Cats and Orchids

 

Hiya, I`m back at last.  Yesterday I was three quarters into my journal entry when AOL crashed on me.  I just couldn`t be bothered to start all over so here I go again with fingers firmly crossed.

 

We have been having really up and down weather since last week.  The last few days of last week saw some lovely, warm Spring weather. Come Sunday we woke up to a blanket of snow and freezing temperatures, then it cleared as the day wore on leaving it bright but still very cold.  The last few mornings have started cold and frosty but have reaching 16 degs. celsius. The only problem with the frost is that I`ve had to cover up the more vulnerable plants with winter fleece, ie. magnolia "Susan" which is about to bloom and I have no intention of losing the flowers to it

 

Kerry and Slava went to the Dominion theatre in London on Saturday evening to see "We Will Rock You", the musical featuring Queen songs. Kerry bought the tickets as a suprise for Slava`s birthday so of course we had Roman for the day. In the afternoon we all went out to take Jake for a walk. It was raining but we were well wrapped up and Roman loved being able to jump in the puddles wearing his Thomas wellies. When we got home he asked if we could go to B&Q and look around, I couldn`t believe it and asked him why.  "To get some wallpaper Nana".  The poor child has spent so much time in DIY stores since they moved house that he actually enjoys going there now...lol!  He always remarks on our wallpaper, curtains, carpets etc. and he`s not 3 until July,  I`ve said it before but he`s like a little old man!

 

 

 

 

The above photo is, believe it or not, an orchid...and a healthy one at that, though it almost wasn`t.  The leaves were sagging on it and it looked in a very poor state so I took it out of the pot, planning to throw it away. Then I noticed that as well as the old roots that had rotted away there was one thick, healthy root that was providing a good water source. However the old leaves were using the water too and with only one good root eventually they would cause the plant to die of thirst.  So, I cut off the leaves and repotted it in new compost and then I noticed that there are three new roots growing through the main stem and at the top if you look closely, is a new leave emerging.  I have the plant sitting on my computer table because it can get the best light at all times of the day and hopefully soon it will look more like the beautiful plant it should be. And, as I have no life, I even talk to it...lol! ;o)

 

I`ve been really busy at work the last few days, if I haven`t been serving at the till I`ve been running across the planteria or helping a customer with a query. The pace has really stepped up lately and the plants are selling really well now. It will of course get busier and busier as we go towards the planting season, the busiest time of any garden centre`s year. I must admit that being buy like that is what I love about my job. The exercise does me good and the time just flies by AND I get to see all the plants so I have a good idea of what I want in my own garden....AND I get to meet a real assortment of customers, some not great but the majority are really nice friendly people. I always think the difficult customers aren`t very nice people anyway and I don`t want to waste my time worrying about their bad manners, even though they can cause the odd headache for myself and my colleagues.

 

This afternoon I thought I`d have a sneaky peek into the composter in the garden....ugh!  Let`s just say it still has a way to go before I can use it.  I think its too wet and hasn`t had enough air, consequently the smell was horrendous. So, I made some holes in it to let the air in and I`m going to add some dry materials to try to get the desired effect. Oh dear, I`m really not an expert and making compost, I`ll think I`ll look up a site on the internet to get some advice on how to get it right.

 

The cat next door, Willow, has become a good friend of ours. Given half a chance he`d be in through the door like a flash. The only problem in his way is a very indignant Jake who would soon chase him out again. Our neighbour Sean who is Willow`s owner said he is always stalking the birds who use the feeders in our tree and the other day he found a pile of feathers in his garden. Oh well, he is a lovely cat but cats do what they have to do so I won`t hold it against him...lol!  

 

That`s it from me for today, I hope you are all well. Take care and Bye Bye for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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