St. George's day - Have you got your roses ??

Good good morning one and all on this St George's day !! If you're not wearing a red rose then shame on you and go and get one immediately !!

Having just typed a lengthy entry here my machine appears to have scrubbed it so I'll try again and I apologise if it is duplicated later on.

Well, what I wanted to say is that I've been away for a few days and I come back to find that this forum is all doom and gloom with people talking of going off and discussion of whether the UK forum has lost it's way etc etc.

If someone has a plant or gardening point to discuss specifically then surely that's why the specialised threads exist ? If someone wants to talk about specifically gardening in UK problems/questions yah di yah then create a thread on this forum. What's the problem ? One of the joys of DG is that here on the UK forum we post a daily chat thread so that all we friends can update on our lives - there are a lot of us who CARE about whether the new vet likes animals more than money, or if the search for mirrors has been successful or if the tiny plot of fenced in land laughably called a garden in the newish estate is growing anything despite toddlers or if the builders from hell have put the fences right or if Mum's problems are better or ........

How is one thread that enables us to do that and to make friends who we can relate to later on in other threads which discuss gardening and related subjects in more detail be ANYTHING other than good ? The fact that I CARE about the people I have made friends with means that when they post a question or appeal for help I will go out of my way to help them if I feel I can. I wouldn't do as much for strangers, it's surely only natural to do more for your family and friends when called on.

Are we to go down the road of that other place where PC rules and a quasi fascist culture poo-poohs anyone wanting to reach out and be human in a forum that doesn't have a heading saying 'waffle thread' or 'chit-chat for imbeciles' or something else that will let these self appointed policemen feel smug ? I hope not.

I sincerely hope that all the people with whom I have made friends since coming to this forum will continue to post here exactly as they always have so that our tightly knit community of gardeeners can grow together in THIS garden, preferably with more friends appearing often to swell the ranks - there's plenty of room in DG for "proper" gardening talk and there's plenty of room for non-gardening talk. To go back in time a bit - 'where's the beef?'

(Ans. - burning in Cumbria, I know, I know)

Sorry if I'm treading on toes or upsetting anyone but as you can see I very easily go off the deep end about things I believe in.

So, Easter was cool - how is everyone and did it go well for all of you ? Louisa, I know you're gonna tell me off, but I'm afraid the word 'debauchery' and the other word 'excess' are back in play if you're wanting to describe the holidays. But that's what we're here for, get out and ENJOY life, live by your principles and be happy !

I am personally overloaded with chocolate now until at least August, possibly later, and have been slaving in the garden to try to work off the excess calories ingested lately. Everything's growing at a fantastic rate now and the countryside is looking lovely when the air is clear, which is not too often thanks to the stupid weather we've been having. I thought I'd go out in a month or so and take some photo's of the area and try to get a friend to post them for me so as to make you expats twinge a bit with homesickness.

Right I shall go now and look around - I've been here long enough.

Love and hugs to everyone - KEEP POSTING !

Jo

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Jo - Debauchery and excess I have no problem with - have a ball I say. Just don't think I can handle it myself though....lol. Now there was a time.......

Good post Jo! Glad you enjoyed you Easter break, we missed you! (((((Jo))))

Morning Jo, morning Patty, see jos back takin up a page, lol, to right though jo, hey, the sun just came out, maybe hope yet, its been raining all night and most of the morning, think i will gat changed and take a chance, see you all later, keep posting.

Now you don't really expect me to believe that the days of wild excess have left you forever, do you Louisa ? I've heard stories of parties in Virginia......

Anyway, like Alan, the sun's come out here too (blimey!) so I might just stroll around to see what's popped it's head out since yesterday. Had a beautiful big boar hedghog in the garden last night, my dog went crazy - seems to think they don't belong in HIS garden. We also have a big brown rat visit from the fields opposite and I enjoy watching him steal the bird food and scraps on the lawn - I expect I should be worried about him but he looks cute and as long as he stays away from the house.... Now, next door they tell me they've been having TWO foxes visit their bird table - I think that's just greedy myself.

BRB

Well Jo, now and again I might let my hair down and have a ball!! It will be exciting to see your pictures of your garden etc when you get round to it!! However, you don't need to try and make me homesick - I only have to look at my photos and well.......it's all nostalgia really. I live in a lovely part of the States and it was the lush green of the valleys that drew me here and made me decide this is probably my last hitching post. A bit sad in a way, because I love England dearly and the customs and especially the fish and chips....lol. Love hedgehogs and foxes - the latter are probably quite hungry eh? We had regular H.hogs come and visit our garden. The cats loved to watch them - I said WATCH. So many fleas on those little creatures (hedgehogs, not my cats). Come evening my cats were indoors anyway, which was the time we had our visitations. However, you can keep the rat but don't tell Alan about it! I hope he's having a great day in the garden - almost 7 pm your time right now. We have just finished eating lunch. I had a sudden urge for Spaghetti bol. and so off I trotted to the kitchen like a dutiful wife and did the biz. DH washed up, bless him! Gorgeous day still, it reminds me of my time in the Med! Just lovely balmy sunshine, no humidity - yet! The smell of the pasta sauce and the memories of me and the kids on those great rocky beaches, eating pea and ricotta cakes that I would die for. Walking barefoot to the small shop on the corner. Letting my basket down on a rope from my rooftop to the vendor who was selling fresh fish, veggies or fruit. The grape vine growing over the arbour in the back garden with the largest bunches of grapes I've ever seen. Oh my! I have run on. Whatever's the matter with me! I think they call it "getting on a bit" and seeing your life flash before your eyes. Anyway - it's nice to have memories! Heaven knows I have enough of them. Now remind me sometime to tell you of my life in the Med before I was married - dad was in the RAF and was posted there. I was 18 - oh my!!!

Well, Mz Spikey jo, i sure did miss you! Well said too! I thought i might stay away from here because all i can contribute is idle chit chat, you know, being across that big old pond, i sure don't know what ya'll grow. But hey, who cares....I am not going to stay away from my friends who I've come to know and care about over these last few months....I am only punishing myself if I stay away and no one else..so ya'll are stuck with this cajun gal for awhile! Nice to see you back Jo! You were missed! Lisa

This is more like it, nearly back to normal.

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Hi patty, alan and everyone.
We've got a ground frost here already tonight. All my succulants have had to bed down for the night in the kitchen! (My greenhouse is too full of seed trays.)

I'm just about to go to bed. Just wanted to say hi before i left.

Yes patty in time, but if you paint the inside it will be fine, just make sure you cover the copper fully.

daisy, pretty frosty here too.

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Yes patty, any thing to put a barrier against the copper, thats all you need, try your local aquatics store patty, they may have somthing to help, there are several clear paints on the market.

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Patty can you explain more what you are going to do with it ?.

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right ok, you only need to paint the inside then patty, aquatics stores will have one that is designed for just that, wont harm the plants, but if you have a clear laquere of some sort, that will do the same job, just make sure that its dry before you put water in, just keep the copper away from the water, it will kill your plants after a while, but it sounds like you could make a nice feature from it, hope this of some help to you patty.

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Night Patty, see you soon.