Yes, I'm so Happy! 2012

[WimB]

Hi Lesley,

I'm very happy you're back home and joining us again on the forum! I wish you a very speedy and full recovery. I had a feeling it was a a lot quieter on the forum, though 

Like Cliff said, don't worry to much about the plants, I'm sure they'll be resting during your winter, especially if they'll be nicely packed in snow!
It's a shame we don't all live closer, we could have helped you with the garden when needed...

 

Wim

[Brian Ellis]

Well we did miss you Lesley, and we're glad you are back safe and sound.  It's sad about the garden, but as you say you will adapt, the hardest thing is to realise what you can and can't do and then not to do the things you shouldn't!  Hopefully all our good wishes will help speed your recovery.

 

[maggiepie]

Wishing you the best for a full recovery, Lesley.
Hope it's all good from now on for you and you can make the  Czech trip.
Maybe in the future you could get an apprentice to do the heavy garden work, there must be oodles of people wanting to learn and am sure you would make a wonderful teacher.

[Anthony Darby]

All the best Lesley. My son once said "chin up Dad", when I was feeling glum. When I responded appropriately, he then said, "no, the one three chins below". I do hope your recovery allows you some comfort.

[ashley]

All the very best Lesley
I'm sorry there's some work heading your way, but light work, and perhaps you can supervise Roger as he does it

[Lvandelft]

I was not so often on the forum lately, but had the feeling something is different  though.
Now I know why 
You are really missed here Lesley and I hope you will recover soon!
and... you will see even when you are not able to do all things in the garden like you used to do you can give (maybe fewer) plants more attention and even learn more about them.
I think that I may say so, having some experience on this matter
Get well soon and in my opinion positive thinking is very helpful!!

[Lesley Cox]

How wonderful you all are and I do thank you for your kind thoughts and wishes. As to chins Anthony, I have lost one already!!!

[arillady]

Lesley all the very best for the best of recoveries.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Pat and everyone. Each day there is some improvement and if the weather too would oblige, I'd be a happy lady.

Before I went in the first time I had seen some emerging growth that looked like flowering growth on both Iris histrio and I. h. aintabensis and was a little worried all the time I was away that they'd come, flowered and gone before I could see them as these are new to me. I had poor Roger out looking but seeing nothing and he took pics of where they should be but still nothing. Now I find that they have just been sitting there with their noses at pot surface level and are waiting for the present nasty weather to go and a little sun to show. I'm so happy about this. These little bulbs were given to me by Betty Clark in Ashburton and are from the collection of the late Mary Evans who collected them in the company of the great Paul and Polly Furse so their provenance is immaculate and it's a great privilege to be able to grow them. I'll hope to do pics in due course.

[Tim Ingram]

It's rather wonderful to have all these links with famous gardeners of the past Lesley. Paul Furse was a founding member of our East Kent AGS Group, along with Jack Elliott and Hilda Davenport Jones who ran Washfield Nursery. This was way before my time (in 1957), so I only knew Jack and Elizabeth Strangman who joined and later took over Washfield Nursery. It has some influence on you when such people are just down the road! They are few and far between so it's doubly nice to have the links via the Forum too.

[Maren]

Hi Lesley, best wishes for a speedy recovery from a thoroughly sodden England. Should be weeding and cutting lawns, but too wet, that's my excuse. Get well soon.

[Otto Fauser]

Dear Lesley ,good to hear that with every passing day you are feeling a little better .

   We seem to be a little ahead of you as my Iris histrio (col. Lebanon) , a collected form of I. histrio var. aintabensis and the commercial form of aintabensis are in flower here.
  I did correspond with Mary Evans a lot and I am almost sure that she never went on a collecting trip with the Furses .Also when I stayed at 'Hegghill' in 1961 and again in 1971 Paul and Polly never mentioned that Mary Evans had joined them on one of their trips .

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Otto,

I'll try to find out more about that as I always understood from Betty Clark that Mary had collected with the Furses. Perhaps it was just that she was able to share some of their material. I'll be in touch with Betty in a day or two and find out what I can.

Good frost this morning and winter has truly arrived at last. I'm still a little shaky on my pins so have to be very careful when walking in the frozen places. Really good to have some bright sunshine today though.

[Gerry Webster]

I've just re-read Paul Furse's account of their third collecting expedition - 'Iran & Afghanistan 1964' (RHS Journal, Nov. 1965). Furse writes (p462): "the party as usual consisted of my wife, our Landrover "The Rose of Persia", and myself; all three of us began making our preparations in August". [ My emphasis]

[angie]

Today when I went into my greenhouse I was so excited all my plants were jumping up and down in their pots. They were all as happy as I was when the sun came out for a couple of hours. Raining again now, oh well was happy for a wee while.

Angie