Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: Maggi Young on November 10, 2009, 11:44:04 PM
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Do you regularly read the Forum or the Bulb Log ? Do you really enjoy visiting the Forum and have registered to enable you to take part? Do you just come here as a happy "Lurker" to read and enjoy the Forum?
Here is a request to those of you reading this who are not fully paid up members of the Scottish Rock Garden Club, but who nevertheless are able to search these pages and benefit from them:
Please seriously consider joining the SRGC.... it is easily achieved online, see here: http://www.srgc.org.uk/member/member.html
As part of the remit of the SRGC to encourage the interest in and knowledge of rock garden plants, the website and forum is (with the exception of a tiny area only for registered forum members) open to all to read, enjoy, register and contribute to the Forum.
Provision of this facility does not happen by magic, however: it takes effort, and, as with most things, certain amounts of cold hard cash! While the costs of hosting the website and forum, (the payments for bandwidth and so on) are minuscule in comparison to the costs of producing the Journal (and capable of reaching far larger numbers, it must be said) they are still costs which must be met by the SRGC.
It is testament to the regard in which the website is held , both as a plant resource and as a networking arena, that the likes of Luit Van Delft donated surplus bulbs to be sold from Cees Breed's Connoisseur Collection to make a gift to the Club in thanks for its existence.
Such individual generosity is both touching and very gratefully received by the Club.
All of the work of the SRGC is done by vounteers, of course.
I would like to urge all of you who appreciate this website and Forum to give thought to how, very simply, you might easily help to support its future.... Join the SRGC.... you will not only have the satisfaction of knowing you are contributing to the upkeep of this place, but also you will receive the super twice yearly journal, be eligible to take part in the seed exchange, have free entry to all SRGC Shows, the chance to become a member of a local Group for those of you in the UK .....goodness me.... how could you resist?
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I am a member, have been for a couple of years. I've still never managed to take part in the seed exchange (my own fault, no other reason) but I joined because it was my way of saying thanks for all the information I have received on this forum, and all the lovely friends I have made here. The SRGC has to pay for the bandwidth etc, so I subscribed to help cover some of the costs at least. Where would we be without the forum!! :o :o :o :o :o
Thanks to everyone for making this place so enjoyable. 8)
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I will second that, but let us not forget that there are many members for whom the Forum is not an option. Perhaps there should be space in the Bulletin for a really memorable thread or an extremely useful tip from the Forum?
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I will second that, but let us not forget that there are many members for whom the Forum is not an option. Perhaps there should be space in the Bulletin for a really memorable thread or an extremely useful tip from the Forum?
Why not indeed?
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I tried to reply to this last night
On reading this I rejoined the SRGC. The cost? Half a good snowdrop ;D
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That's the spirit, Mark. Your support is much appreciated. 8)
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Maggi,forgive my ignorance but I thought that all the fourm members were paid up members of the SRGC. I must get out more. :) :) :)
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I've been a member for over 10 years and have not regretted it for one minute !
The forum didn't exist yet at the time, but when it appeared in cyberspace it was a great bonus !
Even being an Channel hopper... ;D I don't have the opportunity to attend to all the shows/meetings/gatherings etc... I would like to - but this forum largely makes up for it and I bet it does so for many overseas members !
This reminds me... I have to take care of renewing my membership.. :D ;)
I'll get to it right now ! 8)
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A great many are, Michael, but there are those who find the Forum by other means than being an SRGC Members and anyone may register for the Forum.
Since the object of the exercise is not only to provide this service for members, but to use it to enthuse other folks too, then it has always been the case that the Forum is open to be read by all and for all to join..... in the hopes that they might like what they find enough to become full SRGC Members, of course, but at least to give them an entry into our plant world!
It can be scary when you remember how long you've been a member, can't it Luc....... good to know that Junior memberships were popular ten years ago, too, huh?!! ;D ;)
I realised recently that I have been a committee member of the Aberdeen Group for over 20 years......hard to believe..... other people get time off! I could have murdered several people and been out of prison before now! :-[
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Maggi,
How many website members are there who are not in a position to participate physically in club activities? To clarify: I am sure there are a good number of SRGC members who are simply members through the website and cannot, because of location, attend meetings in Scotland. What portion of the SRGC membership fit into this category, I wonder.
Now, Maggi, don't go running off looking for statistics from the membership secretary. I just want your impressions of what the balance of numbers is.
