Welcome Peter, are you a student travelling? I am just n
armchair traveller.
Sorry to hear you came back poorly OL, thank goodness it was only a 24 hour thing.
I love books, as some of you know I am reading half the night, I do use the android tablet though because I can put it on a black background with very dim white writing so as not to disturb himself.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Well, we learn something everyday ! Lyn, I didn't know there was a black screen option I find that even with screen saver the screen is too bright at nighttime (sp?).
Does anyone still have copies of the 'expert' books by Dr. D.G. Hessayon? Apart from hands on advice from my gran those were my only reference books and , I suspect, gave me my love for cottage garden plants. Still thumb the old copies for propagation advice.
Yes Bizzie - I still have copies of the 'Expert' books. I used to browse through them in bed when I first had them and started to learn the Latin names. Unfortunately my memory is not as good any more so I still refer to the books to check
There is nothing else that compares to turning the page of a new (or old favourite) book.
The Internet was a great reference back in the eighties and early nineties until the web came along. The university library, botany, biochemistry, soil and plant science, zoology and agriculture sections are far more reliable.
I bought one of those D G Hessayon books in the local charity shop. Though well-presented it is full of archaic units and practically unusable. I have no clue or care what a degree Fahrenheit, a gallon or an acre was. I assumed with Hessayon having a Ph.D the book would be a bit more academic and expert. Oh well it was only 25p. Of course with buying old horticulture books one risks that the plant systematics is out of date as phylogenetic techniques have moved on.
The charity shop of which I speak has fairly new academic books cheap and the money doesn't leave town. I got Life-The Science of Biology (7th, Purves et al) and Chemistry-The Central Science (8th, Brown et al) for £1 each to replace my oldr copies which fell apart with use.
The web is handy for sourcing items, far easier than traipsing to the central library for a specialist business directory, writing down a list of potential suppliers and telephoning them.
The big wide world world moves on Frank but the reality of weeding, planting, sowing seeds, and harvesting or admiring the results is still much the same.
My parents had all the "Expert" books, Dad gave me his copy of their "veg growing to cooking" which is very useful if you cant think of ideas to use up gluts of produce.
I have to say I love my kindle. It allows me to carry hundreds, if not thousands of books around with me in my handbag and it means that I'm never without a book wherever I am. That said, I still love hard copies when it comes to my gardening and other reference books.
The 'expert' veg book is one I don't have so will look out for it in our charity shops. I've only started growing vegetables seriously this year since sharing a plot. Used AT's 'how to' series to get started, excellent basic advice just what was needed as starting something new. Funny how you can 'hear' his voice as you read the book.
Posts
Welcome Peter, are you a student travelling? I am just n
armchair traveller.
Sorry to hear you came back poorly OL, thank goodness it was only a 24 hour thing.
I love books, as some of you know I am reading half the night, I do use the android tablet though because I can put it on a black background with very dim white writing so as not to disturb himself.
Well, we learn something everyday ! Lyn, I didn't know there was a black screen option
I find that even with screen saver the screen is too bright at nighttime (sp?).
Does anyone still have copies of the 'expert' books by Dr. D.G. Hessayon? Apart from hands on advice from my gran those were my only reference books and , I suspect, gave me my love for cottage garden plants. Still thumb the old copies for propagation advice.
Yes Bizzie - I still have copies of the 'Expert' books. I used to browse through them in bed when I first had them and started to learn the Latin names. Unfortunately my memory is not as good any more so I still refer to the books to check
There is nothing else that compares to turning the page of a new (or old favourite) book.
I always use the 'expert'veg growing book, he has a good few pages on what feeds and composts etc to put on the ground and when to do it.
The Internet was a great reference back in the eighties and early nineties until the web came along. The university library, botany, biochemistry, soil and plant science, zoology and agriculture sections are far more reliable.
I bought one of those D G Hessayon books in the local charity shop. Though well-presented it is full of archaic units and practically unusable. I have no clue or care what a degree Fahrenheit, a gallon or an acre was. I assumed with Hessayon having a Ph.D the book would be a bit more academic and expert. Oh well it was only 25p. Of course with buying old horticulture books one risks that the plant systematics is out of date as phylogenetic techniques have moved on.
The charity shop of which I speak has fairly new academic books cheap and the money doesn't leave town. I got Life-The Science of Biology (7th, Purves et al) and Chemistry-The Central Science (8th, Brown et al) for £1 each to replace my oldr copies which fell apart with use.
The web is handy for sourcing items, far easier than traipsing to the central library for a specialist business directory, writing down a list of potential suppliers and telephoning them.
The big wide world world moves on Frank but the reality of weeding, planting, sowing seeds, and harvesting or admiring the results is still much the same.
In the sticks near Peterborough
...and eating the results
My parents had all the "Expert" books, Dad gave me his copy of their "veg growing to cooking" which is very useful if you cant think of ideas to use up gluts of produce.
I have to say I love my kindle. It allows me to carry hundreds, if not thousands of books around with me in my handbag and it means that I'm never without a book wherever I am. That said, I still love hard copies when it comes to my gardening and other reference books.
The 'expert' veg book is one I don't have so will look out for it in our charity shops. I've only started growing vegetables seriously this year since sharing a plot. Used AT's 'how to' series to get started, excellent basic advice just what was needed as starting something new. Funny how you can 'hear' his voice as you read the book.