Moan, Moan, Moan - 2012

[David Nicholson]

 

[Roma]

I have, or should say had a lovely patch of self sown Cyclamen coum in the grass close to the base of my shed. I've been following progress since the first flowers appeared in December and was most annoyed today to find the roe deer have devastated the lot.  A nice patch of C. hederifolium leaves nearby has also gone.

[David Nicholson]

I'd be preparing for venison on Sunday lunch time Roma How disappointing for you.

[Maggi Young]

Disappointing?  You're being very measured , David......    I'd say it's utterly infuriating and yes, I'd be checking venison recipes, too. 

[Roma]

I'd be preparing for venison on Sunday lunch time Roma How disappointing for you.

Got to catch it (or them) first, David.  I did see one cross the garden one day about 10am when I was away on the other side of the road feeding the ponies.  They do their munching at dusk or dawn when we are not around.  They have eaten two bergenias and pruned callunas and ericas.  There are still flower buds on the Erica carnea but most will be eaten before they open.  Erica arborea 'Estrella Gold'  which got hammered last winter has made good growth from the base.  I noticed a while ago it was being nibbled so it is now protected by a wire netting cage.

[mark smyth]

how the funk does Irish man Dara O'Briain - Stargazing Live and comedien- not know how to pronounce the name of the largest lake in Ireland. He called it Loch "ne-agh". It's Lough Neagh. Neagh is like N followed by a as in base

[Maggi Young]

how the funk does Irish man Dara O'Briain - Stargazing Live and comedien- not know how to pronounce the name of the largest lake in Ireland. He called it Loch "ne-agh". It's Lough Neagh. Neagh is like N followed by a as in base

 Neigh as in horse ,  and nay as in not on your nelly? 

[Darren]

how the funk does Irish man Dara O'Briain - Stargazing Live and comedien- not know how to pronounce the name of the largest lake in Ireland. He called it Loch "ne-agh". It's Lough Neagh. Neagh is like N followed by a as in base

 Neigh as in horse ,  and nay as in not on your nelly? 

You are getting a Yorkshire accent Maggi! 

[Hoy]

how the funk does Irish man Dara O'Briain - Stargazing Live and comedien- not know how to pronounce the name of the largest lake in Ireland. He called it Loch "ne-agh". It's Lough Neagh. Neagh is like N followed by a as in base

Well, I wouldn't know either

But horses "vrinsker", they don't neighs

[mark smyth]

vrinsker? Ours definitely say nay-eh-eh-eh

[Hoy]

vrinsker? Ours definitely say nay-eh-eh-eh

Oh, they speak a kind of dialect then
Here a horse vrinsker, a sheep breker, a dog bjeffer, a cow rauter, a cat mjauer, a cock galer and so forth . . . .

[PDJ]

vrinsker? Ours definitely say nay-eh-eh-eh

Oh, they speak a kind of dialect then
Here a horse vrinsker, a sheep breker, a dog bjeffer, a cow rauter, a cat mjauer, a cock galer and so forth . . . .

Thank you Dr. Doolittle

[Roma]

Aother moan from me about the local wildlife.  My daughter was helping me today to tidy up some dead plant leaves and stems.  While she was cutting th Anemone hybrida which will have to be greatly curtailed this year a vole ran out and disappeared.  I started on the irises.  Remember the big clump of a yellow possible forrestii hybrid I showed here in June?  Well it is completely devastated.  When I started cutting and pulling away the old growth I found most of the shoots had been eaten right back into the rhizome.  The mauve one was the same.  I thought 'Broadleigh Carolyn' was OK because she still had green leaves but found many of the Rhizomes had been nibbled through just below a shoot.  Some had little roots and could be saved but I don't really have the time and space to save them all. 
I managed to catch 2 of the little furry creatures and they will not eat irises again   

[angie]

Roma glad that voles has gone. I am trying to get rid of some of the mice here. I have a humane trap but I am seriously thinking of getting some poison, there just seems to be so much of them. I was watching from my living room window the other day and this mouse was sitting in the sun eating my Frit bulbs. When I had my four cats I never had a problem. At least the ground in a bit frozen so he might not be able to dig.

Angie

[Lesley Cox]

I think I'm really entitled to a major moan this evening. I stayed with my son last night half way between Dunedin and Ashburton where I was to visit Betty Clark (occasional Forumist) as she had some precious bulbs for me. I wanted to be up at about 6.30am, but in the night my battery alarm clock stopped and the alarm didn't go off so it was nearly 7.30 when I woke. Quick brekky (no shower) and off, only to have a fuse blow on my car's indicators. No indicators. Went into first service station to have them fixed and the guy said he could do the left one but the right one had a wire chafed right through so be careful not to use the right one until it was fixed properly or it would fuse the other again. Charged me $20 for not fixing the problem properly. Topped up my petrol while there but because it was $38 worth instead of min of $40, missed out on the 8c a litre discount.

While gathering up my wallet, card and cell phone when office girl was doing the invoice, I dropped my phone on the concrete floor and smashed it.

Proceeded to Ashburton (another hour) keeping in left lane all the way so as not to have to right indicate and that worked OK until I was stuck behing a double log truck in the slow lane, doing about 70km an hour so instinctively switched on right indicator and changed lanes. Blew the new fuse so no indicators again. Had to go to firm where I buy my pots, bought a box of 500 100mm tubes and found price had almost doubled since last lot. Also pots no longer available on north side of Ashburton where the office is, so had to go back to south side of the town to goods depot. Office wouldn't accept EFTPOS or credit card so had to go back into the centre of town and draw cash and back to the office to pay before going back to the depot. Many dirty looks from other drivers as I went around roundabouts and turned many corners, all without indicating.

So far so good. Arrived at Betty's an hour after I'd arranged to be there and things improved, Betty and Murray their usual delightful selves, so many plants to see including several I'd lost (but now have replacements), and I've identified the tree I posted on the Forum after the Trillium weekend.

Drove back to Dunedin in very strong wind and heat for 5.30pm meeting of Otago Alpine Garden group committee, enough time to go home first, go to loo, have a quick drink and codeine (sore back etc) then back into towm in pelting rain and nearly swiped off the road by large car coming round corner without looking. He shoved his fist on the horn, I screamed but we didn't actually touch.

Home again hoping Roger would have got tea ready but no, feeling poorly having had impacted wisdom tooth removed this afternoon. I have yet to go to bed in a few minutes. I hope to get up the hall alive and into bed without further mishap.