Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS MARCH 2012, 0 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Good morning everyone,

Another fine morning and what a glorious day we had here yesterday. I got my rotten ultrasounds out of the way in the morning and was back home at 12.00 just in time to have a bit of lunch before Jen came; I think it must have been her who brought the good weather with her, a little bit of sunshine from sunny Queensland.

Well what a beaut afternoon we had, and we talked and discussed brom’s from 1.00 til 4.00 non-stop. Jen brought me down some plants to swap as well as some from Sue which I wasn’t expecting and some from Wendy too I think. I’m not sure what came from where and from whom now, as there were three boxes, and the good thing was I didn’t have any of them.

Jen was pretty pleased to think she was getting rid of some and making a bit more room at home but she took back just as many as she brought, so she’s not any better off. I also used her as a courier as well as I had plants I wanted to get up to Wendy and Johnny as well as Tash. Unfortunately I stuffed up as usual by thinking that Jen lived in Cairns and could drop Wendy’s off on the way through and then continue on with Tash’s. When she told me the bad news that she lived around Brisbane and not Cairns that sort of mucked things up as I already had Tash and Jason’s plants ready, so Tash if your reading this, Jen’s taking your plants back to her place and you will have to arrange somehow how to get them from her up to you. In any case, the good thing is, they’ll be half way there anyway and the post won’t take as long or cost as much, but I do apologise for the mix-up.

We talked about brom’s so hard and fast I’ve now lost my voice (which some will no doubt say is a good thing) but it was a very enjoyable afternoon and she was a nice lady who even my old (17 Y.O.) dog liked (and at his age he doesn’t usually like strangers), but he is a very good judge of character. I remember I once gave a bloke some plants which he was to pay me for at the next brom meeting. He seemed like a genuine bloke but the old dog took an instant dislike to him right from the time he first saw him, (in fact if I hadn’t locked him up I think he would have gone for him). Anyway, the next meeting came around and I went expecting to get my money but he wasn’t there. I didn’t worry too much and thought something unforseen must have happened. Unfortunately he never showed up at the next meeting either and we’ve never seen him since, he just vanished! – I should have taken notice of what my old dog was trying to tell me.

Anyway the visit ended all too soon and it was time for her to go, but then Jen realised she couldn’t fit everything in while they were potted up, so she had to un-pot everything and wrap them for travelling. She finally got away about 4.00 and hadn’t been gone two minutes when it started to spit rain again, so our timing was perfect.

At this stage, I’ll just mention I’m usually home most of the time, so any time any of you are in the area, please feel free to give me a ring and we’ll arrange a time for a visit, I love to see brom friends and you’d all be very welcome.

Jean – Good to hear you’re still dropping in to read the threads, and your brom’s are still growing well and pupping for you. I’ve found a nice little tree fern for you and will get it off to you either next week or the week after, but I’ll send you a message to tell you when I send it.

Colleen - I've found a little tree fern and birds nest fern for you also, and I'll put them in the brocolli box with the next lot of pups I promised you (probably the week after next.)

Shirley – From what you say about Bunnings and the new store, maybe we’ll have someone who knows how to look after their plants better than Bunning’s do.; and if they’re stocking different products, we should have more varieties as well at hopefully competitive prices. I must however congratulate Bunnings on the great gardening workshops they hold at our local store four times per year. They really put on a good show including guest speakers, morning and afternoon tea, lunch as well as a sample bag for all attendees plus lucky door prizes and free give-aways as well.

I like your NOID as well Shirley; I don’t know what it is but judging by the concentric rings showing on the foliage, I’ll bet “pounds to peanuts” that it has Neo, Concentrica somewhere in its parentage.

Karen – Gee you’re having quite a time with those busses, I think as well as going to the newspaper, I would also go to your “local member” as it’s in their best interests to be seen doing things for their constituents and they do carry a bit of “clout”. When you go right into it I think you’ll find that the bus company is breaching its contract by what it’s doing and they’re not above the law you know, they have rules they have to follow as well. Gee I wish I lived up where you do, as I love having a good “blue” with people and companies doing the wrong thing by people. I got stuck into a plumbing company down here once many years ago about charging a pensioner $65 for just changing a tap washer, even though they were technically within the law as that was the service fee, I still told them via the news paper that it was morally wrong. I did get some unofficial feedback a while later to say they now do those little jobs, free of charge for pensioners if it is on their way to or from a job. Not much, but a small win for the elderly.

I remember in about 1966 when I was working for a builder; he was just a small builder with one carpenter (me), one apprentice and one labourer plus himself also a carpenter. Each Friday afternoon on the way home from our job for a couple of hours before “knock off time” we would do little jobs around the town for pensioners free of charge. Things like re-screening flyscreens, fixing door and window locks, changing light globes or tap washers. Just little things but things that the old people had trouble doing. We would also drop of the hardwood timber off cuts for people with old fuel stoves as well as softwood off cuts to a couple of old blokes who used to make wooden toys for the Salvo’s Christmas tree every year. It was only a small town, and they were only small jobs, but we were well appreciated and the boss always reckoned it was the best advertising he could get, and consequently we were never out of work.

Gee everyone, sorry about straying off the topic of brom’s, but you can blame Karen for making me once more "run off at the mouth" and get on my soap box to beat my drum, but it does feel better to get these things off your chest; you don’t have to just put up with them you know.

I’ll finish with some more nice brom pic’s from N.Z. courtesy of Peter Coyle, just to make those of you on the sick list feel a little better. 1. Neo.Marble Throat x Little Dazzler, 2. another from the same seed batch Neo Marble Throat x Little Dazzler, 3. Vriesea Nova Princess, 4. Vriesea Taranaki Mist, and just for Karen 5. A mix of new mini's

All the best, Nev.