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๐Ÿ‘CURMUDGEONS' CORNER XIII๐Ÿ‘

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  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    edited April 2021
    My heartโ€™s desire is to find someone who would like to know the stages in the formation of an ox bow lake. I loved Geography, indeed I pretty much loved all my subjects. Though reasonably proficient in French I had to work hard at Latin and whileย Maths caused few problems I often struggled with Physics. (Father McIver, Physics teacher, โ€œAny questions? Put your hand down you fat head. If youโ€™d been listening you shouldnโ€™t have to ask questions.โ€)

    The standard of teaching was generally pretty abysmal then compared to today. I remember well the day the inspector came to visit our primary school. The teacher prepared us well. โ€œIf you know the answer put up your right hand. If you donโ€™t know it put up your left hand. I want it to look like Epping Forest in winter in here.โ€
    Rutland, England
  • takhanatakhana Posts: 82
    edited April 2021
    I'd like to moan about my dahlia tubers, please.ย 

    Bought two packs from B+Q at the start of the year, out of 12 (6 in each pack supposedly) only about 8 were in tact, out of those 8 only 3 have eyes on! So a 25% success rate for getting something that *might* grow!ย 

    I've tried popping some of the other ones in a ziplock bag with a bit of compost and a little water as Dr Google told me that might encourage an eye sprouting but I won't hold my breath. Disappointed is an understatement, I love Dahlias and have wanted to grow my own since we got the house two years ago :(
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    takhana said:
    Bought two packs from B+Q at the start of the year, out of 12 (6 in each pack supposedly) only about 8 were in tact, out of those 8 only 3 have eyes on! So a 25% success rate for getting something that *might* grow!ย 

    It's very often true that buying plants from a cheap outlet doesn't save you any money. Had you bought three dahlias from a reputable supplier online for a similar amount of money as the 12 from B&Q, you'd quite possibly have ended up with the same number of viable plants but of known varieties (and all different) from which you could very likely take cuttings next year if they grew strongly this year.
    It's not always the case, you can get some quite nice 'ordinary' plants from the DIY stores if you're alert to teabags. But if you want something special - and I'd say a dahlia is a special - then it's worth finding a supplier who knows what they're doing.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    โ€œIt's still magic even if you know how it's done.โ€ย 
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I know it's nature and life and stuff and things have to eat but seeing a fox killing a female blackbird is upsetting. I hope her eggs hadn't hatched.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • takhanatakhana Posts: 82
    takhana said:
    Bought two packs from B+Q at the start of the year, out of 12 (6 in each pack supposedly) only about 8 were in tact, out of those 8 only 3 have eyes on! So a 25% success rate for getting something that *might* grow!ย 

    It's very often true that buying plants from a cheap outlet doesn't save you any money. Had you bought three dahlias from a reputable supplier online for a similar amount of money as the 12 from B&Q, you'd quite possibly have ended up with the same number of viable plants but of known varieties (and all different) from which you could very likely take cuttings next year if they grew strongly this year.
    It's not always the case, you can get some quite nice 'ordinary' plants from the DIY stores if you're alert to teabags. But if you want something special - and I'd say a dahlia is a special - then it's worth finding a supplier who knows what they're doing.
    Absolutely agree now, but hindsight is a wonderful thing - not sure many other business would get away with selling something that has such a low level of viability! Can you imagine getting a loaf of bread from Tesco and only 25% of the slices are edible?ย 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Tesco generic white loaf is 100% inedible IMHO.
    Vendรฉe - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I got a loaf from Tesco and 0% was edible.( Other shttt bread is available) Thought of having a break from making my own.ย  How bad could it be?WRONG!
    What on earth do they make bread from? Why does it coat the back of your teeth?ย  Why does toast turn into dust?ย 

    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • NorthernJoeNorthernJoe Posts: 660
    Can I say that I went to a medium sized, rural primary school which fed into the local, failed high school. The only way out was a nearly 2 hour bus, train, bus and walk to a good school if you could get in. Not a grammar but similar. Merchant Taylor's in Crosby, Liverpool. Not many got in there. The other way out was to be solid church goers at the local C of E church for most of your primary school years. That got you a letter if introduction to a good, comprehensive that used to be a grammar school until labour got control of the council and converted grammars to comps or shut them. It did however maintain many of the features of a grammar school in teaching style and certainly quality.

    I could do neither. However my parents put me into the entry exams for a school one hour away that was a former grammar whose governors and parents at the time refused to be converted to a comprehensive school so became a type of independent school. An independent grammar school with 11+ entry exam and fees to those whose parents could afford it or scholarships to those who couldn't. Basically trying to be a grammar school without council funding. I aced the maths, logic and pretty much everyย  part of the 11+exam.

    My first year I struggled especially with maths. The reason being that my my primary schoolย hadn't even taught the stuff that every other kid already knew and the teacher didn't want to teach me the missing stuff. I had to work it out for myself. Fortunately I did. That stubbornness with maths problems paid off later on when I often became the only kid in my class to get full marks on GCSE maths homework. The teacher set the last question at A level exam standard algebra. I got it right about 80 or 90% of the time. Not because I was the Brigitte but because I was willing to spend 5+ hours on a Sunday with pages and pages of Oakley until I got the answer.

    I still only got a C at A level but A at GCSE. The reason was GCSE you could get A without working for it but A level you needed to work I didn't work. My revision was watching a B&W TV with headphones then an hour or two the night before and bus into school. What a waste!!!

    My view on any teaching subject is that a good teacher connects and as a result the lesson isn't a chore. Kids learn better when they're enjoying it. Even maths can be fun despite being your worst subject. It's about getting through somehow. I am think this theory of mine is backed up by posts on here of horrible teachers and bad results from their subject and really nice teachers and people getting degrees in related subjects.

    One last point, in know It's a long post, I disagree about sines, cosines,algebra ,etc not being useful. I use them all a lot at work. It's often the reason customers came back to us not the competition down the road. We had my skill with maths that might only be GCSE level but that's above what most adults have years after leaving school. It's not just my job that in find it's being used. Without thinking about it I actually use GCSE level maths when at home, out and about too. It's used to estimate areas, quantities, volumes, etc. My understanding of sine and cosine wave and it's use or meaning is very helpful at times. I can't really give examples because it's kind of instinctive now. I'm a little like my dad who can guess something and be right because there's a hidden thought process I don't realise is happening.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    B3 said:
    What on earth do they make bread from?ย 

    It's a complicated process involving old cardboard boxes and unused carrier bags. Plus some special chemicals to remove the blue dye from the bags. And some sugar. It's a technological wonder.ย 
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    โ€œIt's still magic even if you know how it's done.โ€ย 
  • NorthernJoeNorthernJoe Posts: 660
    My son likes a split white loaf from Booths (a good regional supermarket like Waitrose but better). It's a quality loaf but I can't eat it because they always put too much white flour on the top. Why? It makes me sneeze really badly. Flour up the nose isn't nice!

    Quality has its own problems I guess!!
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