blakeyboy

I am writing this at 20 past 7 in the evening, in the first week of June, and in my lounge it's 12˚C 12. Bloody freezing. Got a scarf on. Indoors. In June.

Oh it's all mad- paranoia, speculation blah blah If I were running Russia, and needed to be the type of leader Russians like, I would do exactly what Putin is doing right now...... whether they attack or not is not important- he's generated panic by moving around what he owns, on land he owns. If he isn't planning anything, he must be falling about laughing, and if he is going to invade, he knows that not much will happen, like with Crimea. Win win for him. I had to explain to someone in Belgium how the French for 'Putin' is not actually accurate, since pronouncing it as the Francophones otherwise would would be 'Putain' which is not a complementary term...he didn't know, fell about laughing, so of course I pointed out that what the media tell him about the Russian build up may also not be true.....we are all in the dark, most of the time.

Gaviscon.

I can't afford one since putting all my money into phlogiston.

What slow cold start after a cold shock- clematis almost non- existent, caesalpinia gilliesii may be about to shoot, but may be dead, and in the greenhouse the turmeric is stubbornly refusing to throw up shoots. Only one overwintering echium survived this year, but a whole crop of seedlings popped up in the compost when I re-potted the Confederate Rose, which I hope chooses this year to start flowering, but things better warm up for that to happen...... I had to type 'echium' so many times until i managed to stop this site from typing 'schism'.... .....having schisms popping up in the garden would really be surreal.....:-)

Finally did that castle- superb gardens, especially if you are into trees...

No big leaves yet- far too early. Only put out the tropical stuff this week.

My clematis have been hammered, too. But, there are upsides - anyone else with the happiest-looking roses for years? It's like they enjoyed the freeze...

When I was a child, in Kidderminster, big marbles or ball bearings were called 'bolchies' I cannot find a reference to this online anywhere. Does this ring any bell with anyone? Strangely, the only thing I've found is that a 'bolche' is a large boiled sweet, if you are Danish....

I email the coin pic to myself. I can choose the rough file size before sending. Very quick and easy, but does your way compress so that better detail is kept?

That's a tricky one - where do you draw the line as regards varieties? I have some pennies that are not listed as 'varieties' yet, but more may exist, but for the moment, there are but one example. Are these 'desirable' rare coins? Not yet, they're not. I found a 1862 'B' halfpenny in a tin of crap coins a few years ago. That was rare and fun!

After exhaustive research, I have decided it's time for me to pass on my knowledge of how to make sense of Ebay listings. (Apologies if this has already been done.) "Some luster" (sic) Polished flat. "Collectable condition" Flat "Unsorted" Sorted "Unsearched" All valuable coins spotted and removed "Mint error" Hit with hammer "Rare" Common "Very rare" Very common "Great patina" Dug up "Proof" Worn "Wonderful natural toning" Terrible artificial toning

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I haven't had my garden take such a winter hammering for years. There was a 4 day period in mid-December where it stayed below zero by day, but by night was -5, -6 and -8.... 1 dahlia left, 1 tiny canna shoot left, in very well sheltered large covered tubs, that have been there for 20 years. I have a cordyline australis that is now mush. I have just put out my tropical stuff, the latest in the year I have done that for 15 years.

Agree absolutely. My F67 is NEF, an accidental find in a cheap tin of stuff. My F77 is NVF, and my F78 is NEF, both cheap, not noticed, on Ebay. I've yet to see any advances on those three on Ebay, and I've been looking for 10 years....

Roadworks, M40 merging onto M42, South East of Birmingham. Speed limit 50mph. Speed limit for the workmen, 11 mph. Not 10, or 15, but 11. All the way along. Why the strange figure? Is it to stop drivers mistaking it as their speed limit, where a number divisible by 10 is the norm?

....anyway he said it was his fault as he's been run over before......

It is rather apt when discussing the Birmingham area to remember one of Jasper Carrot's better routines....

I will never forget the sad face of the old man as he slid across my bonnet.....

Four words that I put together 30 years ago and has been my main mantra: Hope doesn't change reality. What does anyone expect from the RM? What?

...in your long black limousine.....ever looked into the lyrics? BBC missed it...

...the amount of diamonds destroyed by hitting them with a hammer, whilst 'proving' they weren't diamonds....the only thing that I think is amazing about diamonds is that they conduct heat five times as well as copper....

Pull up to the bumper baby...

Yes, very sad, and of course it took dear Kenny Everett too. I had a 38 year old studio engineer in the workshop this week who had never heard of Kenny Everett.....how quickly people are forgotten.