Between the Branch Show and the Cactus Mart I managed to fit in a visit to Dublin for a long weekend to visit my brothers and sister and to Judge the succulents at the Irish National Show.  Alasdair Glen was judging the cacti. The show lasted for two days and each of us gave a lecture  as well as judging. It was a very enjoyable weekend. The Irish members were friendly and charming and there was an amazing variety of plants on show, especially when one considers how few members of the society there are in Dublin and how few exhibitors were taking part.  Some were prepared to travel from Belfast to Dublin with their cars loaded with plants.    

    My own plants have been somewhat neglected because I have been so busy.  Most have not objected too much, but I had not got around to putting shading on the greenhouse before that short heat-wave we had, and a few of my Lithops cooked.  Fortunately I only lost three or four of them but I was not very happy!  I have now put the green netting up to shade the greenhouse and, as you might expect, the weather has changed and the clouds are doing the shading anyway. 

    I managed to clear some of my spare plants, some at the Cactus Mart, and as much again to various school fetes.  I never mind giving spare plants to schools.  I helps to get people more interested in growing cacti and succulents.  It also gives me some space so I can pot up some more of my seedlings.