Thanks.

I'm agree with you totally - this site has also renewed my enthusiasm for gardening. I'm now find myself checking out trees, flowers, garden beds, garden ornaments, garden ponds etc. wherever I go as well as on this site! (My hubbie thinks I'm turning into quite a gardening nutter!) Sounds like you've also been trying out new things, like myself, which shows that this site brings out the learner in us all. Keep enjoying your gardening - it is such a great thing!

thanks to you too Readejahn! We all make GOY what it is!

Bernieh and Arlene, your response is exactly what "tickles" me. I'm sitting watching the rain fall, with my laptop on my knee, and you two are sitting by your computers on opposite sides of the world. Great!

And i'm reading this in MY part of the world .... closer to Arlenes than Bernies :)))

Well I'm not listening to rain (wish I was) but I am listening to the cricket after Australia has lost 2 wickets - one to a no ball that wasn't called and the other to a 'catch' that doesn't even come close to a loose interpretation of the word 'catch'!!!
But hey - it's 10.30 pm on a Sunday night and I'd rather be on GOY!!!

And I am sitting in the north of Scotland just about to have lunch.
It is thanks to the wide spectrum of gardeners on the site that GoY is so successful. I might be considered to be more 'expert' (horrible word) than some other people on some subjects but on other subjects I am totaly ignorant.
All that is needed is an interest in gardening and a sense of humour.
By the way, I am particulary jealous of the river and kingfishers.

I read your blog with interest, right to the very end .. made easier by being divided nicely into user-friendly paragraphs. :o)

Yes, since joining GoY, I find I am learning about gardening without realising it... and I'm looking at trees, plants, and wildlife in a different way.

Good blog, Readejahn. Well done :o)

I have to agree, being part of GOY as made me look at plants etc more than i use to do. Enjoyed your blog.

Hey Readejahn totally agree this site has been such an inspiration to me - Since I joined in May my garden has come on on in leaps and bounds with the help of you guys - I learnt more about gardening in 10 weeks than I have in a lifetime - if you ever feel inadequate agian have a look at some of my photos in particular the hanging basket or the potato which turned out to be a chinese lantern however there have been many more blunders too many to mention however my GOY mates pick me up and brush me down and I start all over again - now and again they will poke fun however I usually start it and that's another reason I love this site the sense of humour is second to none - Happy gardening

Cheers everyone. One of the best things about GOY is that it's all things to all people, you can use it as much or as litttle as you choose, and it seldom disappoints.

I,ve only just logged on,(its started raining again) and already I,ve read and enjoyed your blog.Goy has helped me through long lonely hours (Hubby works weird hours,gets up when I,m going bed) I know there is always someone about to both amuse me and inspire me,its now part of my daily life.......

Linclass, I like to think of GOY as a kind of grown-ups' Facebook. Wish I could get more of my friends to join.

I totally agree - so much knowledge, experience and friendliness on the site which gives real inspiration to spur us on to make the most of our gardens.

What a lovely blog, and even nicer to read that so many others feel the same way. I do too! It's a very friendly and inspiring site.
Well done to Peter and Ajay for running it so well and helping us round it when we are new.

i have just come back from a friend in Burnely and its raining here in yorkshire too. There are so many lovely people from all over the world to talk too.
lovely blog.

Hi Readejahn, I love GoY so much I joined twice !!!
If your talking about insperation then look no further than some of my blogs. I started off with absolutely no interest in 'flowery things' and concentrated solely on my veggies. Now I have as many flowers as I do veggies and am constantly looking around, in peoples gardens, hedgerows, forests etc.
Your right about this being a grown up facebook, It keeps me here for hours, and hours, and hours.......Lol :~))

~I think we all learn all the time because of the differing level of input from everywhere and all given with gentle humour! It's what makes Goy so good and all of us better gardeners and wild life guardians.
I have always put food out over the winter but this year partly due to how late Spring was I have continued to feed right through and it has been fantastic watching the little sparrows blackbirds goldfinches etc being fed.Even today there was a little sparrow almost the same size as mum hopping about expecting to be looked after.I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from all the expertise on things I didn't know about~

I could write a whole new blog, but hope all of you who commented will see this. Good to see so many thoughtful comments, thanks (again) for taking the trouble.
This year I have grown stuff from seed for the first time for about 20 years. My most amusing success was a pumpkin seed, remains of a very old packet I had used in the bird feeder, germinating. It's growing quickly, and I'm feeding and re-potting it to see how far it will go. if I have time I'll get it into a proper blog and picture.

Yes, it has been rejuvenating for me too - I've read more of my stock of gardening books than ever before, checking out answers, and despite being a professional in horticulture for 25+ years, have learnt even more through this site. Great stuff.

I have read your blog to the end and I agree it is a great site, I love going on the site and reading peoples blogs

This is truly how I feel as well. I have not had the time to visit as often as I would like but I am amazed at the number of people all over the world with similar gardening experiences and at all levels of knowledge. I use this site quite often to view samples of plants that interest me. It amazes me that I can grow many similar plants in the hot desert that are growing in many of your gardens. The variety may be slightly different but it makes it all the more interesting.

I've "spoken" to people in India, China, America,Canada, Australia and other far flung places, Where else do you get that? and I am motivated by them all. I often need a good push to get me going! :-) You Alison have been so industrious you put me to shame :-(

Strange to get a new comment so long after writing the blog. I had to read it (blog) again to see what you meant! I had just come in from the garden thinking how untidy and overgrown it was, and how I just didn't have the energy to do anything about it today (or any other day soon!) The veg. basket was fairly unsuccessful after one initial crop of rocket. There are some chili fruits ripening - I ended up putting the pots outside. They seemed to prefer it to the windowledge, despite all the rain.
Success on the bird feeder - I have a spotted flycatcher who visits regularly. I thought it was a dunnock, so delighted to find it isn't.
Nice to get your comment, anyhow

You lucky thing, I've never even seen a spotted flycatcher let alone in my garden. I did once have a woodpecker and a cuckoo fly into my garden together, the woodpecker went on a tree trunk while the cuckoo sat on the fence. I was so excited. After they left I got my bird book to check it was a cuckoo, couldn't believe it. The stupid thing was, it took me ages to work out why they were together Doh :-)

Why were they together then, Bornagain? Mystery to me..

He must have been her only surviving baby...a cuckoo in the nest. Don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner:-)