Marty

So what have you missed in here, Caz...? Erm... Gary had a sore neck, but it seems to be better now... Clo and Val have the occasional biatch fight, usually over pics of guys that Gary posts... (dughlas often runs off with the guy whilst clo and Val are busy squabbling) I'm boring everyone with tales of my gardening, and weekly black and white photographs... Sage and Onion, oops! I mean Page and Albert are impressing us all with tales (and occasional pictures) of what they are eating, and various recipes.... Bucket is somehow managing to survive living upside-down in down-underland... There was a huge discussion about the humble spud a few days ago.... Wee Drew seems to be mellowing in his old age... Now.... I'm sure I've missed a few people, or some important news, but I've not had my second coffee yet.

Hi, Caz That's good news.

I notice Gary has listed his new story as Complete! Must make time to read it, now!

Morning all! And, with the start of this new day, I am now officially allowed, as a septuagenarian in covid-19 Ireland, to leave my house and garden, and exercise within a five kilometre radius of home.

As my grandad often used to tell me: "Patience is a virtue, sometimes found in man." He would often follow that with: My mam would always tell me grandad was getting old and forgetful, and that was why he kept getting it the wrong way round... As a child, this was often me: But, now that I'm getting old, this is how I sometimes feel: I hope each and everyone of you realises that I am just joking! (And Grandad and Mam were only joking, as well)

Cheers, buddy!

I finally got my seed potatoes planted today. Two rows of Desiree (long oval tubers, red skinned, pale yellow flesh) and two rows of Royal (oval tubers, yellow skinned, pale yellow flesh). Fifteen tubers in each row. Desiree is classed as maincrop, but I have grown it in the past and it yields so well that some plants can be lifted early and still give a good yield. It tastes great, and makes excellent chips (fries across the pond). I've never grown Royal before. It is classed as an early maincrop. These two varieties were the only ones I managed to buy before the garden centres closed. Here's a photograph I took of the first 3 furrows before I made the fourth one (and before I planted the seed potatoes themselves):

You almost got me with that one, dughlas.

And certainly don't inject it!

Just wondering....

You do know that telling a lie is classed as a sin...?

Not even teeny weeny ones? Venial sins, maybe?

And a scrubbing brush?

"Talks about talks" ... I remember those from the very early days of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, quite a good number of years before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Great news!

Yup, everything excellent, thanks!

Hi, young Albert! Hope you're having a good day. Can't stop and chat just at the moment. Busy, busy busy.... 🐝

Fingers, and everything else, crossed for you, dughlas.

Good morning all! Shaping up to be a beautiful day here in the northwest of Ireland.

Hi, clo Sort of a lazy Sunday here for me, so far. Although I have dug up a load of old linoleum that was buried in the garden. I think it may have been put down as a path, because there was a layer of small pebbles on top of it. Had to remove it in sections, so it will go into the rubbish skip I intend renting sometime. I've also sown climbing runner bean seeds in deep individual seed pots. I managed to get the return of a lot of 8 foot canes I had left at the place I sold last year (the new owner has no use for them), so will use them to make a frame for the beans to grow up when I plant them out.

It's a hare. Overall winner of The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) 2020. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2020/apr/29/2020-gdt-nature-photographer-of-the-year

Hi, Gary! Hope your neck's feeling at least a little bit better today.

Howdy, young Albert!

I just Googled purple potatoes. Apparently they're just as easy to grow as other varieties.

I think all potatoes originate from peru...