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Post by Moonlight on Feb 18, 2013 15:01:51 GMT
 Chinese New Year workshop and lunch is over, time for fun in the garden.
"Hurry Mummy!!!"
I've been told  |
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 18, 2013 16:29:25 GMT
Ooohh so I'm an uncle again ;D I hope to be sowing some sweetpeas in the next week or two so I will try to take some pics as I go along, good bad or indifferent.I am not doing loads like I used to and although I will be doing cordons I don't intend showing - these days are over for me I think. I also intend to grow a few on the bush which should give me a supply of seeds but as the saying goes, 'The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley' If all goes well I will try and demonstrate how to display in a show vase as so many folks at local shows do not seem to know how to do this. Anyway that's the hopes wonder what the reality will be? 
Sweetpea that would be a big help if you could. I'll wait for you before I try my 2nd sowing attempt. I'll wait till then before I bombard you with questions about cordons but at least I can visualise what a bush is.
I know what you mean about the best laid plans. I feel a bit like a child in the garden, worried that I will muck it up, rather than doing it
or going the opposite direction and being too enthusiastic and over doing things.
I am going to take a breather read again exactly what I need to do, wash up some pots (flower pots and dishwasher) and just go for it. I was happy with the way that you explained how to do the sweet peas, Sweetpea (even though I mucked them up). I did get stressed out about silly things like the position of the holes for the seeds (I am being brutally honest here about my attempts) but I am not stressed out about that now.
I know it is silly but this is important to me. I want my garden to become something that I am proud of. I want my plants to grow. I look at some of the gardens here and they are just so amazing, it is actually overwhelming because there are those gardens and I have mine.
But I have decided that this is what I want to do. I have the support of HH (so long as I start planting) and the enthusiasm of my girls, they believe in me and they want a go to.
Time to stop faffing, need to crack on, tiny steps. Just need to be brave.
Need that cuppa and I need to wash those pots. Have not got enough usable ones at the moment and HH won't be impressed if I don't get the dishwasher on. |
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 18, 2013 21:34:22 GMT
Things didn't go quite to plan. Had almost finished filling the dishwasher when Fairy Pink Wellies appeared upset because I had not been trying to find them in their hiding places in the garden. (nb Our garden isn't that big to have lots of hiding places). I told her that I had been looking out of the window as I had been doing the dishwasher and had seen them playing nicely. 
Pirate Yellow Wellies appeared looking even more dishevelled and crying because she was freezing cold. I was told by Fairy Pink Wellies it was my fault that her sister was crying because they had taken their bright coats off so that I would not be able to spot them so easily. I was told by Pirate Yellow Wellies that it was her sister's idea for them both to rub mud and grass in their hair as camouflage.
So I told them both that they had to come in wash their fingers to warm their hands up and start picking all of the 'grass' out of their long hair. I turned the dishwasher on and took both my silly little girls upstairs to give them a good shower. I cheered them up by telling them that I remember Grandad squirting me with the cold hosepipe when I got muddy in the garden. Happy days.
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 18, 2013 23:26:26 GMT
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 19, 2013 9:30:19 GMT
Just read some awful news which makes my ups and downs in my life seem totally insignificant but I will crack on with an update. Girls are awake and playing upstairs and I don't know how much time I have to myself.
I think that yesterday I was not organised enough, squinting at tiny small letters on the back of a packet, too many packets spread out and random scarey big words don't help.
I don't know what vermiculite is and lots of talk about a propagator and temp don't help when you don't have a propagator but do have a cold greenhouse.
So today: - I am going to
plant sow pansy, viola and lobelia plants.
- I am going to use Sweetpea's rubber band around pencil to control depth of hole for planting.
- I am going to put either a clear plastic bag over the trays that I use or cling film.