Paddy
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It can be scary when you remember how long you've been a member, can't it Luc....... good to know that Junior memberships were popular ten years ago, too, huh?!! ;D ;)
Should I feel flattered now... or doubt your mathematic skills Maggi ?? ;D ;D
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Well , Paddy, I'm sure that Graham Bunkall, the indefatigable membership secretary would be happy to help.... but I'll go with some info known to me.......about a third, perhaps slightly more, of the total SRGC membership is inside Scotland....... so already the numbers of members able to attend events in Scotland is thinned down.
Now, as to how many website members there are who are unable to attend group meetings or shows..... well, that's a tricky one.. :-\ There are certainly web members who may be in Scotland but who are not mobile for whatever reason.... and the break down of the membership of the Forum is weighted against UK members, I think, even though it is those members who might be most visible. ::)
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Many thanks, Maggi, for satisfying my curiosity. I am surprised that, in fact, such a small portion of the membership is within Scotland. Perhaps, I shouldn't be but the name identifies the club very clearly with Scotland while the membership is obviously an international one and I am very happy to be one of the international members. I have dropped my membership of the AGS and the RHS as I simply was not getting anything out of them but the internet activity of the SRGC is of huge interest, a daily involvement in a club.
Paddy
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Yes, I think the name gives a skewed impression to many.... the Club has always had a large membership outside Scotland . We Scots do tend to spread ourselves around the globe .... we really are everywhere, so I suppose that draws people in to something with a Scots title!
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And bear in mind that "members" reading this forum are vastly outnumbered by visitors who never register to join the forum, let alone contribute, let alone join the SRGC. At any time there are almost always far more "guests" reading the forum than there are members. If all of the guests as well took the time to join (both the forum and the SRGC) then the result would be truly amazing. In fact, I reckon that if even 5% of the guests who read this were to join the SRGC there would be a lot of new members, probably way more than we realise.
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Quite so, Paul..... I am hoping that some of those many, many Guests might feel that they would like to give something back for the "use" of the Forum and the information therein.
Let's think... if you're a Guest, say you read Ian's Bulb Log every week and the Wisley log every fortnight, that's 78 logs a year... that works out at less than 30 pence per log per year..... then there's the Forum and you'd get all the other benefits of membership too.... now, that sounds like a pretty fair deal to me!
http://www.srgc.org.uk/member/benefits.html
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You should have worked in advertising Maggi... ;) ;D
On second thoughts... maybe not ... ::) because what you write is indeed the plain and simple truth... :D
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From my new Forum experience this year I would say that without a doubt it is is the best value I have ever had - you only have to look at the response in the comments made on this thread and others to see the huge impact SRGC has worldwide - that it is an all inclusive club with a relaxed style: 'as if one was chatting to a friend with similar interests in a room' - that the club generates an atmosphere of intense interest, sharing and caring in what other Members are doing or concerned about in relation to plants in particular but encompassing a whole range of subjects - quite simply it's a joy to be part of and to contribute to in what ever way possible near or far. So to all Lurkers, please join up and let us share your experiences you will find that you and the SRGC will be all the richer for your committed Membership :)
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I realised recently that I have been a committee member of the Aberdeen Group for over 20 years......hard to believe..... other people get time off! I could have murdered several people and been out of prison before now! :-[
I would have believed that you had to be able to read and write to be a committee member so how come you started before school age???? ;D
I have also dropped out of RHS (after some fifty years) and AGS for the same reasons. The RHS seed distribution has become a joke and "the Garden" is like any other glossy.
And I have become a member of the SRGC because of all the friendly and knowledgable people.
Who will discuss intricate taxonomical problems with the same glee as new kinds of apple pie.
AND THE BEST FORUM ON THE NET
Göte
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I am a member of the srgc,and have been for some years now,but only discovered the forum this year,and what a great forum it is,
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I have been a srgc member for four years and very happy to read the most part of the subjects :D but only posting (a very little :- ) since january 2009
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I have previously been a member of the RHS and the AGS and, in the past year, have allowed both of these memberships to lapse as I found the online SRGC gave me more enjoyment and interaction with fellow gardeners than both of the other societies and, with this in mind, I am more than happy to pay the full membership rate. The SRGC online is, for me, an excellent gardening club. There is no local gardening club here in Waterford with a strong active gardening community (mainly a social club for those even older than I where tea and cakes are more important than gardening). The nearest alpine group is in Dublin, 100 miles away. There is a hardy plant/alpine group in Cork, 80 miles away and Mary and I attend winter talks when possible and I see Ashley who travels a similar distance from the opposite direction there occasionally. The nearest SRGC members are Ashley - about 150 miles away; Michael Campbell - 130 miles away; Mark Smyth - 200 miles away, so Lesley, Paul T, Rogan, Cohan, JohnW, Robin, and my many special and generous snowdrop friends, to name a few, though scattered across the globe are as near to me as my nearest gardening neighbours here in Ireland. The SRGC membership contribution is well worth the benefits it brings. It has brought all these - and many more - wonderful people into my life and I enjoy their company very much.
