View Full Version : Lockdown: The Positive Thread
The Rodent
03-27-20, 05:54 AM
Noticed a few positives from the lockdown?
Post them here :D
No negative stuff. No moaning. No talk of CoVid-19.
Anything positive you've noticed from the lockdown/quarantine.
Any activities you've taken up as a result?
Post pics, anecdotes etc of things you've seen, noticed, or think about.
MoFo has threads on all the bad stuff... and we need some positivity in times of crisis and international bad-vibes.
As a starter, I'll start by reposting what I said the other day:
---
In late 2011, the local council allowed a greenbelt to be concreted and turned into houses.
Summer 2012, all the flowers and trees in my local area died.
No birds, no bees.
No flies.
For 8 years, wildlife in the area has been minimal or non-existent.
Humans go into lockdown... and the birds reappear in the thousands within 24 hours, and now, I've got bees in the garden as well after only 3 days.
Big, fat, fluffy white-arsed bumblebees scouting the area for food.
Can only be a good thing if the wildlife is currently encroaching into built-up areas. Shows that there's an immediate knock-on effect for the other creatures that inhabit this world :)
The Rodent
03-27-20, 05:56 AM
Will add again.
I've taken up gardening again as well.
I've let my garden go overgrown for a while now. I kinda got bored with it and left it to ruin.
Yesterday I went out with 2 black binbags, and filled them with all sorts of crap.
Broken flower pots etc... weeded everything, including the weeds growing between the slabs and added new soil to the flower boxes and planted a bunch of seeds and stuff.
Just waiting on them to grow now :D
Edit: I haven't got a clue what the seeds are... it'll be a surprise if and when they sprout :D
Chypmunk
03-27-20, 06:00 AM
Did you plant any glacier cherries or bananas??? :)
Anywho, for me the biggest positive by far has been.....
.....not a single annoying 'doorstepper' has either rung the bell or knocked on the door ..... bloody marvellous so it is :)
The Rodent
03-27-20, 06:05 AM
I might plant some bog roll and see if it grows :D
Will be quite an enterprise if it does.
The Rodent
03-27-20, 07:08 AM
That's another first for about 8 years... a robin in the garden.
Couldn't move the curtain for a better pic though :(
https://i.imgur.com/doxC1EL.jpg
Chypmunk
03-27-20, 07:19 AM
Thought of another positive:
We're practising 'only one person does the shopping' to minimise both our exposure to others and theirs to us, and as only the wife drives ..... which also means she's currently having to pay for the weekly shop (that normally falls on me) - leaving me with extra money for music 'n' movies :)
Edit:
Herself is back from shopping and I gotta say it's tempting but she only bought three so I reckon a good chance she might notice if 33% of them suddenly goes missing and ends up buried in the garden :D
61973
WrinkledMind
03-27-20, 09:34 AM
Of the positives:
Resumed my Portuguese (Brazilian) online lesson, which I had given up. I do it for one hour everyday.
I have started working out again. Quite seriously.
Definitely some silver linings here:
1. I got to help out my elderly neighbors a little, and we talked about community and how things were when they were younger, and how maybe this'll lead people to come to rely on one another more.
2. My wife switched jobs recently, and went from working home most of the time to not at all. It's going well, but obviously she'd love it if she could work from home semi-regularly. This has forced them to get used to the idea, and might lead to it becoming a more regular thing in perpetuity.
3. I'd been thinking just before all this started how many books I hadn't gotten around to reading, games I hadn't gotten around to playing, how many movies and TV shows my wife and I wanted to watch
4. I've been dieting, and having food items seem a little scarcer certainly makes that easier. :laugh:
Just got a bunch of little household tasks done, too. Making the best of the situation.
The Rodent
03-27-20, 02:00 PM
Re. Gardening...
I've managed to pull a muscle in the back of my leg and twinge one of my already slipped discs :laugh:
Garden looks nice though.
GREAT news, y'all!
Happy! Season 2 is now OUT!!!!
Stirchley
03-27-20, 04:36 PM
I’ve mentioned this before, but where I live in Connecticut has got the landscaping crews out big-time. Anything that stands still is swept up & anything that moves is blasted with a leaf blower. Supposedly to keep people (men mostly) working, I presume, because I have never seen anything like it.
