The Alpine Retreat
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With all my spare plants carefully packed in trays and the travel bag bursting at the seams it was time to hit the road for the annual alpine retreat at Termonfeckin. A cold and dry morning made for pleasant driving and the first 120 miles was completed in just two and half-hours. The usual stop at my daughters' house in Westmeath for some refreshments and a quick look round the garden. This is a new garden that I have half constructed but that is a story for another day.
At 4.30pm it was time to leave for the final part of the journey, a mere 45 miles to the outskirts of Drogheda. As luck would have it I managed to miss the Friday evening rush of traffic and arrive at my destination just after 5,30pm. Instead of being one of the first to arrive, I was surprised to discover that I was one of the last, and did not secure my usual parking space near the side door. Everyone else had come early to avoid the traffic jams.
After the usual greeting of old acquaintances, and a welcome meal, every one retired to the library for an informal slide show.
It is at this time that members who have travelled to far of places in the last year, get a chance to show some of their slides of places they have been ,and plants the found there
We were taken on a trip to South Africa, around Table Mountain, and viewed some of the plants growing in the Fynbos near Kirstenbosch.
The second show brought us to a rose garden in Oregon in the U.S.A and showed some beautiful climbing roses.
At about 10.30 while some of the patrons retired to the bar I retired to bed for the expected early start next morning.
The morning dawned bright, cold and frosty, and the porridge instead of the usual cereal was a most welcome start to the breakfast. At ten thirty the first lecture started, which was "In Search of Bulbs: Habitats in the wild" by Bob and Rannveig Wallis. This was a most interesting series of slides that showed lots of Fritillaria, Iris, Narcissus and Colchicum growing in their natural habitat. Information like this helps us to understand the needs of these plants when grown in captivity.
After Lunch one of own members, Billy Moore took us on a trip to the Tian Shan where he had travelled with the AGS Group.
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