Canny lass

What more can a woman say ...

Given? "WELL - EARNED" is the term being applied by the 'book appreciation' gang.

given! GIVEN! It was stolen, I tell you, from under our very noses with no thought or consideration for anybody but themselves!

.... and it's a BIG Happy (belated) Birthday from me too!

My mistake. I thought the prospective tennant of the new supermarket premises was being discussed. I have to agree with you there, Rosco! On my last visit I was amazed that a small town like Bedlington could have so many tattoo studios.

The more I think about it, the answer to that is no. From what Webtrekker says, it sounds like a good shop but if they deliver in the Bedlington area then it's already 'on your doorstep', so to speak. My money would be on another supermarket along the lines of Lidl. Waitrose, Tesco or similar. A bit of competition is great for keeping prices down. Of course, we all have different views on how, when and where to shop. it has to fit in with everything else that's involved in running a household, holding down a job and raising a family. It's a very personal choice. Whichever way it goes some will be happy and some will not. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

I can't claim to be familiar with Iceland. I've only been inside one Iceland shop and that was in Tenerife. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas and I'd heard they had some typically english Christmas goods (not frozen) in stock that I could take home. I remember I bought Christmas crackers and stocked up on demarera sugar. It's a good few years ago now. I looked them up now and find that they have branches in Blyth, Cramlington, Morpeth and Whitley Bay. They are clearly popular and appear to stock much more than frozen goods. I also noted that they ALL do home deliveries - free if your order is over 25 quid. Can anybody tell me how far they deliver? Would the Blyth branch deliver to Bedlington, for example, or the Morpeth branch to Stannington?

Why not?

Whether or not it will work in Bedlington, I can't say but it can and does work in other places. My nearest town for shopping is slightly smaller than Bedlington with just 15 000 inhabitants. It has three large supermarkets and has had since the arrival of Lidl some 10-12 years ago (a fourth did not survive). The two prior to Lidl had high prices because the majority of goods were Swedish. The excuse being given for this was that 'Swedish is quality' and 'the customer only wants Swedish'. However, along came Lidl with much lower prices and a range of non-Swedish goods that sold like wildfire because they were cheaper - giving low-income families the opportunity to eat until they were full and even have the odd luxury like an ice-cream once in a while (yes, we have those families here as well). Also, Lidl's range was different from the usual assortment making it easier for Swedes to try new things while those with an immigrant background no longer needed to travel 90km to buy familiar basics like dates, pollenta, tahini to name but a few items. My life would be complete if only they could start stocking shredded suet and split peas. We all miss something from home which allows us to make food we've grown up with. The result was that the two previous supermarkets lost many customers to Lidl, which has now doubled in size. However, they didn't go out of business. Having seen what customers 'really' wanted, they started to think with their heads instead of their wallets and bought in some cheaper brands, one even created an own brand. Swedish items are now very few and today, those supermarkets are still alive. Not only are they alive, I also believe that they are doing well. I base that judgement on the fact that all three, during the past 6 years, have doubled the size of their car parking area and they are all packed with cars Thursday to Sunday (popular days for doing the weekly shopping here). Of course, it may have helped that the town centre has had a re-vamp in recent years and that people are positive and helpful, making it a pleasant place to visit.

Really! There's football on the telly this evening? My old man, 3 sons and 7 grandsons ( I've got my own team), sauna going full blast even though it's a heatwave outside, beer, crisps, dip sauces, peanuts, beer, popcorn, a selection of dried susages - and did I mention beer - all over the place. They told me they were having a book appreciation meeting.

What's not to like about that! I think it'll be very nice.

Just showed that to the oldman. I thought he was going to choke on his coffee! Something to do with the meaning of the word 'mouse'.

looks like Kim, nodding in agreement to something or other.

Suspended here as well. Using http://www.westbedlington.org.uk

I think that aspect is covered by "somebody to care for us". PS What is that emoji? It looks like Kim Jong-Un.

