h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi there Anold.
I hope you don't mind but i had a look at your tree photos on Nigels allotment thread.
I know what they are, it's a Magnolia, Magnolia Stellata to be precise. A very nice slow growing tree, i have a very small one in my garden.

Thank's for that , it makes sense as the old lady has quite a few other types of Magnolia in her garden .
We do have a Magnolia (don't know the true name)ourselves but my wife told me it's a bush type not a tree,it also is growing very slowly.

Would it worry you that a magnolia stellata is considered a shrub/bush type?
All Magnolias are slow growing, though some are obviously slower than others. The yellow ones that have huge leaves, appear to grow quicker than others, but leaf for leaf they actually grow at the same rate.
My tiny tree is still in bud just now, they should open next month.

Our Magnolia we bought from the garden centre about six years ago , it's about one metre tall and has about a dozen main pieces coming out of the ground the buds are just opening and are very dark purple colour, our land is an old clay bottomed rice field and we do get a little early cut off from the sun in the evening which I think makes our plant a little late , the Magnolia trees in my pic's are on a very nice flat piece which gets lots of sun , those trees have been in full bloom now for at least two weeks

I like the purple magnolias, they look so exotic.
I don't know how interested you are in flowers or wildlife, but having seen you in both Nigel's and Webbie's threads, i'm guessing there must be some interest. So i wonder if you would like to take a look at some of my photos, they are all flowers or bugs and most were taken in my garden.
<./>http://www.venus-garden.fotki.com</.> If the link works, i often get my : and // round the wrong way.

Thank's for the link It did work, I am very interested in wildlife and flowers for that matter,I'm not a gardener myself but interest is in there,
Don't know what you know about me so For the last thirty years I've lived / worked in Craft Pottery ,metal work, stained glass and woodwork just about anything really, my house is a log cabin I built(the second one) my workshop is all handmade too I've also been a bit sick lately and my friend gave me some cameras as he thought I may have an eye for it.

I've put your link on my screen so I can take a look in my spare time , bit busy at the moment doing a bit of metal work , need to catch up with my garden work before it gets too hot plus doing the cooking for my family, how about I put you on my friends list too?

Wow! It must be fantastic to live in the home that you built yourself.
Do you get your inspiration for your work from nature? How do you go about making a stained glass window?
Have you always lived in Japan? As i understand it, away from the big cities Japan is a beautiful place.
Many years ago i used to draw, all of my work was either of flowers or animals. Sadly i had to give it up as my fingers don't work too well, due to rheumatoid arthritis.
I just love to take photos of nature in all it's glory. The invention of the digital camera has allowed me to study bugs far closer than i could before.
It's the love of my garden and everything in it that keeps me sane. My health is pretty poor just now, so i can't garden like i normally would. Hopefully things will be improving soon. It does'nt stop me going out there everyday to see whats growing.
I work in a garden centre aswell, so i get to spend all day with plants.
I would be honoured to be on your friends list, and if you don't mind i will add you to mine.

Going to try to keep this short cause I'm going into my workshop as soon as pos ,
Making a stained glass window: First measure the exact size wanted for finish and make a frame to work within , next make a coloured drawing exact size replicate in thicker paper to cut, then mark A B C or number 1 2 3 each dif colour and cut out each piece preferably using special 3, III (pronged) scissors , next choose glass and lay on the pattern, mark around around using marker pens and cut (keep glass cutter well oiled) clean glass of oil and glass dust etc next using copper tape (it was designed for strengthening windows) tape around each piece of glass and place in the frame, use wooden tool to make sure copper is a tight/flat fit next put together inside your frame then using flux as you go clean and solder the copper tape together until you have your window together, clean and colour change (optional) the solder using dif kinds of soft acid depending what colour you want .
Have fun

I was driving to the import store today when I saw a Stellata Magnolia Bush tucked into the corner side of a house , it was only about a metre tall but was in full bloom ,very distinctive ,
Thank you I will recognize it always in the future.

As i thought, creating a stained glass window is quite complicated. Well worth the end result though. I don't think it something that i will be able to attempt, knowing my luck i would sever and artery with the scissors, it would bring a whole new meaning to the words 'stained glass'

I'm always pleased to hear that someone remembers a name of a plant or bug courtesy of moi. The first flower has opened on my little magnolia, it has many more buds to open yet.
Given where you live, are there many flowering cherry(prunus) trees around? Some of the smaller ones are very pretty this time of year.

Just took a whole bunch of pic's of them every bend I go round their is a whole new lot to at. I've just come in from my workshop(trying to make some grapes and leaves) now I will try to put up a few

There you gohttp://www.bbc.co.uk/go/dna/h2g2/brunel/F1694533/ext/_auto/-/http://www.flickr.com/photos/21128589@N02/

Just took one of our Magnolia Bush?

I had a look at your photos, that purple magnolia is really pretty.
The first flowers opened on my little tree, so i took a couple of photos yesterday afternoon. I havent had a chance to put them up yet, as i have been working all weekend. My next day off is'nt untill Wednesday, i can't see me getting them done before then. I also took some photos on the way to work yesterday, as it's blossom time here and all the wild cherry's and blackthorns are flowering right now.

Today is simply gorgeous over here ,fantastic time of the year ,yesterday was the day that many Japanese people would have gone out partying under the cherry blossom, I couldn't go because the workers were here putting in my new fibre optic cable for my puter

What a lovely custom to play under the blossom trees. I remember as a child playing in an orchard when it was blossoming, it rained down like snow.
From now untill at least the end of May, i keep a close watch in my garden. New buds and shoots appear everyday and i don't want to miss those moments. I have a very small pond and each year the newts come to breed in it. The male puts on his finest colours and does his dance to attract the females. Needless to say, the ladies are not always interested in him and make a point of letting him know.
Has the new fibre optic cable made a difference to the puter?

Not so much like playing more like heavy drinking but yes it is fun and nice to see families having a good time together even workmates get out and party.

I have two small ponds too which I keep Medaka(small Japanese fish) in it but last year the frogs ate most of them which made me very angry ,in fact yesterday I went and bought some more to put in , usually I put a few into an aquarium with a bit of plant in it to breed but I've decided to put new stock in.

I think the new cable has made a difference it tends to start slowly then almost an immediate change strange to explain almost like think first then jump.

I went for a walk again today and found some really beautiful flowering trees next to Obachan's (MIL) garden so pretty I will put them up later also found some prickly pear that I saw with fruit on during the winter , just couldn't remember where they were but got them now.

I've also just come in from my workshop just finished (maybe) a job (name plate for a new house) I do have to paint it yet maybe add some grapes and leaves to it then I'll have to put it up for them.

I've uploaded some of the blossom photos and my little magnolia, you can find them here > <./>http://public.fotki.com/Venus-Garden/spring-has-sprung/</.>

Nice pic's , I finished making a nameplate today and hung it ;-Dhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/go/dna/h2g2/brunel/F1694533/ext/_auto/-/http://www.flickr.com/photos/21128589@N02/

Don't like my new bits the other one was much faster and not cut this one I can 't even get the Swindon Adver