Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
SRGC Shows and Events => Events => Topic started by: Maggi Young on October 07, 2008, 11:16:58 PM
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Counting down to: Next SRGC Discussion Weekend at Inchyra Grange.....
359 days 16 hours 58 minutes ........ I will update this countdown regularly through the year!! ;)
Next SRGC Discussion Weekend will be held at the Inchyra Grange Hotel, Grangemouth, Scotland, from the 2nd to the 4th of October 2009.
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When do we need to book to guarantee attendance? :)
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First booking details will come with the next Journal, I think, Arthur..... I would advise sooner rather than later but deadline is usually sometime early to mid September, though I'd never leave it that late in case I missed out.... it is the highlight of my year, as well as being the closest thing I get to a holiday in a hotel ::)
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Counting down to: Next SRGC Discussion Weekend at Inchyra Grange.....
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The camera batteries are charging Maggi ...
... And the Pudsey Piglets are back in training!
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Some details about the hotel......
The Macdonald Inchyra Grange Hotel, Near Stirling
Two minutes from the M9 between Stirling and Edinburgh, this old Manor House has been lovingly transformed into a comfortable modern hotel with all the facilities that the modern day traveller would expect from a luxury four-star residence in the heart of central Scotland. Set in its own 44 acres of ground, the Macdonald Inchyra Grange hotel is in the ideal location to explore some of the richest history Scotland has to offer. The Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle, Bannockburn Heritage Centre, Edinburgh Castle are only a few attractions within a short drive. There is also the fabulous feat of modern engineering that is the Falkirk Wheel just a ten minute drive away.
Facilities:
"Opus" 504 Restaurant
Cocktail Bar
Conference Suites
Banqueting Rooms
Vital Health, Beauty & Fitness Spa :
featuring...Overnight Spa Day Spa Swimming pool Steam room Sauna Whirl pool Exercise classes Gym
Tennis Courts
500 Free Car Parking spaces
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You aren't teasing us yet Maggi, with a view of the bar or the dessert menu?
I'm already seeing 'triple' in the lecture theatre ... and that is without a dram!
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Counting down to: Next SRGC Discussion Weekend at Inchyra Grange.....
330 days 21 hours 33 minutes to 2009 Discussion Weekend..........
Cliff, if I had those pix you'd see 'em!! To be fair, i think the triple screens were an installation by an AV company for another conference.... a bit too hi-tech for the SRGC perhaps.... enough trouble staying focussed on one screen, speaking personally, though I may have sprung for a new pair of specs by next year........ :-[ :-\
Waiting for instructions from the organisers so I can tell you about the speakers........ 8)
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Counting down to: Next SRGC Discussion Weekend at Inchyra Grange.....
330 days 21 hours 33 minutes to 2009 Discussion Weekend..........
Waiting for instructions from the organisers so I can tell you about the speakers........ 8)
Difficult to tell from here, Maggi ... could be Bose? :D
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Difficult to tell from here, Maggi ... could be Bose?
Cliff Booker! It's only because I laughed so much at this that I am not going to give you a chocolate fine!!
[attach=1] [attach=2]
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You aren't teasing us yet Maggi, with a view of the bar or the dessert menu?
I'm already seeing 'triple' in the lecture theatre ... and that is without a dram!
Cliff wanted to see more of the hotel, so here are some hotel views.......
a bar..........
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......................and a bedroom
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a dining room...............
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..............and a pool area
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two views of the hotel spa..
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Quite attractive, Cliff, I'm sure you'll agree?
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Quite attractive, Cliff, I'm sure you'll agree?
Of course, I must admit, these photos are NOT of the Inchyra Grange Hotel, but the newly opened Atlantis Hotel in Dubai ......... but be grateful... whatever price the Inchyra weekend is, it will be less expensive than the glamorous Dubai version! ::) ;)
Counting down to: SRGC Discussion weekend at Inchyra Grange.....
325 days 19 hours 59 minutes
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With all these tempting posts, I reckon you'll all have to get your skates on and book early! ;D
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Counting down to: long weekend at Inchyra Grange.....
317 days 23 hours 48 minutes
Well, the Wyllie Wifie ( weekend whizz for this event with Liz Mills) thought you might like some real photos of the Inchyra Grange .........so here you go, these taken this morning.....showing inside and outsdie views of the building, as well as a charming area.....known in Scotland as a "sitootery" where one can retreat to enjoy the open air ...or, as is the case with many Discussion Weekend visitors, nip out for a cigarette. :-X :o
Click the pix to enlarge...
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More details to tempt you........
Stirling Group Discussion Weekend
2-4 October 2009
After the spectacular Discussion Weekends over the past 2 years, the 2009 event will be held at The Macdonald Inchyra Grange Hotel, Polmont, just off the M9 Junction 5. The Hotel is an extended Country House on the landward side of Grangemouth. The facilities are modern and spacious. Registration, the lecture room and plant areas as well as the restaurant are all on the ground floor. There is a heated pool for delegates to use.
As well as easy access by road, it is close to Polmont Railway Station and Edinburgh Airport.
Edinburgh Falkirk and Stirling are within 20 minutes' drive while Linlithgow Palace, the Falkirk Wheel, the Pineapple and other attractions are nearby.
Accommodation is in double, twin or single occupation rooms. A few rooms are on the ground floor and will be reserved for disabled delegates. There are lifts to the upper floors where there are more rooms for delegates with disabilities. Extra nights are available on the Thursday and Sunday as per booking form, which will be enclosed enclosed with the "Secretary’s Pages" booklet in Janauary.
When this is published there will be full details of costs etc.
Please return the form and booking fee to Liz Mills as soon as possible, but not later than 7th August. After this date bookings, if space is still available, will incur an extra charge of £10.00.
The Registration Secretary is Liz Mills,
Upper Kinneddar House, Saline, Fife KY12 9TR
Telephone 01383 852321 e-mail liz.salineAThotmail.co.uk ( correct this to include @, of course! ;) )
Please contact Liz if you require further information.
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The Pineapple?? ???
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With all the other attractions I think it would be folly to visit the pineapple. :-\
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I just Googled it, Anne ... it meant nothing to me either? :D
Located ½ mile (1 km) northwest of Airth (Stirling), the Pineapple is a most unusual edifice, built on his estate by John Murray, the 4th Earl of Dunmore, in 1761. The pineapple, then a rare delicacy, was a symbol of wealth. The Earl's example was dramatic to say the least; 23m (75 feet) in height, his pineapple is intricately carved from stone. Mounted on top of a rather more traditional Palladian pavilion, the design of this folly has been accredited to Sir William Chambers (1723-96).