Stirchley
03-27-20, 04:37 PM
MoFo has threads on all the bad stuff... and we need some positivity in times of crisis and international bad-vibes.
We do have my good news thread. :)
JoaoRodrigues
03-28-20, 09:01 AM
For any situation whatsoever that our culture made us see / consider as negative, there's always something positive that we're not seeing. The virus causes death, destroys the countries economies, but gives a tremendous life to many other things, and this is not nihilism, I'm not nihilist, I'm actually a positivist, I try to swim against the crowd, just that. While old people are being condemned by this invisible virus, couples are trapped inside a cubicle, years to come people might wonder why so many of their friends born in the same month. Those who already have children's, whose daily-routine is driving them to school, going to work and pick them up, now have time to spend with their kids, getting to know their interests. It's a very long vacations where money doesn't buy you distractions so easily, you have to stick with the fundamentals, either yoga, meditation, conversations, culinary, movies and books. It's also a incredible test to mental endurance, people can't live with their own thoughts nowadays, it's also a moment of realization of how dependable we are on consumerism and how we must adapt. Those who've been fighting environmental annihilation have so many reasons to smile, this, probable year will save us, not just us, but many species.
Of the positives:
Resumed my Portuguese (Brazilian) online lesson, which I had given up. I do it for one hour everyday.
I have started working out again. Quite seriously.
If you need any help, just say! :) I'm portuguese! Where are you from?
JoaoRodrigues
03-28-20, 09:54 AM
Eu não ajudo, esta língua já tem morcões que chegue.
ezkonax
03-28-20, 10:28 AM
It is a break Earth needed. My city is incredibly clean just 1 week after the government closed all public entertainment and advised everyone to stay home if possible.
Eu não ajudo, esta língua já tem morcões que chegue.
ahahahahahaha :D
WrinkledMind
03-28-20, 05:54 PM
neiba
India. And thanks for the offer. I might take it up, if I get stuck somewhere.
Captain Steel
03-28-20, 06:38 PM
We do have my good news thread. :)
https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=61123
neiba
India. And thanks for the offer. I might take it up, if I get stuck somewhere.
Be my guest! :) my pleasure to help!
Captain Steel
03-28-20, 11:35 PM
For when the lockdown ends...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsM_VmN6ytk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdytOGnUFoI
Wow! Vera Lynn is 103!
The Rodent
03-29-20, 09:29 AM
Will add again.
I've taken up gardening again as well.
I've let my garden go overgrown for a while now. I kinda got bored with it and left it to ruin.
Yesterday I went out with 2 black binbags, and filled them with all sorts of crap.
Broken flower pots etc... weeded everything, including the weeds growing between the slabs and added new soil to the flower boxes and planted a bunch of seeds and stuff.
Just waiting on them to grow now :D
Edit: I haven't got a clue what the seeds are... it'll be a surprise if and when they sprout :D
They've sprouted already :eek:
I think they're tulips.
https://i.imgur.com/jrLVfDZ.jpg
Chypmunk
03-29-20, 10:03 AM
Hmmmm .... looks more like a part-buried, whittled carrot to me :skeptical:
:p
I got to binge watch Ozark.
Getting some needed yard work done.
Wife is now working from home so I get to see her more and hear her cussing at co workers when they cant hear her is quite amusing.
Being able to just plain sit back and chill has been quite nice. Hopefully cabin fever takes awhile to set in, but for now all is good.
Now I want to watch some prison movies... ;)
MovieGal
03-29-20, 08:36 PM
started rewatching "Hannibal".. M<3ds Mikkelsen.
Stirchley
03-30-20, 02:55 PM
Wow! Vera Lynn is 103!
It’s unbelievable.
I think they're tulips.
You wish. :D
Captain Steel
04-02-20, 12:50 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdytOGnUFoI
Wow! Vera Lynn is 103!
Thanks!
(It was seeing the very end of Dr. Strangelove recently that reminded me of this song!) :)
But I had no idea Vera Lynn was still alive! That's amazing! Same age as the recently late Kirk Douglas! (She's got a song about her on Pink Floyd's "The Wall.")
Thanks!
(It was seeing the very end of Dr. Strangelove recently that reminded me of this song!) :)
But I had no idea Vera Lynn was still alive! That's amazing! Same age as the recently late Kirk Douglas! (She's got a song about her on Pink Floyd's "The Wall.")
