Tuesday and a lovely sunny if frosty chilly day back in the nursery. We got the last of the wildflower banks cut back by lunch time accompanied by our resident Robin. The seeds will be scattered, allowing the wild flowers to multiply and thicken up when they germinate next year.
The afternoon saw us starting our next winter job - starting to bring all the slabs over from the old tunnel site so we can start the path in the new tunnel. Those 2 x 3 slabs get heavier the older I get!
We also want to get the old tunnel site cleared so a trailer load of old wood and plastic made its way over to the nursery to get recycled and sorted. Its all progress :)
Oh and I potted up 54 teasel seedlings I brought back from son Jamie's garden at the weekend.
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| Frozen plants in the herb garden dipping pool |
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You've heard of leaves on the line,
we have robin on the line! |
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| The robin has control! |
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| The strimming is finished |
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| Althaea officinalis |
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| Goat nonsense |
That's another big admin job ticked off the list this week, getting the RHS plant Finder submission done and filed for next years entry. As always I was supervised by Maisie, but I suspect it was a sneaky way of getting a cuddle to keep warm. Despite removing some entries from our listing we still have 41 more than we did last year which is great and more interesting varieties to offer our customers is always good.
The RHS plant finder is a great resource for tracking down plants you want to buy that are not readily available in local nurseries and garden centers or are rare and unusual and grown by specialist nurseries. By searching for the plant name you will be offered a list of nurseries stocking that plant including those that do mail order. Its a great way of sourcing that unusual plant you've seen that you just have to add to your garden, or the missing variety from your collection. Happy plant searching, I've included the link below:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/search-form
Behind the scenes - getting the first new tunnel up and covered is only the beginning. There's still a few things to do to make it fully functioning starting with a proper path! This is something we've never had in our tunnel and the farm tunnel we are borrowing. Lack of time, cash and so on has never got it done, but we are determined, having learnt over the last 9 years what works and doesn't that these tunnels will be the best they can be. Its amazing how excited the Quercus team are at the moment about slab paths for walking on and barrowing plants about 
I can't wait to start filling it with plants in the new year. So, Thursday saw us start the path, putting in a wooden edge, a great job for the wet weather and bringing over the slabs from the old tunnel potting area when it was dry. As I've said before, those 2 x 3 slabs are heavier than they used to be! Maisie had a great time in the tunnel while we were working. The third job on our winter task list started 
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| Despite the photos it isn't all about Maisie |
This is a long one, bear with me. I brought a pile of books back from Coll in September from my late uncles collection, mainly border tales, legends and mysteries, some in auld Scots which I have never read before and am very much enjoying, especially as many of them are based in places in the Borders I've come to know. So I’ve felt inspired to try and depict some of these stories by painting them, nothing like giving myself more stress! This is quite a challenge and to be honest I am surprised how well this turned out, especially as it has people in it! I didn’t want it too detailed but not too abstract either, nout like a challenge, lol. So I give you the The Dual of the Dowie Dens of Yarrow.
An old Ballad and story, thought to be based on legend or historical fact depicting a duel or fight between John Scott of Tushielaw and his friends and brothers and Walter Scott of Thirlestane in 1609, in which Scott of Thirlestane was killed. The families, after this, were at feud. The dual was brought about by the Scotts of Tushielaw not wishing their sister to be in love with a lower class person such as Scott, in some versions referred to as a plough boy. The story plays back and forward along the Yarrow valley, to Dryhope and Gala tower and back again, along the shore of St Mary’s loch and finally concluding in a fight or dual in the Dens of Yarrow, where the fair maiden finds her lover dead in the river where he succumbed to his fatal wounds.
Late at e'en, drinkin' the wine, and ere they paid the lawin',
They set a combat them between to fight it in the dawin'.
You took our sister to be your wife, and thought her not your marrow (equal)
You stole her frae her father's back, when she was the Rose o' Yarrow.
I took your sister to be my wife, and I made her my marrow;
I stole her frae her father's back, and she's still the Rose o' Yarrow.
