Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: Jupiter on May 06, 2017, 02:58:30 AM
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Better late than never... this tiny little dinky Colchicum is C. cupani, seed imported by Marcus Harvey, grown by Danni Kaines and give to me as a bulb. Did it mention it's tiny? Cute!
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its a real sweetie jamus.
1. A couple more autumn crocus showed up here but both a little past their best by the time i found them. This one is labelled crocus laevigatus, but i'm not sure really. The stripes are not prominent.
2. A white oxalis and pelargonium sidoides
3. Some beautiful leaf forms in emerging seedlings of cyclamen
4. The glorious autumn colours of nyssa sylvatica
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Crocus goulimyi ''Mani White'' flowering in the last week.Originally I had this named as the spring flowering Crocus malyi.
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Superb Paul. I have seed of Mani White germinating now so in a few years I'll match you. Lucky I'm patient! :)
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Hi Jamus,
I've got a seedling ex Mani White flowering that was planted late '15, so only one growing season (autumn/winter 16) to flower! Good growth on others in the pot but no other flowers.
I thinki the regime of dilute tomato food might have helped. Low N, high K, and a longer than usual growing season due to the mild spring and early summer. Some of the Cyclamen coum and hederifolium didn't go dormant and flowered this year after planting late '15 too.
Vanozzi, That's definitely C. goulimyi - my favorite crocus because it has actually naturalised in my Adelaide garden. I noticed that there's displaced pollen around the blooms so hopefully either the bees or you have been busy. It's worth trying to encourage seed production as they are easy to grow from seed, as I mentioned above.
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Thanks Jamus and Anita.This is the only goulimyi that I have, and yes , the displaced pollen that you see Anita, has resulted from hand pollination.I did get seed from it last year.
Now that Marcus has passed there seems to be no other source of crocus specie bulbs in Australia, or is there?I dearly would like to obtain others.
Many special cyclamen specie and hybrids seed is germinating now.Seed obtained from Jan and Mieke Bravenboer of Green Ice Nursery. Dank je Jan.Will post a pic later.
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Maybe a bit ho-hum for some, but here are my cyclamen seedlings beginning germination.There always is a bit of a thrill and anticipation when seedlings begin life and are ''on the move''
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Ooo nice seedlings Paul. I have some graecum and coum and rohlfsianum at about the same stage. Always exciting to have seed germinate, never ho hum.
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Looking good Paul. I'm just the same: perennially excited with germinations.
And what might be 'ho-hum' to some is very special for others 8)
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It's ALWAYS a thrill, especially for species not previously grown or known. I have two pots with middle eastern Gladiolus species coming up now, 14 and 16 of 20 seeds in each, so far. It's great seed weather still even in the middle of May. No frosts yet and fog almost every morning. Autumn sown seeds love fog. :)
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Now that Marcus has passed there seems to be no other source of crocus specie bulbs in Australia, or is there?I dearly would like to obtain others.
Paul, As far as I'm aware there's no other commercial source offering a wide range of species, Hancock's daffodils have a few relatively common ones including C goulimyi and there are a handful of others. Jamus who collects more actively than I and other Aussie forumists such as Otto are probably better informed. The Victorian Alpine group organises swap meets and that's another potential source of seeds and bulbs.
In relation to seed germination it never gets old! Even when I'm growing sweetpeas which I've done for decades, I get a thrill when the soil starts to bump up before the cotyledons emerge! It's even more of a kick when seed-raised plants finally bloom after years of nurture
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Bryan H Tonkin from Kalorama Victoria sells Crocus from January to March, as well as a lovely range of Fritillaria and other rare bulbs. They do have a web site that comes up when you google them.
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Bryan H Tonkin from Kalorama Victoria sells Crocus from January to March, as well as a lovely range of Fritillaria and other rare bulbs. They do have a web site that comes up when you google them.
Run by Shirley and Jane - http://www.tonkinsbulbs.com.au/ (http://www.tonkinsbulbs.com.au/)
I have seen good photos of their stands at various shows - looks like good merchandise.
