Fresh out of school, dungareed and open-hearted, I packed my bags and headed off to college in Kent. Although it proved to be path I was not destined to follow, with the wonders of hindsight it was time well spent. Those that I met, similar in their innocence, have proved to be some of my most faithful and forgiving friends. Silver lining and all that. One lovely lass was from Scotland, often unintelligible, especially when catching up with her Walton-like family on the corridor phone. We pooled our resources, she was the Cold Weather Expert, I was in charge of Warm Weather. She advise me on traversing snow with elegance, I recommended sun creams and re-hydration techniques.
Now I need her advice, or an equivalent horti version. Frost, we aren’t used to it. It is a foreign land. This solid earth, all day long, not shifting even in the sunshine thing. I bought some fleece yesterday. I am afraid that the horse may already be frozen.
Off The Edge Gardening 
I think we are all going to need a cold weather expert!
LikeLiked by 1 person
And I found this morning my greenhouse showing a minus 3C on the thermometer. The gas heater (though not out of gas) had somehow gone out. I know not when as I’ve been rather blase about checking of late, having only changed the tank last week. My over-wintering young alstroemeria have all flopped over. Jac looks decidedly droopy and Peggy, well let’s not go there.
This will teach me to be faster with the installation of my new greenhouse heating alert system which doesn’t require me to check every day but, rather, connects to my internal monitoring system wirelessly so I am not only reassured about the maximum wind speed and average temperature just above the squirrel nuts but also that the greenhouse is toasty. Damned technology.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oops, well these things happen, although Peggy is irreplaceable, there can always be another Peggy.
LikeLike
You still have friends in Scotland. Not sure I know enough about your plants to advise about frost though. Mine tend to be the ones that survive. Keep warm!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks and thanks!
LikeLike
Corridor phone? That was something we never experienced. We had our own telephones hard wired in. I wonder if there are telephones at all now.
LikeLike
Very upmarket! We all had to queue up for the pay phone.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember the corridor phone. It was called something else, though; I can’t remember what.
LikeLike
Oh, let me know if you remember, not sure it was called anything else but a phone here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha! It was called a phone here, too; I just meant the special term for the one-phone-fits-all in the dormitory hall. Perhaps hall phone. I think you might have been pulling my leg (long distance) with your comment. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
x
LikeLike
We had a party phone, where we shared a line with a neighbour. Can you imagine! The patience required to wait until they had finished nattering!!!
I could really do with a cold weather expert right now xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think we had one too, you had to push a button first didn’t you? Stay warm and safe x
LikeLiked by 1 person
You too Gill. I’m travelling to London tomorrow. Sigh xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I remember the party line shared with a neighbour, and the pay phone in our student house. Those were the days we also had proper winters, just like my poor Melianthus major is suffering right now. Wrapped up in a fleece cocoon, it still looks rather poorly. Stay warm and safe, x
LikeLiked by 1 person
And you! Just had the first snow fall, a little early!
LikeLike