- I am going to try and find some window sill space to put them in, until they germinate and then they are going to have to go down into the greenhouse and if they feel too cold then they will have to just shiver. (Tough love)
Girls are up so time to go. Apparently they have just had to pick up 100s of Hama beads that had spilt all over the floor (I've been told that there are now none on the floor)
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Post by sweetpea on Feb 19, 2013 12:53:57 GMT
Just read some awful news which makes my ups and downs in my life seem totally insignificant but I will crack on with an update. Girls are awake and playing upstairs and I don't know how much time I have to myself.
I think that yesterday I was not organised enough, squinting at tiny small letters on the back of a packet, too many packets spread out and random scarey big words don't help.
I don't know what vermiculite is and lots of talk about a propagator and temp don't help when you don't have a propagator but do have a cold greenhouse.
So today: - I am going to
plant sow pansy, viola and lobelia plants.
- I am going to use Sweetpea's rubber band around pencil to control depth of hole for planting.
- I am going to put either a clear plastic bag over the trays that I use or cling film.
- I am going to try and find some window sill space to put them in, until they germinate and then they are going to have to go down into the greenhouse and if they feel too cold then they will have to just shiver. (Tough love)
Girls are up so time to go. Apparently they have just had to pick up 100s of Hama beads that had spilt all over the floor (I've been told that there are now none on the floor) Here is an explanation of what vermiculite is: Vermiculite is a naturally occurring Mineral Micafil ( Trade Name ) is Vermiculite granules which have been thermally expanded to produce highly aerated insulating and absorbant particles which are lightweight, fireproof and inert. Just a naturally occurring mineral which has been heat treated to expand into little granules with air spaces in them. it is an excellent material for adding to home made composts and also to cover seeds. I mainly use it to cover the smaller seeds which sometimes require light to germinate but also tomatoes, peppers etc.
It is a light clean material available at almost any GC/shop.Hope this helps. |
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 20, 2013 1:08:30 GMT
Thanks for the info re. Vermiculite Sweetpea, bet it costs a lot.
Well today girls were in a dance display for a local OAP group and had a rehearsal before hand. The display was in town and afterwards we did a bit of garden shopping. Tarpaulin, gardening gloves and Secateurs.
We have put the tarpaulin over the trench that runs which I dug to put a path but haven't. I have a heap of gravel on some tarpaulin and my plan is, we shift the gravel over to where the trench is and fill it up. I've put the pot containers in it to make the tarpaulin lower so that it is easy to see where the trench is. Well that it the theory. Stayed outside pottering, until Pirate Yellow Wellies fell over and got her hands covered in cold wet mud. Followed her in sobbing.
I have achieved something today. I have sown my pansy seeds. Mum and Dad are coming round tomorrow sometime so I am glad that I have something to show. Pity it can't live in the greenhouse yet but at least I have something to show. Going to sow the violas in the morning. Even hoping to plant one of my roses
Fingers crossed and tiny purple steps.
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Post by sweetpea on Feb 20, 2013 12:41:33 GMT
Thanks for the info re. Vermiculite Sweetpea, bet it costs a lot.
<snip>
in a word, NO
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 20, 2013 23:53:31 GMT
Mum and Dad came round and had long chat with Dad while my Mum was upstairs with the girls, funnily enough we talked about dahlias. Also talked about Chrysanthemums and about how people used to protect the blooms with paper bags.
When I talked to Mum I told her that I know what I want to do but I don't really know how I want to do it. She told me to listened to everyone's advice but then to have ago and make mistakes, that way I'll what I really want and learn how to do it.
Love my Mum, she always talks a lot of sense.
I know that I go on about my Dad and his dahlias but he wouldn't have been able to do what he did without her. It is their Golden Wedding Anniversary next month. Love them both. We are so lucky to have them.
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 21, 2013 0:17:25 GMT
Thanks for the info re. Vermiculite Sweetpea, bet it costs a lot.
in a word, NO
I also need to move the gravel in the my dahlia and sweet pea patch otherwise there will not be a dahlia and sweet pea patch, just a heap of stones on a piece of tarpaulin.
