Christine disliked garden ornaments immensely; ugly gnomes and pink flamingos, plastic things that spun in the wind, little tinkling bamboo and metal wind chimes… The unfortunate thing was that Joanne, Christine’s next door neighbour, loved garden ornaments.
“Her place,” said Christine of Joanne’s garden next door, “looks like a junk yard.”
“Her place,” said Joanne of Christine’s garden next door, “looks so bare and sterile.”
The time came at last when their differences could be decided officially. The city was organizing a street by street competition: which house in each street has the best garden? And then all those selected would go into the final part of the competition: who has the best garden in the whole city?
Joanne went all out. She purchased ceramic lizards and butterflies, outside wall mirrors that made the garden look more spacious than it was, little battery driven water fountains… On the other hand, Christine maintained her garden to perfection – the perfect lawn, not a weed in sight, the recycling bin in a hidden corner…
The garden judges came. The garden judges left. A winner was announced. Congratulations Cassandra.
Weave a Web 
She bribed the judges, didn’t she?
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Possibly she didn’t need to bribe the judges since they were two of her elderly aunts – who had plenty of experience as scrutineers in a recent election.
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If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the seige of Troy it’s that nobody likes Cassandra.
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I don’t remember when I’d seen The Cassandra Crossing, but I don’t like the sound of Cassandra in Coronavirus times.
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I always think of Casandra as being Jane Austen’s sister!
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Maybe she played mellow folk-rock tunes and shared her magic mushrooms with the judges…No, I’m thinking of Mama Cass Elliot. Sorry, wrong Cassandra, then. Never mind.
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From memory – she choked on a sandwich?
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Sadly. Well, something to the effect. I’m going off memory, too. It’s too bad, too, because just a few years later (maybe quite a few) Baird would post clear instructions on how to eat a sandwich on the dumbest blog ever. I guess Cassandra made me think of Cass and then with the garden theme I just felt the whole 60s vibe. I feel better now.
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Glad to have been a catalyst for you feeling better….!
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I don’t have many “ornaments” myself if you discount flowers and shrubs. I am missing the favourite ornaments though, which is to see my children, their husband and wives and our grandson. They ornament the garden very nicely.
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Yes, family and friends are wonderful things inside and out. I suppose such restrictions will inevitably hit us here.
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If we had your prime minister I don’t think we’d be suffering these restrictions. You are better off in New Zealand.
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Prime Ministers can be a little different from the image they wish to project overseas!
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Ours isn’t. A self-serving idiot both at home and abroad.
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I’m sure Cassandra was the perfect example of balance….
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I’m ok with garden gnomes, but have never warmed to flamingos!
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