I want to make some spiral bound notebooks for some friends for
Christmas.
I can get the paper, covers etc but I need to know what people would
want in a notebook?

I envisage one that you can take round with you to note plants, where
you saw them, gardens, planting times etc.

The friends all open for NGS so they are serious gardeners and we all
visit different places throughout the year and I notice we never seem to
organise our notes very well.
What would you want in a book?

Different parts say for plants you own, with dates, when planted or
types of plants (acid/shade/sun etc?
Also would you want sort of indexing tabs . I noticed Sarah always
writes down where she sees a plant and what type it is. Judy always
keeps records of times and dates of planting or flowering in a year.

All ideas welcomed though I hope it isn't TOO intricate as I have 6 to
make

What size would be best A6 A5 or A4. Thought A4 might be too big to
carry round.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
news
I want to make some spiral bound notebooks for some friends for Christmas.
I can get the paper, covers etc but I need to know what people would want
in a notebook?

I envisage one that you can take round with you to note plants, where you
saw them, gardens, planting times etc.

The friends all open for NGS so they are serious gardeners and we all
visit different places throughout the year and I notice we never seem to
organise our notes very well.
What would you want in a book?

Different parts say for plants you own, with dates, when planted or types
of plants (acid/shade/sun etc?
Also would you want sort of indexing tabs . I noticed Sarah always writes
down where she sees a plant and what type it is. Judy always keeps records
of times and dates of planting or flowering in a year.

All ideas welcomed though I hope it isn't TOO intricate as I have 6 to
make

What size would be best A6 A5 or A4. Thought A4 might be too big to carry
round.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

As it is to be carried around and used in various places, then A6 is a
maximum size, which in turn restricts the thickness/content. I would
certainly incorporate a diary, not for XXXX year, but a January, February,
March etc and this divided into 7 day sections. After all the 1st of June
could be so different to the 30th June.

Spiral bound good.

Paper a little more robust than the normal 90 gramme I would go 120 at least

Sections? Flowers 10 pages. Veg 10 pages. Places visited 10 pages UNLESS you
KNOW that one on the people visit lots of places and you could in their's
put 20 pages

The last 20 pages nothing so 'jottings' can be made.

There, that is a start so that others who 'don't read my postings' can copy
and make it their own ;-))

Mike

--
www.rneba.org.uk for the latest pictures of the very first reunion and
Inaugural General Meeting. Nothing less than a fantastic success.
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
www.rneba.org.uk to find your ex-Greenie mess mates
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...



"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
news
I want to make some spiral bound notebooks for some friends for Christmas.
I can get the paper, covers etc but I need to know what people would want
in a notebook?

I envisage one that you can take round with you to note plants, where you
saw them, gardens, planting times etc.

The friends all open for NGS so they are serious gardeners and we all
visit different places throughout the year and I notice we never seem to
organise our notes very well.
What would you want in a book?

Different parts say for plants you own, with dates, when planted or types
of plants (acid/shade/sun etc?
Also would you want sort of indexing tabs . I noticed Sarah always
writes down where she sees a plant and what type it is. Judy always keeps
records of times and dates of planting or flowering in a year.

All ideas welcomed though I hope it isn't TOO intricate as I have 6 to
make

What size would be best A6 A5 or A4. Thought A4 might be too big to carry
round.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

As it is to be carried around and used in various places, then A6 is a
maximum size, which in turn restricts the thickness/content. I would
certainly incorporate a diary, not for XXXX year, but a January, February,
March etc and this divided into 7 day sections. After all the 1st of June
could be so different to the 30th June.

Spiral bound good.

Paper a little more robust than the normal 90 gramme I would go 120 at
least

Sections? Flowers 10 pages. Veg 10 pages. Places visited 10 pages UNLESS
you KNOW that one on the people visit lots of places and you could in
their's put 20 pages

The last 20 pages nothing so 'jottings' can be made.

There, that is a start so that others who 'don't read my postings' can
copy and make it their own ;-))

Mike


Sorry to follow on my own posting, but another idea, a transparent pocket or
a sleeve inside the front and/back cover for business cards from Garden
Centres you visit or Builders etc who may call to do work for you etc.