Didn't know that about The Wall. Can't say I liked the song or the album.
Mr Minio
04-02-20, 04:03 AM
# Can work from home, so if I finish my task before my time is over, I can simply start watching a film, or something.
# Since I work at home, I don't have to waste time commuting to and from work, although it didn't take much time, it's still some precious time saved, so I sleep longer!
# Don't have to interact face-to-face with other people AT ALL which is introvert heaven!
# I'm safe from Corona and from prying eyes of all these lustful women that are after me... Okay I'm just kidding! I'm not safe from... Corona! I can still get it from touching a takeaway food box that I order! :D
WrinkledMind
04-02-20, 04:57 PM
This definitely qualifies as a positive news.
I received a free Tinder+ subscription for a month (my miser arse would never pay for a dating site). It allows me more superlikes, but more importantly it allows me to roam around the world.
Bend, Oregon has the sweetest, funniest and friendliest women between the ages 28-40 😂.
tgm1024
04-03-20, 12:34 PM
I can still get it from touching a takeaway food box that I order! :D
Sure, but the way I handle that is to have a baking pan ready ahead of time, dump it all in, and heat it to 225° for 40 minutes or so, or if you have CDO like me, then an hour.
Christ, I hope this works:
1. Dump it all in.
2. Throw out everything it came in.
3. Wash hands like you have ebola.
4. Set timer.
Works even for subs, but not so much if there's mayo or anything that can't be heated.
PS. Don't try this if you're elderly.....We don't know enough about just how susceptible is "susceptible".
PPS. Women (of all ages), WASH UNDER YOUR LONG FINGERNAILS.
Cobpyth
04-04-20, 08:42 PM
MORE TIME TO WATCH FILMS.
matt72582
04-04-20, 08:45 PM
Earlier, I was going to say its quieter around my neighborhood, but then two hours later, neighbors were fighting, face to face (hope they didnt catch COVID-19) and boy did it last long.. Family members on both sides started getting into it, all because of loose dogs roaming around.
The Rodent
04-05-20, 06:47 AM
Been lovely round here tbh with everyone inside.
Usually there's a handful of people hanging around the carpark nearby, drinking premium strength lager and fighting over who smoked the last joint.
It's great at the minute though.
JoaoRodrigues
04-05-20, 07:18 AM
I'm wondering what will the junkies do when lock-down is obligatory.
Officer: Where you going?
Junkie: To my dealer's house, getting a fix.
Officer: Have a nice day.
The Rodent
04-05-20, 07:34 AM
Wonder if it's possible to use the 6ft distancing rule when an officer tries to arrest you :D
The Rodent
04-06-20, 12:03 PM
They've sprouted already :eek:
I think they're tulips.
https://i.imgur.com/jrLVfDZ.jpg
A week later... and there's more of them
https://i.imgur.com/R4UARaE.jpg
Don't think they're tulips, so still got absolutely no idea what they are.
Chypmunk
04-06-20, 12:05 PM
Definitely either geraniums or some other plant imo.
The Rodent
04-06-20, 12:08 PM
Also, this has gotten bigger and still no idea what it is.
https://i.imgur.com/Zjl3BMi.jpg
The Rodent
04-06-20, 12:09 PM
Definitely either geraniums or some other plant imo.
Nah not Geraniums.
The sprouts on those are like little weeds.
Those things came from golfball sized bulbs :)
Chypmunk
04-06-20, 12:10 PM
Nah not Geraniums.
The sprouts on those are like little weeds.
Those things came from golfball sized bulbs :)
I was right then - some other plant :) Told ya so :D
Stirchley
04-06-20, 02:48 PM
Also, this has gotten bigger and still no idea what it is.
https://i.imgur.com/Zjl3BMi.jpg
Periwinkles.
62611
The Rodent
04-06-20, 03:04 PM
Just googled... not those :(
Close though.
The things I've got here, the leaves are... ahem... long and narrow, but also thick and furry :D
Chypmunk
04-06-20, 03:07 PM
Sound a bit like Triffids :eek:
The Rodent
04-06-20, 04:07 PM
FOUND OUT WHAT THEY ARE!
