The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

chris_m

Ah, that's a lovely sight - just looked at the tubs lined up on the patio and my first snowdrops and crocuses are getting ready to open.
Hooray, hooray, Spring's on it way

ivyleaf

I spotted 2 daffs shyly poking their green stems just above the soil yesterday :j

chris_m

ivyleaf wrote: »

I spotted 2 daffs shyly poking their green stems just above the soil yesterday :j

I've had stems poking up for some weeks now - daffs (standard and dwarf), various crocuses, bluebells, snowdrops, hyacinths, tulips, scilla tubergiana, muscari armeniacum and allium moly. This week is the first I've seen flower heads forming on some, though.

There should be some irises too but I think the blasted birds (*) have nipped the stems off, I'll have to see if the bulbs keep trying or not.

(*) Sparrows I think - I've certainly observed the little tinkers stripping the leaves off the broad beans in one bed but, strangely, not in the second bed. Not a problem, the ones they've stripped were only put in to condition the soil and serve as green manure.

I should soon be able to see what of all the plants I put in last year come back OK - a mixture of bulbs and various supposedly hardy perennials. I can see that the evergreen perennials look reasonably happy but, of course, I'll only be able to tell how successful they were when they come out of hibernation.

I've got various seeds ready to sow to fill in any gaps if needed - indeed I have some red hot poker and perennial snapdragon seedlings growing up nicely under the growlight, and others to start sowing from February onwards.

There are some in particular that I'm hoping I can get to grow - thought I'd try passion flowers as they are described as at least half hardy perennials and they certainly are gorgeous flowers.

michaels

chris_m wrote: »

I've had stems poking up for some weeks now - daffs (standard and dwarf), various crocuses, bluebells, snowdrops, hyacinths, tulips, scilla tubergiana, muscari armeniacum and allium moly. This week is the first I've seen flower heads forming on some, though.

There should be some irises too but I think the blasted birds (*) have nipped the stems off, I'll have to see if the bulbs keep trying or not.

(*) Sparrows I think - I've certainly observed the little tinkers stripping the leaves off the broad beans in one bed but, strangely, not in the second bed. Not a problem, the ones they've stripped were only put in to condition the soil and serve as green manure.

I should soon be able to see what of all the plants I put in last year come back OK - a mixture of bulbs and various supposedly hardy perennials. I can see that the evergreen perennials look reasonably happy but, of course, I'll only be able to tell how successful they were when they come out of hibernation.

I've got various seeds ready to sow to fill in any gaps if needed - indeed I have some red hot poker and perennial snapdragon seedlings growing up nicely under the growlight, and others to start sowing from February onwards.

There are some in particular that I'm hoping I can get to grow - thought I'd try passion flowers as they are described as at least half hardy perennials and they certainly are gorgeous flowers.

Aren't you due snow this coming week?

chris_m

michaels wrote: »

Aren't you due snow this coming week?

Don't think so, last I saw it was more in Scotland. We are due heavy rain though. Netweather forecasts a possibility of a dusting of snow but I doubt it'll hit here.

Being so low down and near the coast we don't get much snow where I am - the last lot never got closer to me than about two miles horizontally and 5-600 feet vertically.

silvercar

Inner Hertfordshire people with an interest in libraries:

There seems to be a consultation open on moving the library services away from local authority control.


https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/about-the-council/consultations/libraries-and-archives/inspiring-libraries-2018-2021.aspx

Loanranger

Inspire run our library service and it seems to be well run, they have refurbished the local one in a big way and I use it weekly now. Seems to be a good thing from a customer viewpoint. I have not asked staff if they're happy with it. They are trying very hard to offer an inclusive service.
Their website is only ok, could be improved a little but finding and ordering books and renewing books is very easy.

zagubov

I think libraries are more important than armies or sport stadia or shopping malls (our current cathedrals of consumption).

vivatifosi

silvercar wrote: »

Inner Hertfordshire people with an interest in libraries:

There seems to be a consultation open on moving the library services away from local authority control.


https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/about-the-council/consultations/libraries-and-archives/inspiring-libraries-2018-2021.aspx

AIUI, it won't make much of a difference to the service the public receive. It's all down to saving money. If you run libraries as charities or non-profits, you don't have to pay rates, which you do if you are local government. It would make sense for the government to reduce this crazy anomaly, but until they do...

Pyxis

vivatifosi wrote: »

AIUI, it won't make much of a difference to the service the public receive. It's all down to saving money. If you run libraries as charities or non-profits, you don't have to pay rates, which you do if you are local government. It would make sense for the government to reduce this crazy anomaly, but until they do...

Hang on....... Local Authorities need rates revenue in order to provide services, so if they save paying themselves the rates on libraries, they have less revenue, so less money to provide services.

Seems bonkers!