ABC Wednesday 5: N is for...

...Niggling Nuisance

How apt we're at N this week and I can use the words Niggling Nuisance to sum up my blogging situation at the moment. Last Friday the graphics card on my PC gave up the ghost: it's incredibly hard to blog anything when you're staring at a blank screen :(

NAH's come to my rescue and rigged up the spare laptop, so I can continue talking to you. It belonged to my late father-in-law, is at least 6 years old and limps along. The internet grinds to a halt every time the fan switches on, which is every few minutes. That's just about bearable if I don't spend too long online, so my apologies for not getting around and visiting you all as often as I usually do.

The most frustrating thing for me is the complete lack of access to my pictures, so various posts I've planned are stuck in limbo for the foreseeable future. Luckily, I had some articles pencilled in for the winter months which I've pressed into service this week because I'd either uploaded the image already or I could re-use some of my published photos: I try not to do the latter if possible, but right now needs must. I also have some photos in my emails, like the one kindly sent by Mark which I used for Monday's post. These will help to keep things going for a little longer.

So apologies for not taking you back to Westonbirt for more glorious autumn colour; or telling you about various garden visits I've made recently; or walking you past more public planting and some of the quirky things I've found over the summer. The results of my air-pot potato trial and showing off my apple and pear harvest will also have to wait. However, I'll still be endeavouring to write something for you daily and hopefully it won't be as picture-lite as this post!

But really in the scheme of things my woes are pretty minor, hence why I'm calling my situation a niggling nuisance rather than a disaster. Please bear with me whilst I try to resume normal service ASAP :)

Breaking News: And Now for something Nice! I have a guest post on that marvellous new blog today, which concerns something very close to our hearts: Encounters With Remarkable Biscuits, telling you all about A Bit On The Side ;)

For more Narratives on the subject of N (and more than likely with lots of pictures too), do consult the ABC Wednesday blog.

Comments

  1. Anna21 October 2009 at 08:51

    Oh no VP - lots of nashing of teeth I would imagine :(
    Hope that you are able access your photos before long.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anna21 October 2009 at 09:01

    Need more coffee - meant to say gNashing of teeth :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Esther Montgomery21 October 2009 at 11:12

    Bet it rattles you all up and you feel different all day. I'd feel very annoyed and bereft and disconcerted.

    I've begun responding to memes. I'm doing them as a group and over several posts. Hope this is ok.

    It begins here

    http://esthersboringgardenblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/starting-on-memes.html

    Esther

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous21 October 2009 at 11:33

    Oh poor you, VP. Not having access to the photos is disconcerting. Thanks for the tip of having some loaded for future posts, something I never do in advance but will start doing now. Can't wait to read your biscuit story! :-)
    Frances

    ReplyDelete
  5. CanadianGardenJoy21 October 2009 at 11:35

    VP girl ... I feel for you .. even with my relatively new lap top , when that fan hits things do slow down .. might be ALL of the pictures I have on here too .. not to self .. must transfer to a disc SOON ! .. the thing of not having access to your pictures ( can make us CRAZY !) .. good luck with getting back to normal .. well, as much to normal as possible ??
    Joy ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Esther Montgomery21 October 2009 at 11:42

    The fan - I have that trouble too.

    There are two things which help with my laptop and may with yours . . .

    The more that is stored on it, the sooner the fan kicks in. So when the fan starts working over-time, I delete as many files as I can or move them onto memory sticks.

    The other is I that I always prop its back legs on something so the laptop tips forward enough to let more cooling air flow underneath it without slowing me down with my typing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Helen/patientgardener21 October 2009 at 12:22

    How fustrating I was without access to my photos for the last couple of weeks due to the new kitchen so understand what you are suffering. My son's laptop cuts out as well but we have found that the key is to keep the vents clear. In his case, these are on the underneath of the laptop so he tilts it against a book so the ait can circulate better and it seems to work. Phone me if you want me to explain that better!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rose21 October 2009 at 13:48

    In the grand scheme of things a malfunctioning computer is just a niggling nuisance, but not looking at the "grand scheme" for the moment, it's darned frustrating! Hope you can get it repaired soon, VP!

    As for me, I had NO time to do an ABC post today:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Victoria Summerley21 October 2009 at 13:51

    Never mind, VP, you are just as entertaining without pictures. A bit like Radio 4!

    ReplyDelete
  10. our friend Ben21 October 2009 at 14:10

    Ack, poor VP! But here's a simple way to keep the old laptop from overheating and having to deal with the slowdown and fan noise: Set it on one of the wire cooling racks cookware shops sell for cooling biscuits/cookies. This will raise the laptop about an inch off your desk and allow air to flow under it and cool it. I have one that's just a few inches wider than my laptop, so it fits neatly on my computer desk. The fan never comes on!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Carrie21 October 2009 at 14:28

    Ohhhh, computers are EVIL!! I've only just got back to full flow after my battery cable went poof! Thank god for Amazon and their speedy delivery. No graphics card - that is the ultimate nastiness.

    Ah biscuits, I love that blog, technically I am Carrie, plain, but there hasn't been room to publish them all yet, haha.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Plant Mad Nige21 October 2009 at 16:08

    Clearly, you need a Mac computer.
    Or do you already have one?

    Niggling is exactly the right word. Niggling nuisances are like tiny thorns embedded in your fingers, or a splinter you can hardly see, let alone tease out with a needle. A gash with stitches is surely less painful, plus, you get scads of sympathy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Katney21 October 2009 at 18:06

    Ah, yes. Been there done that and back in business thanks to my dear son-in-law--one of the techie nerds of the family of techie nerds I belong to and the most willing of them to offer assistance.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nell Jean21 October 2009 at 18:31

    I hope you get your computer nuisance woes solved really soon.

    We have server problems and printer problems and the resolution is taking what seems like forever. We're sitting here waiting for the delivery of the second new card for the server to replace the first replacement which was misordered from the store. A refurbished printer to replace the non-functioning one is also for delivery, after they sent ink cartridges twice and it still didn't work. We could be frolicking in the city if not for such inconveniences.

    We'll both be back on track soon. Hold that thought.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Joanne21 October 2009 at 21:58

    Niggling nuisance a bit like a bad back when you want to garden then.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Gail21 October 2009 at 23:16

    I am so very sorry to hear about your computer! it would make me very cranky! I don't think I could go cold turkey! As an aside, I've had my own blunders with blogging recently! Now I am off to read encounters with biscuits! They've been delicious stories! gail

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tumblewords:22 October 2009 at 05:23

    Sorry about the niggling nuisance. I can surely relate - the fan went out on my desktop machine last week and I was stranded until I found a local shop tech with a replacement. Seemed like forever!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Roger Owen Green22 October 2009 at 11:25

    we all know what it's like. bummer.

    ReplyDelete
  19. VP22 October 2009 at 21:12

    Yippee, everyone - it's all fixed! Thanks for your good wishes and concern, it's helped lighten a trying few days :)

    Esther, PG, OFB - thanks for the laptop hints and tips :) It could have been much worse, when we were wireless, it used to crash after half an hour!

    Nige - the last time I used a Mac was 11 years ago at the charity I worked for. Great kit, I especially liked the steaming hot cup of coffee icon which used to appear instead of the eggtimer if the computer thought you were going to have a particularly long wait for something!

    And everyone who's recounted their own woes - I hope they get sorted out soon and hurrah for techie sons, son-in-laws, engineer hubbies (in my case) etc etc. :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter,
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi
Read more