Forget-Me-Nots
Pic off the web:
https://sarahravensblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/flickr-tanakawho-1.jpg
They should be renames "Find-Them-Nots"
FOUND OUT WHAT THEY ARE!
Forget-Me-Nots
Gonna be really ironic when you have to Google the name again next year.
The Rodent
04-06-20, 04:12 PM
:D
You know what's weirder...
Forget-Me-Nots are usually blue. These are pink.
Forget-Me-Nots hate direct sunlight. These are growing in a south-facing suntrap.
Forget-Me-Nots prefer being near water. These are growing in a south-facing suntrap, that has no water nearby.
Nature = Weird.
tgm1024
04-06-20, 10:15 PM
Nature = Weird.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/63/19/6e/63196e426c86033a709c5a18e9c8537e.gif
The Rodent
04-07-20, 06:39 PM
Dodgy pic, but my neighbour has put their Christmas lights up!
https://i.imgur.com/6Itqyrm.jpg
Captain Steel
04-07-20, 07:14 PM
The question is... are they early or late?
And are these "Lockdown Lights?"
(Are they rainbow colors? As the rainbow has now been adopted as a symbol of anti-virus / pro-isolation solidarity.) ;)
The Rodent
04-07-20, 07:34 PM
Nah just the regular blue and red twinkly lights :D
I kept asking myself, "how do you see a dog?"
Then I read the post slower.
=*(
lol
Dodgy pic, but my neighbour has put their Christmas lights up!
https://i.imgur.com/6Itqyrm.jpg
gbgoodies
04-08-20, 01:19 AM
Dodgy pic, but my neighbour has put their Christmas lights up!
He should have put them up in shapes of eggs, bunnies, and chicks. Then he could have called them "Easter lights". :)
.
gbgoodies
04-08-20, 01:20 AM
The question is... are they early or late?
And are these "Lockdown Lights?"
(Are they rainbow colors? As the rainbow has now been adopted as a symbol of anti-virus / pro-isolation solidarity.) ;)
I didn't know that, but I guess that's why we've been seeing some rainbows on doors and windows around here.
Chypmunk
04-08-20, 03:44 AM
He should have put them up in shapes of eggs, bunnies, and chicks. Then he could have called them "Easter lights". :)
.
To be brutally honest with the quality of that photo we'd never know even if he had made the most fantastic Easter tableaux ever seen out of them. I actually thought it was a rejected still from Close Encounters at first :D
The Rodent
04-10-20, 11:46 AM
My mystery blubs have grown more and now have green stuff bits.
https://i.imgur.com/8v5PF0k.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/t96hxjQ.jpg
And just to the right of the blubs, is more green stuff growing.
https://i.imgur.com/tiIhdE2.jpg
The Rodent
04-10-20, 11:51 AM
The, erm... things... what they called?
They've grown more, and now have blue ones on them as well :D
https://i.imgur.com/LdAM70U.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/o1IftD1.jpg
Positive thing about the lock down: Custom Lists are (hopefully) finally happening! Scaffolding's coming along. Slightly trickier than expected in some places but nothing too bad yet, and might be ready for some very early testing soon.
Chypmunk
04-10-20, 12:43 PM
The, erm... things... what they called?
They've grown more, and now have blue ones on them as well :D
The colour denotes 'gender' - the pinkish ones are female, the blue ones male.
Yeah, you're right, I just made that up.
The Rodent
04-10-20, 12:47 PM
The colour denotes 'gender' - the pinkish ones are female, the blue ones male.
Yeah, you're right, I just made that up.
Did you just assume the gender of my garden?
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQW-ZjlQ6rucFk8Dg_a2WgoyM0u-ivEJXMSY43PZKeOgAOzP63i&usqp=CAU
TheUsualSuspect
04-10-20, 12:48 PM
I've lost weight because I'm not eating FAST FOOD anymore.
Chypmunk
04-10-20, 01:03 PM
It's kinda ironic how fast food actually slows you down.
The Rodent
04-10-20, 07:57 PM
Ok, another garden thing I can't identify.
I thought it was an Acer sapling had attached to an old root system. It looked exactly like an Acer sapling, even the buds, before it sprouted leaves.
So I wired it, anchored it, and planted it in a pot to bonsai it up.
But now it's sprouting leaves, I can see it's something else.
Checked loads of websites, nothing.
