📙 Part 2: Describe a person who likes to look after the natural world

This episode's vocabulary

Dab hand (idiom) – to be very good at a particular activity. → My mom is a dab hand with just about everything green.

Pottering about (phrasal verb) – to move around and do things in a relaxed way, without a specific purpose. → She's always pottering about outdoors.

Green thumb (idiom) – the natural ability to make plants grow. → You might even say she has a green thumb or something like that.

Heading up (phrasal verb) – being in charge of a group or organization. → She's been heading up the local nature club for what must be the last twenty years.

Give or take (idiom) – approximately. → ...for the last twenty years, give or take.

Vegetation (noun) – plants in general, or plants that are found in a particular area. → She knows all about the local wildlife and vegetation.

The better part of (idiom) – most of something. → She's been looking after it for the better part of three decades.

Escape me (idiom) – if a name or fact escapes you, you cannot remember it. → Their exact names escape me just now.

Tended to (phrasal verb) – cared for. → There are a lot of bulbs and seeds being planted and tended to.

Vibrant (adjective) – energetic, exciting, and full of life. → I think it makes the place look alive and vibrant with all the activity there.

Flower bed (noun) – a part of a garden where flowers are planted. → Apparently, the flower beds need tended with different tools from ones the hedges need.

Engaged (adjective) – involved and interested in something. → It's good for her to have a hobby like this to keep her engaged.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Describe a person who likes to look after the natural world. You should say who this person is, what they do, how they do it, how often they do it, and explain how you feel about this person. So pretty much you talk about someone who enjoys taking care of nature, taking care of the natural world. Rory, could you give us your story?

Rory: I could think of a lot of people like this in my life, but the one that stands out the most is my mom, who is a dab hand with just about everything green, especially the stuff in our garden. She lives pretty close to my place, just in a different neighborhood. So it's easy for me to go and visit her anytime I like, and she's always pottering about outdoors. You might even say she's, well, she has a green thumb or something like that. To tell you a bit more about her, apart from being my mom and good at gardening, she's been heading up the local nature club for what must be the last twenty years, give or take. That means she knows all about the local wildlife and vegetation, which lets her help out people when they need help with their own gardens. When it comes to what she actually does, not only does she put on events with the club, but she's also got a huge garden which she's been looking after for the better part of three decades at this point, working with lots of different flower and plant species. Their exact names escape me just now, but I think they're just regular garden plants, like daffodils and petunias. There are a lot of bulbs and seeds being planted and tended to regardless. When they're ready to flower, they're pretty colorful and attract a lot of insect species like flies and ants and beetles, and I think it makes the place look alive and vibrant with all the activity there. As for how she does it, I think it's just an everyday thing for her. She's always working away in some part of the place with different tools. Apparently, the flower beds need tended with different tools from ones the hedges need, but I don't know much about it, to be honest. It sounds like a lot of work, but it must be fun for her since she seems to really enjoy herself and has a huge amount of free time now she's retired, which is excellent because if she didn't have this garden, then I'm not sure what she would do instead. You can always see her out there with a big smile on her face while she's working. I actually saw this yesterday when I went to visit her. It's good to know how the place is developing. In terms of how I feel about her, well, obviously, I like her a lot, but not just because she's my mom, but it's obviously good for her to have a hobby like this to keep her engaged and helping out in the local area. And it's not just about her garden. I think all the species which live there really help the neighborhood environment too. And I hope she keeps doing it in the future. I'm quite proud of her and what she's done with her talent, and I hope one day I can do something similar with a garden of my own.