Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => Alpines => Topic started by: David Nicholson on February 02, 2011, 06:45:13 PM

Title: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: David Nicholson on February 02, 2011, 06:45:13 PM: Hi all,

Well here we are complete with internet connection and ready to go. Love to hear from you and will be looking at any replies later in the proceedings.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Luc Gilgemyn on February 02, 2011, 06:47:09 PM: Glad to see it works David !
Warm greetings to all the attendants !
I hope you have an excellent evening ! ;)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Paddy Tobin on February 02, 2011, 06:50:31 PM: Best wishes for an enjoyable evening, David.

Regards to all the members of the Devon group attending. Mary and I hope to visit Devon this year and visit your many lovely gardens.

And, now, a few photographs for you alpine nuts, taken above Wengen, Switzerland.

All the best, Paddy
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: sippa on February 02, 2011, 06:51:22 PM: Good luck for your talk, greetings from a very snowy Vermont.

Marianne
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Gail on February 02, 2011, 06:52:04 PM: Salutations from sunny Suffolk (well it was sunny this afternoon!)

Hope you are having fun.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Michael J Campbell on February 02, 2011, 06:55:26 PM: Hi David, here are a couple of pics to brighten your evening.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: angie on February 02, 2011, 06:56:00 PM: Hi everyone. Hope you are all enjoying your evening.
Best wishes from Angie in rainy Aberdeen. :)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Lesley Cox on February 02, 2011, 06:58:19 PM: A New Zealander sends greetings to all the South Devon AGS members. I'm sure David (of whom I dream nightly ;D) will give a wonderful talk and you'll be rushing to join this excellent Forum. Keep on sowing and growing. :-*
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: mark smyth on February 02, 2011, 06:59:10 PM: Greetings to South Devon AGS from Norn Iron Ulster Group!
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 07:00:37 PM: [attach=1]

What a pleasant opportunity to be able to "join" a meeting on a cold damp evening like this. Best wishes to all our AGS friends in Devon We did have a little sunshine today... a very short burst, it must be said.... here is what a part of our Aberdeen garden looked like today.... not much happening... .hope you have more flowers in your Devon gardens by now? Or will we all endure a "late " season?

Click on the photo to enlarge ....
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Martinr on February 02, 2011, 07:03:07 PM: Greetings from the Derby Group. Have a great evening
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: ranunculus on February 02, 2011, 07:05:40 PM: With very best wishes ...
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Arykana on February 02, 2011, 07:07:51 PM: My warmest gratings from Hungary

(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/hes.jpg)

(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/IMG_9647.jpg)

(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/IMG_9729.jpg)

(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/IMG_9708.jpg)

(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/haran.jpg)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Graham Catlow on February 02, 2011, 07:08:10 PM: Good evening from Edinburgh.
I’m sure your evening has been filled with David’s charm and wit.
He keeps us amused!

Hopes of things to come! Spring is not far away!
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Ian Y on February 02, 2011, 07:11:44 PM: Well David you have lots of responses already but I add my personal warmest greetings to all our friends in the far south west from the far north east of the UK.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Mick McLoughlin on February 02, 2011, 07:15:37 PM: Hi David
Greetings from your Yorkshire home. How is the Broadwell Milkmaid doing, the Primula marginata 'Sheila Denby' you sent me is still surviving. Not flowered yet but marginatas struggle a bit for me.
I hope the evening has gone well.
Cheers
Mick
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: David Pilling on February 02, 2011, 07:16:54 PM: Hi from Blackpool.

David - I can't hear you for noise, is someone eating crisps?
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: ian mcenery on February 02, 2011, 07:19:41 PM: Greetings from the Birmingham Group and something flowering today
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: TheOnionMan on February 02, 2011, 07:20:18 PM: Hello David, welcome from snowbound Massachusetts, New England, USA.

A photo of snow on my deck 2 days ago, now imagine another 60 cm on top of that.
And a couple photos of warmer weather and plants to come.

Cheers,

McMark
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: WimB on February 02, 2011, 07:22:29 PM: David, best wishes from Belgium to all the South Devon AGS-ers.
Added some pics of plants which were flowering during the last weeks.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Paul T on February 02, 2011, 07:29:17 PM: Hello to the Devon group!!

Greetings from Canberra, Australia. Currently 6:30am and barely light. A balmy 21.5^oC, with significant overnight rain (have had nearly 25mm before I went to bed last night). Forecast 30^oC here today, somewhat different from you all in the UK I would imagine (and definitely different to you Mark!!).

And Michael, those are absolutely stunning Hepaticas!! :o The intensity of that first one, and such a beautiful double blue in the second. Thanks so much for showing us them. 8) Great pics, everyone!!

G'night All!! I'm going back to bed now. ;D ;D
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Gunilla on February 02, 2011, 07:32:31 PM: Greetings from Sweden to all the South Devon AGS members.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Stephenb on February 02, 2011, 07:35:16 PM: ..and greetings from Norway too.

