Thursday 22 November 2007

A mixed two days

A long time since I did anything here. I have a mixed bag.

after 72 hours of rain, I actually got out into the garden yesterday. At least not the garden proper - into the greenhouse. I got cracking with the secateurs and cut the Pelargoniums fairly hard back. Not too hard, they will go on growing I expect and I want to be able to cut them again in the spring. There was lots of good cuttings material but I have given up on that. A matter of space and not looking after them properly if they are kind enough to root.
Nex on the list were the Scarborough Lilies. I am down to 3 pots now and getting rid of one of them. It has flowered a little but is really over-the-top-crowded. The other two, I tidied up, removing all the baby bulbs and most of the dead scales. They will get watered in passing from now on till the spring, when it will probably just be on feeding days. They reward me with lots of lovely red flowers in September.
Next on the list was to tidy the Streptocarpus that are outside - there are still 3 in the Conservatory. As they are still giving colour in the Greenhouse, I just removed leaves that were clearly dead or nearly so. Will have to be nasty to them before long and the ones still in the house.
Finally, I attacked the Abutilon and Fuschia. Both were cut back hard.

That was that for the garden. The next happening came alot later. I was having a happy time chatting. There were a number of people in the chat room and it needed plenty of concentration. I must have had pressure on one side of the mouse because a message came up saying something about having kept the mouse pressed for 7 seconds, so I must want to do something to my hot keys. I can't remember which side it said. What are hot keys? Anyway, I pressed cancel and everything went haywire. It all went blue and I couldn't do anything with it. Tried everything I could think of but to no avail. In the end closed chat and found that the other lot that I had up, with the rest of Purple Coo and email was also infected. Loaded a Word document and it was infected too. Finally gave in and closed the computer down. Spent a wakeful night worrying about it and the first thing I did thismorning was to boot up. Glory be, all was well. However, it suddenly went odd in the chat room. All except the actual chat is highlit in deep blue and I cannot persuade it to go. If I type, it highlights as I go but posts OK.
Anyone reading this - could you tell me what hot keys are and why this is happening?

Today, having been in Hexham all morning, I spent the afternoon making large quantities of mince to freeze for a fortnight tomorrow, when the bridge club comes here and I am feeding 18. Have not yet made up my mind about the puds. Possibly the Chocolate mousse torte mentioned elsewhere, on the forum I think. Also cheats Clanachan - icecream, oatmeal biscuits, whiskey, raspberries and I can't remember what else. Think they wiould go well together.

If this blog is abit adrift it is because I have been in the chat room at the same time. Sorry!

2 comments:

Elizabethd said...

Dont know what hot keys are Withy, but sometimes I get a similar message. sorry!
I am like you with geranium cuttings. I used to take them every year, but havent done for a while. They are so cheap to buy here...no excuse really.

Norma Murray said...

I'm not the person to make any sort of comment about keys, hot or other wise.
I am impressed by the sound of your green house. The only thing in mine at the moment is a dead pot of basil, a tin of Jeyes fluid and a distant promise to give it a good clean sometime.