Anyone help?
https://i.imgur.com/sNzsurf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4tn6PGI.jpg
Stirchley
04-10-20, 07:59 PM
⬆️ What is Acer?
The Rodent
04-10-20, 08:00 PM
Acer Palmatum
Sometimes called Japanese Maple.
The Rodent
04-10-20, 08:03 PM
This is my Acer about 4 years ago:
https://i.imgur.com/oEGcPF1.png
No new pics atm as it's currently recovering from a massive pruning.
Friend of mine put this together in quarantine. He did such a good job! Also helps that I think this is Billy Joel's best (but weirdly underrated) song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcJHl304Byw
The Rodent
04-12-20, 03:17 AM
Ok, another garden thing I can't identify.
I thought it was an Acer sapling had attached to an old root system. It looked exactly like an Acer sapling, even the buds, before it sprouted leaves.
So I wired it, anchored it, and planted it in a pot to bonsai it up.
But now it's sprouting leaves, I can see it's something else.
Checked loads of websites, nothing.
Anyone help?
https://i.imgur.com/sNzsurf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/4tn6PGI.jpg
I think this is a Crab Apple tree.
And going by the bark/trunk, possibly crossbred with the Acer.
Chypmunk
04-12-20, 04:07 AM
I think this is a Crab Apple tree.
And going by the bark/trunk, possibly crossbred with the Acer.
A Crab-Racer Tree perhaps? Maybe it'll move sideways as it grows?? :)
MasterClass Quarantine Edition - SNL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN2p8D6Mawc&feature=emb_logo
Tom Hanks At-Home Monologue - SNL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kol7RE3wCNA
Yeah, watched that last night out of curiosity as much as anything. Not especially funny, if I'm being honest, though parts of it were pretty good. I admire the attempt, though.
Yeah, watched that last night out of curiosity as much as anything. Not especially funny, if I'm being honest, though parts of it were pretty good. I admire the attempt, though.
I liked Weekend Update and the Carole Baskin skit, It starts at 1:50 in the top clip.
Yep, admired the attempt, good to see Tom Hanks is doing well.
This is more neutral than positive, but: I'd already moved to a "permanent nine-o-clock shadow" beard last year, but for now in the quarantine I'm extending that to past the jaw. :laugh: Before I was still keeping pretty clean-shaven up to the jaw line but now it's just the super short scruff everywhere. Looks okay, easier to maintain, easy to go back on.
The Rodent
04-20-20, 02:32 AM
More growth from the mystery-root thing I planted:
https://i.imgur.com/J4g1CSK.jpg
The Can't-remember-what-they-are's are growing well:
https://i.imgur.com/02oHtJ4.jpg
And the mystery bulbs are going well too :D
You can just see the mystery-root thing at the bottom right corner in this one too.
https://i.imgur.com/zt3FT1l.jpg
The Rodent
04-20-20, 02:41 AM
And the mystery tree going well too :D
https://i.imgur.com/qsYE0bo.jpg
Don't fall asleep near that thing. Just ask Donald Sutherland.
o.O
doubledenim
04-20-20, 04:31 AM
More growth from the mystery -root thing I planted:
https://i.imgur.com/J4g1CSK.jpg
The Can't-remember-what-they-are's are growing well:
https://i.imgur.com/02oHtJ4.jpg
And the mystery bulbs are going well too :D
You can just see the mystery -root thing at the bottom right corner in this one too.
https://i.imgur.com/zt3FT1l.jpg
What sort of vehicle you gonna haul all that stuff to the farmer's market in?
The Rodent
04-20-20, 04:37 AM
Harrier jump jet :D
Chypmunk
04-20-20, 04:49 AM
The Triffids should fetch a pretty penny each.
The Rodent
04-20-20, 05:28 AM
Another positive of the lockdown for me atm is I've been studying random stuff.
I've watched about 900 YouTube videos on dinosaurs and threw a load of study into planetary physics and astronomy again :laugh:
The Rodent
04-20-20, 09:23 PM
Amazing...
Doing that space stuff I mentioned ^^
Hubble has spotted a collision in a nearby solar system.
Star Fomalhaut, 25 light years away, in Piscis Austrinus constellation... visible from Earth with the naked eye.
The star is only 200m years old. A mere blip when compared to our own Sun which is 4.6 billion years old.
