The garden’s a-glowing

The solar lamp amid the veges

We went to a Christmas party last Saturday, at Muzza’s (i.e. Murray’s) place at Sunnybank. It was a gathering of the various people, of all ages and backgrounds, who happen to be members of several beach volleyball teams that play at Sandstorm on Brisbane’s south side. Over the years of playing together we’ve managed to form bonds of friendship as well as being just team mates.

A fun time was had by all, as it was in the previous year. And as in the previous year, we played an interesting type of Secret Santa. In this one you don’t get a person to buy a present for. You simply buy a generic gift (up to $10) and put it under the tree when you get there. Then Kelly, our hostess and games organiser, puts numbers in a hat, each participant draws a number, and then you select a present in order according to your number. BUT there’s a catch – if you don’t like what you’ve chosen, you can opt to switch it with the present of somebody who’s chosen one before you. And, of course, people who come after you in the order can opt to switch with you, too. You have no choice but give up a present, if somebody later in the sequence nominates to switch with you. That’s how it works, and while it sounds a bit weird, last year it turned out to be very entertaining.

Side view of the solar lamp

This year’s Secret Santa was a quieter affair, with a lot less horse trading going on for some reason. Perhaps the presents were a little less unusual than last year’s (which included $10 of 10c coins rolled up like a cosh, and a huge box with nothing but a $10 note inside it).  Nonetheless it was still a fun time – watching Sean take the super soaker off his young cousin Alex, almost ruining the lad’s night, was a ‘highlight’. (Of course, he gave it back.)

I chose chocolates, which AnnMaree promptly relieved me of when it came to be her turn later in the sequence. What did she swap with me? An all-plastic, solar powered, yard/garden light! Which nobody chose to take off me, for some reason…

Frankly I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with a yard light. It’s not really my thing, you know? But at AM’s suggestion a couple of days later I put it in the vege garden, on a high spot near the beetroot and carrots. The soil is quite firm in that part of the garden – managed to break off the pointy ‘leg’ on the underside that you’re supposed to dig into the ground to provide stability. So I just set it upright in its designated spot and hoped it would stay like that.

And there it has stayed since. I look out some nights and see it bravely glowing in the darkness. It isn’t powerful enough to send light very far, so it’s a bit like a very low-level star, twinkling away all by itself.

Let’s face it, though. Its poor luminosity is probably a good thing. I don’t want to encourage the possums and their nocturnal buddies any more than I must. Well, at all, really.

Tags: lantern, light, power, powered, solar