WEST OF SCOTLAND DISCUSSION WEEKEND 3rd - 5th OCTOBER 2008

[Maggi Young]

and just two more....

 that's all folks!

Sue Gill Andrew Fraser Brian Burrow.JPG
Sue Gill and Brian Whitton( a corydalis nat. coll. holder)

[ranunculus]

Wonderful, Maggi ... a trojan effort!

Just two very quick points ... anyone who might be worried why the word 'Hospital' appears in a number of Maggi's images?  The hotel forms part of a much larger building that is an NHS hospital. It should not be assumed that alcoholic poisoning was to blame!

...And Maggi dear... have I missed the posting of the forum members picture by Tim?  If so, where pray is it please?

[Maggi Young]

Well spotted, Cliff.... I had a few gremlins as I posted and it seems the Forumists have dropped off into cyber space... so, here we go again: from left to right....
Sue Gill ( will Maggi please stop calling me Sue Jill),    David (never without a spade in his hand) Shaw,    Carol (when does the bar close?) Shaw,     President Ian the Christie kind,    Ian the Bulb Despot Young,    Shelagh (Black Pudding Girl) Smethurst,     Maggi ( Forum Dogsbody who wishes she had taken in the seams of her frock to fit)Young,      Peter (I'm slimmer than I look) Maguire,       Roma Fiddes ( a fell pony in a sparkly top),   Cliff Buttercup Booker, 
Diane Clement ( didn't see her sorting seeds all weekend) and      Anne ( could be mistaken for a pixie) Wright.....
 

[Maggi Young]

anyone who might be worried why the word 'Hospital' appears in a number of Maggi's images?  The hotel forms part of a much larger building that is an NHS hospital. It should not be assumed that alcoholic poisoning was to blame!

Actually the proximity of the hospital allows certain perks for confrence delgates at the hotel.......last year we were all offered cut-price surgery and this year all delegates were subject to a thorough mental health scan.... this lead to the medical opinion that we were all, each and every one of us, suffering from that tricky affliction , pleonexia 
For those of you not in familiar with this condition, I can tell you that it signifies an excessive or insatiable covetousness.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek pleonektein (to be greedy), from pleion (more) + ekhein (have).

 
Many thanks to Sue Gill for the derivation!

[Peter Maguire]

That's a better picture. I approve of the strategically placed rucksack in reply 44....

[Diane Clement]

Diane Clement ( didn't see her sorting seeds all weekend)

That's because you didn't peep in my room.  Seeds (actually forms) were being sorted at various odd moments during the weekend.  I couldn't afford a whole weekend off the job at this stage!

But, to add my thanks to Cliff's, for the organisers and to the Scottish rockers for a thoroughly enjoyable weekend.  I don't seem to have taken many pics (apart from a certain pot of yellow bulbs, which Cliff has featured fully) so delegates will be spared any further embarassing moments.

[Lesley Cox]

What a marathon posting here of an incredibly wonderful and exciting weekend. I DEEPLY envy all of you.  Several points.

1 How wonderful to see a picture with gathered Forumists. You beat the SH gatherings by many   
   members but we try It MUST become a tradition of such events that there is a specific pic of all
   assembled Forum posters.

2 Ian's bosom does NOT heave. There's not enough of it. Maggi's now.....

3 By golly, Big John REALLY IS big, isn't he?

4 Luit/Luc, you just need to hop or swim across that itsy little bit of water; we need to make a world trip
  of it. Get in there next year and be grateful for the chance.

5 Many, many thanks to Maggi, Cliff and everyone who shared this weekend with the rest of us. How
   utterly butterly  

[annew]

Contrary to appearances in the photos, I had a WONDERFUL time. Everyone was so friendly and fun, food was super, hotel very nice indeed, lectures absorbing. Thanks to all for a fantastic effort, and it was great to meet the forumists in person at last. Hope it will be first of many.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

4 Luit/Luc, you just need to hop or swim across that itsy little bit of water; we need to make a world trip
  of it. Get in there next year and be grateful for the chance.

You're absolutely right Lesley - I'd love to be able to attend - I should and will make it work somehow !!!

Thanks for the posting delirium Maggi !  Great to see all these beauties (plants and... folks  )
What strikes me is that so many of the delegates do not appear on this forum (yet ?) - why not ??  There's plenty of space left here for more people to join in 

[art600]

I'll start with some pix of the show plants... all rather general views, I'm afraid.... not like Cliff's fine portraits, but I hope you'll get a "flavour"....

Maggi
You are much better than you would have us believe.  Not at all bad...in fact really quite good.

[Maggi Young]

I am flattered, Arthur.... actually, reason they are even half decent is because I was using Ian's little camera ( Olympus U700) with the flash. I have a tendency to shut the flash off when using the Olympus C-960 because it takes so long to charge, so my hand-held shots are very shakey! 
I must say I was pleasantly surprised that the people pix came out so well. 


At one point during proceedings, Shelagh Smethurst asked if she could take my photo..... have you a wide angle lens? says I...... no, replies Shelagh.. but I will stand well back...    

[Casalima]

Lovely to see the photos - it looks like you all had a wonderful time.
I was wondering whether I shouldn't apply for an SRGC grant to drive up for next year's weekend with a car full of bulbs etc from Iberian suppliers and ... errr ... libations 

[Maggi Young]

Well, Chloë, that sounds like a really good idea to me... and I suspect, to many others ...but the folks who inhabit the SRGC grant committee are a tough bunch of nuts to crack.......might be easier to just start saving up yourself! 

[Maggi Young]

Here is the bottle of champagne donated by Helen and John Amand to the Auction....... and a close-up of the label to show the wording and SRGC Logo... great idea for a special celebration, isn't it?

John and Helen are both "Chevalier du Sable D'Or" and have tremendous knowledge of wines and champagne ......If Big John were to open this bottle, he would do so with a sweep of a special sabre..... opening the bottle cleanly with a single blow.... very dramatic and rather fun!

[Maggi Young]

The champagne was won at auction by Anton Edwards, Editor of The Rock Garden, the twice-yearly SRGC Journal, by the way