The SRGC is, in my mind, leading the way in online gardening activity and showing other societies how it should be done though, to be perfectly honest, I believe the strength is not in the format of the website but in the people who "man" (can't somehow say "woman") the site. The strength of this site is in the people and the very personal and friendly manner in which this site is run. One meets friends here not simply other people who share a common interest. I have received many unsolicited and unannounced gifts of bulbs and seeds in the post from friends on this site. Where else in the world would that happen? Yes, indeed, the SRGC rocks!
Paddy
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The SRGC is, in my mind, leading the way in online gardening activity and showing other societies how it should be done though, to be perfectly honest, I believe the strength is not in the format of the website but in the people who "man" (can't somehow say "woman") the site. The strength of this site is in the people and the very personal and friendly manner in which this site is run. One meets friends here not simply other people who share a common interest. I have received many unsolicited and unannounced gifts of bulbs and seeds in the post from friends on this site. Where else in the world would that happen? Yes, indeed, the SRGC rocks!
Paddy
So true Paddy. There are many N. Irish lurkers, hi to all!, so you never know there could be a few near you. So many feel they have nothing to say or contribute
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Mark, but more especially any visiting guests to the forum - you really should join in. If you are in Ireland you would be especially welcome!!! "Come into the parlour etc"
Paddy
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Thanks to Mark, who recently rejoined the SRGC.....appreciated. 8)
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Hi Maggi and to all the forum Members.
I could not agree more with Maggi`s opening in this tread and all the responce she received.
It is a little price to pay for such a rich and welcome information,the Bulletins,seed exchange,the Forum and the extras we get in the post now and then,all the friends we are making world wide,we are like a big family,
I wish to send a big thank You and Hugs for all who put so much work and taught into The SRGC.
Come on folks get greedy and become a member to give something in return,its for a good cause.....!! ;) ;)
Cheers,
Guy
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Hi all,
Maggie's post re membership pricked my conscience, so after "ghosting" around the site for months and picking up many valuable tips on growing bulbs and particularly crocus culture I finally pulled out my piece of plastic and joined up!.
I garden in a hot, dry mediterranean environment (we've already had a spell of 5+ days over 35C and it's not even summer yet!) and concentrate on growing stuff that loves a dry summer rest and winter rainfall. Hence I have success in the garden with Crocus hadriaticus and Crocus goulimyi and just admire the cooler climate types via the web. Cheers and thanks for all the tips... now I'm out of the bulb closet. Anita
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Welcome Anita. So where in the Southern Hemisphere are you located? Do we have another Aussie, another New Zealander, South African or South American? I don't think you'd be in any of the more Equatorial countries in the SH, because 35'C wouldn't be that surprising! ;D If you're here in Aus, I'm sure there are a number of us who can share bits and pieces with you that will suit your climate perfectly.
Wherever you are, welcome to the forums and the SRGC. 8)
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Hi Paul,
I'm based in Adelaide in South Australia, so it's another Aussie. I'm down on the plains in the 'burbs rather than up in the Hills, so I don't get the benefits of that (very slight) altitude. I have read with great interest your posts and Fermi's as I gather you are in similar climates. Anita
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I was sentenced to life in the SRGC around 1986 and have been a prisoner ever since with no chance of parole. I blame Jack Drake’s nursery at Kincraig………….. ;)
There is no friendlier garden society.
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It was Jim Sutherland (Ardfearn) that did for us, Fred, about the same time. Beware of friendly nurserymen who include a back copy of the journal and a membership form in your basket of plants!!!!!! Never regretted it, though.
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Welcome to the forum Anita !
It's been raining cats and dogs for days here now, not exactly your climate... :D but that's part of the fun of being around on the Forum ! A bit of everything, every day of the year ! ;D
Have fun !
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It was Jim Sutherland (Ardfearn) that did for us, Fred, about the same time. Beware of friendly nurserymen who include a back copy of the journal and a membership form in your basket of plants!!!!!! Never regretted it, though.
When John Lawson had Jack Drakes in the 80s it was paradise and did more to recruit SRGC members than most. Initially I joined for the seed exchange. It is, in my opinion, THE most vital single part of the SRGC.
I kinda miss Mike Stone's column in the journal too.
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Welcome to the forum, Anita. Good to have another contributor from the southern hemisphere. Looking forward to seeing your garden and plants.