Above the south entrance are designs taken from the Douglas-Hamilton coat-of-arms along with the motto Fidelis in Adversis, commemorating the marriage, in 1803, of George Murray, the 5th Earl of Dunmore, to Lady Susan Douglas-Hamilton, daughter of the Duke of Hamilton.
This extraordinary monument was gifted to the National Trust for Scotland in 1974. The Landmark Trust was able to obtain a long-term lease and restored the building to form an unusual holiday retreat.
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See Folks, you're learning "stuff" and you haven't even got there yet 8)
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.....and less than 15 minutes by car from the Inchyra. ;D
I think the new Clackmannanshire Bridge over the River Forth opens tomorrow which will give an alternative route for people coming from the north.
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The Landmark Trust was able to obtain a long-term lease and restored the building to form an unusual holiday retreat.
The McLoughlins stayed in this unusual holiday retreat about 4 years ago. I will look for some pics at home tonight.
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I have just done a virtual trip over the new Clackmannanshire Bridge into the glorious area to the North. In real life it is very elegant.
www.clacksweb.org.uk/transport/clackmannanshirebridge/
If you have followed its construction you will know that the local councillors have spent as long arguing over its name if not longer than it has taken to build.The trivia of local politics. I doubt if anybody will ever call it by its new name.
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Probably quite a few virtual major accidents already, Tony, if everyone gets the same driver that I had.
More seriously, will there be any advantage for those of us coming down from the north, Anthony? One of my problems with the Kincardine Bridge is the tangle of trunk roads to the north of Kincardine. It is much easier to just come down the A/M9 and cross at Stirling.
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If you have followed its construction you will know that the local councillors have spent as long arguing over its name if not longer than it has taken to build.The trivia of local politics. I doubt if anybody will ever call it by its new name.
The bridge was built on time and on budget, which is a first. What was its old name Tony? I didn't think it had one?
Kincardine Bridge was a bottleneck due to the village of Kincardine being unable to cope with the traffic. This bridge bypasses that.
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I crossed the 'Clackmannanshire Bridge' 3 times yesterday and it's a big improvement, David. Coming from the north, you have one new roundabout on the north side, then a straight run over the water to a new roundabout. From there you enter a flyover over the horrible roundabout (need I say more) and can continue straight on to the M876 - much, much quicker than any of the old routes - and much less stressful too for an auld wifie like myself.
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Anthony it did not have a name before. ::) Just a lot of local politicians with peanuts for brains arguing amongst themselves, wanting it called something which would ensure them their fifteen minutes of fame for posterity. Its just a bridge after all. I notice the new road signs have no mention of its name just where it leads to.
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Actually it was called the 'Upper Forth Crossing'.
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I am SO tempted to make jokes about what then of the Upper Fifth..... but I'd have to fine myself so I'll say nothing :-X :'(
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I am SO tempted to make jokes about what then of the Upper Fifth..... but I'd have to fine myself so I'll say notihing :-X :'(
If you were American you could always plead the Fifth ;D
cheers
fermi
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Actually, neither end of the bridge is in Clackmannanshire. One is in Stirlingshire and the other Fife, so the Fif(e)th bridge would have been quite an apt name.
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I think it comes ashore at Kennet Pans which is in Clackmannanshire which is perhaps why they wanted it to be called The Clackmannanshire Bridge. The old Kincardine Bridge is in Fife but perhaps nobody wanted that to be called the Fife Bridge.
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You sound as if you are up here quite often Tony? Here's a good pic of said bridge.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davydubbit/2991745654/
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Anthony
that is a lovely picture. I see it says it is not in Clackmannashire,to be truthful I do not know if it is or not,other articles say it is, and is it of any real importance whether the border is a yard either way.
I have a long time friend who lives near to it and we have followed its building with great interest. The political infighting to get it named has been a joy to follow when a bit of light relief has been needed and an insight into the trivia of local politics. One quote in a local paper when the present name was suggested was 'this is an insult to the people of The Kingdom of Fife'. Clearly the rest of the problems in the world pale into insignificance in the face of this decision.
Back to the plants I think
It is a really elegant structure and beautifully designed
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As the latest Journal drops on to your doormats, you will at last have the info you need to book for this great SRGC Weeeknd Event.....
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243 days.......
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The journal is fantastic. Two articles in cyps, a comprehensive one from Cyril about growing everything, and it's nice to see Michael Weinert on board.
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Stirling Group
Discussion Weekend
2 - 4 October 2009
After the spectacular discussion weekends of the past two years, the 2009 event will be held at the Macdonald Inchyra Grange Hotel, Polmont, just off the M9, Junction 5. With easy access by road, the hotel is close to Polmont railway station and Edinburgh Airport. Edinburgh, Falkirk and Stirling are within twenty minutes drive while Linlithgow Palace, the Falkirk Wheel, the Pineapple and other attractions are nearby.
The hotel is an extended country house on the landward side of Grangemouth. The facilities are modern and spacious and there is a heated pool for delegates to use. The registration area, lecture room, plant areas and restaurant are all on the ground floor. Accommodation is in double, twin or single rooms. A few rooms on the ground floor will be reserved for disabled delegates. There are lifts to the upper floors where there are more rooms for any delegates with disabilities.
A booking form is enclosed with the Secretary’s Pages. Please indicate on the back of the booking form if you require special facilities. If you are sharing a room with someone please indicate the person's name. We will help you to find a sharer if you need one. Extra nights are available on the Thursday and Sunday as per the booking form. Please return the form and booking fee to Liz Mills as soon as possible, but not later than 7th August 2009. After this date bookings will incur an extra charge of £10.