Around the star, is a huge cloud of gas, dust and ice and an icy ring of dust and ice.
It's a planet forming cloud that is similar to the one that would have surrounded our Sun 4.6bya, with the ring of ice and dust similar to the Kuiper Belt that currently circles our solar system.
Fomalhaut had a known planet too: Fomalhaut-b
Until now.
In 2006, the planet Fomalhaut-b, grew massively in size and brightness... by 2013 it was a large fuzzy blob... and by 2014 it was gone.
Astronomers have put together the info captured by Hubble and have concluded that there must have been another large object in the system that collided with Fomalhaut-b, destroying both objects and returning them to clouds of dust.
The collision would have taken place in our year 1981, with the light eventually reaching us in 2006.
In the space of 200m years, a star forms, a planet forms shortly afterward, and is then destroyed. The planet taking barely 10 years to vanish.
Amazeballs.
doubledenim
04-20-20, 10:49 PM
Harrier jump jet :D
https://media.giphy.com/media/12tgtbqxqNIpEY/giphy.gif
Captain Steel
04-20-20, 11:55 PM
Amazing...
Doing that space stuff I mentioned ^^
Hubble has spotted a collision in a nearby solar system.
Star Fomalhaut, 25 light years away, in Piscis Austrinus constellation... visible from Earth with the naked eye.
The star is only 200m years old. A mere blip when compared to our own Sun which is 4.6 billion years old.
Around the star, is a huge cloud of gas, dust and ice and an icy ring of dust and ice.
It's a planet forming cloud that is similar to the one that would have surrounded our Sun 4.6bya, with the ring of ice and dust similar to the Kuiper Belt that currently circles our solar system.
Fomalhaut had a known planet too: Fomalhaut-b
Until now.
In 2006, the planet Fomalhaut-b, grew massively in size and brightness... by 2013 it was a large fuzzy blob... and by 2014 it was gone.
Astronomers have put together the info captured by Hubble and have concluded that there must have been another large object in the system that collided with Fomalhaut-b, destroying both objects and returning them to clouds of dust.
The collision would have taken place in our year 1981, with the light eventually reaching us in 2006.
In the space of 200m years, a star forms, a planet forms shortly afterward, and is then destroyed. The planet taking barely 10 years to vanish.
Amazeballs.
If we think we're having a hard time here, just imagine what people on planets in this star system are going through!
The Rodent
04-21-20, 12:03 AM
Yeah they've all got body parts flying through space and we're just being asked to not buy all the bogroll.
The Rodent
05-03-20, 07:13 AM
Been about a week... mystery bulbs getting bigger and the mystery thing at the bottom right getting there now too :D :D
Not sure, but I think I planted swords.
http://i.imgur.com/DxKaAo2.jpg (https://imgur.com/DxKaAo2)
The Rodent
05-03-20, 07:14 AM
Had to clip the mystery tree as well as it was getting too big.
https://i.imgur.com/9gBRy0k.jpg
gary griffith
05-03-20, 08:15 AM
Well, I think lockdown is teaching all of us the benefits of living a simple life. We career around from interest to interest and event to event but in the end what really matters is family and friends
65102
In the midst of lockdown I am dreaming of eating this on a winding road in the misty mountains. When will I see the mountains again ?
The Rodent
06-08-20, 02:30 AM
My mystery bulbs and mystery plant things are getting a bit big now.
https://i.imgur.com/XnxMuFx.jpg
Also, the mystery bulbs, I found out they're Gladioli :laugh:
They're gonna be awesome when they flower :D
WrinkledMind
06-10-20, 04:47 PM
65102
In the midst of lockdown I am dreaming of eating this on a winding road in the misty mountains. When will I see the mountains again ?
My mum was kind enough to make them after rains last week. Also made 'Capsicum Bhajji' along with the onion ones.
I am missing Vada Pav though. Haven't had one for three months now.
Anyways, hope you are doing well.
The Rodent
06-13-20, 01:40 AM
Ian Tree about 3 months ago or so:
https://i.imgur.com/sNzsurf.jpg
Ian Tree about 10 minutes ago:
https://i.imgur.com/RKfaHKz.jpg
------
Bonsai about 7 or 8 years ago:
https://i.imgur.com/oEGcPF1.png
I had to chop her back about 3 months back, and thought I'd killed her because the new growth didn't start.
