! I can do one but not the other! We have so many koi now, I don't want to get more than one new one this year, so we've got our work cut out for us! Whew.

Large, raucous crowd

Anyway, after lunch, some friends and I decided to go over to Putney Bridge to see the famous Oxford vs. Cambridge boat race. It was super crowded along the river and we didn't have a clue as to where to go or what to look for, so we just wandered for awhile. Finally the race started at 5, and though we couldn't see well, I could see through my camera's window if I held it up high. They were past us in a flash, but it was fun to see. We found out later that Oxford had won. Getting home through the crowds was interesting. I'm quite surprised we all made it back together and in one piece. I came home to my marinated chicken, instant mashed potatoes and green bean dinner. Since then, I've been deciding what new gardens I'll be putting in this spring at home, and pouring over online catalogues to decide what plants I'll need to order. Currently, I'm working on a list of peonies that is less than a third done, with 13 different varieties so far. Mom and I are trying to decide on what kind of magnolia we want, and I think we've managed to pick out the lilac we need, but trying to find it for sale might get interesting. Overall, it's a fantastic evening. I have a big bag of licorice to keep me company, and planning for spring planting is probably my favorite task of the whole year! If only Maggie would stop having seizures, everything would be perfect. The poor little bird has been having epileptic fits again and I am just beside myself with worry being so far away. Sounds like all the other critters are doing well though. When I Skype with Erin I can usually hear the Bobo squeaking away in the background. I haven't been at all homesick this trip, but I do miss the animals. I can Skype with my parents and my sister and all my friends and family, but I can't really talk to the rabbit and the bird and the dog and the gerbils and the fishies.