Rafa Benitez has said Gerrard will continue to lead Liverscum out of the tunnel. Just as soon as he's dug it!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Sow those onions and shallots
Well I'm glad that load of nonsense (Christmas) is over and done with for another year. And hasn't the choice of telly programmes been absolutely crap? Apart from a few back editions of Ground Force and Griff Rhys-Jones 'Mountain' it's been truly awful.
Yesterday I had 4 box tickets through one our suppliers to watch the Newcastle-Liverscum game. Can't decide whether Liverscum are serious threats to Man U or whether Newcastle were seriously crap but we had an excellent day out all the same. Newcastle is a really amazing city and I'd advice anyone to have a day or night out there by the quayside. You have to feel sorry for the fanatical Newcastle supporters who turn out 50,000+ for every home game and then get served up such an inept display as that. Despite being in amongst the Newcastle fans I had a right twat of a (Irish) Liverpool supporter next to me. God I so wanted to smash the bastard's face in! However, this is a peaceful blog and I could never promote such a thing. (Hopefully, someone else will have done it!)
In the next few days I want to sow my onions for the 8oz/250g classes, the varieties I have are Vento and Tasco. It's been cold here over Xmas so I'm in no rush but I do want to get them sown before the first week of January as the idea is to get them grown and harvested by mid August at the latest for them to be ripened in time for the show season (for me the end of August). I shall sow in small trays of compost and keep them indoors. Once the seedlings are at the 'crook' stage I will prick them out into cell trays and put them in my greenhouse under lights in a 'growing chamber' of some description which I shall have to build. I find the growlight gives out quite a bit of heat and this usually keeps them ticking along and keeps them reasonably warm but I will still keep an eye out on the weather forecasts. If a hard frost is forecast I will bring them indoors overnight.
I shall also be potting up my shallots in 2" square pots in the greenhouse. The compost will be watered and the shallot just pressed into it, after which I shall not water again for a few weeks, encouraging good root formation. Shallots are hardy beasts and will survive low temperatures.
An important task I will be undertaking in the next few days is to mark off all my sowing dates in my new RHS diary. I have about a dozen of these now stretching back over the years and carefully transfer my dates from last year's to this, making any minor adjustments according to how varieties grew last season. I also make notes of my tap root mixes and make entries when these have to be ready by, as well as marking when all the Shows I intend to enter are likely to be.
One extra show that I've 'pencilled' in is Malvern as I'm hoping to have a go at some classes in the Midland Championships of the National Vegetable Society. Sadly, this will mean I will be putting in a few less entries in the other village shows that I enter as I want to make sure I give a good account of myself at a higher level. Well....that's the plan for now at any rate!
Yesterday I had 4 box tickets through one our suppliers to watch the Newcastle-Liverscum game. Can't decide whether Liverscum are serious threats to Man U or whether Newcastle were seriously crap but we had an excellent day out all the same. Newcastle is a really amazing city and I'd advice anyone to have a day or night out there by the quayside. You have to feel sorry for the fanatical Newcastle supporters who turn out 50,000+ for every home game and then get served up such an inept display as that. Despite being in amongst the Newcastle fans I had a right twat of a (Irish) Liverpool supporter next to me. God I so wanted to smash the bastard's face in! However, this is a peaceful blog and I could never promote such a thing. (Hopefully, someone else will have done it!)
In the next few days I want to sow my onions for the 8oz/250g classes, the varieties I have are Vento and Tasco. It's been cold here over Xmas so I'm in no rush but I do want to get them sown before the first week of January as the idea is to get them grown and harvested by mid August at the latest for them to be ripened in time for the show season (for me the end of August). I shall sow in small trays of compost and keep them indoors. Once the seedlings are at the 'crook' stage I will prick them out into cell trays and put them in my greenhouse under lights in a 'growing chamber' of some description which I shall have to build. I find the growlight gives out quite a bit of heat and this usually keeps them ticking along and keeps them reasonably warm but I will still keep an eye out on the weather forecasts. If a hard frost is forecast I will bring them indoors overnight.
I shall also be potting up my shallots in 2" square pots in the greenhouse. The compost will be watered and the shallot just pressed into it, after which I shall not water again for a few weeks, encouraging good root formation. Shallots are hardy beasts and will survive low temperatures.