A telephone number section, not a large one, but your 'Gardening Telephone
Numbers', not Aunty Bess or the Plumber type.

Mike


--
www.rneba.org.uk for the latest pictures of the very first reunion and
Inaugural General Meeting. Nothing less than a fantastic success.
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
www.rneba.org.uk to find your ex-Greenie mess mates
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

On 24 Oct, 17:13, Janet Tweedy wrote:
I want to make some spiral bound notebooks for some friends for
Christmas.
I can get the paper, covers etc but I need to know what people would
want in a notebook?

(snip)

As I use all my note books outside, like a lot of gardeners/designers/
landscapers etc. do, I use accetate sheets as mark pages and to
protect from rain drops and also elastic bands come very handy. Also
envelopes cellotaped inside the covers to slip in flowers, leaves and
seeds. A5 are my favourites sizes and I like the pages lined with
little squares, like the french note books Clairefontaine do, and also
some blank pages for drawings. Once I've used an accountant book -
very handy with the columns, for dates, species etc. HTH

On 24/10/07 17:13, in article , "Janet
Tweedy" wrote:

I want to make some spiral bound notebooks for some friends for
Christmas.
I can get the paper, covers etc but I need to know what people would
want in a notebook?

I envisage one that you can take round with you to note plants, where
you saw them, gardens, planting times etc.

The friends all open for NGS so they are serious gardeners and we all
visit different places throughout the year and I notice we never seem to
organise our notes very well.
What would you want in a book?

Different parts say for plants you own, with dates, when planted or
types of plants (acid/shade/sun etc?
Also would you want sort of indexing tabs . I noticed Sarah always
writes down where she sees a plant and what type it is. Judy always
keeps records of times and dates of planting or flowering in a year.

All ideas welcomed though I hope it isn't TOO intricate as I have 6 to
make

What size would be best A6 A5 or A4. Thought A4 might be too big to
carry round.


I'd suggest A5 and that there is a firm back for 'bearing upon' when writing
standing up, plus an attached pencil or biro. Ring binding is good if it
folds absolutely flat and the holes in the pages are strong enough not to
tear when a bit damp or slipping a bit sideways. I wouldn't mark things off
into months or even weeks or days because not everyone goes garden visiting
constantly. You could offer indexed pages so that people could use them
either to differentiate gardens' or plant names. e.g. D for Dieffenbachia or
dates, A for autumn, S for Stourhead and sketches etc. - their choice how
they use that.
And I'd tuck a few blank pages at the back if you do offer indexes, so that
they can be moved in to supplement used up pages. A plastic envelope at the
back for holding e.g. wage packets, or those little cellophane packets for
seed collecting would be a boon. I'm forever putting my hands into coat
pockets - mine or Ray's - and finding some kind of unidentified seedpod in
there! ;-)
As to covers, hessian is both trendy and popular.
Brilliant idea for a very personal present, Janet - it will be very special
to those who get them.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

In article , Sacha
writes


I'd suggest A5 and that there is a firm back for 'bearing upon' when writing
standing up, plus an attached pencil or biro. Ring binding is good if it
folds absolutely flat and the holes in the pages are strong enough not to
tear when a bit damp or slipping a bit sideways.

Oh piff I meant wire binding.................. sorry Sacha! Your
suggestions are really helpful though. Just wanted to make them
different to a normal notebook. We find we're scribbling over all sorts
of bits of paper when we see plants we like!


A plastic envelope at the
back for holding e.g. wage packets, or those little cellophane packets for
seed collecting would be a boon.

Not sure about that, that's my area! They seem to buy plants, it's my
pockets that always have secateurs, plastic bags or label in them!


As to covers, hessian is both trendy and popular.

Hmm was going to use some wipeable material but I'll contact the paper
company and ask if they can suggest anything.

Thanks Sacha.

If you could lay out the pages with columns or areas or boxes what would
you do? Or wouldn't that be any better than blank pages?

