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

I might see if the neighbours have any firm ideas - and if they'd be willing to share the cost for a change. That would be nice.

From one extreme to the other - we might have some snow later today. It is an odd time to be thinking about gardening, really.

Snow!! I don't like snow. Everything grinds to a halt here if we have as much as 2 inches of the stuff, we just don't seem to be able to deal with it.

We are going to be basking (or is that baking) in temperatures of 30 today We've had no rain in this part of the country for weeks now.

The snow hasn't happened - not yet, anyway. There might be some overnight. Even then, I wouldn't expect more than just a dusting of the stuff on higher ground. It hasn't snowed down here in town since 2000, but the bigger hills usually turn white over winter.

Surely it'll rain for you soon. After all, Wimbledon's on.

Did you get any snow?
We're still praying for rain here. Some parts have had terrible storms and flash floods, not here though.
It must happen this weekend, the Glastonbury festival is on. It ALWAYS rains for that

There wasn't any snow. I'm a bit miffed about that, but relieved at the same time. Today's a lot warmer than yesterday, so I'd say the chance of snow is zero for the foreseeable future. We did have some light rain, but that's stopped now too.

You're right - any large outdoors event is an invitation for a deluge. You'll have some rain soon... In the meantime, recycle what you can.

I'm not familiar with your seasons. What month does spring start over there? Being such a large country does it start the smae time all over?

I've managed to catch a cold somehow So i'm feeling rough this morning.

'Spring' is considered to be September - November; in actual fact, in this part of the country it's October and November in my opinion. It's probably the same in Tasmania, which is a lot further south. In the north, in the tropics, talk of four seasons is meaningless. They have a Wet (November - April) and a Dry (all the rest). The traditional owners of the country in the north recognise six seasons, based on plant growth and animal behaviour.

'Summer', in the south, is December - February, but usually the hottest days are in early March which is notionally Autumn.

In Canberra, I tend to think of the seasons as warmish (Dec - Feb), damp (Mar - May), icy (Jun - Aug) and hayfever (Sep - Nov).

- that might help with the cold...

Have you had rain yet?

I think our drought might have just about broken in this area, but there's still an ongoing water shortage. At least the garden is going to survive the winter, for the most part. There are floods a bit further north - typical of this country, one extreme to another. Things really could have been arranged better.

We have indeed had some rain. One or two good storms over the past week Its given the garden a boost, though its still dry after the first couple of inches down in the soil. Its looking very much like rain now
Sone areas have had flash floods, though nothing too devastating this time.

When I look outside now, I can see green grass. It's worth mentioning because it's been a long time since I saw green grass here. Brown grass or dusty grey grass has been the norm. Green grass looks rather strange.

Unfortunately it looks as though our rain has stopped now. We need another month or so of solid rain, at the very least.

As is typical of Brit weather, once the rain starts, it does'nt know when to stop. So after another week, we'll all be moaning about the rain!
My acanthus is in flower just now, its a fantastic plant and getting bigger every year.

My acanthus are coping nicely, but it'll be a while before they're putting on a show. The main thing is that they're green and glossy and the leaves are coping with frost. I think they're one of the success stories of the last round of planting, along with the irises and the bamboo (in urns).

Judging by the way things are coping with winter, I think the next round of planting will focus on grevilleas, correas, and acanthus.

I hope events in London haven't had any direct impact on you... Apart from saying that things are Very Horrible in that regard, I really can't find anything to say about it all that wouldn't just sound trite.

Hiya.
Thanks for your concern. Luckily i live far enough away, not to have been involved. My daughters boyfriend missed the first explosion by minutes.
It was a tragic thing and it sickens me. Many lives lost, people injured, some still missing. It won't ever be forgotten.

It'll join the list of things that will never be forgotten... I know it will be on my own personal list of events that I can remember exactly where I was when I heard the news.(At the pub, incidentally.)

Of course, it's also increased my interest in gardening. One knows where one is with plants, after all.

It will be a long time before i visit London again.

I'm thinking of doing a RHS course (Royal Horticultural society) from home. I still have to find out the cost and whether i could actually devote enough home time. At the end if i pass i get a degree or something.

How long would the course take? I've been considering further study, but I'm yet to find a course that I can take at my own pace.

I think its a year, though they will extend it if you need longer. I've yet to find out the exact time and the cost, which could be the bit that makes it impossible. Untill they send me the information i don't know if i'll be able to go ahead with it.

Good luck!

The courses I've looked at are affordable, more or less, but I simply don't have the time they'd want me to invest in it all. To get time I'd have to reduce my w*rk hours, which would limit my income, and make the courses not-so-affordable. I think this means I should forget about it for the moment.

I'll have to forget about gardening for a few weeks, too. The current w*rkload leaves me feeling drained by the time I get home - physically drained as well as mentally, which is odd seeing I sit down all day.