An important task I will be undertaking in the next few days is to mark off all my sowing dates in my new RHS diary. I have about a dozen of these now stretching back over the years and carefully transfer my dates from last year's to this, making any minor adjustments according to how varieties grew last season. I also make notes of my tap root mixes and make entries when these have to be ready by, as well as marking when all the Shows I intend to enter are likely to be.
One extra show that I've 'pencilled' in is Malvern as I'm hoping to have a go at some classes in the Midland Championships of the National Vegetable Society. Sadly, this will mean I will be putting in a few less entries in the other village shows that I enter as I want to make sure I give a good account of myself at a higher level. Well....that's the plan for now at any rate!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
And the winner is..........
It's time for the much coveted Annual Smithyveg Awards (this is the inaugural year!) for the best exhibits I've seen in the last season.
The first award is for the best exhibit during the season grown by me!
In 3rd place my tomatoes at Hathern. http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/08/toms-at-hathern-2008.html
In 2nd place my Sweet Candle stump carrots http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/09/sweet-candle-again.html at Sutton Bonington which also won the carrot class at Littleover a week later
And the winner is......my 'Pinnacle' parsnips at Leicester Show which were described as 'national standard' by a fellow grower (I may have mentioned that once or twice before !!) http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/08/best-in-show.html
The next award is for the best exhibit at a show I exhibited at that was not grown by me!
In 3rd place are the runner beans grown by Mr M Housden at Hathern
In 2nd place is the 8oz onions grown by Mr Ian Justice at Sturton show
And the winner is the blanch leeks also grown by Mr Ian Justice at Sturton which also won best in show. They were suberb....and I really should have taken a photo of them !!!
The 3rd award of the night is for the best vase of dahlias grown by me or anyone!
All 3 prizes go to Mr Kev Broxholme as he seemed to win every dahlia class at every show I attended this season. Big headed sod! http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/10/blyton-lady-in-red-and-blyton-eureka.html
The coveted award for spouting the biggest load of horticultural horsecrap goes to
Garden Organic based at Ryton for the 15th year running. You really do talk the biggest crock of bollocks!
The newcomer of the year award goes jointly to
Steve Turnbull http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/09/well-done-steve.html and James Park http://digtoplant.blogspot.com/2008/08/great-weekend.html
Keep up the good work guys
The penultimate award is the 'I was robbed' award
This season it goes to Liam for his excellent looking collection http://veg4show.blogspot.com/2008/09/nas.html which was beaten by some dodgy looking carrots and two sets of spuds! 6 distinct types should be exactly that!!!
And the final award is for the best dishes I witnessed all season at National Level
3rd place goes to Dave Thornton's shallots at Malvern
2nd place goes to Andrew Jones' tomatoes at Malvern which were narrowly pipped......(fanfare)
1st place Sherie Plumb's incredible runner beans also at Malvern. http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/09/sherie-plumb-queen-of-spuds.html
It only remains for me to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone who is sad enough to read this blog. I'm already making plans for next season but as yet I've done nothing in the garden. I hope to get out over the holiday and do a bit of clearing and tidying but the Peak District is also calling me. I need to get some fresh air inside my lungs as I seem to have spent the last 2 months either stuck in an office or a car!
Oh....and one final award for the most gorgeous creature on Earth! http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/08/21-years-ago-today.html
The first award is for the best exhibit during the season grown by me!
In 3rd place my tomatoes at Hathern. http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/08/toms-at-hathern-2008.html
In 2nd place my Sweet Candle stump carrots http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/09/sweet-candle-again.html at Sutton Bonington which also won the carrot class at Littleover a week later
And the winner is......my 'Pinnacle' parsnips at Leicester Show which were described as 'national standard' by a fellow grower (I may have mentioned that once or twice before !!) http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/08/best-in-show.html
The next award is for the best exhibit at a show I exhibited at that was not grown by me!
In 3rd place are the runner beans grown by Mr M Housden at Hathern
In 2nd place is the 8oz onions grown by Mr Ian Justice at Sturton show
And the winner is the blanch leeks also grown by Mr Ian Justice at Sturton which also won best in show. They were suberb....and I really should have taken a photo of them !!!
The 3rd award of the night is for the best vase of dahlias grown by me or anyone!
All 3 prizes go to Mr Kev Broxholme as he seemed to win every dahlia class at every show I attended this season. Big headed sod! http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/10/blyton-lady-in-red-and-blyton-eureka.html
The coveted award for spouting the biggest load of horticultural horsecrap goes to
Garden Organic based at Ryton for the 15th year running. You really do talk the biggest crock of bollocks!
