Toys

TOYS FOR THE BOYS

I’m at the RDS in Dublin at the Toys for Big Boys weekend. The event is highly publicised and as I think of myself as a young lad still, I thought it would be interesting to see what was on offer. I’m not here to do a review on the event, so don’t stop reading just yet if you are worried that I will be talking about Chieftain Tanks, racing car simulators and Ferraris, which are here I might add, but well fenced off….

I did think that some gardening tools could be classed as Toys, chain saws, strimmers, ride on mowers and anything else with an engine, so I am looking around for something innovative. The closest that I have come to so far in my hour of squeezing through the crowd, is a fork (not a garden one I might add) with a battery operated swivel head for twisting your spaghetti around. I am one of those people who don’t mind twizzling pasta, so that doesn’t really appeal to me much. I have also spent most of my time looking in the opposite direction to the hoards of sales staff that have been set on to do a hard sell to the Christmas shoppers looking for gifts for their loved ones.

I am not fast enough though…..

FREEBIES – AT A PRICE

“Take this complimentary gift bag.” A young girl passes over a paper bag advertising the event in big red letters. Something for free at last, I think, and take it. It’s a bit like a grown up version of a Lucky Bag so I get out of the flow of people and have a peep inside to see what companies are trying to impress me with. First out of the bag is a national newspaper, not too bad, I can read that on the Dart journey later. I’m delving again. This time I pull out a tin of tuna, well it could be worse I suppose. Next out, a bag of crisps, followed by a small sample of anti-perspirant for men. I’m not impressed but delve deeper. Next is a free sachet of Brylcreem, as if I have a need for that. I suppose I could lubricate the door hinges with it at home, but I can’t see there being a place for it on my head. Rattling around the bottom of the bag was a couple of packets of chewing gum. I didn’t think it was possible but the bag is nearly as disappointing as I remember lucky bags being, this one didn’t have any jelly sweets either. It’s the anticipation before hand that is the fun part.

NEW INNOVATIONS

There are some great innovations in the gardening world at the moment but this isn’t the place to showcase them. I am heading upstairs where the foot spa’s, jewellery, aromatherapy, massage and teeth whitening stands are…..Maybe I am not the boy I thought I was.. fun never the less.

I don’t need a massage to start a reverie and as I have a cup of tea my mind starts to consider new innovations in the gardening world. One is growing dandelions on a large scale. Most of us have been managing to grow these for years in our own gardens, but this plan is to grow them commercially for natural latex. If you break open a dandelion stem, a milky sap comes out. This liquid is similar to the latex harvested in large quantities to make natural rubber. The latex gives elasticity to things like wheelbarrow tyres. Most of the latex is harvested from Asia, but during the Second World War, when supplies were cut off, attentions turned to the dandelion and this was used as a substitute. Rubber trees are experiencing a fungal disease at the moment and plantations are being wiped out so a natural solution is becoming vital. Rubber made with the dandelion latex seems to stop the problem of allergic reactions, which will make wearing rubber gloves to pick nettles that bit easier. If the plants were grown on a large scale every hectare would produce 500-1000 kilograms of latex per growing season, it would also make finding the plants to feed to my voracious guinea pigs a lot easier.

Another innovation that has have caught my eye recently are the new wave power farms that collect energy underwater by underwater turbines. They are unseen above ground and the tide is are really reliable. It doesn’t stop like the wind does.

Another ambitious project is to create and encyclopaedia all of the world’s species. (check out www.eol.org). This maps the appearance and movement of creatures that could either benefit or destroy plants. So now we can see those pests a-coming and get prepared. It’s interactive and free to go into (unlike most things at this exhibition).

STAR WARS

I digress though, and after resisting the urge to whiten the few teeth that I still have left, I decide that it’s time to leave. My goodie bag is full of leaflets offering me 10% off of helicopter rides and free paint balls when I sign up to a weekend of adventures in the woods.

“David Prowse will be here later this afternoon.” A voice is telling me. I look around and am confronted by an army of stormtroopers complete with guns. I’m not too worried though as I don’t think that a Stormtrooper actually managed to shoot anyone in any of the Star Wars films, they were pretty poor shots. “He plays Darth Vader in the Star Wars films and he’s here to sign autographs.” They tell me in a robotic voice. I am tempted, but decline the invitation to wait around for another two hours. I have some dandelions to grow.