Botanical blunderings on a budget - good life starts here.

Wordsmith

Hi, Pippi. 'Scuse me butting in - I try to keep up with your diary but it moves fast so I may have missed bits - I was wondering if you had thought about being an open-learning writer/tutor? There are lots of online/distance learning horticultural courses and they all need tutors. Alternatively, you could write and tutor your own courses - the writing takes time, of course, but once it's written, the course can be used over and over again, with just a bit of tweaking as experience shows what works and what doesn't. It would be good use of your photos, too. If it interests you, this is my specialist area (distance learning, not gardening), so feel free to ask away if you want to know more.

What about running your own one-day workshops? This would be a good way of building your teaching confidence and by working to your own agenda so you can start by staying completely in your comfort zone and then building on it when you feel able. Lots of people would love to do a workshop concentrating on one specific aspect - as you know, even experienced people like to do them. Or offer a week-long course along with bed and breakfast - you'd have us queuing up.

Have you thought of selling your photos, i.e. becoming your own picture library? Designers of all sorts of publications will pay (well) for a really good photo. Or what about turning some into cards - another diarist, Amatheya, is an artist and sells cards of her pictures, so she might be able to point you in the direction of printers etc. Sell them on your own website and to shops (especially local ones).

Cheery_Daff

lots of good ideas here pippi! :T :T Glad your talk went well Of course it did will pass on message to Mr Cheery, glad it helped xx

Pippilongstocking

MrsMoo2U wrote: »

Great link Trog.
Morning all. Just rushing through, have prepared for my teleconference in 10mins. I am chairing so cant be late and thought I would pop head over fence.

I always act when I am presenting. I still have delusions that I will be like Richard wotsit off One Foot in the Grave and be discovered at a ripe old age and become famous. Might help if i joined an acting group. I love the idea of the tin of beans. See you are finding your own style. It is all about finding little hooks and connecting with people I think. Mind you at my WI presentation on Monday one lady at the back fell asleep whilst knitting very funny indeed when I went round the back of the audience to talk and my booming voice woke her up and she tried to pretend she had been awake all of the time. Mind politics can be boring.

Catch up later.

That made me giggle - mind politics - they should stay awake! I think my style is verylike, um, who was the man who destroyed everything and said um betty alot?:rotfl:

Wordsmith wrote: »

Hi, Pippi. 'Scuse me butting in

(never apologise for blethering, we're olympic at it on here (no offence everyone) but often I can barely keep up, even with me!)

*Hello*

- I try to keep up with your diary but it moves fast so I may have missed bits - I was wondering if you had thought about being an open-learning writer/tutor?

No I hadn't because despite having done an online/distance horticultural course myself, I'd never thought of it,,,,,,,,,:o
(don't I love you lot and :money:)

There are lots of online/distance learning horticultural courses and they all need tutors.

OK where do I start?:A please......

Alternatively, you could write and tutor your own courses - the writing takes time, of course, but once it's written, the course can be used over and over again, with just a bit of tweaking as experience shows what works and what doesn't.

We've written the one I'm delivering (well its half written, which I've written and I've the half in note form a work in progress.................hard work but like you said when its done that will be it

It would be good use of your photos, too.

As I have over 10,000 *well its more than that but don't tell, I sound like more of a geek than normal* that would be a good idea to work with them too thank you :A

If it interests you, this is my specialist area (distance learning, not gardening), so feel free to ask away if you want to know more.

I do and I'll PM YOU :A:A:A

What about running your own one-day workshops? This would be a good way of building your teaching confidence and by working to your own agenda so you can start by staying completely in your comfort zone and then building on it when you feel able. Lots of people would love to do a workshop concentrating on one specific aspect - as you know, even experienced people like to do them. Or offer a week-long course along with bed and breakfast - you'd have us queuing up.

Thought about this without the b&B bit - current house (as my visitors will tell you, is more than a bit ramshackle):o but hope that the new one (3 years time) on the mainland will be perfect for this kind of thing

Have you thought of selling your photos, i.e. becoming your own picture library? Designers of all sorts of publications will pay (well) for a really good photo. Or what about turning some into cards - another diarist, Amatheya, is an artist and sells cards of her pictures, so she might be able to point you in the direction of printers etc. Sell them on your own website and to shops (especially local ones).

I've not developed my photos at all, I've no online cataglogue or anything, its on my 'to do' list but not done anythig gbut KEEP taking botanical pictures, I'm an obsessive compulsive it would appear.

