Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 30 July 2017

Morning all:

Lindybird: Lovely flower show photos and thank you for my horsey "fix"   :-)   Is the flower show always under a roof or is it one they can assemble quickly if the forecast is bad?  What are "alpines" - a couple of them look like some succulents we have on the patio.   Nice that I can click on the photos a really see them close up!  That is an interesting display for the alums - I did a short blurb for the magazine a while back on an exhibition by London artist Rebecca Louise Law, where flowers were hung from the ceiling by copper wires.  Here's a link to the Artworks page of her website, which includes info on the plants used:   www.rebeccalouiselaw.com/artworks. Some of them are really beautiful; my favorite is Meadow. The exhibition here in California involved native and water-wise plants grown by area residents and gardening clubs.

OG: Daughter is still legal resident of California and will stick with her docs here (medical coverage is so much better than in Arizona and especially in this part of the state).  Gosh, Shepherd's Pie on one post and now cake smells on another.  Yum!  When I order stuff online, shipping options include "fast" delivery to local post office which then delivers to the house as part of normal rounds that seems to take an inordinate amount of time when something has been flown in overnight from the opposite coast!)  Still, if it provides POs with revenue, I guess that's okay and it's cheaper for customer too.

ForestBoar: Hope the house sale will conclude smoothly.  I missed something: What is the "forest" your wife/stepdaughter (?) is moving to?  You must feel reassured about the facilities on the trip (I see OG has some helpful updates). Not clear who is going where, but here's to a safe trip regardless!

Clare: Love your fat little feathered friend.  I see OG is offering helpful tips on photo/weather options and a place to stop for a cuppa.  How could you miss? She may even bake a cake!!  :-)

bjane/dibnlib: Hi there. Hope things are good with you and yours...

Harelady: Hope you're keeping busy and in touch with family, friends...  Hugs to you!

Heather: Enjoy! Hope the weather improves.

Diane: I imagine you laboring away in the woods there.  Hope you, RT hawk and other friends are all doing well with no unwelcome guests in the roof, etc. I can start thread tonight. though not as early as you probably.  :-)

Off to sort out the world...

Annette --  The Big Floral Marquee is always there at all of the RHS Flower Shows (Royal Horticultural Society). That includes the likes of the Chelsea Flower Show, The Malvern Show, etc. It's the place where all of the growers from around the country can compete for medals for the best displays, and show off their lovely blooms and plants. For visitors, it's also a chance to see anything that's new: sometimes these are also for sale on a stall at the side, but that's why I didn't buy the lovely geranium which OG liked, as it was expensive, being a newly bred plant.

The rest of the Show consists of show gardens, also competitive, stalls selling plants, gardening gadgets and furniture, greenhouses, summer houses, hot tubs, a Floral Display Tent where there are many floral entries in the flower arranging competition, and the Country Living Tent, where there are endless stalls with clothes, crafts, jewellery, food products and gifts. Also a vegetable growing competition and several gardening and cookery demonstrations.

Lots of beer tents, food outlets and ice cream stalls, of course!

The big tents and marquees are very popular when it's very wet or very hot, of course. It's best to go early and we do - this year they let us in ten minutes before the official opening time so we got a head start on things, as of course everything fills up as the day goes on.

Alpines include succulents; they are all of the tiny plants which grow in poor rocky soil such as the mountainous areas of the world. My mother loved having some of them growing in old ceramic sinks, with gravel between. A world in miniature!

I think the alpine growers display in that pic had won a Silver Medal. It's not like the Olympics where there is only one Gold Medal in each category - the medals are given out on merit so there could be five Gold medals, or even none at all, in a category! But there are also awards for 'Best in Show', which are highly prized.

Thanks for the link to Rebecca Louise Law - not heard of her but she's got some interesting stuff there.

Again, lovely pics from the flower show, Lindy.

Texed partner of my brother to see how he is doing re our family home.  Said that he was being inundated with developers wanting him out so they could do some building. They are now having to keep the gates locked to stop people coming in and wandering round, never mind trying to peer in at the windows. What a to do. Feel so helpless as I am too far away.

Dau enjoying herself in Bournemouth, said she  went on a tour of the Jurassic coast today and visited the Durdle Door amongst other sites.

HeatherB - have a lovely weekend with your youngest members of the family.

Read about a farm in Devon which was going under and they diversified into making ice cream. They have opened an ice cream farm , free entry, but rides are payable. Selling all kinds of flavours of ice cream and are doing well.

Have a good weekend all

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