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As Viv and Maggie say, Shirley and Jane are very kind and communicative and their bulbs always seem healthy. I have made some wonderful buys from them.
The two crocuses I mentioned earlier in the month have rebloomed, so I re-photographed.
1. I had labelled this Crocus laevigatus but am not sure. The purple pot is unfortunate and I will have to transfer it to something more attractive.
2. Another perspective of the above
3. Crocus melantherus
4. Another perspective of C. melantherus (a little trouble focusing clearly at dusk).
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...and just a couple more.
I arrived home from a long weekend away to find the coral bark maple in an autumnal gown. It has taken to cascading this year, so quite a show.
The cyclamen persicum shown was a special present, and its leaves are strikingly beautiful.
jacqui.
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Jacqui I love your photo of the silverleaf Cyclamen persicum. A special plant indeed.
Regarding Crocus laeviatus, I'm confused too... I will lift a corm of mine when they are dormant and take a clear photo of the tunic, and combined with photos I have of the flowers should enable a positive ID using Janis' Crocus bible.
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Crocus (biflorus?) melantherus would surely have black anthers. Mine certainly has them.
Beautiful Cyc. persicum leaves Anita. Worth growing as many sdlgs as you can.
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Thanks girls for the info on crocus sources in AU.
Over the years I have made some great purchases from Bryan Tonkin Bulbs, mostly tulips and lilium, always healthy and flowering size.
Yes!!-love the persicum leaves!
Here is something of further interest.Years ago, at least 10, when at Essie Huxleys, she gave me these seed pods.Now they have suffered two house moves, living at the back of the fridge.So, a month ago, I did a clean out and wondered what were these interesting seed capsules? Not expecting them to germinate, but forever hopeful, they were planted.And this is the result a month later.Almost 100% germination!!
So what are they please? The seed is grey-black and flat, with the interesting seed capsules at back. (disregard the little round red seed)
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Jacqui and Jamus , you are both growing the correctly named Crocus laevigatus .Some forms flower later ( almost the start of winter ) also some forms have darker blue markings on the outside of the 3 outer segments - my darkest one came from John Grimshaw .
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Thank you Otto. :) We can always count on you to dispel doubt and bestow wisdom.
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Hi vanozzi,
It's just possible it's a pancratium maritimum. Are the seeds quite large?
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Although now I look at the seedlings they seem dicotyledonous.....so I don't know..
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Crocus (biflorus?) melantherus would surely have black anthers. Mine certainly has them.
Beautiful Cyc. persicum leaves Anita. Worth growing as many sdlgs as you can.
Lesley, Not my lovely C. persicum, the pic I think you are referring to was posted by Jacqui (although I have some beautiful two year old silver persicum seedlings from Marcus Harvey's final list. There were six seeds in the packet and five germinated last year. I still have hope that a sixth seedling will appear as all five up so far are amazing silvers).
I too queried Parsia's C melantherus, as mine have had striking black anthers. However, Janis Ruksan's World of Crocus says that there are large populations of C. Melantherus which lack black, and as far as I'm concerned WoC is the Newest Testament.
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Thank you for the correction Anita and for the information. I don't have the Ruksans book yet. There's so much variation within each species it's very difficult for the non-botanist to make a decision sometimes. :)
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Are your seedlings something from a tree maybe Vanozzi?
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hmm....it's so long ago now, but I seem to recall it was a climber
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The seed is very similar to armaryllis in texture and size, Parsla
I've checked through this site theseedsite.co.uk
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Thank you for the correction Anita and for the information. I don't have the Ruksans book yet. There's so much variation within each species it's very difficult for the non-botanist to make a decision sometimes. :)
If you love crocus, ask Santa for a copy of World of Crocuses. A lifetime's passion rolled into one book. Great maps so you can see species distribution and generally there are multiple photos of each species so you see colour variants and things like C. melantherus without black anthers! The verbal descriptions are really detailed and helpful too.
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Paul,
My best guess would be Cobaea scandens, which can remain viable for quite long periods. Trouble is, I don't remember Essie growing it. Perhaps it would be best to wait until you see some true leaves?
