http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/ About Gilbert Hyde and family en-us Nucleus CMS v3.22 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/ http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=61
The new Pent roof garden shed
The shed was made to order (4ft 6inch deep from front to back and 6ft wide left to right) by the Worcester Shed & Fencing company and I have to say it is really well made, went together in in around 2 hours and was finally finished with door, lock & glass in 3 hours. I would definitely recommend Worcester Shed to anyone - here is their website ]]> Gilbert's Life http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=61 Sun, 7 Mar 2010 14:18:19 +0000 http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=60
And I remembered that I had not added any photos of the 2009 garden displays - so here are the images of bright flowers and green plants.

Amazing what you can do with an old washing up bowl, hanging basket peat & plants
It is amazing what you can achieve with an old plastic washing up bowl filled with hanging basket peat and a selection of flower plants. This definitely brightened up the area just outside the backdoor.



A perfect example of the climbing rose planted by Dad nearly 40 years ago - 2009 was a good year for blooms
My garden currently features 4 rose plants. This yellow/white climber was planted by Dad 40 years ago and has always produced nice blooms from May till end of June.


One of the many blooms I had this year on "free" orange, patio rose
I was given a patio rose plant by my plant suppliers from Harborne Farmers Market, on the basis if it grows fine - if not so what. Well 2009 was its second season in my garden and grow it certainly has - this is one of the blooms!


In the top garden is the pink climbing rose Dad was given by friends in Wales at least 20 years ago, probably nearer 30. It did not a lot while he was alive...since he died its been climbing toward the sky and 2009 it bloomed from August till October
In the top garden is the pink climbing rose Dad was given by friends in Wales at least 20 years ago - probably nearer 30. It did not a lot while he was alive...since he died its been climbing toward the sky and 2009 it bloomed from August till October!!


Close up of the pink rose blooms with the old shed behind
Close up of the pink rose blooms with the old shed (and associated junk) behind


All the yard raised planters full of plants - taken end of May 2009
All the yard raised planters full of plants - taken end of May 2009


View of the old "rifle cabinet" now a planting box - end of May 2009
View of the old "rifle cabinet" now a planting box - end of May 2009. If it could hold plants, it is being adapted - waste not, want not is the discipline here!


Close up of the yards middle planter - the wicker basket is an old fishing creal containing a patio rose
Close up of the yards middle planter - the wicker basket is an old fishing creal containing a patio rose. Unfortuntely this rose plant got damaged 3 years ago and I feared it had died. Replanting in the old fisherman's basket has seen it grow again, although it has yet to produce flowers. I will give it time and maybe as the plant restores its strength the flowers will come


What would have been Moms garden seat supporting the 2008-9 winter hanging basket, still in bloom May 2009
After Dad died I redeveloped the garden and created a place for Mom to sit, complete with permanent arm rest to help her get up. Unfortunately Mom died early in 2009 and so the seat area became the dumping grown for the 2008-9 winter hanging basket - still in bloom end of May 2009!!


Kitchen window box in bloom, July 2009 (after the new windows had been fitted)
The kitchen window box in bloom July 2009 - planted late because I had new windows fitted


The summer 2009 hanging basket - wild and cultivate flowers this year
The summer 2009 hanging basket features wild & ciltivate flowers and plants and made a pleasant change from previous years


Another view of the planted fishing creal
Another view of the planted fisherman's fishing basket


Close up of the corner of the yards top planter and two pots - one with ferns left over from winter 2008-9
At the top of the yard, where the steps rise up to the upper garden, the raised brick planter has taken on mosses softening its impact - when planted and surrounded by pots containing summer flowers and left-over from winter ferns, it makes a pleasant corner


Another bloom on the "freebie" patio rose
Its August 2009 and the "freebie" orange patio rose is still producting blooms


The star of the 2009 garden was the pink climbing rose - perfect blooms all over the plant
The pink climbing rose Dad got from Wales was the definite star of the 2009 garden. Blooms all over the plant from August to October - here is one perfect example


Yet another of the perfect pink blooms on the climber
Another of the pink blooms - this was taken in late September 2009


Its early October 2009 and yet more blooms on the pink climber
It is October 2009 and the first frost has happened but the pink rose is still producing blooms . Dad would have been so chuffed!!]]> Gardening http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=60 Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:47:06 +0000 http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=59

Mom on her 90th Birthday - happier times

Now Gone but Forver Loved & Missed

Her funeral will take place at Lodge Hill Crematorium at 2.30 on Monday 27th April 2009. Family flowers only.