Not sure where the meeting is being held but I went to University in Exeter a long time ago now, so here's a shot of the campus which is also an arboretum (and inspired me, although I was studying Maths and Physics)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Lvandelft on February 02, 2011, 07:36:26 PM: Best wishes and a great evening from Holland David!
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: annew on February 02, 2011, 07:42:10 PM: Hello Devon! Greetings from Yorkshire, and a couple of plants out now up here.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Diane Clement on February 02, 2011, 07:43:54 PM: Hope I'm not too late to wish you a good evening from Wolverhampton
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Roma on February 02, 2011, 07:47:51 PM: Hello Devon. Best wishes from Aberdeenshire.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Casalima on February 02, 2011, 07:49:41 PM: Also hoping I'm not too late to send best wishes from Portugal!
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Onion on February 02, 2011, 07:58:00 PM: Best wishes from Germany to the South Devon AGS Meeting.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: ChrisB on February 02, 2011, 08:02:35 PM: Hope you are not as windy in the South West as we are here in gusty Northumberland. Have a great evening!
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: maggiepie on February 02, 2011, 08:07:55 PM: Helloo from Canada.
Hope I'm not too late, David.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Lesley Cox on February 02, 2011, 08:14:46 PM: Well that's pretty good response David, from all over the world, north to south, east to west. You'll be in need of a good cup of tea by now. ;D
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Arykana on February 02, 2011, 08:19:10 PM: (http://kaleidoscope.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/upfiles/2009-08/07/how_to_make_a_cup_of_tea_using_the_microwave115cecca9c65f0de97f6.jpg) fress and hot
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 08:20:14 PM: Quote from: Lesley Cox on February 02, 2011, 08:14:46 PM
Well that's pretty good response David, from all over the world, north to south, east to west. You'll be in need of a good cup of tea by now. ;D
Yes, Arykana to the rescue with her fresh pot of tea........I do hope there might be some cake to go with it .... there's nothing like seeing all these flowers to work up an appetite, I find. :-[
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Arykana on February 02, 2011, 08:27:33 PM: if only a cake missing (http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i76/arykana/finom%20etelek/torta-2.jpg) ;D creamy chestnut
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 08:40:43 PM: Just a thought... if David cannot get his wifi connection to work later in the Devon meeting... does that mean we can scoff all the tea and cake ourselves? ;)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Arykana on February 02, 2011, 08:44:02 PM: seems, you can have all ;D
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: maggiepie on February 02, 2011, 08:45:37 PM: I'd have a big piece of that cake but I just got off the treadmill :(
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: annew on February 02, 2011, 08:56:23 PM: I'll fight you for it, Maggi! :P
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: David Nicholson on February 02, 2011, 09:01:38 PM: Thanks all, knew you wouldn't let me down, more later. Greetings from all of us in wet(again) and windy Devon.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 09:02:31 PM: What a bad impression the Devonians will have... we can swap photos and plants and seeds but when it comes to a virtual cake, fighting breaks out!
I hope they realise that this virtual gardening is just as hungry work as real gardening ::) :D
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 09:05:35 PM: Quote from: David Nicholson on February 02, 2011, 09:01:38 PM
Thanks all, knew you wouldn't let me down, more later. Greetings from all of us in wet(again) and windy Devon.
Sorry about the cake, David... but it was delicious.
Hope you all have a safe journey home.... call again, anytime. :)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Palustris on February 02, 2011, 09:12:51 PM: And greetings from the Wirral and West Cheshire AGS group too.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: angie on February 02, 2011, 10:16:18 PM: Isn't it great...we get a request and we all pull together. Just what friends do.
I wonder what we all can do the next time. ;D

Angie :)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 10:19:20 PM: Web cams at a show??? (says the woman who doesn't know how wifi works!)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: maggiepie on February 02, 2011, 10:22:28 PM: Fantastic idea, Maggi, I look forward to seeing the plants up close and personal.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: ranunculus on February 02, 2011, 10:24:42 PM: First class lectures being viewed live by any number of remote groups?
Lisse Live, Luit? ;D
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: angie on February 02, 2011, 10:30:14 PM: Brilliant what else can this forum deliver ;D

Angie :)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Lvandelft on February 02, 2011, 10:34:11 PM: Quote from: ranunculus on February 02, 2011, 10:24:42 PM
First class lectures being viewed live by any number of remote groups?
Lisse Live, Luit? ;D
Wish you nice dreaming about that Cliff ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 10:36:00 PM: I do hope there are clever folks out there who might help us deliver film of shows, or talks..... but what I would REALLY like to have on the Forum is SCENT.... sometimes the frustration of knowing a plant ( or a cake ;)) smell so sweet but all we get is the photo drives me to distraction.... we need a boffin to develop computers with scent simulators!
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Diane Clement on February 02, 2011, 10:40:36 PM: Quote from: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 10:36:00 PM
I do hope there are clever folks out there who might help us deliver film of shows, or talks..... but what I would REALLY like to have on the Forum is SCENT.... sometimes the frustration of knowing a plant ( or a cake ;)) smell so sweet but all we get is the photo drives me to distraction.... we need a boffin to develop computers with scent simulators!

the other thing we could do with is real cakes, I'm fed up of the virtual ones, they just don't taste the same ::)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Paul T on February 02, 2011, 10:49:20 PM: Quote from: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 10:19:20 PM
Web cams at a show??? (says the woman who doesn't know how wifi works!)

