Is there an 'Introduce yourself' thread?

[pigletwillie]

Welcome Jenny and Tammie to the grapevine. I am sure you will become slightly addicted to the forum as many of us are.

Please dont be backwards in coming forwards with and questions or to show off your successes or indeed failures.

[Headfry]

welcome, Jenny and Tammy enjoy, enjoy,enjoy!
All good folks here with tons of help given in kind sprit!

[Littleweeme]

Aw thanks for all your welcomes guys

Wayne, t'other half is not called herbs but I think its quite good and he may get called it one day just to see if he answers!

No our veggie patch is definitely not ready for this year. It is still very much a clay patch and nowhere near ready for planting. Its right up against some new decking which isn't quite finished and we've already had old stray potatoes sprouting up under it, which may have been nice were it not for the grubs feasting on them.

I think i have a piccy of it somewhere (the patch not the potatoes) i'll hook it out and post it.

Anyhoodle I am in need of a herbal brew. I'll find piccies of my veggie patch to be!

[Littleweeme]

Ok so where you see the fence panels is where the veggie patch is going to go. The panels are gone now and I really should get an up to date piccy cos the tiny plants in the pots are now humungous and I have also stained the decking since then lol!

BUT the patch is still in need of raising, digging over, fertilising and sorting for the diff veg. Unless you can recommend any veg that grow in clay based soil?

[shirlthegirl43]

Stick some stuff in containers for this year - at least you will get started with growing and see what you enjoy and what works in your area. If you manage to get a bit of the garden sorted out you can transfer some things to that if you want.

[Littleweeme]

Oooooooo Shirley, thats a great idea! Would July be too late to plant? Were on hol till the 11th, wouldn't want to plant and leave them and do you suggest using soil from the patch or just multi compost?

[moggssue]

Hi Tammy and Jenny - from one even shorter at 4'9 and looking for some fast grow compost! Hope you enjoy visiting here and get as much advice, encouragement and joy as I do.

[shirlthegirl43]

Whatever is easier for soil, I use mult purpose compost for most stuff (lighter to move the pots) and soil for carrots (no deep enough soil in the garden). I am sure some things will be fine planted then - kale can be planted up until August or you could plant stuff and leave it to do its thing and they should be sprouting when you get back - how long are you away for? I find that if the buckets are in a shady spot they stay damp for a good long time. Maybe someone could call round every few days and water things for you, it isn't an every day thing.

[Polly Fouracre]

Hello Jenny,
I was looking for a seed company site and found myself here and jolly interesting it is too!
I have a fairly big garden which I love,nine dogs,loads of aviary birds and three chickens-oh! and of course a for-acre field which we run our dogs on.I dream of doing great things with that but am probably too long in the tooth now,I will just enjoy it.
I too worked with racehorses for many years in my youth,in National Hunt stables and thought I would do nothing else with my life,then along came marriage and babies and gardening took over.
I would be interested in your racing experiences,I dare say a lot of things have changed. I dont suppose lads still work fourteen hours a day,seven days a week for little more than love of horses. And are all stable hands,whether male or female still called "lads"?
Look forward to hearing from you,
Polly.

[nick the grief]

Hi Jenny and Tammie and Welcome to the VIne.

I hope you find it a useful site ... you should do as we are all brilliant

[Flummery]

Hi Jenny and Tammie and Welcome to the VIne.

I hope you find it a useful site ... you should do as we are all brilliant

And modest?

[Littleweeme]

Well Nick as you know brilliance attracts brilliance!!!

Polly, racing is just as bad now as it was then only nowadays no one gives a 'throw things in the air and rhymes with boss' about the job really.

There is still the Stable Lads Association and Welfare Trust but I think they are trying to use the term Stable Staff as opposed to Lads. I think Lads sums up the staff just fine though because us lasses are every bit as hardy and capable of doing the same job as the 'lads' and I would always say I was a stable lad.

When i started out I was a stable lad (still love that term) I earned 50 quid a week, paid half my wages on food and the rest on rent, started at 7.30am, finished at 5 in a yard of about 20 horses and I loved every minute of it.

When I finished last year I was Head Lass on 350 quid a week, started at 5.30 finished at 7pm and did almost 60 hour weeks in a yard of up to 100 horses. I barely know what a weekend is now, no idea what a bank holiday looks like or what your supposed to do on one and I ended up loathing it.

A lot of it in the end was because of personal circumstances but the kids in it nowadays just have no respect at all either for the horses, the job or senior staff and when you think you can die from a kick from a horse and they are just so blase about handling them... I just got tired of trying to get them to appreciate what line of work they were in. My love for it ran out. Your lucky to see more than 3, if any, older lads in any one yard these days, especially larger yards. The 'oldies' tend to have worked for their 'guvnor' for as long as they remember and like I said, respect is something your supposed to have for the teenagers not the other way round!
It certainly isn't what it used to be so cherish the days you were in the racing game because I longed for the 'old ways' for the last few years but they are long gone now. Glad I was around in them days though.

[rustylady]

Hello and welcome to the vine Littleweeme and Finedon.Dandy

Jenny, I too am still 5'2" despite 32 years of horse owning. It shouldn't be too late for you to plant some veg this year though. Some things are just coming into their time for planting so you could have a go. There is a thread about planting late crops - thread title 'sowing late crops' - which shows what everyone is planting now, it might help you.

Tammy, sounds like you have a lot happening there. I am still trying to tame my garden after 10 years living here - we spent the first 8 sorting the house out!

5' 2" - you lot are lucky - I was 5' and half an inch at my last check and that was a few years ago. I've probably shrunk a bit since then. Mind you, you meet some very nice people when you can't reach the stuff on the top shelves of supermarkets.

[Polly Fouracre]

When I started in racing I earned THREE pounds a week,half of which went on my keep!! Mind you,that was forty years ago!! (as I recall the other half went on fags,Mars Bars and the bookies)
We would have worked for nothing though,just for the horses. What a pity in a way that it has changed as although we were exploited the spirit of racing was there,the thrills and spills as it were.
Up at four,doing our four(or more) litter up! litter down,a neat roll of straw around the doorway! And the Head Lads cutting tongue and slap around the head if things werent quite right!
I remember in my zeal cleaning the Head Lads saddle with Kocholene and being made to ride out in it til it wore off.
Wewre they happy days? Or do they just seem so?
Anyway,thanks for the memories and good luck with your gardening. A much easier way of life!

[Flummery]

5' 2" - you lot are lucky - I was 5' and half an inch at my last check and that was a few years ago. I've probably shrunk a bit since then. Mind you, you meet some very nice people when you can't reach the stuff on the top shelves of supermarkets.

Our lad (now 32 and 6' 7") was with me at the supermarket as a teenager of a mere 6' 4". The shop's security guard said gruffly, 'How big are you, lad?' 'Six four' answered The Boy. 'Do me a favour then, and don't nick anything!' replied the guard.