Minimalist poet, minimalist lifestyle

I've just been bagging up some autumn leaves in the garden; eight bags so far, and at least another eight for next week when there'll be room in the bin.

I noticed that my eschscholtzia (California/golden poppy) are already germinating. The seedlings should be okay though, the species is native to the mountainous regions of that state; which I'm sure have plenty of cold weather.

I've learnt from the internet that escholtzia is the state flower of California and can somehow be used as a herb.

Dr. Rogerio Gonzalez would never be told the truth, few people associated with the Red Horizons project are even aware of the fact he's the second choice for medical officer for the mission. Chip Randall had been NASA's first choice, outscoring Gonzalez on eight of the ten psychometric and performance tests, and presenting a far superior resume.

However, sixteen weeks into the Antarctic Isolation two of the female crew members refused to sleep with him any more, let alone have sex. 'Too vane and arrogant' they said.

On humankind's second visit to Mars (and the first attempt at colonisation) you've all got to get along. Eight male and eight female, no prior emotional entanglements and none to be allowed to develop during the planned fourteen years of the voyage. Sex, yes...it's to be encouraged (compulsory even) but no emotional ties. So strict is the daily mate selection process initiated by the computer that couples don't know who they'll be pairbonding with until thirty minutes before lights out. No-one is on a promise during the 'day' because everyone is guaranteed sexual release.

Rogerio likes Carolina, the Latino navigator the best; her jet black hair, perfect skin and piercing hazel eyes. Oh yes, and what she does when she's...

They've been paired together for the previous two nights. The computer allocates the occupants of each of the eight dormitory hatches totally at random, but the doctor knows that there's always been a line of code in the program that overrides the protocol and prevents any one couple spending more than two consecutive nights together...it's supposedly bad for team morale. He gleamed this piece of mission-critical information from Jedd Barczak, mission commander and only survivor from the failed Red Horizons I deep space insertion - a man who had earned eighty four million Dollars from endorsements and media appearances, and subsequently gambled away nearly ninety percent of his fortune...he's still a wealthy man though and someone who Rogerio would trust with his life, and has already done so on two separate occasions.

So, it won't be Carolina tonight...it might be Nadia though.