The registration secretary: Liz Mills, Upper Kinneddar House, Saline, Fife KY12 9TR;
RESIDENT (per person)
Friday dinner – Sunday afternoon tea, double occupancy £195
Friday dinner – Sunday afternoon tea, single occupancy £255
Saturday morning – Sunday afternoon, double £137
Saturday morning – Sunday afternoon, single £167
NON-RESIDENT
Saturday - morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea £40
Saturday - morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner £66
Saturday - dinner £26
Sunday - morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea £40
Programme
Friday 2nd October
16.00 Registration
16.00 - 17.30 Plant staging
19.45 President's Welcome Address
20.00 The Bulb Group Lecture: Magnus Lidén - 'Corydalis
flora of China - a never-ending adventure, including the genus Dactylicapnos'
21.30 Small Bulb Exchange
Saturday 3rd October
08.00 - 09.00 Plant staging
08.00 Registration
09.00 Optional activities
11.30 Martin Walsh - 'Plant hunting in the Himalayas'
12.45 Show opens
14.00 The Harold Esslemont Lecture: Harry Jans - 'Alpine plants on the Equator: Ethiopia, Bale Mountains and Kenya, Mount Kenya'
15.45 Magnus Lidén - 'Dionysia - plants in the wild & cultivation'
16.15 Harry Jans - 'Highlights of ten times in China: a selection of the best - some ungrowable!'
19.00 Dinner
21.00 Plant Auction
Sunday 4th October
08.30 Registration
09.30 The William Buchanan Lecture
Graham Nicholls - 'Alpine plants of the Western USA from the Rockies to Alaska'
11.00 Ian Christie - 'Wild Patagonia'
14.00 The John Duff Lecture - Jim Jermyn - 'Eastern European Alps: plants in the wild and cultivation'
15.45 Conference closes.
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Saturday 3rd
14.00 The Harold Esslemont Lecture: Harry Jans - 'Alpine plants on the Equator: Ethiopia, Bale Mountains and Kenya, Mount Kenya'
Is Harry Jans going to try to outdo Halda's talk at The Prague Conference 2007?? :-X
cheers
fermi
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Macdonald Inchyra Grange Hotel,
Maggi, does that the Campbell's are Barred? ;D
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;D ;D ;D
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No our show sec is a Campbell
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Macdonald Inchyra Grange Hotel,
Maggi, does that mean the Campbell's are Barred? ;D
No our show sec is a Campbell
Don't you just love it? Those Stirling wifies think of everything! Yes, the Show Secretary for the weekend show is Willie Campbell.... you'll be in good company, then, Michael!!
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We're booked - Liz sent me an e-mail to confirm :) :) :)
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the hotel is close to Polmont railway station and Edinburgh Airport.
Maggi, how close exactly is it to the airport, or would one need a mortgage to pay for a taxi. That is assuming that one can get a flight to Edinburgh Airport.
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Michael, not close enough to the airport, I suspect........ here is a link to the Hotel website and some of their travel details......
http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/inchyragrange/index.htm?
By Road
5 minutes from M9 junction 5
By Rail
5 minutes from Polmont Station : but there is no rail station at Edinburgh Airport!! :'(
By Air
20 minutes from Edinburgh Airport, 45 minutes from Glasgow Airport : so a Taxi share would be more affordable.
Towns Near By
Polmont 1 Mile approx
Falkirk 5 Miles approx
Stirling 10 Miles approx
Edinburgh 20 Miles approx
Glasgow 30 Miles approx
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I could walk to the Inchyra in five minutes from Junction 5. ::) I reckon it would take 1 minute to drive. Because the hotel is not on a main route, anything that involves some sort of public transport would require a taxi. You just decide whether to take bus and train from the airport and then a taxi or taxi from the airport. I'm only 15-20 minutes away from Edinburgh airport (I work in Falkirk), so if anyone is arriving around about 4 p.m. on the Friday I could pick them up and give them a lift? I could easily take 3/4 plus baggage.
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That is excellent news, Anthony.....a kind offer. 8)
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Ryanair has one flight per day to Edinburgh from Shannon arriving at Edinburgh @ 16-25, Not sure if that will hold until October as Michael O'Leary is a bit temperamental. Could be withdrawn at any time.
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Ideal Michael. :)
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Michael, If you don't trust Michael O'Leary ;) and can bear the extra hike down here then Aer Arann does flights from Cork to Edinburgh too, arriving around lunchtime Friday & departing Sunday mid-evening. The present cost for that weekend is around €128.
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It seems the hotel for the D/ Weekend has a deal with a local cab company to provide pick-up from the Edinburgh airport for a fixed price of £25......said company has an 8-seater people carrier, so if a gang of you are coming across, that's not to bad, is it? :D
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Maggi,that sounds like a good deal,but I don't know of anyone else going at the moment.I don't have much contact with the Irish southern group as most of them live in Dublin. Maybe some of the Cork group would be going but I have no contact with them either.
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Ach well, you have Anthony's offer, Michael, and there may be other Irish Forumists/lurkers who may get in touch yet..... 8)
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Inverness airport is about a 20 minute drive from home and, I think, that a normal taxi fare is now probaly something like £35. £25 for people carrier is a bargain.
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Yes, David, and if Folks are flying in from various places.... the Netherlands, for example.... then it might not be too hard to get a full load at a couple of times! !! 8)
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Perhaps a final reminder is in order, Maggi?
PLEASE DO NOT MISS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AUTUMN - BOOK NOW. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
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Better than any rock singer then Cliff? ;D
JohnnyD
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Johnny is making an allusion to the fact that I have reluctantly donated (to my son) my prized ticket to see Richard Hawley at the Bridgewater Hall on the Friday evening of the conference ... the things we do for our passions!!! At least I have seen the wonderful Mr Hawley on two previous occasions and will instantly book again if the opportunity arises.
At least I've still got tickets for the equally brilliant Ray LaMontagne on 13th September.
Life as an old rocker ...
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Richard Hawley, Ray LaMontagne, Brian says they must be two of the newer fellows. I was going to say WHO? never heard of them! Now Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby, good alpine growers both.
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I prefer Miff Mole. 8)
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Richard Hawley, Ray LaMontagne, Brian says they must be two of the newer fellows.
Yup, born 1967 and 1973....... :-X
If anyone ( possibly Rodger W ;) ) tries to sell you tickets for a Miff Mole concert..... then you are in trouble..... did the man not die in around 1961?
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Now Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby, good alpine growers both.
You would have a job to see those two live, Shelagh!!
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Richard Hawley, Ray LaMontagne, Brian says they must be two of the newer fellows.
Yup, born 1967 and 1973....... :-X
If anyone ( possibly Rodger W ;) ) tries to sell you tickets for a Miff Mole concert..... then you are in trouble..... did the man not die in around 1961?
Yes, but his 'Dark Town Strutter's Ball' is legendary. 8)
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The event is a sell-out, Ladies and Gentlemen..... though I believe that Liz is holding a waitlist :-X
See you there!
