Moan, Moan, Moan - 2012

[David Nicholson]

And don't even think of cleaning the windows!!

Ah, the lovely Mrs Doyle. I have the memory of a Pachyderm Ron, I shall get you back for that

[ronm]

The way my bits are beginning to shrivel and fail, I'm sure it wont be long, 

[David Nicholson]

I think I remember when my knee problem started. I'd spent most of a morning on my haunches on the drive painting some troughs (that haven't had their second coat yet) and it's gone from bad to worse since than. Today I managed to re-pot only twenty pots before the pain got too bad to continue.

I have bought a wheelbarrow though for mixing compost in. In previous years I've used buckets and usually squatted down mixing the "brew"with a trowel. Don't know why it didn't do this years ago. As for general garden use a wheelbarrow is not much good in my garden owing to the steep slope and terracing particularly in the back garden. I've realised how heavy the slope is on knee joints though and not helped by carting heavy buckets around.

[David Nicholson]

The way my bits are beginning to shrivel and fail, I'm sure it wont be long, 

What, all of 'em?

[ronm]

Only the bits that don't get very regular use!

[David Nicholson]

 

[Lesley Cox]

Not thinking about cleaning windows but have to do it all the same because of a further major (but non medical) complication to my life, apart, that is from last Saturday night's broken ribs. And no, I hadn't been drinking even though I was in town at the time, 10.30 and fell onto concrete. Fortunately, I don't have much to laugh at just now so that's a saving in pain.

[David Nicholson]

I know Lesley, you've decided to get full value from all your previous health service contributions. You look after yourself.

[Lesley Cox]

That's it David, going for every penny's worth I can arrange. Actually we don't have health service contributions as such, our service is, largely, free to locals and those with whom we have reciprocal arrangements, such as the Aussies, and paid through general income taxes. So someone can be in hospital for weeks or months with every imaginable requirement for healing/rehab, drugs, best specialists etc, and not pay a penny, and if one has an emergency, nothing beats it. Otherwise however, there are waiting lists and these can be avoided by health insurance which I can't afford so I guess I'm lucky that when I've needed it, I've needed it in a hurry.

[Paul T]

Not good, Lesley.  Broken ribs can be awful.  I hope yours heals brilliantly in record time!!

[angie]

Lesley you are having a tuff time. Hope things will be better with you soon.

Just put my gardening clothes on stepped out the front door and stepped right back in. Pouring down and thunder as well. Back in to have a coffee and choc, biscuit, no wonder my waistline and everything else is getting bigger. I wonder if I lived in a warm climate I might be thin   

Angie 

[Martin Baxendale]

Bloody snails just ate all my Genista aetnensis seedlings!! I've been putting seedlings higher and higher up, on top of the coal bin, on top of the lean-to glasshouse etc, to try to keep them away from the snails but with all this wet weather they're getting everywhere! Whole pot of Genista aetnensis seedlings gone in the course of an afternoon! 

[Paul T]

Martin,

Set up a tray of water, sit something in the middle of it and put your pots on top of that.  Snails can't swim.  Works for a lot of little critters that seem to climb anything else.  Only needs to be about a 5cm "moat" around the inner object.  Try it and see if it helps?

[Lesley Cox]

That sounds a good idea. A local TV ad for securing one's car while doing the shopping, not only locks it but puts clamps on every wheel, an iron fence around then a moat with sharks swimming around it. That may be overkill for snails though. You could salt the water maybe.

Martin I should be able to send some more seed of the Genista soon. Mine always makes plenty. I'll have a look shortly.

[Lesley Cox]

Yesterday while I was in Timaru helping to celebrate the 50th anniv of South Canterbury group of NZ Iris Society, Roger did something he's never done before, started to clean the insides if the sitting room windows. I think he has finally caught up with the fact that we are selling. Several times recently when he has bent over to do something, his glasses have fallen from his shirt pocket. Although he knew this, he still bent over the bucket of hot soapy water and it was his brand new cell phone which took a dive. Dismantled, dried out and reassembled, it's still not working, so he is moaning while I'm so happy he can't blame me!