Thank you very much a lot of great idea there.:A:T:A:T I've always thought that as I'm so far away from anything else horticultural, being up here in the winter isles I'm very limited by working in that field. Hadn't really thought of it as not a barrier before.

How exciting.:A I'll PM you later thank you for popping in. I really appreciate it.

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

lots of good ideas here pippi! :T :T Glad your talk went well Of course it did will pass on message to Mr Cheery, glad it helped xx

Aren't I very lucky to have such lovely folk here on mse.....Thank him very much Mrs C-D -

Karmacat

Lovely ideas - once you love the area you're in, like you do with plants, opportunities keep on presenting themselves!

Pippilongstocking

Karmacat wrote: »

Lovely ideas - once you love the area you're in, like you do with plants, opportunities keep on presenting themselves!

I love that you put a lovely positive spin on my 'obsessive compulsive botanical behaviour'

:A thank you :A

I'd never thought of developing that kind of work. And, talking of obsessive compulsive behaviour - the boys made the stew, its time for a walk to spy a bit of fresh air and plants, we might go to the 'other' forest (well woodland) for a plod with a doggie.

I've even done a tiny bit of web work this am, I now have 2 plants in my website and have looked at services with a new eye having seen Trogs link. :A

Time for walkies. Have a great afternoon everyone

Wordsmith

There are lots of online/distance learning horticultural courses and they all need tutors.

OK where do I start?:A please......

Google search for "horticulture distance learning". But one good place to start would be the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (http://www.rbge.org.uk/education/horticulture-botany-and-environment/horticulture). Another is www.edinburghgardenschool.com. Places like this hardly ever advertise for tutors, so I'd search for courses you like the look of and get your CV to them (making much of any teaching/supervising you've done).

Also, distance learning colleges that do leisure subjects are often open to suggestions for courses - such as www.oxford-learning.com. Look also at http://www.acsedu.co.uk/ and http://www.stonebridge.uk.com/. Pitch an idea, write a course (for payment), let them develop it, tutor on it (for payment).

If you are interested in science in general, contact the Open University, as you'd be eligible for tutoring on their general science/biology courses, I'm sure.

There are also a lot of GCSE and A'Level courses that someone with your background could tutor on (if you wanted to try a wider field) - biology, environment, general science (e.g. www.nec.co.uk).

This one is in Ireland, but I like the look of it: http://organiccollege.com/distance-learning/1-introduction-and-background/.

Alternatively, you could write and tutor your own courses - the writing takes time, of course, but once it's written, the course can be used over and over again, with just a bit of tweaking as experience shows what works and what doesn't.

We've written the one I'm delivering (well its half written, which I've written and I've the half in note form a work in progress.................hard work but like you said when its done that will be it

And that course would be a great way to start, as it's nearly all done anyway. Convert your notes and handouts into a written course and add some assignments.

Feel free to pm me.

Pippilongstocking

Wordsmith a quick thank you, I'll PM you properly later - really dashing the now.

Lightbulb moment, I'm an ex-student (twice) of RBGE - I'll also email the HOD there and see how to get my name into the pot for anything like that at the gardens. When I opened the page, I thought, OK, daftie, they even know you. Doh, I'm hoping thats a good thing (!).

I'm going to go through the links later, I've a seperate ecology/science degree too which I did with UHI/OU. And, am very interested in science.

Thank you xxxxxxxxxx

Awa' oot tae the squall - I might never return.

(taking the dramatics a bit too far here)

xx

Cheery_Daff

ooooh! Camping in your garden and courses in the polytunnel!! :j :j

lotti379

:hello: Hi there everyone :hello:

Just popping in to see how things are going, haven't been on MSE much for a couple of months (oh and how it shows on the bank accounts ), but am catching up of sorts! Finishing off my cuppa before heading out into the garden - I'm sure the wind down here would feel like a light hint of breeze to you pippi, but it seems quite blowy to me! :rotfl:

I have a question too actually, if you have a minute (which looks unlikely from the hundreds of things you have going on at the mo!)... I have a rather pot-bound basil plant on my windowsill, do you think there is any point repotting it at this stage in the year or best to start afresh in the spring?

And before anyone asks, my current gardening prowess only extends to clearing weeds, picking very late courgettes, and digging! Nothing too technical just yet :rotfl:

Karmacat

Fantastic! This is really exciting!


ETA - Lotti, I'm not sure Pippi's coming back on, but she mentioned a couple of weeks ago about buying a reduced rate basil in the supermarket, I think, so I bet she'd say to give it a go!