On 11/03/2013 20:18, Roger Tonkin wrote:
In article ,
says...

I like to use the expression 'Freeze the balls off a brass bedstead'. You
can use that in front of your maiden aunt ;-)

Mike


I wonder in this promiscuous age if such a person
exists!

Read, read, read

It said Maiden Aunt, not Virgin Aunt

On 2013-03-11 19:46:11 +0000, Granity said:

snip
It still is snowing in Alderney, as the puffin webcam shows: 'Alderney
Puffin Cam' (http://tinyurl.com/36nn7e8)

It's so close to France it's probably getting their snow!
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On Mon, 11 Mar 2013 23:51:20 +0100, Martin wrote:

On Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:39:21 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2013-03-11 19:46:11 +0000, Granity said:

snip
It still is snowing in Alderney, as the puffin webcam shows:
'Alderney Puffin Cam' (http://tinyurl.com/36nn7e8)

It's so close to France it's probably getting their snow!

I don't know who's snow it is, but I love the idea, and have bookmarked
it, thanks!

Just had dog out for his last walkies, the trees are making spooky
sounds, crackling ice in the wind. There's a thick layer of ice over
everything, the bay tree is spread out and about half its normal height.
Nasty out there.

--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

On 2013-03-11 23:35:39 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Mon, 11 Mar 2013 23:51:20 +0100, Martin wrote:

On Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:39:21 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2013-03-11 19:46:11 +0000, Granity said:

snip
It still is snowing in Alderney, as the puffin webcam shows:
'Alderney Puffin Cam' (http://tinyurl.com/36nn7e8)

It's so close to France it's probably getting their snow!

I don't know who's snow it is, but I love the idea, and have bookmarked
it, thanks!

Just had dog out for his last walkies, the trees are making spooky
sounds, crackling ice in the wind. There's a thick layer of ice over
everything, the bay tree is spread out and about half its normal height.
Nasty out there.

No snow here this morning but bright sunshine and a very cold wind. My
son sent me a photo of the lane close to his house in Grouville. It's
full of snow and the hedges are invisible. I haven't seen snow like
that in Jersey since the early 70s, when he was a toddler! Naturally,
concerns are for the Jersey Royals which will be held back big time by
this, if they don't rot off in the snow melt. This is a bad start to
the year for growers.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:35:31 +0000, Sacha wrote:

No snow here this morning but bright sunshine and a very cold wind. My
son sent me a photo of the lane close to his house in Grouville. It's
full of snow and the hedges are invisible. I haven't seen snow like that
in Jersey since the early 70s, when he was a toddler! Naturally,
concerns are for the Jersey Royals which will be held back big time by
this, if they don't rot off in the snow melt. This is a bad start to
the year for growers.

Still pounding down snow here, and swirling in the gusts, at 17cm and
counting. All weighing on top of that thick ice layer on branches and
twigs.

Meteo France has just gone to a "red alert" for the Manche and Calvados,
where it is apparently much worse than here in the Orne. That'll include
Jersey too, I'm sorry to say. Large swaths of power out, roads closed,
trains stopped, etc.

A bad start of the year indeed, the ground is already very soggy...



--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

On 2013-03-12 10:36:09 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:35:31 +0000, Sacha wrote:

No snow here this morning but bright sunshine and a very cold wind. My
son sent me a photo of the lane close to his house in Grouville. It's
full of snow and the hedges are invisible. I haven't seen snow like that
in Jersey since the early 70s, when he was a toddler! Naturally,
concerns are for the Jersey Royals which will be held back big time by
this, if they don't rot off in the snow melt. This is a bad start to
the year for growers.

Still pounding down snow here, and swirling in the gusts, at 17cm and
counting. All weighing on top of that thick ice layer on branches and
twigs.

Meteo France has just gone to a "red alert" for the Manche and Calvados,
where it is apparently much worse than here in the Orne. That'll include
Jersey too, I'm sorry to say. Large swaths of power out, roads closed,
trains stopped, etc.

A bad start of the year indeed, the ground is already very soggy...

Ah well, the grandchildren will have another day off school and may be
go poubelling in the garden! I don't think they'll break their hearts,
somehow! I really hope you get no damage to your trees but it sounds
very ominous.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:00:59 +0000, Emery Davis wrote:

It's currently pounding down here.

The Channels Islands. So badly that England is cut off at present.

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:13:26 +0000, Sacha wrote:

Ah well, the grandchildren will have another day off school and may be
go poubelling in the garden! I don't think they'll break their hearts,
somehow! I really hope you get no damage to your trees but it sounds
very ominous.

Indeed, great weather for kids.

I've just been out for a slog around, there is well over a foot and much
deeper drifts. Ran into the neighbour, out to sweep off his polytunnels.
(And driving a tractor, not walking!) He said he'd never seen the like
this late.