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I think you nailed it Rob, though I too don't remember seeing it in bloom.Essie must have been on a ''climber roll'' that day, as she also gave me seed of Bomarea .Those are the small red seed on the plate.I doubt if they will germinate now, as I read if they dry out, they're kaput.
Btw Rob, the Lilium japonicum seed that I promised was a no go this year.My stock plants are no more.However, I have seed in the freezer if you still want them?Do you want any other lilium seed?--PM me if so.
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Paul,
Glad I'd got my eye in. I could send you some Bomarea seed - though you might not thank me as it self-seeds rather prolifically. Thanks for the offer of seed, but I'm now reasonably confident about that one.
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Thanks Rob, PM sent.
Looking forward to the mini daff season.
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My Galanthus snogerupii are waking up, even earlier than reginae-olgae!
Edit: if you haven't read the page on G. ikariae subsp. snogerupii on the revolution snowdrops page, check it out. It's a nice piece of writing and very thorough examination of the subspecies.
Link here - http://www.revolution-snowdrops.co.uk/galanthus-ikariae-subsp-snogerupii/
(http://www.revolution-snowdrops.co.uk/galanthus-ikariae-subsp-snogerupii/)
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Hi Paul, I was wondering if it's too late to sow (inside) hardy Cyclamem. I got some seeds of C.coum ssp caucasicum. Last year I tried with C. hederifolium and C.graecum. The former now has a set of three small leaves while the latter has dried up but has a fairly large bulblet that looks quite healthy. I don't seem to understand the dormancy of the latter. They are both placed on a sunny window sill inside. I'm trying to figure out when to send them outside. Whether this cold season already or afterwards in early spring. For the time being they are in individual pots (7cm)watered from below. I would appreciate suggestions. Thank you. Arturo
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Arturo, I know you directed your inquiry to Paul, but I have had some experience in growing cyclamen in the Southern Hemisphere, which I gather you are in. I would sow the seed immediately. I personally tend to soak the seeds in a lukewarm water, with a very tiny drop of dishwashing liquid before sowing. The seeds seem to hydrate and swell within a few hours of this treatment and I then sow... for example I add the water after it's cooled from boiling the kettle for my breakfast cup of coffee and the seeds have swelled by the time I'm ready to garden after lunch. I then sow shallowly and top with small gravel. You should expect germination within a few weeks at this time of year.
Cyclamen coum are well and truly up in my part of the world so the seeds should germinate now. In relation to hederifolium that should be sending up leaves now. I tend to hold back on watering until I can see flower or leaf growth and then keep damp until the leaves start to senesce. I then dry off and water a little once a month - because I live in a very dry summer climate and I learned from bitter experience that I could lose bulbs like cyclamen and crocus to desiccation if I didn't hydrate the potting soil at least once a month.
Best of luck with the seeds... you might be interested in the post on C graecum I just started under grown from seed. http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=15449.0 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=15449.0)
I was amazed how big C graecum bulbs had grown since planting in late 2015.
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My Galanthus snogerupii are waking up, even earlier than reginae-olgae!
Edit: if you haven't read the page on G. ikariae subsp. snogerupii on the revolution snowdrops page, check it out. It's a nice piece of writing and very thorough examination of the subspecies.
Link here - http://www.revolution-snowdrops.co.uk/galanthus-ikariae-subsp-snogerupii/
(http://www.revolution-snowdrops.co.uk/galanthus-ikariae-subsp-snogerupii/)
Jamus, thanks for posting that link. Great reading. And maybe a snowdrop I can naturalise?? Afterall C. hederifolium var crassifolium will grow in the garden, as does Arisaema vulgare.. so there's reason to hope. Interesting that the leaves of snogerupii (what a great name) are greener rather than greyer. I always associate greyer plants with drought tolerance and greener subspecies with higher moisture demands.
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Anita !