It's called Magic, Maggi. They have wizards that conjure spells and you can speak/contact internet etc. Definitely magic. Work of the devil if you ask me. :o :o ;D

:P
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Lesley Cox on February 02, 2011, 11:06:07 PM: I'm thinking along the lines of a web cam "Best of the bakeoff." Cakes of course. With an alpine theme. :D
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: David Nicholson on February 02, 2011, 11:22:31 PM: Just arrived home-I'm whacked.

First of my heartfelt thanks to all of you for responding as you did-marvellous-and special thanks to Maggi for acting as Forum alarm clock and memory jerker; and to Lesley and Paul for getting up at such an unearthly and ungodly hour. Lesley's first post caused much mirth from those who had never regarded me as a "gay Lothario" ;D The ramble seemed to go down well and people came up to me and remarked that they had never realised that so much gardening related information was out there. So that was one of my objectives met.

So, what didn't go right? The hotel's wireless connection was very slow indeed and meant that some of the slow sites I had meant to use eg; the American Iris Society Wiki, refused to load at all and this caused me to have to rapidly re-shape my running order. Also, I was using a laptop borrowed from our sister AGS Group in Exeter and this turned out to have a version of Adobe Reader created when Adam was a lad and it refused to download any PDF files. This meant I could not use the Bulb Log or IRG both of which I would have waxed eloquently about. Sorry Ian, they didn't get to see your message. For obvious reasons I had meant to be very even handed in the time I gave to the SRGC site and the AGS site but I just could not get the AGS to load (may have been down for maintenance?). Later, after the talk had finished I tried again and it loaded fine. Sod's Law!

All in all more successes than failures. I think a similar kind of thing would go down well at any SRGC/AGS group meeting as a change from normal!! talks. It was fairly easy to put together, I just copied my Gardening Favourites files to a memory stick and devised a running order and a few words about each site I was introducing with the idea of letting the pictures speak for themselves.

Once more friends many, many thanks.

....... and so to bed!! ;D
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: mark smyth on February 02, 2011, 11:30:03 PM: I had a problem last June when for a talk I was told come with your memory stick. The group didnt have powerpoint on their computer.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Paul T on February 02, 2011, 11:49:10 PM: Mark,

I did a talk for a local gardening group a few months ago and all they could provide was a screen. Thankfully I was able to borrow a laptop from a work colleague, and a computer projector from our local Orchid Society. All went well. Their attitude was that any presenters usually have their own equipment, and they knew that I was just filling in on short notice and wasn't a normal presenter (i.e this was the third talk I'd done). ::) Thankfully it worked out and people enjoyed it.

David,

I'm glad it went reasonably well, all things considered. Aren't computers just such wonderful things. ;) Happy to help out and give a cheerio from the other side of the world. 8)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Lesley Cox on February 03, 2011, 12:31:46 AM: Screen, projector, PowerPoint, decent cakes, all these are things to be checked thoroughly before agreeing to do the talk in the first place. ;D

Anyway David, well done. Very well done lad. You have the pioneering spirit. 8)
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: ranunculus on February 03, 2011, 06:53:16 AM: Well done David ... superb initiative!

Paddy ... I must point out that your Ranunculus glacialis is probably R. alpestris.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Diane Clement on February 03, 2011, 07:23:22 AM: Quote from: mark smyth on February 02, 2011, 11:30:03 PM
I had a problem last June when for a talk I was told come with your memory stick. The group didnt have powerpoint on their computer.

Better to save your powerpoint as a powerpoint show, then you don't need powerpoint to run it (go to File - Save As then select Powerpoint Show). Even if you have powerpoint on the computer you are using, it looks better, as it opens straight into the presentation and not the slide view with the thumbnails at the side.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Stephenb on February 03, 2011, 08:14:32 AM: Thanks for that tip, Diane. Despite having given loads of PPT presentations at work and play, I hadn't come across that option! As I understand it the PPS file includes the display software.
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Arykana on February 03, 2011, 08:19:49 AM: Quote from: Maggi Young on February 02, 2011, 10:36:00 PM
what I would REALLY like to have on the Forum is SCENT.... sometimes the frustration of knowing a plant ( or a cake ;)) smell so sweet but all we get is the photo drives me to distraction.... we need a boffin to develop computers with scent simulators!
even the compost and all the fertilizers ;D ;D ;D

videos would be good idea -
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Arykana on February 03, 2011, 08:21:15 AM: Quote from: Diane Clement on February 02, 2011, 10:40:36 PM

the other thing we could do with is real cakes, I'm fed up of the virtual ones, they just don't taste the same ::)
all of you invited for one or more cake in Szekszárd ;D :-*
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Luc Gilgemyn on February 03, 2011, 08:43:45 AM: Well done David, I hope you had a "good one" after you got home... ;D

[attach=1]
Title: Re: SOUTH DEVON AGS MEETING
Post by: Arykana on February 03, 2011, 11:12:01 AM: the happy ending ;D ::)