This was 5 days ago.
https://i.imgur.com/AJhctTb.jpg
This is about 10 minutes ago.
https://i.imgur.com/1t4AGJ7.jpg
She's exploding! Already had to trim it again and cut a lot of the new growth, and had to wire the new stuff as well already as it's growing way too quickly.
Not bad for something that almost died 3 months ago.
Bonsai almost died about 5 years back as well when we had a bad winter.
That's one tough old tree :D
Chypmunk
06-13-20, 03:58 AM
Ian Tree about 3 months ago or so:
Awwwwww, so cute that you gave the tree a name <3
:D
The Rodent
06-13-20, 04:08 AM
I just had to check over the thread. Thought I'd said why I called it Ian.
The mystery tree... sprouted from an old root system.
I initially thought it was an acer cutting had latched onto the system and sprouted, so I called it Ian after Ian Malcolm "Life found a way" :D
Still no idea what the thing is though.
Pretty sure it's a fruit tree of some kind going by the leaves and how they've changed shape as the tree has gotten bigger.
Either apple, cherry or plum. Time will tell.
The Rodent
06-18-20, 01:20 AM
This was 5 days ago.
https://i.imgur.com/AJhctTb.jpg
This is about 10 minutes ago.
https://i.imgur.com/1t4AGJ7.jpg
Another 5 days of growth:
https://i.imgur.com/okcn9WB.jpg
So I've had to cut her back again:
https://i.imgur.com/dACQF90.jpg
Captain Steel
06-19-20, 11:40 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdytOGnUFoI
Wow! Vera Lynn is 103!
Another sad coincidence...
Vera Lynn died yesterday at age 103+
https://youtu.be/HsM_VmN6ytk
The Rodent
06-26-20, 04:11 AM
8 days ago after a trimming:
https://i.imgur.com/dACQF90.jpg
This morning :D
Starting to take shape :D
https://i.imgur.com/XYRwsQ6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vMUkoiW.jpg
Chypmunk
06-26-20, 04:19 AM
Go Ian! Go Ian!! Go Ian!!!
:)
#teamiandotcom
The Rodent
06-26-20, 04:21 AM
Go Ian! Go Ian!! Go Ian!!!:)#teamiandotcom
Oh this one isn't Ian :D
This is Ian:
https://i.imgur.com/RKfaHKz.jpg
Chypmunk
06-26-20, 04:22 AM
Oh this one isn't Ian :D
Pffffttttttt
#teamunknowndotcom #feckiandotcom
gbgoodies
06-27-20, 01:28 AM
8 days ago after a trimming:
https://i.imgur.com/dACQF90.jpg
This morning :D
Starting to take shape :D
https://i.imgur.com/XYRwsQ6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vMUkoiW.jpg
Go Ian! Go Ian!! Go Ian!!!
:)
#teamiandotcom
Oh this one isn't Ian :D
Does this plant have a name?
The Rodent
06-27-20, 05:03 AM
Nah.
It started out as a small project to keep me busy about 11 years ago and ended up working :D
Never gave it a name.
Chypmunk
06-27-20, 05:08 AM
And thus it passed that it should henceforth be known as: Sanity :)
The Rodent
06-27-20, 08:14 AM
That is actually gonna stick now :D
My Bonsai tree is now called Sanity :laugh:
The Rodent
07-21-20, 05:42 AM
Those mystery bulbs that turned out to be gladioli are gonna be purple :D
First ones have sprouted :D
https://i.imgur.com/3ILzg74.jpg
Chypmunk
07-21-20, 05:54 AM
Those mystery bulbs that turned out to be gladioli are gonna be purple :D
First ones have sprouted :D
Kewl, we have pink glads out the front that have started blooming :)
Of course now you are duty bound to bung on a few earlier tracks from The Smiths when they are in full bloom :D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjPhzgxe3L0
The Rodent
02-26-21, 11:01 AM
In my previous pics I've posted of my plants and stuff in those white planters..........
This is a pic of the new planter I've had made, and on the left you can see the remnants of the original planters and the scaffolding the council is still yet to take away.
On Monday they're fitting a new fencing system where the original planters were.
The council came out last week, and gave us only 24 hours notice... and basically chain-sawed the planters out and then left.