Thank you so much for popping in! Yes I'm a southener too ( rara avis... :) Our summers are cool but bone dry for solid two months. Its raining today and we are setting into the rainy season which will change into snow sometimes during winter. With your advice I won't delay sowing my coum any longer. Thanks for the tips.
My hederifolium has a small bulblet and three green leaves. Its sitting in the sunshine during our short days in the window sill. Would you place it outside to get winter chills? Perhaps protected with mulch, in a semi shaded spot, still in its original pot (7cm)? Thanks in advance.
Arturo
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Anita that's true. Mine will be flowering in a few days, by next weekend there might be six flowers open. Would you like to come up and see it in person? Snogerupii is one of the few that self seed for me. I had seedlings come up in the path last year. It'll be interesting to see if those will come back after the summer dry. I should have plenty of seed to share if all six flowers produce good capsules like they did last autumn.
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G'day Arturo, just a little to add to Anitas' reply.From what I understand, cyc germinates best at 15c to 17 c in dark conditions, so best outside exposed to the elements.They will handle your temps without any worries..
Good luck!
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Hi Paul , thanks, but my temps outside will be much lower now. Not more than max 10ºC. So perhaps I should try them inside dark in a cool room, until germinated. Then they could go to a cool greenhouse ( which I have). Thanks for the wishes. I hope to post seedling pics in due course of time...
Arturo
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Hi Paul , thanks, but my temps outside will be much lower now. Not more than max 10ºC. So perhaps I should try them inside dark in a cool room, until germinated. Then they could go to a cool greenhouse ( which I have).
Arturo
Arturo, Don't bother about the dark. If the seed is thoroughly covered it's dark. I leave all my cyclamen pots out under a shady tree to germinate. They get sun at various times of day and still germinate in early autumn regardless. I'd cover the seed shallowly, cover with gravel (the gravel deters moss and helps keep the soil surface from drying out rapidly - I buy 5mm gravel from aqu-arium suppliers as it's thoroughly washed and weed free) and put into your cool greenhouse. If it's not already too cool the seed will germinate in weeks. If not it will germinate next year. I have a pot of repandum planted late 2015 that had only two seedlings germinate last year.. this year another dozen are coming up, likely more in the next few weeks. As Jamus has pointed out they are pretty tough little things!
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Thanks to everyone, I'm picking up advice. All very useful!
Arturo
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I was wanting some help please I have enclosed a photo of Nerine bowdenii (Merilna) Forrestii ( Forrest Form) 2009 this is on the original label exactly as it was given to me and I would like some history on it please, I can not find any thing on Google and I would like to know more about its name and where the plant originated from. The flower spikes are approximately 60cm tall. Is it a plant collected by George Forrest or one grown by him or nothing to do with him. Thank you Viv
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Lovely Nerine Viv, can't help you as I know nothing about them. Well I'm happy to report that it's properly raining here in Adelaide, finally. We've had a dry autumn after a gentle (relatively) summer which has seen me running around with the hose trying to keep things moist. The last of the leaves are being knocked from the deciduous trees and which is a relief for me, I was getting tired of uncovering little plants in the rock garden buried under a blanket of wet leaves.
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Thank you Jamus, Otto has explained its history to me as I was confused because I thought George Forrest had only collected plants in Asia. But my Nerine is named after a forest, not a person, so that clears that up. We still do not know the name of the forest but at least some of its history has been cleared up for me.
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Hey guys, check out my new crevice pot. I need to wait until seed germinate to plant it up fully but have moved in one little saxifrage for starters. More planting pockets in this pot, apparently I'm learning.
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Would love to hear about the background of that bowdenii Vivienne.
john
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I like your pots Jamus. Why don't you sow some seeds actually into the crevices, especially of little things like saxifrages, androsaces and Gentiana verna? I'm about to start on a winter project to make some mini gardens such a we see at the UK shows, with a high mountain in a round pot and the whole thing planted with small plants. I think the mountains are usually tufa which we don't have here so I'm going to try my hand at actually making the rocks, from cement, gravel, peat and sand, a sort of hypertufa I suppose. Maybe the results will be public in due course or if they're absolutely awful, maybe not! :D
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Great idea Lesley.. I have some Saxifraga seed which I could try. Actually I have a packet of Androsace villosa which would be a good one. I do have access to tufa 'type' rock here and have played around with troughs. I wonder, NZ being predominantly volcanic might you have soft, decomposing scoria, or pumice type rock? Scoria might be very attractive, especially the darker colours which might soak up sun and warm little plants.
