Hi all from I.

[Bluenowhere]

Enjoy, look forward to updates when you can

[Mr Bones]

Good to see you again Snadger. Hope your move goes well.

[Snadger]

Still alive and kicking........well.................still alive anyway!

Fully moved into my retirement cottage now and was able to pay off the mortgage so I am now living mortgage free!!!!!Yippeeeee!

The house is still a work in progress though but I am getting there.(Sorting getting the woodburner hooked up at the mo)
Today I started back at work on a casual basis covering for staff holidays. If I get these two weeks under my belt and work out whether this casual lark is worth the effort I can decide whether just to say "Goodbye and no thanks" or use the 20 days a year pay as pocket money.
Visited the scrapheap this evening on my way back from my 60 mile round journey. Dug up some spuds and grabbed a few onions. Some toe rag had broken into my summer house but there was nowt worth taking.
I spent all Saturday on my new plot weeding and tidying. Sweetcorn is growing well and the two courgette plants are still pumping out courgettes with gay abandon.
Need to get some japanese onion sets for overwintering on the new plot.
All my cardboard boxes that were used for moving have been fully utilised on the plot for weed control
I have a pumpkin and a butternut squash plant striving for world domination on the plot but I don't care as the leaves give good weed control.
The leeks have went to seed but the Yacon is doing well. I managed to get a 1000litre IBC dropped off and need to get it plumbed into the shed and greenhouse guttering system.
Even had a bit of time to tidy up my garden and paint the shed.

All in all, life is good and I am looking forward to spending more time on my numerous hobbies.

TTFN peeps,

[Two_Sheds]

Hi old friend.
I have also stepped back from the internetting, unless I have insomnia (yes, been awake since 3am again today)
Get some photos up of your new plot

[geepee]

Good luck with it all Snadger and great to see you back on here.
Gp

[Jay-ell]

Well hello stranger - nice to see you back on the vine
(could apply to Snadger or TS )

[Snoop Puss]

Hello, hello and welcome back. You seem to have got things sorted nicely. Hope you have a lovely retirement with a bit of extra pocket money on top. Sounds just perfect.

[Nicos]

You still in Newcastle Snadge?

[bramble]

Delighted to see you back again Snadge.
I,was about to,post in the thread....anybody know where Snadge went.
Happy retirement, enjoy every minute.

[bazzaboy]

Well hello stranger - nice to see you back on the vine
(could apply to Snadger or Two_Sheds )

Yes, great to see those two names together again, Snadger was one of the first to reply to my very first GYO post back in August 2007 (I’d just retired) so thinking back to that makes me feel 11 years younger. And Two_Sheds re-visiting again I’d spotted yesterday and had a chat. The collective wisdom of this site is extraordinary and Snadger and Two_Sheds have always been excellent contributors to it.

Thinking back 11 years and spotting those two names makes me recall quite vividly several others who seem to have disappeared (I could list them but won't just now) but whose experience and advice (not necessarily in response to my own questions but also general posts) echo every time I do something in garden or allotment. Privacy online is an important aspect – you very seldom know who a particular member is, you might know their approximate location, gender/age if they choose to reveal it, and seed-swaps might result in more familiarity and possibly even friendships – but in general everyone remains more or less anonymous behind a username. The site is very effective at tracing visits and posts of its 70,000+ members - I think I’m right in saying that once you’ve joined it you can’t leave it, you just stop posting/visiting and disappear. I haven’t waded through the 1000+ pages of Members Names but a majority seem to join but never post or only post a few times and don’t revisit. But a significant minority are or have been very generous with their experience and wisdom over many years - and Snadger and Two_Sheds are certainly in that number - and I for one feel very grateful to them: a Thank You to them and all contributors, taught me a lot!.