Back to the classroom......week 2

Good blog Flori. I'm not sure I would have agreed with you when I was leaving school at 15, but now (38 years later), I couldn't agree with you more.
Learning is fun ! :-))

sounds like an interesting course~we have a lot to be grateful to the Romans for..

so glad you are enjoying your course flori, i can hear the excitment in your words, funny when we get older we love learning , think its because its not forced on us, we do it because we want to ;o))
ive learned a few things from my son as he is doing ancient history Alevel and the romans brought us a whole new life, way ahead of anyone in deisgn and technoligy, and who cares they invaded us, italians in skirts wow, wish i had been around haha ;o))

Sandra, wot are you like ! Would that be Giorgio Armani skirts ? ... lol..

lol muddy was only saying hahaha, defernatly Armani ;o))

The worlds best dressed soldiers - not very practical but very sexy ! ... lol :-))

who cares about practical muddy, very sexy,,, like russel crow, wow haha

Strictly speaking, I don't think there were any Antipodean hunks in the Roman army. But I guess you can count him in. Now, Sophia Loren - she's ALL Italian ...grrrrrrrrowlllll ... lol... :-))

lol muddy, i must say even at the age she is now , she is very beautifull

Flori, a student i cannot believe it!! Good on you florrie, lets hope you
behave yourself, and not talk too much in the class-room LOL
It all sounds very interesting, it must be great, being taught a subject, that you are very keen on....especially from the very beginning, those early days.
where it all started from...we get so much new info. we do not know about from these kind of studies, how enjoyable, it must be for you...
Will you be taking Exams Flori? After the end of your course....I wish you lots of luck, and brain-power in your studies flori LOL

Glad you are enjoying your course Floribunda.....

Hi everyone!:~)) Thanks for all the feedback on my latest blog,even if San and Muddy got a bit caught up in Roman apparel~you two always keep me smiling~!

Arlene~I had no idea how much we 'borrowed' from the Romans,and how huge an influence they have been~ I suppose I was guilty of never even pondering it till now......my eyes are open lol!

Freesia~I am one of the quietest one's there~honest!!!! Yes, there is the dreaded exam at the end (gulp!), that's usually when any knowledge that trickles in, becomes an arid desert when I need it most, :~(( lol. and thank you, Holly, have got 8 weeks to go, but love it so far lol!!!

I hope you enjoyed this, as much as I did putting it together, and the humour stops the eyes glazing over! lol Keeping the grey cells active is so important,and I am amazed at what I've learnt, even the short time I've been with you on GoY! Learning can be fun,and sharing it with you all, makes it even better!! :~)))x

We're looking forward to more Flori ! :-))

~ up in Northumberland of course, we have Hadrians wall and excavated villas etc much as Bath has the Baths~ I have walked along sections of the wall with the family ~one of the things that is still in use although now tarmac~ed is the military road which is straight as a die~no messing, going round hills etc~ plus of course they had sanitation light years ahead of anyone else..

Ah,bless you Muddy~What with your Sophia Loren, and San's, Russel Crowe, I was thinking I was in the wrong blog altogether,had to double check twice!! LOL
I did enjoy History at school,casting my mind back to those dim,distant memories of my youth, but was always hopeless on dates,can only ever remember 1066,and that was only cos I lived in Hastings for two years,so it kind of stuck! lol!
Sharing my enthusiasm with all who had asked for the odd nugget or two, is fun,and I hope brings a smile and a chuckle to those kind enough to post comments~thanks for the encouragement!!!! :~))))

They were really something, so far advanced from us,it is incredible, almost hard to believe, Arlene,but as you said,their legacy still stands today, what better proof can you have than that? It's just a pity that they packed up and toddled off back home in AD 436, and that's when Britain was plunged into the Dark Ages, as it was known.............

Flori, I was lucky enough to visit Rome a few years ago and was totally knocked out by the place. The highlight for me was walking into the cool of the Pantheon on a hot day and looking up to the ceiling.... I don't think I could speak for 5 minutes, it took my breath away. How on earth were they able to build like that, all those years ago. That was a 'moment' I will never forget.
Here's a pic http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00791/pantheon-rome-460_791022c.jpg

Very interesting. Thank you. I enjoy something historical. Gardening isn't only about flowers/veg in a bit of ground by your house.

