Moan, moan, moan----get it off your chest or have a chat

[Luc Gilgemyn]

O.M.G. 

[Michael J Campbell]

Our local supermarket,part of a large chain of stores, has  for the last two months in their fruit and veg dept. 20 plants of Boxwood (Buxus)
in 30cm pots. some round balls and some pyramids. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead as a Dodo. I informed the assistant manager who said he would Remove them,he did not. A few days later I informed the Manager who brought me to the F & V  dept. manager and he said he would remove them. Guess what!, they are still on sale two weeks later, and they are still DEAD

[Giles]

Michael,
Atleast be reassured that they knew what Box plants were.
Last Summer at my local Sainsburys I took a bag of broad beans to the check out, only for the lady at the till to hold them up in the air, stare at them,
and ask 'What are these?'

re. earlier entries OMG/SNFAU  - can get in to problems with these, for me LOL always meant 'little old lady', but now know otherwise.

[Anthony Darby]

Many years ago I went into a delicatessen in Polmont, about 3 miles from Falkirk, to get some food for the animals we used to keep in the school pets' club. Although we didn't keep hamsters, this was in a big bag labelled 'Hamster mix'. They sold rabbit mix too, but the shop was mostly fresh and dried fruit and veg, plus herbs, spices pickles jams etc. Typical delicatessen fare. I spent a few minutes gazing at the hamster mix as there was something not quite right. I decided to take a much closer look. It was crawling with Australian spider beetle. I pointed this out and the bag was duly removed. It was back, complete with live cargo, the following week. I never went back to the shop.

[Anthony Darby]

Spring is not the best of seasons,
Colds and 'flu are two good reasons;
Wind and rain and other sorrow,
Warm today and cold tomorrow.

Here's a Chinese proverb:

"All gardeners know better than other gardeners".

[fermi de Sousa]

re. earlier entries OMG/SNFAU  - can get in to problems with these, for me LOL always meant 'little old lady', but now know otherwise.

Not sure what SNFAU means but I've been told that SNAFU means Situation Normal All F...ouled Up
Anthony,
those were obvious "Boomerang" beetles which is why they returned!
cheers
fermi

[Carol Shaw]

Not sure what SNFAU means but I've been told that SNAFU means Situation Normal All F...ouled Up
fermi

Fermi - Situation Normal All F...ked UP is what I understand it to mean 

One work colleague was a royal pain the the ass... got to the  point that every time he appeared we said FONRIB - F Off Now Russell I'm Busy

[ChrisB]

You don't know what you've got til its gone.... On Tuesday I dug out some blackthorn roots with my trowel and then had to get the shovel to them as well.  Put all the bits in the trug along with a lot of other stuff and carted it off to the green recycling bin.  Next day, I went out to do a bit more tidying up, and couldn't find my trowel.  I must have put it in the trug and thrown it into the recycling bin.  Trouble was, Wednesday morning, before I'd had chance to find out that's what I'd done, yes, you guessed it  they came and emptied the bins.  I've had this trusty trowel for about 30 years, its made of thicker stainless steel than any I've seen for purchase these days, it never let me down, even when I mistreated it, and the handle was really good wood.  I got it when I was still in Canada, so it travelled across the Atlantic with our possessions all those years ago.  Now its composting, or perhaps its even chewed up the composting machinery, who knows, anyway, I no longer have it.  So I thought I'd see if I could find another like it on the internet.  No luck.  The closest I came to it was a Corona comfort trowel or a Rumford Gardener Pro.  Both are from American sources and no UK suppliers that don't want to rip you off for a pile of money.  Can't even get them shipped from the US to Canada where I could pick them up when I go in May.  So I've had to settle for a much less satisfactory one for now, but I'm going to find a way to get around this embargo on exporting such things!!!!

[annew]

Chris, I really like the remarkably cheap ones that B&Q had, about £3. They were very strong stainless steel with soft rubberised handles, nicely shaped and seemingly impossible to bend. Although I bought 2 each of the forks and trowels, they all went walkies somewhere, probably because the handles were nicely camouflaged in green and a little yellow. The good news is that Morrison's seem to be doing the same ones for £3 each but with bright PINK handles. I know - embarrassing - but much easier to spot when left in the garden. I'm going to buy 3 of each, and I bet I don't lose any!

[Anthony Darby]

I think a 14k gold ring I wore on my right hand went via my mum's garden waste bin too.

[Rodger Whitlock]

. . . a Corona comfort trowel . . . Can't even get them shipped from the US to Canada where I could pick them up when I go in May

Corona trowels are fairly readily available here on Vancouver Island and, presumably, elsewhere in Canada.

As Tarzan frequently said to Jane, where there is life there is hope.

[johnw]

  The closest I came to it was a Corona comfort trowel or a Rumford Gardener Pro.  Both are from American sources and no UK suppliers that don't want to rip you off for a pile of money.  Can't even get them shipped from the US to Canada where I could pick them up when I go in May.  So I've had to settle for a much less satisfactory one for now, but I'm going to find a way to get around this embargo on exporting such things!!!!

Chris  - The company I work for sells Corona. If you get me the code (30101?) I will see if they have one in stock and can send it to you.

PM me your address and I'll let you know how much it will cost to send.

johnw

[ChrisB]

Hi John and Rodger,

Yes, that's the code for the one I want!  I'm coming to Canada to visit my daughter in Abbotsford in May, and will be stopping off in Toronto on each journey.  If either you or Rodger know of a stockist in either Burlington, Hamilton, Barrie or Abbotsford, I will be in all of those places in June and could get one.  They certainly look closest to the one I've lost in style and size, though mine had a wooden handle instead, but that doesn't matter a jot, its the sharp blade - I have been able to chop through two inch tree roots with the other as I troweled along - and the actual shape I'm after, along with strength and durability.  Every single one I've ever bought here in the UK have bent whilst I've been digging something tough, only this one was strong enough to withstand my wear and tear on it.  Wonderful news though, that they are available in Canada, I looked on Home Depot and Canadian Tire sites for them before I posted to this group.

Thanks for your help!

Anne - I'll take a look at Morrison's when I go to Alnwick this week... thanks for the tip ... it might do for now at least.  Took a quick look in Newcastle today at Lewises and then Wilkinsons, but all have this peculiar shape with a stem coming out of the handle down to the blade, and none look very sturdy for the sort of digging I tend to do.  I have one that has this design already, and I know it was not cheap, bought for me as a gift by my brother a few years ago, and I'm having to press it into use, but I notice it is already starting to bend at that weak spot.  The one I lost had a very stout stainless steel scoop and the part that fits to the handle was all one solid piece of metal, no welded bits at all.

[David Nicholson]

Anyone watch Gardener's World last night and shares my view that what should have been an interesting programme about plants and plants people was utterly subsumed by The Beebs preoccupation with 'celebrity'.

Was it really necessary to have Ms Klein charging round the country in an elderly car, exuding false bonhomie at every cross road, and doing a 'Who Do You Think You Are' at the same time.

Or am I just (and happily so!) a grumpy old man?

[Michael J Campbell]

Davis ,I agree with you 100%, all people and no plants.( Now there are two grumpy old men )