Early Winter Bits and Bobs.

[robo]

I’ve not been posting much of late o.h. I know the reason but it more personal than the need to discuss with people ,I made a mistake in spring me and my wife had discussions about buying a motor home the idea was to spend a bit of time in France on the way to our place in Spain, when my wife died I decided to carry on with the idea, I went to view one the idea was just to look but the guy dropped his price by quite a bit so like the clown I am I bought it and what a bag of crap I bought every thing worked fine for nearly three months then the roof light leaked I had that fixed at a cost of over £1000 then the toilet stopped working I fixed it myself with a lot off effort then on the way to wales in very heavy traffic on the last bank holiday I kept getting an engine warning sign saying it was overheating which it wasn’t but I got there in the end but I had to have the complete exhaust system cleaned at a cost of around £250 every time I stepped into the van I could hear my wife’s voice calling me every name under the sun ,I decided to sell it and made the mistake of advertising it on Facebook I had virtually every mythering idiot born contacting me and asking to view one day when I was getting to the point of no return a genuine couple came viewing I could tell by the questions they were interested when it came to payment I reduced my price by a large amount next day I drove it to their home I lost a good bit on it but I can sleep at night knowing I did not con anyone

[Monika]

Sorry to hear your motor home tale, robo, but I do hope you'll be able to get away next summer, especially to your place in Spain without carrying your home with you!

[Shallot Man]

robo. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Before the Memsahibs dementia. She had a degree with honours in hindsight.

[snooky]

Five grey squirrels teararsing around the garden this morning.Normally there is only one "resident" squirrel present with the occassional visitor.Must be the start of their breeding season.The chase is on!!

Monica,I do believe that most of the snowdrop sellers on E-bay are enthusiastic amateurs,Galanthophiles,who sell their "spare"bulbs to further their hobby.Obviously there will be some commercial outfits on there but they must have other outlets to make it pay.
I bought the bog standard Nivalis snowdrop from E-bay (£7.99 for 150 bulbs in the green)when we first moved here and planted them around the garden.When the clumps get too overgrown I lift them and replant them in the verges in my area,some failed but a lot survived.
Liking the yellow snowdrops (Wendy's Gold,Spindlestone Suurprise,etc) I have bought them but not at silly prices because they are different.Likewise those with catchy names,Grumpy,Heffalump and similar most costing less than a tenner including postage and I have a small collection of fifteen or so named plants,but I am not into it to make money.
Some years ago there was a named variety on the shelves ina a local garden centre,£5.99 a pot of three bulbs.I didn't buy one,left money and cards at home,went back two days later to find that they were all gone bought up by one person.Lo and behold they appeared for at £6.00 per bulb and are on E-bay with the same seller every year since.Missed opportunity!!
And as you wrote,Monika,you have to be on your tummy to spot any differences in their marking if they are in the ground.

[oldherbaceous]

Afternoon Robo, you are certainly one of the worlds honest people, it might not always pay off but, as you said, you will indeed sleep knowing that you haven't conned anyone...fair play to you.

[robo]

I’ve still got our touring caravan to go away with our place in Spain is up for sale but it’s not straight forward I have to get my wife’s will and death certificate interpreted and both registered, my favourite place to go away to was the site my daughter had her caravan on in Diana’s dinlle in wales but due to the attitude of the site owners over the pandemic they have sold it so I’ll have to find somewhere else

[Primrose]

I suspect people who have never owned either a holiday home or a touring residential vehicle of some kind think these things are carefree luxuries. In my experience, and ai,ve sen plenty of examples first hand, they may bring moments of supreme pleasure but they also bring with them a lot of hassle, inconvenienced and expense. It's amazing how many people still have an expectation that their friends should still loan them out free of charge whenever a holiday is needed.

One couple I know got round this by claiming from the start that their newly acquired home abroad was owned by a relative who wouldn,t allow it to be used by anybody who wasn,t a family member.

[retropants]

Ive popped in every day I think, yes it definitely seems quiet. I need to order some bags of composted manure, not a bulk bag. I've looked at the The Compost Centre, does anyone else have any other links for delivery of composted manure in bags please?

