Saturday 23 April 2011

a warm day at the plant centre

It's still busy at the plant centre.  Surprisingly so, given how dry the ground is getting.  It isn't really good planting weather.  Which said, I'm still buying plants myself.

A lot of customers don't seem to have grasped that we won't be opening tomorrow, on Easter Sunday.  People who rang to check whether we had things, or that I called to let them know that plants they wanted had arrived, kept saying that they'd come tomorrow, or that they wouldn't be able to come tomorrow, suggesting they thought we would be open, if they had been able to come.  The owners have put the Easter opening hours on the website and the answering machine message, but I've a feeling there are going to be some disappointed punters turning around in the drive tomorrow.

We have become agents for Haddonstone.  When I arrived at work last Monday a collection of composite stone urns and plinths and a couple of bird baths had appeared in front of the climber tunnel.  I moved one of the bird baths then, because it was placed exactly where it was likely get knocked over dragging the hose out to use, and today I moved the other for the same reason.  The top and the bottom are in two separate parts, and if I were to instal one at home I'm sure the top would fall off the first time a cat jumped on it (I'd give it one day maximum).  Even the small items are jolly heavy, and I'm waiting hopefully for some staff training about things like delivery charges, given that we can't send one driver out by themselves and expect them to unload fake stone plinths weighing 65kg single handed.  Also whether you are supposed to cement the top and bottom half of the bird bath together so that your cat or child can't knock the dish off the pedestal.  We have a glossy brochure of their entire product range on a lectern for customers to read, which implies we are willing to order items specially for people, in which case it would be useful to know how long that process takes.  For the time being if anybody asks about delivery, or ordering non-stock items, or how to stop the top falling off the bird bath, I shall have to admit that we've only just started stocking Haddonstone and refer them upwards to the manager, or take their details and get back to them later.  I don't think we've sold any yet.

It was so hot in the tunnels by lunchtime that I rang home and suggested putting a can of water on the greenhouse floor, to try and cool it down for the robin.  I know I ought to feel very privileged that this little wild creature has chosen to make her home with me, but actually she is a damn nuisance.  Each time she flies off the nest while I'm watering the plants I feel guilty.  She is getting braver at staying put, and I hope she doesn't abandon her eggs, but I'm not prepared to abandon a greenhouse full of plants.

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