When you think about it we aren’t so very different to plants. We need also need a firm anchorage in a place that can provide nourishment so that we can grow and develop. Somebody to care for us who can recognize our need for – and give - a bit of extra support when needed and somebody who can see and appreciate the beauty within us even when we are just a simple bud or battered by the elements. We should all be gardeners whether or not we have a garden.

Whoopee! I've just located seeds here! Too late for this year unfortunately.

I know exactly what you mean. Some years ago I was a volunteer on a project called 'Växthuset'. That word is made up of three components: växt - hus -et. That word translated to English means 'The greenhouse' and we did have a greenhouse at our disposal. Translated literally it can mean 'the plant house' or 'the growth house' as the component 'växt' has two meanings. It was a great name for what was happening there - plants and people were growing - people like Emma. who'd been in very dark places. It was wonderful to watch them emerging into the light and more than a few actually 'blossomed'. There's something about gardening that's healing.

That's it! Just what I tried to bring back from the Cotswolds last year.

OK? with roses like that she's doing a bit more than OK. They are gorgeous. I've never had any luck with roses here other than 'Vresros' (don't know what that's called back home but the botanical name is rosa rugosa). I just let them take over on the slope beneath the balcony and the scent is heavenly of an evening! Almost takes over from the scent of the pink gin.

No, definitely not a sedum. Wrong type of leaf, but thanks for trying Steve.

That would be great! Don't know if I can get it here but some garden centre might be able to get it for me, or I might be able to get seeds in England' I don't mind it spreading. There are areas of my garden that could do with something like that and I only have squirrels, deer and elk for neighbours.

You're a genius! I googled 'Leaf curl' and it's definitely that. Plant is now moved to a shadier spot. While we are on the subject of things that grow wildly all over the place, does anybody know what this is? It grows just about everywhere in the Cotswolds, both in gardens and on the roadside. I don't know if it's a weed or a cultivated flower. I brought a little root home with me but it didn't survive the journey. I asked a few locals what it was called but only one gave me any sort of answer. When he was a child he used to call it 'Grandmother's needlework'. I can't find that anywhere. I'd love to have it in my garden.

Beautiful garden, Eggy! I've got about 3 000 square metres to look after, so there's a lot of grass with flower beds dotted about the place. I'm also a 'pot' kind of person and Fuschias and Geraniums do quite well here. I've some that are getting on for 13 years now and I've lost count of how many cuttings I've had over the years. Strange you should mention tomatoes. I was given a plant a few weeks ago. It's standing outside in a 10 litre pot against a south facing wall. Very warm but it has it's very own parasol. I've nipped out the side shoots and it has 2 lovely groups of flowers. When it got up to the 3rd set of flowers the very top leaves have curled up into a tight ball, not dead just curled up. Any idea what's happened?

Thanks Eggy, I'll be showing that to a few people! I'm in Devon in September, so I might even try and find the Westcountry Nurseries and buy seeds. Mercury, we put just about every kind of perennial in the garden here. Living in the forest on an old farm, I and many others like me, opt for the old-fashioned type of garden with plants that are decorative, but some are even useful - much as the garden may have been years ago. I have: Honeysuckle, Forget-me-nots, Marguerites, Lady's Mantle, Peonies, Delphiniums, Iris and decorative Sages. Lilac and Jasmine are a must for everybody! Then I have Clematis, Hostas (Plantain Lilies?), a whole range of Alumroot, Marigolds (make a lovely tea), Soapwort (it really does work in the washing machine), Bleeding Heart and a full range of Aquilegias. And, of course, I have Lupins - painstakingly dug upp along the roadside and planted into my 'woodland area' where everything is allowed to grow wild. Another flower that is considered invasive here is Yellow Loosestrife. I think It's also called Alexander. I love it. It also grows wild on the sites of former small holdings and spreads like wildfire, though nobody complains about this - came from central Europe originally.