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Wow, that's just great! I'm soooo looking forward to it....
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Wish I could have joined you all - it was my intention, but didn't work out...never mind I look forward to hearing all the animated discussion from everyone and the cherry on the cake is that I'll be in Bristol with Tony to promote Valais, Switzerland, where I hope to see some new Alpine enthusiasts next year ;D
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We'll hope to have you join us next year, Robin!
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I have been thinking of changing my Fuji finepix camera and I was wondering if anyone going to the Discussion weekend had a Canon Powershot SX10is that they would let me experiment with for the duration of the weekend? I find the 2 minutes you are allowed to fiddle with a camera in a shop just not enough to find out its pros and cons. I will ofcourse provide my own card.
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Having one of those days at work today so can't wait to finish and head north tomorrow. I will require serious quantities of single malt...
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Far be it from me to incite naughtiness of any kind, Darren, but I merely remind you of the old traditions of cross border smuggling........... ::) ;D
See you tomorrow, travel safely, Friend!
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Location map for hotel for last minute checking!
http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/inchyragrange/location/index.htm
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Wish I was there :(
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Have fun everyone !!! :D
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We're not going for fun, Luc ... oh no ... it will probably be INCREDIBLY serious ... you can probably imagine?
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Sorry Cliff, I should have known... ::) ::)
My appologies to everyone involved... ;D
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I hope you've oiled your elbow properly Cliff? It will take some serious abuse. ;D
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Have a great time everyone, I'm looking forward to hearing all about it in your postings - once you have recovered ;)
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Hoorah! Today'sthe Day!!
And it's Diane C's birthday, so the drinks will be on her, eh?!!
Except.... I already owe her a drink... or two.... ah well, I suppose it can't be helped!! ::)
I think this will be a fun birthday for you, Diane!! :-*
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Happy Birthday, Diane, have a great day with plenty of celebration amongst Forum Members :D
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Thanks to all the organisers: Liz, Jean, Willie, Ian and others
and to the speakers for some great lectures which entertained, educated and informed
to the nurseries for some tempting beauties
and to all those fellow SRGC members who were present for their comradeship.
There were plenty of cameras in evidence and I'm sure photographic records will follow shortly.
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Thanks Frazer ... it was good to meet you.
Thanks and congratulations to all the organisers, helpers, delegates, nurserymen, lecturers and hotel staff for yet another tremendous autumn conference. We enjoyed wonderful talks, convivial company, very few drinks (who says that Scandinavia has the most expensive bar prices?) and some excellent facilities.
It was wonderful to meet so many forumists (and lurkers) during the weekend and I will elaborate on this as the postings develop.
I will begin with a few images of the venue and of the show hall during staging.
The venue for the SRGC Conference in October 2009.
Aciphylla pinnatifida
Cremnosedum 'Little Gem'
Ian Christie's gentian
John & Clare Dower's campanula
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Some more plants captured during staging ...
Lionel Clarkson's viola
John & Clare's prize winning mini-garden
Rhodophiala advena
Show hall
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Some more images captured during staging ... many plants were still awaiting labels and final positioning.
Pre-judging at the conference show
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Final batch of pre-judging images ...
Images captured prior to judging at the 2009 SRGC Conference Show
Pre-Show 13 features Show Secretary; Willie organising the exhibits
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Susan and I would like to add our thanks too. We had a lovely weekend and it was tough to come home! I'm spending my day sorting out our array of purchases. Surprising how much there is. Poor Susan is back at work but I know she is looking here at break times in anticipation of more pictures.
p.s. The wine WAS expensive but a Scottish hotel with two american whiskies and only one single malt really makes me shake my head.... :o
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Well Darren, I hadn't realised that the bar was also DRY ... it sounds perfect for a billionaires conference in Utah!
I took photos at the conference dinner but only of those at our table (there were other cameras flashing ... images please). Many of the attached are of our table members paying homage to the extortionate wine ...
Yours truly and Judy Humphreys toasting the forum with a non-existent glass
Ranunculus, Howard & Judy - Judy is stunned by the quality!
Diane Clement joining the adulation of the sacred liquid!
Shelagh & Brian and Diane beginning to suffer withdrawal symptoms.
Luit van Delft asking the waiter for two more bottles (the waiter fainted)!
John & Clare Dower and Shelagh Smethurst enjoying the bouquet of wine wafting across from the next table.
Vroni & Luit van Delft wishing that they had smuggled in some bottles from Noordwijkerhout.
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When did you ever see a better dressed and sober lot than that.
Even Cliff had a jacket and tie.
Brilliant event, super new friends and no way could the extortionate bar prices interfere with the fun.
Congratulations to all involved.
JohnnyD & Clare
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In more serious mode - forum stalwarts, Luit and Vroni most generously donated part of a huge collection of rare and often unobtainable narcissus to the SRGC to be sold at the conference. The bulbs were from the 'connoisseur' collection and realised over £1000 during the weekend. The proceeds from this sale will be used to support the tremendous work of the forum and our thanks must go to Luit & Vroni, to Maggi and her wonderful team of helpers who spent hours on the floor of the hotel sorting and pricing the bulbs, to the SRGC members who sold the bulbs during the event and, more especially perhaps, to the 'Connoisseur' who generously donated a large proportion of his magnificent collection of bulbs to be used in this way.
Maggi - would you please be so kind as to expand on or correct this paragraph with your own comments as I am uncertain of all the facts about this tremendous gift?
In addition, Luit and Vroni wished to honour the efforts of Maggi and Ian in their 'leadership' of the forum. John Dower was gently coerced into announcing the presentation of gifts to both Maggi and Ian from Luit & Vroni and I now invite John to summarise his address for you all - please?
Luit presents a gift to Maggi.
Maggi looks delighted.
Maggi realises it contains CHOCOLATE.
Jean announces the auction is about to begin.
John Dower's 'First prize' entry in the photographic competition.
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You all look to have had a great time, wish I could have made it. Thanks for the report Cliff, and come on you lot, more pics please.
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Thanks Cliff.
It was a totally 'non-onerous' duty to propose Luits vote of thanks, and gift of special chocolates, to Maggi for all her work on the forum, and the immediacy of the applause as it was voiced was ample testimony to the mood of the whole room.
When asked, every forum member stood - even the 'lurkers' - to give Maggi a thoroughly well deserved and heart felt ovation.