Paddy
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Hi, Anita! Many thanks for heeding my plea and joining up.... we are so pleased to have you " join us and step up to the plate" and say so!! 8)
Hope your garden doesn't get too frazzled over your summer....hard to imagine those temperatures here in Aberdeen right now! :-X
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Welcome Anita, glad you've joined us.
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I would like to add my welcome to you Anita it is always good to have another bulboholic come out and join us.
On the forum we are the 'World' Group of the SRGC meeting all day every day.
I hope many more who are reading this will consider supporting us financially by joining the SRGC and also become active in the forum.
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Hi Paul,
I'm based in Adelaide in South Australia, so it's another Aussie. I'm down on the plains in the 'burbs rather than up in the Hills, so I don't get the benefits of that (very slight) altitude. I have read with great interest your posts and Fermi's as I gather you are in similar climates. Anita
Anita,
Cool. Well, if I post about something you're interested in trying, let me know and I'll see if I have spare to send you at the relevent time. 8)
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Hi,
I AM a SRGC member!!! I've joined 3 or 4 years ago in search of information on Tropaeolum but found many other interesting things in "The Rock Garden" and I particularly appreciate the number & quality of photos of in depth articles. I've been using a computer only since 1 year and that made me discover another world: that of enthusiastic and generous growers who regularly post contributions( much more than I do... ), kindly answer queries or offer knowledge, seeds or plants... Just like gardening friends...
In FRANCE there are no gardening shows as in the UK. We all are bad gardeners...All apologies!!!
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Hi Anita,
Welcome to this wondrous worldwide gardening family from a member near you. I live at Keyneton - near Angaston.
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I want to draw attention here, where we are discussing SRGC Membership, to the ongoing commitment of SRGC Membership Secretary, Graham Bunkall.
Graham is for many, an unseen figure, beavering away behind the scenes for the Club, but believe you me, the Club would be nothing without him. No point in Members joining if there is no-one to record the fact, welcome them and see they are sent their Journals etc..... even over this Christmas Holiday period, Graham is still checking on new members and getting them fully documented so they can take part in the Seed Exchange and so on.
Graham, happily encouraged by the fond support of his wife Jean, is, like all Officers of the SRGC, a volunteer... all this work and time spent is done by him out of his generous nature and belief in this Club: all the more selfless of him because he lives so far away from all the Scottish events of the Club (in deepest Leicester!) and so he doesn't get a chance to attend them and at least get the face to face congratulations and gratitude of the Membership.
Just as well he is a volunteer, all the tea in China couldn't repay such loyalty!
Graham's attention to detail and his willingness to take on this busy workload for the Club is above and beyond the call of duty and it is such spirit that makes this Club the success it is and it certainly makes my life a lot easier, so my personal appreciation for Graham and all he does is boundless.
I hope you would like to join with me in expressing your thanks for all his efforts.
He has welcomed around a half a dozen members over this Christmas period alone!
Three cheers for Graham, SRGC Hero!! !
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I'll second that Maggie.
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Thank you, David. There are too many folks, even Council Members, who do not realise just what a burden of work is carried by Graham and what a debt of gratitude is owed to him.
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well done Graham
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And a distant cheer from me in the Southern Hemisphere as well. ;D
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As one Membership Secretary to another - well done Graham :)
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When visiting Jack Drake's nursery in april 1961 -on a bus trip that was part of the International Rockgarden in London and Edinburgh ,I stood in awe admiring so many rare and beautyful cool climate plants -not seen in australian gardens .So I just had to join the
S.R.G.C. then ( the A.G.S. in 1959) which has given me so much joy and knowledge over so many years - I eagerly await "The Rockgarden" twice a year , which seems to be getting better from year to year .
many thanks to Everyone in the S.R.G.C.
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Hi to all, i would like to add my sincere thanks to Graham, we worked very well togehter when I was President and I can assure you we would not have the new on-line membership payments without the considerable contribution from Graham. Ann and I hardly had a week without contact (still do) Graham was and is very much on the ball so well done, cheers Ian the Christie kind.
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Three hurrays of Graham from accross the North Sea !
Thanks for all the hard work !! :D
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Hi to all, i would like to add my sincere thanks to Graham, we worked very well together when I was President and I can assure you we would not have the new on-line membership payments without the considerable contribution from Graham. Ann and I hardly had a week without contact (still do) Graham was and is very much on the ball so well done, cheers Ian the Christie kind.
Thanks, Ian: you and Ann are in a good position to know just hoew important Graham's work is.