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I'll have to look into those Jamus. we can get pumice and scoria by the bagful, fine pumice for cuttings and small bits of scoria for paths and such and mostly a rather horrible red colour but actual rock, I'm not so sure. We can get schist of course but it's very heavy and I want something like a large and knobbly lump rather than the slabs than schist comes in. Great for crevice gardens though - at a price!
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Howdy Folks.
Loving the pics everyone. Vivienne, is Merilna the correct name for this one? I received one many years ago with the name "Manina forest form", which I've never researched. Flowered reliably in the shade for me or a number of years. I'll correct the name if that's the proper spelling. lol Mine hasn't flowered for a few years for me now due to neglect, but I think it' still there. lol
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Hello, Paul,
long time no see!
According to the interweb Manina Forest is in South Africa in the East Cape, so that could be where it comes from - I also think that it is possibly the form known in the UK as var. wellsii,
cheers
fermi
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So is there a Manina forest and a Merilna forest (I can't find one on the interweb? )? I have welsii but have never flowered it.
And yes, long long time no see here. lol
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And yes, long long time no see here. lol
Howdy stranger ;D
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Welcome home Fermi from your trip to Europe . Would have liked to have met Oron .
I do remember now : the enormous clump in my garden of Nerine bowdenii is the Manina Forest Form which came from Eric Genat (father of Peter) some 40 years ago . It is the tallest of all Nerines in my garden .
This Sat . Tim Orpin is hosting the Farewell Party at "Kenloch" , a rather sad affair as the new owners bought it as an investment property and no one will live there and what will happen to that beautiful heritage garden ? sad .
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Welcome home Fermi from your trip to Europe . Would have liked to have met Oron .
Hi Otto,
we told Oron that August is the best month to see the snowdrops in your garden ;)
We're foregoing FCHS this Saturday to be at the farewell to Kenloch,
cheers
fermi
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Hello Paul and JohnW, nice to hear from you Paul although we did accidentally speak to each other with an errant text that went your way, thank goodness it was about plants. I am so pleased we have sorted out the Nerine bowdenii Manina forest form, I made a mistake reading the label incorrectly well it was an old label and could not see or read it properly, but we seem to have cleared it all up.
Just a few words about this Nerine bowdenii Manina cores form it comes true from seed and is at least 60-80cm tall with strong stiff stems and lovely pale pink flowers with a crinkly or wavy edge to the flowers, it also has beautiful purple anthers that are covered in pollen. Flowers every year. Thank you to all that helped identify this Nerine for me. Thanks Viv
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So much happening over the ditch and I am not a part of it. :(
A warm welcome home Fermi and Will. I suppose that Susan More is still gadding about Europe. Not due home I think until late July.
I'm really sad that Tim has apparently sold Kenloch. So much of his life has been invested in it and as homes and gardens go it is truly unique. I've no doubt the party will be the event of the year but yes Otto, sad too. Would you please give Tim my love. I don't imagine I will ever see him again.
My love to you too my friend. We should keep in closer touch.
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I am sorry to hear about Kenloch's uncertain future. I have heard so much about it over the years. Such things are mostly outwith our control as circumstances change but are sad nonetheless.
We were very sorry that Tim never got up here to visit us when he was in the UK.
Otto, you would get on famously with Oron - he is a superb plantsman and a quite delightful person.
Paul T - good to have you back here in the plant world !!
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Hey Folks. Thanks for the welcome back. Just spent a few days up in Queensland, so only just back on again.
Howdy David! ;D And Otto, Fermi, Maggi, Vivienne, Lesley.
So sorry to hear about Kenloch. I guess they can fit an awful lot of units on a block that size? :(