It was a very thoughtful touch that Luit also brought a 'choccy prezzy' for Ian, on the basis he probably wouldn't get a look-in!!! :P,
But how did he know that Toblerone was Ians favourite? We may never know.
Cheers Maggi, what would we do without you?
JohnnyD
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........ and richly deserved by both of them.
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Susan and I would like to add our thanks too. We had a lovely weekend and it was tough to come home! I'm spending my day sorting out our array of purchases. Surprising how much there is. Poor Susan is back at work but I know she is looking here at break times in anticipation of more pictures.
p.s. The wine WAS expensive but a Scottish hotel with two american whiskies and only one single malt really makes me shake my head.... :o
That surprises me! :o They usually have at least the six classics - Oban, Talisker, Cragganmore, Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie and Lagavulin - from United Distillers!
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Anthony, there was a very limited range of anything over the bar, be it beer, wines or other spirits. Mind, the prices meant that a limited number of drinks were sold anyway.
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It was a great weekend, and having wrestled my home internet connection and new computer into submission, I can pass on my thanks too to all those people who worked so hard to make it a sucess.
It was a great weekend for catching up with old friends and making new ones. At least next year we'll know how to cope with the lack of decent drinks and maybe bring our own!
I've come home reinspired to get back to my own plants now.
I know I took some pictures - will see if I can get the camera to talk to the computer next.
Sue
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Where is it being held next year?
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Same place Mark - does two years in a venue before changing, if that makes sense.
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Looks like a great event, thanks Cliff for posting photos of Forumists and their wonderful plants ;D
What a wonderful gift Luit and Vroni gave to the SRGC to raise money, if not a glass!
Maggi looks in her element too but it's too tantalising not knowing what the chocolate choice was :P
Just wondering........ ::) was anyone wearing a Forum T-shirt during set-up ???
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Thanks Robin,
There certainly were forum T-shirts much in evidence (but not, unfortunately, in front of my lens) and forum members wore special badges (kindly supplied by JohnnyD.) that allowed identification from quite a distance. :D
I have a reasonable number of photos still to post - from the show after judging and general shots in the plant sales area and the lecture hall - but these will have to wait until later in the week.
I'm just going to leave you tonight with an image of one of the stars of the weekend - not human, not animal - this was an absolutely beautiful exhibit manhandled to the show venue by Howard & Judy Humphreys - an enormous planted log (once part of an ancient oak gatepost) carved out and planted with this incredible gentian. The ropes required to lift it in and out of the boot of the car are clearly visible but the actual size of the exhibit is disguised by the lack of a scale. More images to follow but please enjoy this amazing piece of planting.
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Wow! Incredible :o What an outstanding idea to show their Gentian off to perfection planted in a log - somehow the blue looks better than ever in the natural wood setting....well done to those who winched it in as well...thanks for the vision Cliff, looking forward to more :D
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Robin,
I understand that the chocolates for Maggi were 'Mozartkugel' from Austria. For those with limited German it translates as Mozart balls. ::)
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Robin,
I understand that the chocolates for Maggi were 'Mozartkugel' from Austria. For those with limited German it translates as Mozart balls. ::)
And they were delicious ;D
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They were indeed. I am however concerned that, in her generosity, Maggi may have not gotten many of them herself - the box was looking pretty sparse when it reached our table. Hope you didn't need to resort to nicking Ian's toblerone Maggi?
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I had a couple, Darren, and there are even some still in the box, which will be photographed to show in due course! Ian has his Toblerone secreted away for himself to enjoy later. During the weekend, we scoffed a large quantity of scrummy dark chocolate covered gingers, made by the fair hand of Johnny Dower..... it was a little greedy to have eaten them all so quickly.... but I was anxious to be able to give Johnny back the rather smart container they came in.... that is my excuse and I am sticking to it. :-X
Luit and Vroni's choccy surprise was a delight and it was moving to see the warmth that greeted Johnny's announcement of that presentation ..... it seems that I am held in some affection in spite of my wielding a Moderator's stick to occasionally unruly Forumists! ;)
I was also completely taken aback by the arrival, courtesy of Art600 and Luc G., of a large package of fine Belgian Chocs made by Leonidas..... rest assured Ian and I are enjoying those as well.... we have just had two each to round off our lunch. :)
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All in all it was a very chocolaty weekend, but those pleasures were as nothing compared to the opportunity to spend time in the company of so many dear friends.
A real highlight for me was the HUGE sum of money raised by the sale of the Narcissus bulbs..... 84 varieties, over one thousand bulbs, donated by dear Luit Van Delft, with the help of Mr Connoisseur himself, the master of the Connoisseur Collection, Mr Cees Breed.It was a unique chance for the company at the weekend to obtain, for themselves, a little piece of this historic collection.... seldom seen in the hands of such a dedicated collector. Many of the bulbs were well nigh unavailable in commerce at any price and so the opportunity was irresistible to the assembled hundreds, who fell upon them with delight! Luit and Cees enabled a sale which raised £1134 for the SRGC in recognition of the respect and fondness Luit feels for the Forum in bringing together so many gardening friends from around the world.
Another £55 or so was raised from two collections of 10 (mixed) bulbs , of the finest sort, for the Auction, which goes to the Weekend Funds.
A little present was made of Narcissus 'Birthday Girl' bulbs, from the collection, to Diane Clement, who happened to be celebrating her Birthday on the Friday.... it seemed a most appropriate gift to a Forumist in the circumstances!!
I know that there are those out there in the crowd at the weekend, who, in spite of our best efforts to educate them, and in the face of the magnitude of the generous gift by Luit, inspired by his gratitude for the work of the Forum, who do not grasp the extent and sheer scale of the value to the SRGC worldwide membership, and to an even wider gardening audience of the SRGC Website and of this Forum in bringing together like-minded folk from all over the world... literally, and giving them a place to come together to meet, to exchange views, to swap seeds and plants, to discuss travel plans and plant locations.... and to debate everything from taxonomy through cultivation and weather forecasting to cookery and grandchildren.
In short, the forum provides a platform for thousands of us to communicate on a daily basis, as part of what I can truly say I believe is the friendliest club of its kind. Where else can you pose a question of plant ID and get an answer inside the hour and an enquiry after your health at the same time?! The forumists may not have all the answers, but we will know someone who does, and who will happily give advice!