The tree situation is mostly wait and see, there will certainly be some
damage to the evergreens, and some of the tender maples will likely
suffer bark problems. A mature Nandina seems to have a lot of stems
broken in the woody part. I wonder if it will come back from this sort
of "pruning." I fear greatly for the little Cornus hongkongensis, not
established and bent to the ground, every leaf encased in thick ice.

Oh well, so it goes.

--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

In article ,
Derek Turner wrote:
On Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:00:59 +0000, Emery Davis wrote:

It's currently pounding down here.

The Channels Islands. So badly that England is cut off at present.

We in the colony of England can probably survive for a bit.

It's cold here, and there's still some snow lying, but it's
typical for Cambridge - dry.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
says...


Read, read, read

It said Maiden Aunt, not Virgin Aunt

True, it is just my mind that puts 2 and 2 together
and makes 5!

Just out of interest, I looked up maiden on the
Mirriam-webster dictionary site:

Definition of MAIDEN

1: an unmarried girl or woman : maid
2: a former Scottish beheading device resembling the
guillotine
3: a horse that has never won a race

I'm glad I don't have a maiden aunt like no 2:

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

n. 1. Literally, an aunt who has never been married. Figuratively, it
is a term used as the prototype of a person who is broadly naive and not
wise in worldly ways.
..
..

I could add a few comments of my own but ................................
:-)

"""not wise in worldly ways""" ....... now I ask you ;-) ........ """a
Condom is an abbreviation for where people live"""
..............................

(That's a letter to my family I bet :-( ................)

Mike


"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...

In article ,
says...


Read, read, read

It said Maiden Aunt, not Virgin Aunt

True, it is just my mind that puts 2 and 2 together
and makes 5!

Just out of interest, I looked up maiden on the
Mirriam-webster dictionary site:

Definition of MAIDEN

1: an unmarried girl or woman : maid
2: a former Scottish beheading device resembling the
guillotine
3: a horse that has never won a race

I'm glad I don't have a maiden aunt like no 2:

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:18:45 +0000, Roger Tonkin wrote:

1: an unmarried girl or woman : maid 2: a former Scottish beheading
device resembling the guillotine 3: a horse that has never won a race

I'm glad I don't have a maiden aunt like no 2:

I always thought that was called a Scottish Maiden.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maiden_...ding%29http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maiden_%28beheading%29

Still snowing here, we just measured 45 cm (1.5 foot) on the flat.
Drifts are up well over the knees. Our local fellow cleared the road, so
we took a bit of a walk. Funniest thing the hazel catkins are all frozen
solid in a horizontal position, really unnatural looking.

Judging by the radar it's all done in the islands, any way, and should
end here before too long.

--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

In article ,
Emery Davis wrote:
On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:18:45 +0000, Roger Tonkin wrote:

1: an unmarried girl or woman : maid 2: a former Scottish beheading
device resembling the guillotine 3: a horse that has never won a race

I'm glad I don't have a maiden aunt like no 2:

I always thought that was called a Scottish Maiden.

The OED doesn't seem to have that use. However, the first few
meanings as they apply to human beings a

A girl; a young (unmarried) woman
A virgin
A man without experience of sexual intercourse
An unmarried woman, a spinster
A maidservant, a female attendant


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 11 Mar 2013 14:00:59 GMT, Emery Davis
wrote:

It's currently pounding down here. Actually quite a welcome change after
the heavy freezing rain of earlier. There are 1 inch icicles hanging off
of all the buds, some of these are pretty advanced too.

I sprayed copper on all the maples as a precaution yesterday, hopefully
it will help a little.

Whilst we have had little snow here in the last 48 hours it has been
very cold with very strong NE gusts (sufficient to blow a length of 2
metre high hedge over) so I am intrigued as to the benefit of applying
copper (sulphate?) to acers in such weather.
--
rbel

On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:47:06 +0000, nmm1 wrote:

In article ,
Emery Davis wrote:
On Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:18:45 +0000, Roger Tonkin wrote:

1: an unmarried girl or woman : maid 2: a former Scottish beheading
device resembling the guillotine 3: a horse that has never won a race

I'm glad I don't have a maiden aunt like no 2:

I always thought that was called a Scottish Maiden.

The OED doesn't seem to have that use. However, the first few meanings
as they apply to human beings a

A girl; a young (unmarried) woman A virgin A man without experience
of sexual intercourse An unmarried woman, a spinster A maidservant,
a female attendant


My 1962 Britannica International does though:

1 An unmarried woman, especially if young; a maid; virgin. 2 Something
untried or unused, as a race horse that has never won an event. 3 A rude
kind of beheading machine used in Scotland in the 16th and 17th
centuries. [...]

Scottish Maiden doesn't get a listing though, so I for one stand
corrected.

I did however have a rude maiden aunt, now departed, bless her.



--
Gardening in Lower Normandy