Purple wellies tiny steps.

steve Global Moderator From Sunny Ilkeston Posts: 6,710	Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 8:16:03 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by steve on Aug 18, 2013 8:16:03 GMT Congratulations very well done Moonlight
	Growing exotically

Moonlight Top Member Posts: 4,922	Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 11:25:44 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Moonlight on Aug 18, 2013 11:25:44 GMT I must admit that I don't know where to put the photos!

Moonlight
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Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 11:54:42 GMT

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Post by Moonlight on Aug 18, 2013 11:54:42 GMT

Aug 18, 2013 0:36:40 GMT Moonlight said:

I am going to put the photos on the Dahlia thread but I got a 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I also got a NAS

because my Weston Pirate which I measured this morning as being ok through the rings, decided to grow a bit, I double checked afterwards and was too large. It's a shame because it (in my opinion) beat the pants off of the other 2 entries but at the end of the day, they were the right size and mine was too big.

Made a decision going to put this one here.

Don't care that I got a NAS for oversize because I still think it is a beautiful dahlia.

best looking in the class

but it has made me think about the fact that I need to grow my Weston Pirates differently, ie more blooms and hopefully smaller ones that don't hit the ring.

Well that's my current plan... probably something different this time next week. Well actually this time next week, I'll be focusing on the Novice Cup dahlia, not my local town shows Novice Cup.

lesley Top Member Posts: 9,384	Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 13:39:10 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by lesley on Aug 18, 2013 13:39:10 GMT Well done Moonlight there all beautiful
	The lady from the sussex coast.

sweetpea Top Member Posts: 5,982	Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 14:14:03 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by sweetpea on Aug 18, 2013 14:14:03 GMT Way to go: atta girl
	I'll get around to it eventually

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Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 14:14:15 GMT

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Post by Moonlight on Aug 18, 2013 14:14:15 GMT

Jul 30, 2013 17:43:15 GMT Moonlight said:

Jul 29, 2013 21:55:04 GMT Moonlight said:

To show or not to show, that is the question that I've been mulling over. Most specifically, do I want to show my dahlias? Are they going to be good enough?

So this is my line of thinking......

This is sort of separate to the whole local town Novice cup. I knew what I wanted to do before I even got my 1st tuber. I want to grow Downham Royal and I wanted to enter the local town Novice class. Spring and Summer + everything else, all the other classes are what contributes to my whole very sharp learning curve that I am going on - with this whole show business. When I was little I never knew a time when dahlias didn't dominate our family life calender. Maybe they didn't really dominate, heavily influence what we did. Nobody else I knew didn't have a garden. What my friends had as a garden had a lawn. We didn't really have much of a lawn. Mum had a grass patch large enough for her rotary washing line. That was the size of my 'garden' the rest was dahlias.

(I'm going to stop there because my mind has gone on a tangent away from my whole dahlia comp or not. Basically am I going to be good enough. Not to win but to compete. Ok that is not true, I want to win but I don't mind not getting placed or anything, I just worry am I going to be good enough to enter - without it being a big mistake because I'm not really good enough.)

I'm rambling, best to stop now.

Today hasn't gone quite the way that I was hoping but not bad. It rained. What I hoped was to have the opportunity to talk to my Dad about whether or not it was a good idea for me to enter dahlia classes.

Talked things through about showing. Mini, biggie, townie, mini. I got things wrong. For the 2 mini shows I don't have to decide to show specific classes until the day. It's just the biggie that I have to make that decision. Tad confusing for me to grasp but I am getting there. I think. Find out next month!

Make it 18 days!

I think that I made the right decision to show in the Mini, next Sunday it is the biggie. 3 blooms in 1 vase.

I've got a lot to think about. Thursday is the deadline for registration.

My dream would be to enter a vase of Eastwood Moonlight but as something has been eating the petals off of 1 of my 3 Eastwood Moonlights, that's not going to happen.

Still I've still got my Downham Royal and that would be an equal dream come true.

Moonlight Top Member Posts: 4,922	Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 14:20:29 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Moonlight on Aug 18, 2013 14:20:29 GMT Thank you guys Reading you comments and seeing your pickies has put a massive smile on my face. I am a very, happy lady right now. Thank you all for your love and support. I really appreciate it.

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Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 14:33:33 GMT

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Post by Moonlight on Aug 18, 2013 14:33:33 GMT

Aug 18, 2013 6:19:12 GMT Tel said:

Well done Moonlight, your Dad must be very proud of his girl.

Not only growing dahlia's like your Dad, but also successful on the show bench like Dad.

and I him. One of the things he won was best single bloom in show.... for a Moonlight.