As Ian said, looking around a packed lecture room: "see how wonderful it is to have so many good friends and knowledgeable people convene in one place: and realise that that is precisely what we have here, on the forum, every day of every year..... we.... YOU.... are the biggest group of the SRGC, having the most interaction and the widest interests, all addressed as and when you wish... what a boon to the Club this is, how else would so many members at home and abroad feel so involved in matters?"
Those who do not realise the impact and power of this place are, sadly, not likely to have the scales lifted from their eyes, but Ian and I thank you all for the time and effort that each of you puts in to make this place the success that it is. Truly, the SRGC Forum IS Rocking All over the World!
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Maggi, you always speak from your soul on the subject of the Forum - it is you who give it soul....we missed you on the Forum over the SRGC Discussion WE but managed to carry on knowing that you would be back today to liven things up and bring us together in you own inimitable way ;)
I am so glad you had such a celebratory time in the company of Forumists from all over who came to support such an important event :)
I was eating Swiss chocolate all over the WE whilst gardening in order to join in the spirit of the occasion ;D
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Very well said Maggi (and indeed Ian on the day). We are still touched and amazed by the generosity of the narcissus bulb donation.
JohnnyD's forumist badges certainly piqued the interest of the non-forumists as we were being quizzed about the forum all weekend.
Glad to hear that there isn't an Aberdonian chocolate famine.
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Glad to hear that there isn't an Aberdonian chocolate famine.
Yes, that's a bit of luck, isn't it? ;D I had thought of sharing with Jean and Liz as a thank you for all their efforts to produce such a fun weekend for us all.... but they are so figure conscious, I felt that would not be a kindness to them.......... ::)
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Hi everyone, I did enjoy our D.WE very much we were able to share so many good speakers and good food but best of all are the people. I must admit I felt really terrible, our grandchildren kindly gave me some dreaded bug no not swine flu someone told me you know when you get this you come out in a rasher. I said on the Sunday that when I post on this forum it is like speaking to you all in person and that you are all part of the huge SRGC family, cheers Ian the Christie kind.
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Oh Maggi, I'd never be so figure conscious as to turn down the offer of a nice chocolate. When I saw the box, it was looking awfully empty so I didn't dare ask for one!
Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend - and I will wear my Forum badge when I go down to Ponteland on Saturday - even though I hardly ever post anything, I do read a lot, especially anything about lilies and more recently about the Dolomites.
Now that the Discussion Weekend is over, I might have time to work out how to send you some of my distinctly poor photographs from my trip to the Dolomites this summer.
Liz
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Oh, Liz, I'm sorry about the chocs! We'll all be looking forward to your Dolomite pix though!
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Sorry I'm a bit late with my pics, and they probably are not as good as most in this thread, but here goes:
What a lovely weekend. The food, the place, the people, the talks, the plants, the show, and the camaraderie. Thanks to everyone who made it the great success it was. I am so grateful.
The people. There were many people there, but I only got a few photos of them. You will no doubt recognise most of them.
Luit.jpg
Jean-Wyllie.jpg
Sandy-Levin.jpg
Diane-Clement.jpg
Stan-DePrato.jpg
Sue-Gill-Cup-1.jpg
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Here are a pair of ostentatious shoes, and a rare sight they are. These shoes didn't stand still for more than a millisecond the whole weekend. Anyone care to guess the owner of them, other than those of us there of course?
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And now a few photos of the show
Allium-thunbergii-Ozawa-S-G.jpg
Alstromeria-hookeri.jpg
Crocus corrected= Colchicum -macrophyllum-D-Ranki.jpg
Cyclamen-graecum-ssp-anatol.jpg
Cyclamen-graecum-W-Sleep.jpg
Cyclamen-mirabile-S-Gill.jpg
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Few more of the plants
Cyclamen-rohlfsianum- from Glassford-Sprunt
Gentiana-Compact-Gem- from Roma-Fiddes
Huge-gentian-container-Humprhies
Jovibarba-allionii- from Harvey-Shepard
Shortia-uniflora-grandiflora
view-of-show
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Anyone care to guess the owner of them, other than those of us there of course?
Perhaps the BD?
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We are lucky to have at last some internet connection. We tried all week and today the first time I got in and had a look at just this Topic.
We ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF THE DISCUSSION WEEKEND!
Such a great welcome when coming in at the door of the hotel the first time and such good company and meeting so many people and even met people we had not seen for ? 25/30 years.
All very, very nice.
THANKS TO ALL PEOPLE WHO ORGANIZED THIS MEETING!
I saw a picture of myself here too and looking at my face at that moment, I must have been thinking of where to get a good and cheaper wine. And indeed that helped a lot on the next evening after shopping early in the morning ;D ;D ;D
And now about these Mozart Kugeln:
Robin,
I understand that the chocolates for Maggi were 'Mozartkugel' from Austria. For those with limited German it translates as Mozart balls.
Actually I am not aware how big the balls of Mr. Mozart were ???, but the right translations might be
"Mozart Bullets" ::) ::) ::)
I dont' know when I have a chance to join in again but will try to send some pictures too.
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Anyone care to guess the owner of them, other than those of us there of course?
Perhaps the BD?
My thoughts also!
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It has to be the BD, he's the only one with the "guts" to wear shoes like that :P
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I reckon it was IY!
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You are, of course, absolutely correct. It was so hard to take a photo of them because he moves at the speed of sound all the time, so in the end, I had to ask him to stand still for a minute ;D
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Well done on spotting the shoes of the Bulb Despot .... here is a photo of said footwear, showing "Bulb Despot" sign on each to prove they are really his! I had them made in colours of my choice, with the Bulb Despot embroidery for a gift last year! ;D
At one point during the weekend, Sandy Leven said, why don't we just call Ian "the Despot"....... at last, others are seeing the truth!
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We daren't Maggi. It might cause confusion in the Household! ;D
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We daren't Maggi. It might cause confusion in the Household! ;D
ooh, errrr, surely not?
[attach=1]
watch the flower, watch the flower....now repeat after me "Maggi is so sweet, Maggi is so sweet......
>
>
>
>
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What d'ya mean, it's not working? :P
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;D ;D
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Christine has given us a good start on the show plants and I will show some pix of the award winners getting their trophies, but I'll post more show pix in a new Discussion Weekend Show Thread later.