The newcomer of the year award goes jointly to
Steve Turnbull http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/09/well-done-steve.html and James Park http://digtoplant.blogspot.com/2008/08/great-weekend.html
Keep up the good work guys
The penultimate award is the 'I was robbed' award
This season it goes to Liam for his excellent looking collection http://veg4show.blogspot.com/2008/09/nas.html which was beaten by some dodgy looking carrots and two sets of spuds! 6 distinct types should be exactly that!!!
And the final award is for the best dishes I witnessed all season at National Level
3rd place goes to Dave Thornton's shallots at Malvern
2nd place goes to Andrew Jones' tomatoes at Malvern which were narrowly pipped......(fanfare)
1st place Sherie Plumb's incredible runner beans also at Malvern. http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/09/sherie-plumb-queen-of-spuds.html
It only remains for me to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone who is sad enough to read this blog. I'm already making plans for next season but as yet I've done nothing in the garden. I hope to get out over the holiday and do a bit of clearing and tidying but the Peak District is also calling me. I need to get some fresh air inside my lungs as I seem to have spent the last 2 months either stuck in an office or a car!
Oh....and one final award for the most gorgeous creature on Earth! http://smithyveg.blogspot.com/2008/08/21-years-ago-today.html
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
:o(
Been involved in making people redundant this week.....wouldn't wish it on anybody. My sincerest best wishes to anyone losing their job in the coming months. There are going to be some dark months ahead.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Hehehehe
A Primary Teacher explains to her class that she is a Liverpool fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they too are Liverpool fans. Everyone in the class raises their hand except one little girl.
The teacher looks at the girl with surprise and says, 'Mary, why didn't you raise your hand?'
'Because I'm not a Liverpool fan,' she replied.
The teacher, still shocked, asked, 'Well, if you are not a Liverpool fan, then who are you a fan of?
''I am a Man Utd fan, and proud of it,' Mary replied.
The teacher could not believe her ears. 'Mary, why, pray tell, are you a Man Utd fan?''
Because my mum is a Man Utd fan, and my dad is a Man Utd fan, so I'm a Man Utd fan too!
''Well,' said the teacher in an obviously annoyed tone, 'that is no reason for you to be a Man Utd fan. You don't have to be just like your parents all of the time… What if your mum was a prostitute and your dad was a drug addict, what would you be then?
''Then,' Mary smiled, 'I'd be a Liverpool fan."
The teacher looks at the girl with surprise and says, 'Mary, why didn't you raise your hand?'
'Because I'm not a Liverpool fan,' she replied.
The teacher, still shocked, asked, 'Well, if you are not a Liverpool fan, then who are you a fan of?
''I am a Man Utd fan, and proud of it,' Mary replied.
The teacher could not believe her ears. 'Mary, why, pray tell, are you a Man Utd fan?''
Because my mum is a Man Utd fan, and my dad is a Man Utd fan, so I'm a Man Utd fan too!
''Well,' said the teacher in an obviously annoyed tone, 'that is no reason for you to be a Man Utd fan. You don't have to be just like your parents all of the time… What if your mum was a prostitute and your dad was a drug addict, what would you be then?
''Then,' Mary smiled, 'I'd be a Liverpool fan."
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Huge onion planted
The large onion that I was given back in September has been potted up for seed. It had started to throw out some roots at the base so I stripped back an inch or so of the outer flesh as this will rot off anyway. The 'denuded' bulb was then put onto the surface of some general purpose compost in a 12"pot. The foliage has already started to grow away and I hope to get some seed and pips off this onion in October/November next year in order to grow these for the 2010 season! It will spend the winter in my conservatory and go outside (still in the pot) during late Spring and throughout the summer.
New shallot stock
The top pic shows one of my own shallots which I've had for a number of years now. They're a decent shape but I cannot get them to make any size so I decided to beg some (see 2nd pic) from the NVS General Secretary dave Thornton who came 1st at Malvern and 2nd at the National.
The photo really doesn't do them justice...they are humungous! My wife is adamant they must be small onions. Dave insists he allows 4 bulbs to form on each clump and that any flat sides naturally round up during the drying out process. I'm looking forward to finding out and hope to be able to compete with this new stock of shallots from now on. They'll be planted up in pots during Christmas week.
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