The nursery re-opens in 11 days time, though at first sight it doesn’t look like we are anywhere like ready. My father-in-law Ged has been extending the tea room and creating a staff area in one of the other sheds and the place still looks a bit like a joiner’s yard. We started the clear up today and began painting the tea room ready for the new kitchen which arrives on Wednesday.
This week the first batch of new plant stock arrived – about 1,000 plants or so – all looking strong, healthy and itching to grow. (From Howards Nurseries in Diss for those of you with wholesale purchasing capacity). We were all very impressed and it does make me think that the many hours we have spent painstakingly weeding and nurturing some of the poor stock that was here when we took over may have been pointless – we’d have been better ditching the lot and starting afresh I think.
Last night’s high winds brought a power cut, which stopped me mid-blog, but the real bother was the loose slate above our bedroom which clattered all night and drove me to the spare room. With sleep still elusive, I sought out a book and found my old school copy of Wuthering Heights (the name ‘Susan Hollingworth’ is written in surprisingly neat handwriting in the inside cover). I re-read it roughly once every ten years or so and am still enthralled with this great story, astonishingly well-crafted, beautifully structured and of course perfect reading for a wild night with the wind singing through the windows.
5 Responses to “Sprinting to opening day”
Well Sue, I don’t know plants from Diss – it’s just down the road! It used to be Howard and Kooji’s nursery and they always have good plants, supplying many for Chelsea etc… a blast from the past as Mrs Kooji was a formidable teacher 😉
Better than buying from the Dutch, Brian! I’m trying to support UK suppliers where I can and as you say, Howards have a good reputation – substatiated by the quality of the delivery I’ve received.
Tell me more about Mrs Kooji….?
what are you going to serve in the Tea Room?
Wow – it only seems a couple of days ago that you closed. and you certainly don’t seem to have stopped working. Did you get a holiday at all this year?
I too have books that I read regularly, though in my case the name on the cover is more likely to be Austen than Bronte …
Umlike most ‘garden centres’ in the UK, which sell more cakes than plants, our tea room is a very basic affair – we provide hot water, tea bags, milk and mugs – you make it yourself and pay when you go home! Very basic – but a lot cleaner and neater now than last year
And no Sue I didn’t go away except for 3 days in the Lake District. We’ll have a proper holiday next winter.