I will begin though, with some shots to show the fun and chaos surrounding the preparation of Luit's enormous narcissus donation for sale.... I had prepared bags, labelled with their names and prices and I needed a gang of helper to help pack the bags.........
bulb packing 1 the process begins....
bulb packing 2 Luit & Maggi wonder if it will all come together :-X
bulb packing 3 Ann,SRGC Treasurer and wife of President Christie in the foreground, Carol Shaw (SRGC Secretary)behind, Helen Greenwood in blue top and Julia Corden in pink
bulb packing 4 looking from the other direction, showing Maggi, by the wall, Sue at the back and half of Christine B by the table!!
bulb packing 5 Christine Boulby, Luit van Delft, whose bright idea and generous arrangement with Cees Breed made the sale possible, with our President Ian, the Christie kind. Poor Ian had a really bad chest bug and how he got through the weekend I don't know... sheer willpower, he was most unwell.
bulb exchange & sale melee from left.... John Lee,( back, seeming near screen) David Rankin and Darren Sleep, Julia, Liam McCaughey from N. Ireland, Tommy Tonsberg from Norway, Joan McCaughey, Susan Band ( back) Helen Amand, Alasdair and Brenda Walker, Pat Bundy.
bulb ex & sale melee 2 from left.. Stella Rankin (I think) Helen Amand, Lionel Barnwell, Ju Bramley, Harry Jans, Sue Gill, Alasdair Walker's ear! Shelagh Smethurst ( Black Pudding Girl) , (stripey jumper with back to camera) Ian Steele, Anna and Martin Sheader, Susan Band, Andy Crimes, Tony Rymer.
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When the Sale started, things were really hectic........
bulb SALE 1:center left Anne Bush, with her back to us towards back= Roma, tall fellow with glasses= Willie Campbell( show secretary and auctioneer on Saturday evening) , Bette Ivey( in checked shirt with dark waistcoat, Bette is both a Former President and our Honorary President!!), Sandy Leven, Arthur Nicholls, Diane Barnwell
bulb SALE 2
bulb SALE 3 center front , Andy Crimes then from left: Pat Bundy, Greta McHarrie, Liz Loch, Cliff, Bette, Sue G, Willie behind, Arthur, Diane Barnwell, Maggi
Bulb Exchange1 from front left going anti-clockwise; Carol Shaw, Tony Rymer, John Lee, Barry Caudwell, ( up into top right) Ju and Mike Bramley, Glassford, Ian Bainbridge, Cathy Caudwell, sparkling white shirt in middle is Jonny Dower!
Bulb night group 1. Joan and Ron Beeston speaking to Fred Bundy, with, in the background John Page's back!! ;D , Shelagh Smethurst, in prayer ( probably for an affordable glass of wine!) and the head of Cliff Booker :D
Aberconwy sales stall : Greta McHarrie shopping with Tim Lever
happy folks in sales area: closest faces.... Ron Beeston and Brian Smethurst, purple jumper, Beryl Bland
Arthur and Dan in show hall
Brian and Maureen Wilson
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more folks around the weekend..... mostly at dinner, Saturday eveneing here....
Arthur and Dan shown in the "atmospheric" lighting of the dining room!
Cliff with Judy and Howard Humphries - judy is a registered forumist but she has yet to earn her Posting Stripes! She and Howrad brought the huge oak trough wplantes with a lovely gentian, which starred at the show.
Erle Gardner , Margaret and Anton Edwards..... Anton is the editor of "The Rock Garden"
friends at dinner: Luit van Delft, JohnE Dower, Clare Dower and Shelagh Smethurst
Glassford Sprunt( one of the many former Presidents at the event) remains cheery in spite of wine prices
( I think the only former SRGC President we did not get a photo of was Harley Milne. Peter ERskine, former AGS president was there, too! :D :) )
Helen and John Amand who always bring bulbs to sell but they mostly just come for the fun!
Luit makes presentation to Maggi
Maggi, David Shaw, Carole Bainbridge, Big John Amand, Carol Shaw.
Peter Semple, (another former SRGC president) Luit, Liz Semple, Maggi, Ian Bainbridge ( yes, another F.Pres!) and Kate Page at a nearby table.
The charming Vroni van Delft....an Austrian who sensibly chose chocolates from her homeland for Luit to give to me!
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and again.....
Sam Sutherland, Ron Beeston, Clare Dower and Cliff "Ranunculus" Booker ... with his camera trained on some of the watercolours shown by Eillen Goodall.
(More fantastic watercolours were shown by Anne Chambers: sorry, I have no pix of these, though I hope Cliff will do!)
Judging in progress.... Maggi in her Forum T-shirt, SRGC Honorary President, Bette Ivey and Glassford Sprunt.
Christine Boulby, at far left, Jean Wyllie and Sandy Leven getting their trophies for, in Jean's case, winning Class 1 the three pan class and Sandy for the Most points in Section 1.
Convenor Jean make the award to Stan DaPrato for the best conifer.
Jean and Sandy rewarded square up for the cameras
Jean and Sue Gill, whose super plant of Cyclamen mirabile won two awards... the best plant in Section II and the Jim Lever Trophy for the best cyclamen in the show.
SueG's Cyc. mirabile fab result for Sue and her plant.
Sue with her two trophies ! 8)
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more .....
Sandy Leven ( another former SRGC President) and Lionel Clarkson : These two are the Show Secretaries for Stirling (Dunblane ) and Blackpool Shows.
top view of Dower garden : this is the mini-garden shown by Johnny and Clare Dower
Jean Wyllie, weekend supremo and Host Group (Stirling) Convenor, presents the Show Awrds to the winners... here to Johhny D. for the best miniature garden
gentian trough back in car to go home.jp : This fabulous trough, hewn from a large oak timber, was shown non-competitively, by Judy and Howard Humphries from Dumfries-shire and was awarded a Certificate of Merit.
Brian and Maureen Wilson with Ian Young..... yes.... another former SRGC President
Arthur Nicholls ( Art600) and his travelling pal, "Dan" Robbins in the show hall
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Excellent stuff, Maggi ... keep up the good work please.
As a brief aside ... can anyone (WHO WASN'T ACTUALLY THERE) guess what all this fuss is about?
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Cliff, there is no way that anyone could guess that ::)
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Cliff, was everyone eagerly awaiting the counting of the bulb sale money to see if it would stretch to buying another bottle of wine??
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They've found Maggi's handbag and are trying to grab a piece of the legendary chocolate from therein before it all goes? ;)
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Well everybody, I want to let you into a little secret Maggie and Ian have bought a new car, the every so cleaver Magge also bought Ian Registration plate which is JIYBD so this is James Ian Young Bulb Despot we already recognise Ian with the red shoes but now we can watch for him at every corner, nice one Maggie a real treat, cheers Ian the Christie kind.
