Late Winter Bits and Bobs.

A place to chat about anything you like, including non-gardening related subjects. Just keep it clean, please!

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Monika
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I feel like a child before Christmas: tomorrow one of our daughters is taking me to a garden centre (duly masked and sitting in the back of the car), so that I can get a few bits of supply, especially nine seed potatoes to be planted, three apiece, in large pots. I hope they are not sold out. And I will also order lots of potting compost and manure which luckily they do deliver.
The broad beans (de Monica) are sown and the sweet peppers (Long Red Marconi) have germinated.
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oldherbaceous
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Have a very enjoyable time, Monika, funny how things we just took for granted, suddenly feel like a real treat...
Sounds like things are moving forward on the growing front too.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
Monika
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Yes, I really enjoyed the outing, the first for a few weeks. And I got my seed potatoes: three each of Charlotte, Kestrel and Pink Gypsy. I daren't tell you how much I spent overall on large pots, potting compost, growbags, Garrotta, tomato fertiliser etc etc, but when we still had a car, we visited a garden centre or nursery almost every week and no doubt spent a lot more over the years!
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oldherbaceous
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Gardening is still a very cheap hobby/way of life, especially when you think of the end results, and that you just can't buy....
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
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Primrose
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I agree with OH. Coronavirus has forced us all to reassess our oriorities and money spent on pleasures and hobbies that can be enjoyed at home are a priority for for many people now. Even if we' re locked down again (and heaven forbid), being able to escape into the garden for some fresh air and enjoyable activity can,t be banned , and it gives us something productive to look forward to

There's no doubt though, that being without a car does make supply problems harder for seeds and heavy items like compost so always advisable to take a longer term view and try to keep well stocked with these items now. I think the first lockdown early last Spring caught many of us rather unprepared and sadly the growing season waits for no man !

I really don't see why garden centres can't open up now with appropriate social distancing rules in place. They seem pretty low risk to me and so much money risks being lost in new stock having to be destroyed. I suspect those in charge of decision making spend most of their time living in London apartments and are clearly not gardeners who have to grow to a seasonal timetable !
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Compo
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Garden centres never closed?
If I am not on the plot, I am not happy.........
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retropants
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They are open, I went to one yesterday:)
Monika
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Luckily, our nearest garden centre is a small private one (Twin Locks in Gargrave), but they have a wonderfully comprehensive stock of everything and do deliver free of charge. So I bought everything we could carry and also paid for the heavy items, which will be delivered this Tuesday.
The oystercatchers have come inland - spring must be on its way!
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Ours is open & I have £150 on their card for Xmas & birthdays from last year & this. I have popped down to use same cards for bits as no use by dates on them. (Bet they change that now)! The garden centre is maybe 300 metres from the plot so strolled down a couple of times to find a queue longer than they used to have when the bus trips went there for a day out & a cream tea! So long the 2 metre stickers were used up & those behind had no perception of what that was without stickers. The time will come to re-visit but in the meantime the plot is safer & they are well expensive anyway! And who knows another birthday tomorrow so could have enough to buy the big plastic life size gorilla they have in the garden ornament section - or not! I do hope that buyer has been furloughed! A gorilla????
Westi
robo
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That would keep the birds off westi
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Clive.
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An interesting sighting at work this morning, 8:30am-ish Geese overhead flying due North...but in a very very long trail, line astern, straight line. Not the usual V formation.
I don't recall ever having seen them in a long line before like this always a V even if it is an offset V.

The wind was fully from the South so was right behind them, so maybe no advantage to be had from flying in echelon.?

C.
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Geoff
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Any knitters amongst you? My wife is merrily knitting away for grandson but can't go to the haberdashers for buttons, the rate he's growing at they won't fit by the end of lockdown! Every time we start searching for buttons we only find fisheyes, we are looking for the ones with a little stem on the back. Anybody know what the proper name is to aid the search or even better a supplier?
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Compo
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Hi Geoff
Try e bay and search for Cardigan / Coat / Jacket buttons
If I am not on the plot, I am not happy.........
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Geoff
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We eventually worked out they are called shank buttons, found some on eBay that will do. A lot more expensive than the local haberdashery shop but at least we'll be able to get the jumpers down to him.
Diarmuid
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Amazon have a good selection Geoff. At what look decent prices and free delivery.
Don't wait until it's gone, before you appreciate what you have.
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