He has hame tae his lady gane, as he had done before, O,
Says, Madam, I maun keep a tryst, on the dowie houms o' Yarrow.
O stay at hame, my noble lord, O stay at hame, my marrow,
My cruel brother will you betray, on the dowie dens o' Yarrow.
Now hold your tongue, my lady fair, for what needs a' this sorrow?
For if I gae I'll soon return frae the dowie dens o' Yarrow.
She's kissed his cheek, she's kaimed his hair, as oft she'd done before, O!
She's belted him wi' his noble brand, and he's awa' tae Yarrow.
O fare ye weel, my lady gay! O fare ye weel, my Sarah!
For I maun gae, though I ne'er return frae the dowie houms o' Yarrow.
As he gaed o'er the Tennies bank, I wot he gaed wi' sorrow,
Till down in the den, he saw nine armed men on the dowie dens o' Yarrow.
O come ye here to part your land, the bonnie forest thorough?
Or come ye here to wield your brand on the dowie dens o' Yarrow?
I come not here to part my land, and neither to beg nor borrow;
But I come here to wield my brand on the bonnie banks o' Yarrow.
If I see all, ye're nine tae ane, and that's unequal marrow (matching)
Yet will I fight while lasts my brand on the dowie dens o' Yarrow.
Four has he hurt, and five has slain, on the bloody braes o' Yarrow;
Till that stubborn knicht cam' him behind, and ran his body thorough.
Gae hame, gae hame, gude brother John, and tell your sister Sarah,
To come and lift her leafu' lord, who's sleeping sound on Yarrow.
As he gaed owre yon high, high hill, as he had done before, O!
There he met his sister dear, was comin' fast to Yarrow.
Yestre'en I dreamed a dolefu' dream, I fear there will be sorrow;
I dreamed I pu'd the heather green wi' my true love on Yarrow.
O gentle wind that bloweth south, from where my lord repaireth,
Convey a kiss from his dear mouth, and tell me how he fareth!
I'll read your dream, my sister dear, I'll tell you all your sorrow;
You pu'd the heather wi' your true love; he's killed, he's killed on Yarrow.
But in the glen strove armed men, they've wrought me dule and sorrow;
They've slain--the comeliest knicht they've slain, he bleeding lies on Yarrow.
She's torn the ribbons frae her head that were baith thick and narrow,
She's kiltit up hir gae claithing, and she's awa' tae Yarrow.
Sometimes she rade, sometimes she gaed, as oft she'd done before, O!
And a' between she fell in a sweine, lang ere she cam' tae Yarrow.
As she sped down yon high, high hill, she gaed wi' dule and sorrow;
And in the den spied ten slain men, on the dowie banks o' Yarrow.
She's kissed his cheek, she kaimed his hair, she searched his wounds all thorough;
She kissed them till her lips grew red, on the dowie houms o' Yarrow.
She's kissed his cheek, she kaimed his hair, as oft she'd done before, O!
Syne wi' a sigh her heart did break, on the dowie braes o' Yarrow.
Now haud your tongue, my daughter dear, for a' this breeds but sorrow;
I'll wed ye tae a better lord than him ye lost on Yarrow.
O haud your tongue, my father dear, ye mind me but o' sorrow;
A fairer rose did never bloom than now lies cropped on Yarrow.
Tak' ham' your ousen, tak' ham' your kye, for they hae bred our sorrow;
I wis that they had a' gane mad when they cam' first tae Yarrow.
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The weathers was so wet on Saturday but we walked along to the Makers market for lots of gift ideas and local produce, that's more christmas shopping done  lunch picked up from the fat batard on the way home. |
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Inspired by the robin thats kept us company
over the last weeks in the nursery |
I had a great day at the Whitmuir makers christmas fair. It was lovely to catch up with lots of folk and see a lot of our regular customers coming to support the event. Thanks to everyone at Whitmuir for organising it all
and to everyone that bought from us 
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