Edinburgh botanics courses - heads up

[listenclear]

Hi all,
Just got the adult education prospectus through the door from the botanics and it's got some great wee courses in there.
A couple of fungi id courses (one of which i did last year and was great) and a few wild flower id type courses for next year.
Well worth getting them to send you a copy or check the website...

http://www.rbge.org.uk/

 

[gregorach]

Cheers mate, looks like there's some interesting stuff in there!

 

[listenclear]

Aye, think i will sign up for the fungi id 2 course. There was only the first part last year but it really helped. I'm well interested in the flower id courses next year too. Is that a mandloin i see in the background of your profile pic?

 

[Toddy]

Thank you for the link, really interesting and tempting

cheers,
Mary

 

[gregorach]

Is that a mandloin i see in the background of your profile pic?

Octave mandola actually - like a mandolin, but an octave lower. Mandolin is just too fiddly for my liking.

 

[locum76]

looks good, it's a pity theres no course on how not to be a strung out gardener.

(watering not when its supposed to be, young team not using sunblock, not drinking water, not picking all ripe fruit, letting cats into places they shouldn't be in, walking all over prepped soil etc etc).

 

[listenclear]

Oh dear Rob, sounds like your having a time of it mate. Hope things chill out soon.
Dunc, it looks like a lovely instrument. I play mandolin myself but agree it is very fiddly. Don't think i've ever come across an octave mandola before - must convince myself i dont want one.

Just noticed they are doing a birch craft course as well for anyone who's into that kind of thing...

 

[locum76]

All well now that I've eaten lunch. It's amazing how much better strawberries are when they're still warm.

 

[Toddy]

Yep and they smell sweeter too
Have you tried them with traditional cranachan ? not the gunk they serve in post restaurants, but the stuff your Mum made when you went home with handfuls of sticky squished hedgerow foraged fruits ?

It's just added to cream and toasted rolled oats over the top and it's one of the ultimate comfort foods of Summer and Autumn
My Gran used to stir a drizzle of honey straight out of the combe onto the cream. I can still smell the bowl of waxy honey melting gently by the fire so it'd run

cheers,
Mary

 

[gregorach]

Don't think i've ever come across an octave mandola before - must convince myself i dont want one.

It's a fairly recent innovation, kinda like the little brother of the Irish (or flatback) Bouzouki. You probably don't want to know, but you can pick them up at not entirely unreasonable prices... By which I mean less than £300, although that's a mass-produced Chinese made instrument such as mine, which took a fair bit of work to sort out the set-up. Still, that's always the way unless you spend top dollar on a handmade instrument. It's a lovely beast though... Sorry, I'm not helping, am I?

 

[listenclear]

Ha ha. Between Mary and Rob talking about food and you talking instrument temptations I'm at a bit of a loss.
Hmmmm stawberries and new toys........