Snowdrop Events 2010

[steve owen]

Bit of an unnecessarily prickly comment there, Steve, assuming that the rest of us forumists have conservative, closed minds, surely?

Martin
I'm sorry if I have said something which offends you, especially after we sat together amicably at last Saturday's Gala. If anything else annoys you, do feel free to p.m. me (unless you prefer to post it publicly).
Steve

[Martin Baxendale]

Martin
I'm sorry if I have said something which offends you, especially after we sat together amicably at last Saturday's Gala. If anything else annoys you, do feel free to p.m. me (unless you prefer to post it publicly).
Steve

No great offence taken, Steve. Just that I have some strong views on GM and some knowledge of the issues surrounding it, and I don't think that questioning the implications of major technological developments like GM necessarily implies a conservative mindset that's not open to new ideas. I was just indulging in a little off-topic banter in response to your comment about GM feeding the world.

It's a very interesting topic with massive implications. For example, one of the big problems in developing countries is that GM crops tend to have high fertiliser requirements, having been bred initially for farmland in developed countries. Poor farmers in developing countries are told they should grow GM crops because they're good international commodity crops that make money for farmers, but they get into debt buying fertiliser they can't afford and didn't need before growing GM,  and the more of them grow the GM crops, the lower the "commodity" prices fall, which suits the developed importing countries but cripple the farmers already burdened by debt from buying fertiliser (from the companies who sell them the GM seed). They also can't save their own GM seed to sow the next year because they're not allowed to, and so have to keep buying seed every year. And all this on top of the fact that the whole process pushes out local traditional crops which may not produce such high yields but which provide important food biodiversity as a guard against diseases and pests and are often better adapted to local conditions (needing less water and chemicals to grow).

Anyway, sorry if my jumping in a tad clumsily caused ripples. Let's get back to the snowdrops.

[chasw]

Hear,Hear..........................Snowdrops,no just more snow about 5" of the bloomin stuff here this morning,

[KentGardener]

No snow in Kent.     So I thought I would fly up to Aberrrrdeen to try and find some.   

[Jane]

More snow in Cheshire today, and I still have 3000 nivalis to plant ahhhh....

[Brian Ellis]

Hear,Hear..........................Snowdrops,no just more snow about 5" of the bloomin stuff here this morning,

That bodes well for the CGS Members day tomorrow, perhaps we will see the tips peeping out of the snowdrifts

[chasw]

No not good news at all Brian,can not see any of mine

[Maggi Young]

The snow we had overnight on Wednesday had disappeared by last night, so  a weather god decided we needed some more   .... so, a light fall today again.....will make the countryside pretty for KentGardener to look out on from the plane.....with a bit of luck it will not be so deep as to hide all the 'drops he's due to see on Sunday

[Brian Ellis]

I'm sure he will have a great time nevertheless Maggie, and hopefully there will be no snow next week!

[mark smyth]

We had snow over night but it has thankfully melted.

Maggi you and I have forum members to look after. Jo arrives in N Ireland at 5pm. We are planning to cram is as much as possible - snowdrops tomorrow and then over the next four days bots in Dublin, Robin Hall, Mournes, Antrim coast, Giant's Causeway and maybe a garden or two

[Maggi Young]

I bet Jo will have a grand time with you, Mark....hope you manage to cram everything in!

I'll just be glad if the roads aren't too bad for everyone to get to our Bus Trip to Dunblane (and for  everyone else's travel, of course) and for Ian to take John to the Brechin Castle snowdrop lunch on Sunday!

[chasw]

Rapid thaw here now, :)can actually see the drops peeping through the snow,so should be fine for tomorrow,unless we have some more

[steve owen]

Chas

Many thanks to you and your wife for all your spadework associated with getting today's CGS do organised. Take a bow.

Steve

[mark smyth]

Our snowdrop day got off to a bad start. -4 over night rising to only +1 with freezing fog and snowdrops lying down. Those who came loved spring bulbs in the greenhouse

Major complaint from me - c.20 people out of 80 bothered to come to my garden!!. The majority of people passing within 1 mile / 1.5km of my garden while heading to the second garden. This is the last time I open for the AGS Ulster Group!

[chasw]

Steve,we did think that we ought to offer our help as we live so close by,I have never washed up so many cups and saucers  ,and was a little late buying anything,however did finally find a David Baker,how were the gardens?as we did not make them,.........................had to move a mini