Hi Mudlark! Glad to see you here again! Finbar hasn't left yet, but only 3 weeks to go (if he's still leaving near the end of May?).

I made some quince jelly with some quinces from a fellow GW person, and it turned out pretty well, if I say so myself, but I also made some "leather" with the pulp in the dehydrator, and that turned out pretty well too, sweetened with a little honey.

BTW, I'm waiting for my saffron flowers to pop up as well - just green tufts so far. Can't wait to get my very first flower, which I intend pressing in a book! I'll make a memory with it *grin*

PP

Hi Mudlark. Glad to see you sticking with the same brand of computer! We're off on May 26th.

Wouldn't dream of switching to the Dark Side! Still finding my way around the new OS though.

May 26?.....not too far away, you have obviously found a place to 'put your swag' then....

Patrina, nice thought with the saffron flower, I'm glad your Quince jelly turned out well, I'm not a big fan of jams and jellies, though I really like quince paste....yummy with some good cheese and crackers....when my tree has some more fruit I might attempt it, though by the description of the cooking process I've read about it sounds difficult, hasanyone out there tried to make it - I would be interested to hear how it went.

Any Adelaide Tomato freaks might be interested in knowing that the ABC 891's gardening program on Saturday morning is going to have a feature on tomato growing...gettting ready for the next season etc. Kinda seems strange to be thinking about it already, but I notice there are a few lists appearing on the forum. I'm waiting for winter to really set in, so I can hunker down with the catolgues for a long, thoughtful purusal.

Are Adam and Raymond still around? How are the plans to escape to Armidale going? And Sarah? - I've read a few threads with some expressions of despair over the dreaded fruit fly.....the cooler weather hopefully will bring a reprieve...if not come and join us next season in lovely fruit fly free SA, you won't even need to go to the trouble of growing any tomatoes - just wangle an invitation to Spatz's place!

I notice that the VIctorians amongst us Pep and OZ and others seem to be planning for next year, does that mean the the summer has ended down there? As I write this, Adelaide has another fire ban day in the hills, but I think there is a promise of some genuinely Autumn weather for next week.

Cheers to all, mudlark

Hi Mudlark, glad to see you back on deck, even if it is on a Mac (aaarrgghh, off to wash out my mouth):-)
Yes we are planning. I have 45 odd varieties ready to go and have even planned where in the garden they are going, ie greenhouse, main bed, in amongst the wifes roses or in pots. Yep, its set in stone.

Cheers
Mantis

Yes, Mudlark, we found a place in Tuscany, near the Umbrian border, about 90kms SE of Florence. The town's called Castiglion Fiorentino, exactly halfway between Cortona and Arezzo. Blissful part of the world. Ironically, after I'd trawled the internet looking at houses to rent over there, and exchanging emails with countless agents over there, we discovered someone here in Sydney owns a place over there. Not only that, he's in the same business we're in. We knew his name but had never met him. We met him, he showed us some video he'd shot of the place, he was happy to let the place to us for two years, and, more importantly, happy for us to take our two dogs there. We did a deal and that was that! A pure stroke of luck.

The only downside (to to speak) is that there's no backyard. It's a 15th century cottage that has been renovated. They didn't have back doors and backyards in the 15th century. So my tomato growing will be restricted to containers in the front courtyard.

Ah...the rude so-and-so is back! Welcome home! :)

I am not ready yet for the spring season. Have to get ready for autumn/winter yet. There are still a few things that I haven't sown, and it might get a bit late for that. Oh, well. Can't have everything.

No idea what tomatoes I'll be growing next season, or how many. Let me get rid of this year's plants first.

Great to hear your saffron bulbs are doing well. :)

Sorry Oz, forgot about your Mac aversion, you poor soul! As for planning for the spring, I'm still trying convince my garden its autumn...this weekend however, I will get some legumes in the ground for some 'green manure', in what I hope will be next spring tomatoe patch. I won't get close to 45 varieties, probably around dozen will do me I think.

Finbar, glad to hear you found a place. I have only vague recollections of Tuscany, I was a little world weary by the time my travels had taken me there...I do remember incredibly beautiful countryside. Lucky you to be able linger in such a landscape. My whole time in Italy was frustrating because I had a very over-bearing Aunt in Milan who kept going out and buying me train tickets with return trips a day later...not the way I like to travel...I prefer to get away from the tourist places and drink cups of coffee, and wander around and ponder and drink cups of coffee and wander................. Hee hee, my Aunt used pack me food as well (I think its an Italian Jewish thing....EAT!!!), heaven forbid that I should want to sample the local cuisine in Italy!!

Spatz, good to hear from you, I have a digital camera now, so I will post a pic of the saffron when it does flower. Hey, I was quite early and organised with my winter veg planting and whilst the carrots are doing well inside their 'rabbit exclusion devices', the parsnips had very erratic germination and I am now having a third attempt. Also the warmer weather has meant that the cabbage moths are still about and the brassicas have been hammered, so I will probably need to replant them too. So when all is said and done, why not plant late!!

See ya, mudlark

Mudlark, hope you get rid of the cabbage moths. What a nuisance. Yeah, do some more sowing/planting, as it's real autumn now. (Will try to do the same, just haven't got enough time suddenly.)

Great about the camera. Hope you do some bragging soon. I don't want to be the only one here. *winks*
Ps.: Did you receive my email?

Hi Spatz,

yeeees, I received your email, sorry for being so slothful in responding, will do that when I finish here.....PROMISE!

Good Luck with your Autumn planting.

cheers, mudlark

Hello mudlark, fellow Mac user....... I'm always relieved to see someone else resisting the dark side. Im also slowly getting used to OS X.
I sold Patrina the saffron crocus bulbs, she's got and I can't wait to get a flowering report at last. Mine finished flowering on the 2nd of May and had started 3 weeks earlier than other years.
Where did you get you bulbs from and have they flowered yet this year?