My trees, plants, bulbs, seeds... all gone.
https://i.imgur.com/QOq30Cj.jpg
Same planter, other end...
https://i.imgur.com/riJJDs8.jpg
I've had 2 of these planters made, just waiting for this first one to dry then I can move the balcony round and stain the other one.
Oh, but these planters were free... I charged the council for them, I also made them pay for the 700ltr of soil to fill them as well :laugh: came to £1100 altogether for the planters and soil so basically, because the council are stupid, they're already £1100 out of pocket and they still have to cough up another £1500 because I've sent the council another bill for killing my garden by giving not enough notice for me to be able to dig everything out first :laugh:
Stirchley
02-26-21, 02:09 PM
⬆️ Wow, amazed they paid.
The Rodent
02-27-21, 09:00 AM
This is the other one done now :D
Once dry, all I gotta do then is raise them on some lumps of wood so I can finish off the bottom of the legs.
https://i.imgur.com/tGlZcYB.jpg
The Rodent
02-27-21, 09:01 AM
⬆️ Wow, amazed they paid.
They didn't have much choice. I told them they can either replace my garden with a new one at their own cost, or their scaffolding wouldn't be standing long.
Chypmunk
02-27-21, 09:34 AM
Should charge them extra for having taken your Sanity - I'm sure any judge would hit 'em hugely for that if it went to court ;)
Poor Ian too :(
The Rodent
02-27-21, 10:02 AM
Ah luckily the bonsais are fine as they're in their own pots :)
It was the main planters that got ripped out... so my conifers and seeds, bulbs etc that were in them were simply ripped out and thrown in a skip.
1. I got to work from home for two months!
2. My wife has been killing it in terms of her career. She's a hospital admin and the government is throwing hospitals money hand over fist, and since hers is a non-profit, they just throw all of that money into bonuses.
3. Because of that two months of online work, several colleagues have quit or were fired because they simply don't get computers. I got a nice raise out of the deal (nothing like my wife's, but it's better than no raise). It seems that this has shown a spotlight on a lot of dead weight.
4. I get a lot more free time. A lot of the make work stuff that I usually had to put up with has been canceled, and it turns out that a lot of those meetings weren't really necessary.
5. Since there have been no actual lock downs in that people have to stay at home or get fined or yelled at by a Karen, I've gotten quite a kick out of seeing what it has done elsewhere around the world. That might seem a bit twisted to take enjoyment from the misery of others, but I've never seen much empathy when the shoe was on the other foot.
Being a country boy, I got a bit tired of hearing from my city mouse friends talk about how wonderful it is to live in a big city and have all of those quaint stores, exotic restaurants, and bars within walking distance, or how much their property is worth now, as opposed to how little they paid for it back in the 80s. I'm thinking that maybe I should call some of them up and ask for an equity update, or maybe ask how much their rental units have been pulling in since the rent moratoriums.
Stirchley
03-01-21, 02:34 PM
1 get a lot more free time. A lot of the make work stuff that I usually had to put up with has been canceled, and it turns out that a lot of those meetings weren't really necessary.
“Busy work” - always hated it. Useless waste of time.
Always tried to avoid meetings or outright say I wouldn’t go.
The Rodent
03-18-22, 11:35 AM
My Bonsai has new sprouts for the year...
And, just at the back of the pagoda, is a new branch it's fired out in the last 2 days.
https://i.imgur.com/dIyMDBk.jpg
Sadly, the Ian Tree has died.
Life found a way, but has sadly passed on.
Chypmunk
03-18-22, 11:39 AM
Awwwww, even though we never met I still feel there was a bond of kinship between us - requiescat in pace Ian!
The Rodent
03-18-22, 11:43 AM
Yeah I was hoping for some mini apples from it :(
That darned Bonsai though has been through everything.
Rain, snow, a frost that almost killed it... blistering sunshine and heat... and also me chopping her down every year in Winter... she keeps on kicking back, and usually with a vengeance that I have to clip her literally daily during the Summer.
She's not even grafted.
Most Acer need grafting to a stronger root system if they're potted and turned to shallow-pot Bonsai.
This girl has taken everything, and keeps coming back for more.
This year she's even grown a new branch, first time ever... I think as a middle finger to my shears.
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