Tel Top Member Posts: 7,992	Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 16:57:11 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Tel on Aug 18, 2013 16:57:11 GMT Congratulations to your Dad, Moonlight on his best single bloom in show.
	Terry, in Bradford Yorkshire

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Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 21:02:48 GMT

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Post by Moonlight on Aug 18, 2013 21:02:48 GMT

Went round Mum and Dad's today. I've got my eye on a couple of his seedlings. I told my Mum to give him the message that I would like a cutting of a particular one and that if he doesn't keep it I'll have to go and spend money on one with similar colours.....

Well you never know.

but he is a bit of a perfectionist and if he doesn't think something is good enough, then it is for the chop. I know that there have been a few that my Mum really liked that didn't get kept. Shame really, I can but ask.

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Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 23:26:59 GMT

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Post by Moonlight on Aug 18, 2013 23:26:59 GMT

Been looking through Scrumpy's show photos and it reminded me to mention that packing the tins in the car so that they wouldn't move was stressful. Then HH had the brainwave and dashed upstairs and came back with old duvets. Should have of taken a photo but was somehow preoccupied. I had two tins and a bucket with my poms in which I held on my lap. I wasn't stressed about the journey but when I arrived, saw my Dad carrying his tins.

Went in clutching my poms looking absolutely terrified yet with a big smile on my face 'these ones are mine!'. I was proud of my dahlias but at the same time, I kept feeling I haven't a clue what I am doing. Then one lovely lady came over and said that I had some nice poms, I very really nearly cried. Later on I found out that she was the person that came 1st with her poms. She asked me a question 'Did I...?' and I said I need to make a confession, I only have 1 plant of Gurtla Twilight and 1 plant of Willow's Violet, so I haven't a clue what I am doing yet. She smiled and said then I have done very well indeed with Gurtla Twilight if I managed to get them all from the same plant.

Had a good conversation with her and another couple of ladies about the varieties that she had won with. I think it was so refreshing talking with other people that had such genuine respect and interest in other peoples dahlias.

HH and I both felt that everyone was very friendly, especially the ladies and kind to a beginner like me. Admittedly some remembered me from when I was little but doing the mini show was good for me. People were there to compete but at the same time it wasn't so competitive as the town shows. I think that the atmosphere may well be significantly different next week but that's ok. All the big guns and experts have their own classes. I have my own Novice is 1 vase of 3.

Having said that, with my Jomanda vase of 3, beat the 2 people with the most firsts across the show and Dad's are on the left.

Dahlia nut or Dahlia bore I'm looking forward to next Sunday, maybe I won't be vomiting in the early hours on the day of the show - HH is looking forward to Autumn / Winter.................... but not the tubers....

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Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 18, 2013 23:39:55 GMT

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Post by Moonlight on Aug 18, 2013 23:39:55 GMT

Aug 18, 2013 16:57:11 GMT Tel said:

Congratulations to your Dad, Moonlight on his best single bloom in show.

Tel, I didn't get a photo of it but Dad was wearing his dahlia measuring ring round his neck at the show. Thanks again for ordering it for me for him.

It's a memory that I had of him when I was a child but when they came, I thought, nah, Must have got that wrong. Nope. I didn't imagine that bit. I was showing the girls how to use them this evening. They wanted a go. I like the fact that they were very interested and wanted to have a go themselves. (Whilst secretly cringing a bit, hoping that they don't bash a good one for Sunday.) Pirate Yellow Wellies made me laugh when she put the pom ring on her head like a hat, after I told her that Dad was wearing one round his neck at the show. Thank you so much Sweetpea for giving me your rings. I won't be able to get the miniature ring round my neck but I will resist the temptation to make it into an earring or bracelet.

Moonlight Top Member Posts: 4,922	Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 19, 2013 8:00:57 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Moonlight on Aug 19, 2013 8:00:57 GMT Eastwood Moonlight is finally waking up, unfortunately one of 3 has already been nibbled. You wouldn't believe it buy my girlies are somewhere in this photo.

Rosie Global Moderator Rambling Rosie. Posts: 9,407	Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 19, 2013 12:14:02 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Rosie on Aug 19, 2013 12:14:02 GMT Very well done ML, you should be so proud of what you have done in such a short time. Your dahlias were amazing!
	Last Edit: Aug 19, 2013 12:14:32 GMT by Rosie Geordie in Exile..

Moonlight Top Member Posts: 4,922	Purple wellies tiny steps. Aug 19, 2013 12:16:41 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Moonlight on Aug 19, 2013 12:16:41 GMT Well I've had a lot of help from my Friends and Family.