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Cliff, there is no way that anyone could guess that ::)
I know David ... but they could have some fun trying! You really couldn't make it up! ??? ??? ;D
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Cliff, was everyone eagerly awaiting the counting of the bulb sale money to see if it would stretch to buying another bottle of wine??
;D ;D ;D Love that one!
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After a wonderful day of touring in the Lake District I just popped in and could enhance a picture
of the nice BD shoes. It was easier to make with some eagerly helping female hands which did lift the pair of trousers.... ::) ::)
Shoes AND socks
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I've managed to get round to resizing a few pictures of plants at the Discussion weekend. Cyclamen are my favourites so here are a few.
First a general view of the 3 & 2 pan Cyclamen classes
2 Cyclamen mirabile - Sue Gill's best in show and Sandy Leven's nearly as good.
2 Cyclamen graecum.
Glasford Sprunt's Cyclamen rohlfsianum
Jean Wylie's lovely pan of Cyclamen intaminatum pink form seedlings
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Well everybody, I want to let you into a little secret Maggie and Ian have bought a new car, the every so cleaver Magge also bought Ian Registration plate which is JIYBD so this is James Ian Young Bulb Despot we already recognise Ian with the red shoes but now we can watch for him at every corner, nice one Maggie a real treat, cheers Ian the Christie kind.
Ah, so they were trying to find the car keys in amongst the chocolate in Maggi's handbag, or perhaps they were trying to extract the last drop from the one bottle of malt by brute force? I had a nice dram in our local tonight - one of 28 on the top shelf, not counting the furriners!
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I've managed to get round to resizing a few pictures of plants at the Discussion weekend. Cyclamen are my favourites so here are a few.
First a general view of the 3 & 2 pan Cyclamen classes
2 Cyclamen mirabile - Sue Gill's best in show and Sandy Leven's nearly as good.
2 Cyclamen graecum.
Glasford Sprunt's Cyclamen rohlfsianum
Jean Wylie's lovely pan of Cyclamen intaminatum pink form seedlings
An impressive display. 8)
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28 malts in one pub. Truly Scotland is the land of plenty.
Sighing wistfully..
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More show pictures from the Weekend are here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4300.0
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I had intended on posting this reply on Monday, but problems with wireless connection took days to resolve - I tinkered when I shouldn't and removed the network.
"It was my first time at a Discussion weekend, and it exceeded all my expectations - and they were already very high. If the weekend had ended after Martin Walsh's outstanding talk on 'Plant Hunting in the Himalya' I would have thought it great value, but it just went on providing further outstanding talks - I cannot recall a better selection of speakers and contents - difficult to equal next year, but I am sure they will try. Definitely returning next year.
I would like to add my thanks to the many people responsible for making it a funfilled, informative and lively weekend. I met many Forumists, enjoyed talking to a great many people, and finally having the opportunity to spend money on superb plants/bulbs sold by excellent nursery men and John Amand.
The Narcissus from the Connoisseur Collection were very tempting - now I must find time and space to plant them. Thanks to Luit and Vroni for their generosity.
The Auction was excellent and I will treasure the Daphne calcicola 'Gang Ho Ba' as it will remind me of the visit I made in 1996."
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In reply 111, think it should be Colchicum macrophyllum not Crocus
edit by Maggi: Thank you Arthur, I have made the correction to that post :)
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Since our visit at the Discussion Weekend we made a wonderful trip from Scotland
down through the Western part of England and when sorting out the masses of pictures which we made, I found some pictures of the event which hopefully are worth to show in this thread.
My wife Vroni made some pics of the Bulb Sale and of the preparation the sale bags.
She was amazed to see only female members who did all the work. ??? ::) ::)
And it was a LOT of work to be done in very short time!
Pict. 1 shows the part of the bags how they came in.
Pict. 2 shows how the ladies were supervised.
Pict. 4 shows how even more (male) supervisors were standing in the middle of the working ladies.
Pict. 5 and 6 were made just after the Sale got started.
On pict. 7 just a glimpse of one of the best Sales Women I ever met!
One hour later (pict. 8 ) there was just a small amount of the bags left and
I saw the next morning how the last few bags disappeared and all bulbs were sold. 8) 8) 8)
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Here some more pictures of the Weekend.
I hope you still want to see them as there were many shown already?
as I had not earlier a chance to show them:
1: Part of the audience waiting for next lecture
2: Always something on hand (Chris B. knitting)
3: The Lancashire Boys.....
4: A privilege for us to sit at a table with such happy people:
Shelagh and Brian Smethurst (with Maggie) and Diane Clement
5: And two happy ladies, Clare Dower and Shelagh
6: John Dower featuring Maggie
7: and one more of our FORUM QUEEN.
8: A picture of the exclusive hotel
9: but I hope for next year that they learned how to make real Fried Eggs.
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Thanks for the extra pictures, Luit.
Would it not be women's work to sit on the floor packing bulbs in Holland? This is normal in Scotland but they still need male supervisors to make sure that they don't spend too much time talking! Mind, did you notice all the wine glasses on the table.
Guess I've probably said too much already. I'm off to hide now.
Nice to meet you, Luit. See you again next year.
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Obviously not married to an emancipated woman, David? ::) ::) :D
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Just picked my clothes and lap top up from under the bedroom window, Cliff. Off to the potting shed now.
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;D ;D ;D
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Thanks for the extra pictures, Luit.
Would it not be women's work to sit on the floor packing bulbs in Holland?
David, many years ago in Holland many women did the bulb cleaning work after
they were dug out of the soil (tulip bulbs) but never on the floor.
I found some plant pictures not shown before of the show,
well some of them were, but I liked them especially and show them once more.
Cyclamen graecum
Bolax sp.
Crocus caspius
Gentiana sino-ornata Weisser Traum
Microcachrys tetragona)
Notothlaspi rosulatum
Polystichum setiferum Congestum
Polyxena ensifolia
Taxus baccata Dwarf Form
Gentiana Blue Silk
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and some other show impressions:
DW Show 1
DW Show 2
Forum's Star Photographer snapped between the curtains
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Great to catch up with more impressions of the Discussion WE and lovely photos of unusual and beautifully grown plants, Luit, thanks so much :)