I'll be planting my garlic into cells soon, I've been so busy with craft fairs, they've been the best ever this year. Everything else has gone by the wayside unfortunately. I'll plant the garlic out into the ground in the spring, it's a new bed, that what the manure is for

[Stephen]

Sorry, OH, I have been quiet too. But it has been cold, wet & miserable. Warmer today so my Raynaud's is ok today.

But, good news! My new cordon apple trees have arrived. Christmas Pippin, Monarch & Broadhome Beauty.

Posts, wires and trees to go in tomorrow.

[oldherbaceous]

That's good news about the Craft Fairs going so well for you, Retropants...you will catch up with the other things.

Morning Stephen, now that is something to look forward to...new fruit trees...

Nice to see a few people back on the forum again...

[Clive.]

Guilty as charged ....I admit to just having been writing about an Old Lawnmower..in another place...

C.

[Primrose]

Retropants. At the beginning of Lockdown 1 we ordered the following from
Mr Muck.CO.uk

10 sacks = £99.50. Each sack = 40 litres. which was their minimum order on a pallet so I suspect this quantity would be too much for your needs. They deliver 10, 20,40 and 80 sacks, with nationwide delivery. It was excellent quality but obviously you do need to be able to dispose of this amount which isnt possible in a very small growing area unless you split and share with immediate neighbours.

[vivienz]

Coooo-eeeeeee! Too quiet, eh? I'll soon change that! A combination of work, astronomy matters and fixing broken computers got in the way of things for the last few weeks, but 2 out of 3 are out of the way now, so my thoughts are busily turning to seeds and seed potatoes.
I hadn't planned on growing spuds but after I grew a net of late cropping Charlotte potatoes in the greenhouse this autumn, I've decided to do some more earlies and salad spuds in containers. I don't have enough beds to dedicate to spuds, but there's plenty of room for sacks and containers so I shall put some in next year.

A question. I absolutely adore the new Cornish potatoes that come into the markets and greengrocers (never see them in supermarkets) that are almost spherical and hard as rocks, with IMHO a much nicer flavour than Jersey royals. Can anyone hazard a guess as to what the variety is? I have no idea, but would very much like to grow some next year.

It's ridiculously mild here and only after last week's little bit of frost do I think that the final caterpillar on my cavolo nero has died. There are still aphids on my PSB that's coming along, too. The positive side of this is that all the green tomatoes that I stripped off the tom plants before disposing of them have ripened up a treat in the greenhouse and the little salads in there are doing well, too. It turns out, though, that slugs love just germinated red amaranth. They ignored all the brassicas like pak choi and mustard and chomped their way through the row of red amaranth leaving just the stumps of the stalks. Grrr.

Outside, my radicchio continues to look glorious but I'm getting a bit impatient with it now - I have recipes lined up and want to eat it soon; at this rate it will be spring and the plants will bolt before they end up on my dinner table! Still, the leeks, parsley and chard are supplying a steady amount of tasty things, not to mention the stored butternut squash.

If we get clear weather on the evening of the 21st December, look up into the sky just after sunset, low down in the south. You will see what looks like a big, fat incredibly bright star. As well as being the winter solstice, the 21st of December is the date for a great conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter - the closest together they will have been for 400 years and it won't be as good again in our lifetimes. In the meantime, it's back to seed potatoes.

[retropants]

Retropants. At the beginning of Lockdown 1 we ordered the following from
Mr Muck.CO.uk

10 sacks = £99.50. Each sack = 40 litres. which was their minimum order on a pallet so I suspect this quantity would be too much for your needs. They deliver 10, 20,40 and 80 sacks, with nationwide delivery. It was excellent quality but obviously you do need to be able to dispose of this amount which isnt possible in a very small growing area unless you split and share with immediate neighbours.

thankyou Primrose. I do need quite a lot: 3m x 5m bed needs a thick layer. I'll go have a look.

[oldherbaceous]

Now that's a bit more like it....thank you...

Nice and bright here, finally finished putting the last border to bed, in the last garden, that I work at...so a good feeling.