Thanks for your feedback...
I have never been fortunate enough to travel to Rome,Muddy,but this has certainly stimulated my interest to look into it further. When I was looking at the influence they had on our planting, and how much they brought over and introduced to our native planting,it read from A to Z!
So much of our garden design originally came from Rome~I am amazed every day with what I'm discovering.

Thanks Hywel,it's always nice to hear from you,and I remember through some of your own blogs of your interest in Welsh history. I now know that the Romans brought about the gardens you and I have outside our doors today. It has changed and adapted through the Centuries,but they kick-started the whole thing from what I can see. It's fantastic that other Goyers are adding their feedback in as well, and I hope you are all enjoying this as much as I am.:~))

Great blog Flori....may you keep enjoying and sharing! :o))

Bless you, Healerwitch, I am enjoying the Course so far, just worried I might bore you all, so will try to keep it light and amusing, with just the odd nugget or two of historical fact! Lovely to hear from you! :~))

History hadn't been my cup of tea but when it comes to "gardening history", that's a different story. I enjoyed your paper, Flori. Keep up the good work!!!!!!! ;-)

Oh Tommy, you have quite made my day~thank you! Didn't know if I would enjoy this Course or not,but I am hooked! I wanted to know where the gardens that you and I have today, originated from,and the journey I've begun will help fill in all the blanks (I hope!) It's the enthusiasm this has been greeted with that has touched me most,so many wonderful people out there............ :~))x

Lovely photo of the sculpture by the way!

Ya know I meant to comment on the lady (the last pic) and forgot...she is so nice. Is she part of you garden?

wellies

Thanks ladies! Was struggling to find a roman type statue,so this was the best I could come up with lol! Yes, she is in my garden,on the side of a large archway. It is a planter,with a sedum,'Aureum' growing in it,it blooms with little yellow flowers. It's really quite pretty :~))

Hi Flori I expect you find it strange being back in the classroom although it sounds as though you are really enjoying yourself there learning all the facts about plants and romans etc. Great blog I loved reading it -very informative :-)

Hi Rich! Thank you for your lovely comment, and I am so pleased you have enjoyed it! I did a Counseling course at college in 07,a introductory Garden design course in 09, and now this one in 2010~so am either a sucker for punishment,or I just enjoy stretching myself with something new!
I am enjoying the Garden History one so much, and by blogging it, others seem to be enjoying it too~just how wonderful are Goyers...........So good to hear from you again! :~))

You will have to keep us informed Flori and let us all know how you are getting on. Good Luck with it I am glad that you find it interesting to do :-)

Thank you Rich, yes, it is fascinating~new blog to appear later this week! Glad you are enjoying :~))

Yes Flori-look forward to seeing it :-)

Thank you Rich. :~))

:-)

Sent you a pm, Rich :~))

Thanks Flori :-)

Hi Flori, another one I've missed and am trying like mad to catch up. Really enjoyed your blog and the 'comments' it must be lovely to be doing this course with like minded people, and, of course, a bonus of your repeating it to us..is that you will remember it all:-) The straight Roman roads such as Arlene mentions must have come as a real shock to the English as "the rolling English drunkard made the rolling English roads" so something else to thank the Romans for. It's a bit like The Life of Brian isn't it lol, you could have called your blog: What have the Romans ever done for us? I'm so glad you're enjoying it, and hope you are feeling much better now:-)

Thanks, Ba, am much better now, am glad to say, but took a while to shake off that virus! Love the 'rolling English drunkard' quote lol! I am just so pleased that other Goyers seem to be enjoying these blogs, as much as I am enjoying doing them, and a laugh and a chuckle along the way, makes it even better! lol :~)) The Romans were amazing, and Britain has much to be grateful for, when it came to introducing new plants and garden design to this country, and better road system too! I feel like a sponge, soaking all this info up~just hope I can retain it when it comes down to sitting the exam in five weeks time~gulp!!

You will, don't forget that writing something down helps you remember things:-)

Here's hoping!lol!! :~))