Glasgow show at Milngavie 2 May 2009

[David Nicholson]

Lovely pictures folks thanks for taking the time and the trouble to post them for us. Do I take it that Cyril was adequately compensated with other silverware for not winning The Forrest?

[veteran vet]

Re Cyril  he had most points in the Open section and at least one certificate of merit that I recall (A studiosorum 'Doksa') but he had to be pleased with the high standard of plants he presented over a wide range of genera, his daphnes and the sebaeas stood out

[Lesley Cox]

Another brilliant display of super plants. Thanks Anthony and the Veteran Vet. Just a LITTLE bit frustrating Anthony, that lack of names.

How marvellous to see Primula wigramiana.

[Anthony Darby]

No pleasing some people!

[Lesley Cox]

Well I would have been VErY pleased, if the pics had had names. But I accept your excuse of the sore neck.

[Maggi Young]

Anthony, please be calm.... many of us are quite delighted to see show  photos ...with or without names!
I know only too well how much time the posting of these pix takes and I assure you that all of us who undertake mega-postings are accutely aware of the effort and grateful for the same dedication from others.
I suspect Lesley's tongue is, as is often the case, firmly in her cheek, but she is entitled to voice her  opinion..... as you often do, on other matters.....

Happily (though these do not show up in a search) the names of many plants can be seen when the photos are enlarged by clicking on them....

[TC]

Naming pictures may sound easy but it is not !  For a start, to make sure you get it right, you would have to take a picture of the plant immediately followed by the label.  This means double the amount of pictures.  Then when you download them to the computer, it allocates numbers in the series jpg 001 etc.  At this point you can then rename them if you have a picture of the label.  However, if you make a mistake, then the named picture is moved alphabetically and the labelled picture is filed somewhere else.  So now you are not sure if you got the name right.  If you do post it with the wrong name someone will soon tell you !!  If you wait until you have processed them in a photo editing programme and then add the name, sometimes it will not recognise the new name and then not allow you to proceed.  If you have successfully named and downsized them the next hazard is posting.  When you are posting 10 at a time - sometimes lifting the pictures non-consecutively, it is easy to forget if you have posted the same one twice.  You cannot preview the pictures and can only look at what you have sent when it appears on the postings.  Also, it is easy to post the original large picture instead of the reduced size one.  You then get an error message and when you sort this out and re post, it tells you that this has been posted recently.  At this point you feel like putting a brick through the screen ! Unless you have done a lot of posting, it is difficult to realise the amount of time it takes.  Anthony must have been at it most of Saturday evening.  I know it took me the best part of 2 hours.   It's hard at the shows but ten times worse in the field.  Trying to find labels can involve advanced limbo dancing and even then they are sometime unreadable.  I give this job to my charming assistant Cindy as I did serious damage to my knee crawling over steep mossy slopes at Benmore trying to find labels.  My prize for this is an appointment with a consultant orthopaedic surgeon.
Yes, it is nice to get all the names but remember the poor guy who has to do it.

[ranunculus]

Naming pictures may sound easy but it is not !  For a start, to make sure you get it right, you would have to take a picture of the plant immediately followed by the label.  This means double the amount of pictures.  Then when you download them to the computer, it allocates numbers in the series jpg 001 etc.  At this point you can then rename them if you have a picture of the label.  However, if you make a mistake, then the named picture is moved alphabetically and the labelled picture is filed somewhere else.  So now you are not sure if you got the name right.  If you do post it with the wrong name someone will soon tell you !!  If you wait until you have processed them in a photo editing programme and then add the name, sometimes it will not recognise the new name and then not allow you to proceed.  If you have successfully named and downsized them the next hazard is posting.  When you are posting 10 at a time - sometimes lifting the pictures non-consecutively, it is easy to forget if you have posted the same one twice.  You cannot preview the pictures and can only look at what you have sent when it appears on the postings.  Also, it is easy to post the original large picture instead of the reduced size one.  You then get an error message and when you sort this out and re post, it tells you that this has been posted recently.  At this point you feel like putting a brick through the screen ! Unless you have done a lot of posting, it is difficult to realise the amount of time it takes.  Anthony must have been at it most of Saturday evening.  I know it took me the best part of 2 hours.   It's hard at the shows but ten times worse in the field.  Trying to find labels can involve advanced limbo dancing and even then they are sometime unreadable.  I give this job to my charming assistant Cindy as I did serious damage to my knee crawling over steep mossy slopes at Benmore trying to find labels.  My prize for this is an appointment with a consultant orthopaedic surgeon.
Yes, it is nice to get all the names but remember the poor guy who has to do it.

Crumbs ... I won't be putting myself through all that again soon!!!   

[veteran vet]

I have to give some comment on this discussion as I do post pictures when I have ones that are indicative of the plants at a show. To save on writing I photograph the plant, then its name and then the exhibitor (at least nearly always). All right, it means that when you get to the computer bit you have editing and deleting to do in addition to the downsizing of the picture to fit on the SRGC web site but so be it. It is time consuming and can be frustrating when you make a balls up but if we are going to promote alpine gardening, and thats why I 'publish' my pictures, then we not only need to go through the rigmarole of doing this but I strongly feel that we need to identify the plants we photograph (in support of Rosemary Cox) if we are to get prople to go to an alpine nursery and ask for a specific plant by the correct name, thats how I got started 20 years ago and is how many people I know did so as well. If there is a choice between no pictures on the web site and pictures with IDs then the pictures will win but we, as the 'posters' should be better than the minimum.....sorry to go on & on   

[veteran vet]

Having gone on and on at the last posting, where was our procurator offiscal (or whatever the Scottish term is) on Sat, Maggi, you and Ian were missed as I did not have the oportunity to bend your ear (or to me more accurate, get my ear bent by you while I struggle to get a word in edge ways!!!), I hope you are in good health, not caught swine fever or some other nasty bug.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Am I the only one to think that Lesley was just teasing in a friendly manner  

[David Nicholson]

I'm sure she was Luc.

Let me add though, for good measure, my thanks to all who take the time and the trouble to post Show pics on the Forum, named or not, it is greatly appreciated.

[Maggi Young]

Having gone on and on at the last posting, where was our procurator offiscal (or whatever the Scottish term is) on Sat, Maggi, you and Ian were missed as I did not have the oportunity to bend your ear (or to me more accurate, get my ear bent by you while I struggle to get a word in edge ways!!!), I hope you are in good health, not caught swine fever or some other nasty bug.

We too were sorry not to be able to attend the Glasgow show, George. We always enjoy the chance to chat with chums but we were caught up here with assorted "stuff" that prevented our journey to sunny Milngavie .... such a pity... and there I was with a new set of earmuffs at the ready! 


  PS: I have added some names to Anthony's posts

[mark smyth]

I would like to see matching text and names on the jpegs. I personally find it very easy using photoshop to edit and add the names to my photos

[Anthony Darby]

Thanks Maggi. I've added a couple to your comprehensive edit.