I was going to plant my violas and lobelia tonight. I got the compost in the trays all ready to go. ( Don't tell the girls but I quite like pottering around planting things without them. Less stressful.) So I was all ready to go when HH tells me that the girls wanted to know why Mummy had done the planting without them.
oh  Felt guilty.
So I've left 4 trays of soil ready for planting + 1 tray with the pansy seeds on the dinning table. They will have to help me before breakfast tomorrow. Least I won't be in the dog house any more. Although I don't think HH will be that happy that they are still there when he wakes up.
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 21, 2013 10:21:50 GMT
We sowed the viola and lobelia seeds. Tried very hard not to sow the 2,500 lobelia seeds  that were in 1 of the lobelia packets but the seeds are tiny.
I think that x2 packs of 30 viola seeds is pushing it a bit anyway. It's really dark here, so much for a sunny kitchen window ledge.
Don't actually know where to put them but at least they are not on the table.
Girls fled as soon as we finished, they don't care because they think out of sight out of mind, they would rather be hungry than for Fairy Pink Wellies to crack on with her Egyptian homework. They are upstairs playing away happily. I think that it is wrong to give them homework projects  in half term, she is only 8. She should be able to de-stress from school, she really needs it. She blossoms into this lovely smiley happy little girl and we as a family take a huge sign of relief. People should not go on about children getting obese because they don't get enough exercise when they are stuck inside doing projects.
Anyway they have had their brief escape and taste of fun. Time to crack on breakfast followed by HW. Fun, fun, fun. not. Poor little Pirate Yellow Wellies gets really bored waiting.
Hay Hoe tiny steps and the next question is, what to sow next. I'm going to start reading up while someone is busy with her homework.
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 21, 2013 16:11:35 GMT
Giving up on the project for now. We need a break and I need to scan a postcard of the Rossetta stone to go in it. We are going to have fun (I hope) playing with some Hieroglyphics stamps but I really can't torture her any more on this project.
Got my copy of 'The Pip Book' by Keith Mossman through the post today, as suggested by Steve. Very interesting not sure if I will be able to grow anything but I will have a go at some point but going to focus on my seeds for now. Well until that magical moment when my dahlias arrive. 
I so hope that I don't kill them.
Fingers crossed and tiny steps and no more ancient Egyptians.
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Post by markb on Feb 21, 2013 20:42:16 GMT
Glad I never had to do ancient Egyptian projects when I was at school - quite a long time ago. I think you're right though, holidays should be a chance to forget about school and enjoy being a child, not worrying about completing homework.
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Post by Moonlight on Feb 22, 2013 13:23:24 GMT
I have a confession, it is snowing here so I've hidden the sweet peas under fleece blanket. Pirate Yellow Wellies was very worried.
"Oh No! it is snowing we must cover the pots and the sweet peas Mummy"
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
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Post by sweetpea on Feb 22, 2013 14:13:02 GMT
I like all ancient history, Egyptian, Greek, Roman etc. etc. Was a bit surprised that my grandson had never heard of the Roman Empire never mind the Punic wars. I think most of our politicians have no idea of history either as they certainly haven't learnt any lessons from it.  Moonlight, school projects can be fun as well as learning. Many children wouldn't want to know about things horticultural but it would stand them in good stead for their later years, I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about being educated but as we didn't have a say in the matter we learned things which we still find useful even now. The judge in that trial in the headlines hit the nail on the head when he reckoned the jury wasn't sufficiently educated to understand what was going on. Just another sign of the deplorable decline in standards . Sometimes I despair when quiz contestants when asked a question about, say, WW2 say that it was before their time to excuse their lack of knowledge. Julius Caesar was before MY time (believe it or not) but I still know a fair bit about his life and career. ;D |
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Felt guilty. 
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Aug 10, 2019 9:01:47 GMT