Ann, who has been SRGC Treasurer for the last several years, stepping quickly into a breach to keep all working smoothly, is another of those quiet folk, working tirelessly for the Club, without whom the SRGC could not exist. She and Graham are without doubt the two major players in the team, these two positions are the busiest in the Club......the two of them are worth the pay of Rooney and Ronaldo, for sure !! ;)
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I'd certainly add my appreciation for all the unseen (but not unnoticed) work that is done throughout the year by both Graham Bunkall and Ann Christie. But I'd also add one or two other people to the list of those that the Club couldn't do without - Ian Christie for an enormous amount of work over the past three years; Maggi, Ian and Fred who you all know; Anton Edwards, editor of The Journal; Carol Shaw, our Secretary; the Seed Exchange team with the main players being Stuart Pawley, Ian Pryde, Alan Hayes and the Bainbridges (Carole and Ian); our Show Secretaries - I could go on and on. But what marks out all of the people who make our Club what it is, is a generosity of spirit. They're people who realise that the more you give in life, the more you receive. But I think all you active Forum members already know this.
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Ok Ok you've shamed me ::) ... Just joined :D
And it's cheaper than some clubs ... Maybe I'm scottish too ;D
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Well Nick, if there's anyone in your family who looks a bit like this.....
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then you can probably claim good Scots blood... great to have you join the SRGC....
live long and prosper as Mr McSpock said. 8)
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hey, thats the wife ;D
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hey, thats the wife ;D
Congratulations.... a very fine looking woman... you're a lucky chap..... so you were right about the Scots' connection then? ;D
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Seriousy, The nearest I know we are to scotland is Yorkshire (hence the carefulness ;D) but there is some Celt in make up somewhere as my mum, 2 sisters and both my Kids have a fine head of red hair ... mines mouse brown/grey ::)
I've a feeling I was a member when I was about 10 (long time ago)as I remember sending for some seeds, or got some seeds, when I joined. and the only one that didn't grow was Mecanopsis (himalayan blue) the rest grew and I had a lovely rock garden , albeit the "rock" was the concrete re-enforcing from an old garden air raid shelter! but you couldn't see that after a while because of the plants!
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Nick,
Well I'm half Scottish (one grandparent on each side of my family was Scottish) so that means I probably have enough to spare you some as a loan for a while. But I do want it back at some point. ;)
And good use of recycling of the old air raid shelter, by the way. ;D
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Half Scottish here as well all my Dads family are from Fife,so had to join,i spent some fantastic times in East Wemyss as kid.
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Half Scottish here as well all my Dads family are from Fife,so had to join,i spent some fantastic times in East Wemyss as kid.
Well that answers everything then. Only someone with an inherited reluctance to appreciate good football could be a Forest supporter :P ;D
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Boom, Boom.
David 1. DaveyP 0
Paddy
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Half Scottish here as well all my Dads family are from Fife,so had to join,i spent some fantastic times in East Wemyss as kid.
Well that answers everything then. Only someone with an inherited reluctance to appreciate good football could be a Forrest supporter :P ;D
In my experience, a great many SRGC members devote a lot of their time to assorted charitable works.... let's not mock that, David......... ;)
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Half Scottish here as well all my Dads family are from Fife,so had to join,i spent some fantastic times in East Wemyss as kid.
Well that answers everything then. Only someone with an inherited reluctance to appreciate good football could be a Forrest supporter :P ;D
David stop it mate your killing me,everytime i burst out in laughter our lass keeps saying what you laughing at and everytime i reply Davids got me again ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
As far as my club goes it looks like promotion this year.
Paddy i'm afraid David will always beat me i just haven't got his sharp wit,but i promise to try and pull it level
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Half Scottish here as well all my Dads family are from Fife,so had to join,i spent some fantastic times in East Wemyss as kid.
Well that answers everything then. Only someone with an inherited reluctance to appreciate good football could be a Forrest supporter :P ;D
In my experience, a great many SRGC members devote a lot of their time to assorted charitable works.... let's not mock that, David......... ;)
Maggie thank you i would say i am a very fine cause ;D ;D
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Seeing as I started this onslaught I guess I'd better come to the aid of a fellow Midlander.
Daveyp - He's had more experience at the comebacks ... it's and age thing ;D
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cheers Nick..nice comeback ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I've had more comebacks than PJ Proby!
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;D ;D ;D ;D
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I've had more comebacks than PJ Proby!
What a waste of talent, I LOVED PJProby's voice.
Spent an hour watching old video clips on youtube recently.
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I wasn't going to say I knew who you were on about but as Maggie has it seems the only decent thing to do. SO long as you've not had the same errrr exposure David