Donations to the Royal National Lifeboat Institute in Moms name will be welcomed.

All about Lodge Hill Crematorium
All about the RNLI ]]> Gilbert's Life http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=59 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:01:26 +0100 http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=58
But the sad fact is that Digital TV was the worse invention ever for satisfactory viewing of football matches. Digital allows the broadcaster to have lots of cameras, covering every imaginable angle, many remotely controlled but ITV could have a million cameras covereing a game and its coverage would still be crap!

People sitting on their sofas who for whatever reason are unable to get to see the game live really want to watch the FOOTBALL not the crowd, managers, ball boys, security men or close ups of players nostrils!

People sitting at home need to see where the BALL is, who has kicked it and to who it has been passed or to where it was kicked.

I get the impression, having paid multi-millions for the rights to broadcast, the actual filming and broadcasting of games is being done on the cheap - mainly by people who know nothing of the game and more disappointingly, don't care one jot what the people sitting on their sofas want.

Come on Michael Grade - get your finger out and give some of your broadcasting staff what they really want - their cards, they certainly deserve them!!]]> Thoughts and Confusion http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=58 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 11:47:38 +0000 http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=57 this.

OfCom - the UK regulator of broadcasting and telecommunications has bowed to pressure from Brussels and decided to give the frequencies used by Digital Terrestrial TV & Radio Microphones (as used at Glastonbury etc) to 3G mobile coms companies because "it will make the equipment cheaper".

As someone who sees 3G as nothing more than an expensive toy, certainly not offering anything that people cannot live without I personally do not care what the price of the equipment is likely to be.

But I am pretty sure that every Digital Terrestrial TV user is going to be concerned because this move means ALL such equipment has to be reprogrammed and in some cases will mean it is totally useless and will have to be replaced.

And you can be damn sure the user will have to foot that bill. But then again, this (Gordon Brown's) Government would prefer everybody was on either Sky or Virgin cable so that their (the Labour Party) supporters Murdoch & Branson get lots of money. ]]> Thoughts and Confusion http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=57 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 11:29:38 +0000 http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=56
As usual at the checkout I was given a green token. These are handed to all customers who buy from the main store and represent a donation Waitrose make to the charity of your choice. You deposit the token in one of three slots in a big see through collection box near the entrance/exit.

Out of the three choices available, one was proving to be twice as popular as the others and I am happy to say I added to that ever growing pile of green tokens.

The charity of choice for Waitrose shoppers in Harborne is SSAFA and it makes me very proud to see that most people recognise that this charity really should get support because it provides comfort and support for the members of our Armed Forces.....so many of who are getting hurt and killed in the battlefields of Afghanistan.

For those who cannot get to Harborne or Waitrose - an online donation can be made HERE.]]> Thoughts and Confusion http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=56 Thu, 8 Jan 2009 23:26:40 +0000 http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=55
So I wandered up the High St and round into St Johns Road to the Richard Jennings wet fish counter. I like him, he knows the trade and always provides good advice, But the flippin counter and the trailer it was in are all gone!

So no wet fish.....I went to M&S and bought a lasagne and cauiflower cheese.]]> Thoughts and Confusion http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=55 Thu, 8 Jan 2009 17:33:54 +0000 http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=54
View out of the rear bedroom>



View from the back door>



View from the front door looking down the road]]> Thoughts and Confusion http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=54 Thu, 8 Jan 2009 17:26:21 +0000 http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=53 Thoughts and Confusion http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=53 Thu, 1 Jan 2009 01:35:10 +0000 http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=52
Winter hanging basket in December 2008

Winter pot # 1

Winter pot # 2

Winter pot #3

And the Pansies I replanted from my raised beds at the begining of spring (April I think) have started to show, even if they are a bit straggly...but its a still a bit early, however it does prove we have a fairly mild winter so far.

Replanted Pansies under the trees

Finally to complete the "winter" show - a bouquet sent to my Mom by a family friend - truely brightening her room and the scent is mmmmm so nice.
Beautiful bouquet sent through the post to Mom Xmas 2008]]> Gardening http://www.bill-hyde.com/blah-zone/index.php?itemid=52 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:51:28 +0000