Friday, August 26, 2011

Plantsman, Plumber, and a Cat Lover

Friday, August 26, 2011   Mark and Gaz   12 comments

Real life gets in the way of blogging sometimes!

Graptopetalum paraguayense
It's been a very busy few days here again, with the garden and the project, and on top of that life in general. Oh yes, then there's work. Busy, busy times at work for the both of us and when we get home we have to sort out a few other things too. But all good, with a dash of stress to spice things up.

When we both get home from our full time jobs we only have a narrow window of free time to sort out other things, including doing a bit more with our new pond and maintenance of the rest of the garden. We're at the stage of sorting out more technical parts of the pond build too and that takes alot of time and thought.

A new and still enlarging Trevesia palmata leaf
Lately I feel more like a plumber than a plantsman, so many things to figure out and decide upon. Pressure pipe, soil pipe, solvent weld, ball valve, gate valve, etc. All new to me and not what I usually encounter in my everyday life (nor I have previous experience and interest in this department!). And I have to choose and make decisions. So lots of researching, learning, planning, and discussing with more experienced pond builders. No room for mistakes here. But at least I know once the set up is done, it is done and I can move on to more exciting things, like plants perhaps.

So not a lot of time thinking about plants in the past few weeks, been mostly thinking about 'building' stuff. However, a quick walk down the garden; a bit of plant  tidying, pruning, and sweeping is the refreshing tonic I need when things get too 'technical'.

One thing I do enjoy and keeps the 'plantsman' in me ticking is reading The Garden magazine which we get every month as part of our RHS membership. There are loads of interesting and helpful articles, and definitely something new to learn everytime within the wonderful realm of horticulture. A relaxing bed time reading material for me.

So at the moment, it's pipes and plumbing that takes the prime spot in my spare time, but the 'plantsman' will always be there, it's just taking a side step for now, but not too long.

And I hope to be able to do more plant blogs in the next few days :-)


As for the Cat lover bit, here's our newest kitten Twinkle. A little bundle of love which also  makes blogging difficult by lying on my keyboard whenever she gets the chance.


Our new kitten Twinkle
www.rhs.org.uk

Mark

Posted in: Twinkles

12 comments :

  1. Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)27 August 2011 at 00:52

    Mark, I don't envy you, having to deal with the plumbing stuff. I don't have much interest in that kind of stuff either. Kudos to you and Gaz for diving into this with such enthusiasm!

    Twinkle is a great name such as cute bundle of fur. I thought you might end up going for a plant-inspired name, like Panax :-).

    Gerhard
    :: Bamboo and More ::

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sunray Gardens27 August 2011 at 09:57

    It's a huge project, not only in the amount of work, but as you say, the technical parts. It's wise to be careful as you are doing to make sure you get it right. Your new kitty is adorable.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

    ReplyDelete
  3. Helen/patientgardener27 August 2011 at 12:39

    I have huge projects to do over the autumn and winter including turning pond into a bog garden there is so much to do I am at the stage where I dont know where to start. Looking forward to seeing the completed pond

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alistair27 August 2011 at 15:00

    I remember those times when there wasn't enough hours in the day, it all sorts itself out, you will have to wait a few decades yet though, oh and then you are too tired to do anything. Don't give up blogging though, how else will I be able to find out what others are getting up to. Twinkle, smilingly fantastic. Someone just told me that leaving a comment on my blog was a bit of a palaver as they have to manually add their name, email address and website each time. If you have to do this perhaps you can let me know when you have the time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Janet/Plantaliscious27 August 2011 at 16:18

    Good luck with the plumbing - can be so bewildering, though knowing people who have done similar things must help.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mark and Gaz27 August 2011 at 19:20

    Hi Gerhard, sorting out the pipes and plumbing isn't the most exciting part of the build. It can be a bit of a mental struggle sometimes trying to figure out something that isn't natural to you but it's all part of the learning process. I'll be glad once all of this bit has been sorted out.

    Deciding on the new kitten's name was hard work too, so many options :) a bit late now but Panax is a great suggestion!

    Hi Cher, I'm taking my time indeed to avoid mistakes and make sure I make the right choices. And I agree Twinkles is adorable :)

    HI Helen, it can be daunting at times, especially trying to figure out when to start a big project. Make your first set of decisions when relaxed and well rested. I like the sound of your new project, looking forward to seeing the photos as you go on with it and watching its progress :)

    Not enough hours in the day indeed Alistair, add to that hours with decent dry weather too. Not giving up blogging yet, just have to take pauses now and again when it gets busy here :) We've still got too many blogging ideas brewing at the back of our minds to stop blogging.

    I personally don't find leaving a comment on your blog any extra hassle than it does with others. On the settings of my computer, after initially putting in all the details it's been asking for, it remembers them and autofills the spaces the next time I leave a comment.

    Hi Janet, at least we're lucky in that we have that back-up, belonging in the koi club and all. The boys there have been giving us valuable advice along the way. The actual experience of others are so much better than the things that are stated in books :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. HolleyGarden27 August 2011 at 21:47

    Tinkle is adorable! I agree the plumbing part of the pond can be overwhelming. And so crucial! I'm anxiously awaiting the big reveal. It will all be worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. fer28 August 2011 at 06:21

    I am sure the hard work will pay off and you will be back to dealing with plants soon. good luck with the projects, looking forward to see the results

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nic28 August 2011 at 15:25

    Good luck with everything! Twinkle is absolutely adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pat29 August 2011 at 12:14

    The internet forgives you for not spending your entire life blogging as you have added a kitten picture, keeping the web functional for another day. Kawaiiiii!

    Seriously, quality is what I expect from you, don't worry about quantity.

    Perhaps Nepeta would not be exotic enough? Orthosiphon? Uncaria?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Bom29 August 2011 at 17:17

    I can definitely related to real life getting in the way not just sometimes but most of the time. Haha!

    Good luck with your project. Do you follow The Elephant's Eye blog? Diana and her husband also made a pond and had some trouble with it a few months back. It might be helpful to check it out so as not to make a similar mistake.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mark and Gaz30 August 2011 at 12:35

    Thanks Fer, College Gardener. I agree Twinkles is adorable :)

    Thanks for visiting Pat :) Kittens/Cats and Gardening seem to go hand in hand so effortlessly. I'll try my best to keep up with the 'quality' bit at least :)

    How true Bom! Although I do find blogging fun most of the time and enjoy taking the time to do it, and read lots of others too :) I'll check out the blog you recommended, the content might come in handy for us!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to reply to our post, we love reading comments and hearing your views.

Due to the increased level of spam, please note comments on older posts are moderated and only published after approval. All new comments are read and any spam is deleted.