Janet

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
...
In article , Sacha
writes


I'd suggest A5 and that there is a firm back for 'bearing upon' when
writing
standing up, plus an attached pencil or biro. Ring binding is good if it
folds absolutely flat and the holes in the pages are strong enough not to
tear when a bit damp or slipping a bit sideways.

Oh piff I meant wire binding.................. sorry Sacha! Your
suggestions are really helpful though. Just wanted to make them different
to a normal notebook. We find we're scribbling over all sorts of bits of
paper when we see plants we like!


A plastic envelope at the
back for holding e.g. wage packets, or those little cellophane packets for
seed collecting would be a boon.

Not sure about that, that's my area! They seem to buy plants, it's my
pockets that always have secateurs, plastic bags or label in them!


As to covers, hessian is both trendy and popular.

Hmm was going to use some wipeable material but I'll contact the paper
company and ask if they can suggest anything.

Thanks Sacha.

If you could lay out the pages with columns or areas or boxes what would
you do? Or wouldn't that be any better than blank pages?

Janet

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Sooooooooooooooo glad some of my ideas have been pinched and passed on ;-) I
thought they might be.

Kind regards

Mike


--
www.rneba.org.uk for the latest pictures of the very first reunion and
Inaugural General Meeting. Nothing less than a fantastic success.
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
www.rneba.org.uk to find your ex-Greenie mess mates
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
I want to make some spiral bound notebooks

I use A5 notebooks with a bound binding. (These are specifically selected
because they aren't spiral bound as I've found the spiral bound books lose
pages too easily) and in addition to these I use an A4 Any Year Diary (for
when I need to know a date/year of planting out trees, what's in flower when
etc). The only thing I haven't done yet and which I need to do, is to
either stick an envelope into the back of one of my notebooks, or create a
folder with such envelopes for sticking plant labels into - those plastic
things that can't be pasted into notebook and for which I know I won't
remember the name and for which I don't want to make up a proper metal name
tage.

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
news
I want to make some spiral bound notebooks for some friends for Christmas.
I can get the paper, covers etc but I need to know what people would want
in a notebook?

I envisage one that you can take round with you to note plants, where you
saw them, gardens, planting times etc.

The friends all open for NGS so they are serious gardeners and we all
visit different places throughout the year and I notice we never seem to
organise our notes very well.
What would you want in a book?

Different parts say for plants you own, with dates, when planted or types
of plants (acid/shade/sun etc?
Also would you want sort of indexing tabs . I noticed Sarah always writes
down where she sees a plant and what type it is. Judy always keeps records
of times and dates of planting or flowering in a year.

All ideas welcomed though I hope it isn't TOO intricate as I have 6 to
make

What size would be best A6 A5 or A4. Thought A4 might be too big to carry
round.

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Following on from ideas I made and others have made, may I put an idea into
your head? Many people have said A5. Had you thought of A5 Ring Binders and
put your own personal touch to them? Viking do an A5 Ring Binder with a
transparent pocket on the front, back AND spine. G38 57035* where * is the
colour Blue, White, Black or Red.

Plain or printed sheets of your choice could be inserted and the front and
spine could have your own 'thing' on them. As for 'envelopes' or 'wage
packets' for seeds etc :-(( put the proper transparent A5 pockets in at
the back, but of course the recipient could move them about. Trans pockets,
Viking G38 977175

One great advantage of a ring binder over a spiral bound book is that the
pages can be moved about or more added AND, when the ring binder mechanism
breaks or the covers wear out, another standard ring binder will carry on
the good work. Another advantage is that the cover and back are firm to lean
on and write notes in 'mid air'!!

Hope that helps

Mike


--
www.rneba.org.uk for the latest pictures of the very first reunion and
Inaugural General Meeting. Nothing less than a fantastic success.
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
www.rneba.org.uk to find your ex-Greenie mess mates
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand

On 25/10/07 00:41, in article , "Janet
Tweedy" wrote:

In article , Sacha
writes


I'd suggest A5 and that there is a firm back for 'bearing upon' when writing
standing up, plus an attached pencil or biro. Ring binding is good if it
folds absolutely flat and the holes in the pages are strong enough not to
tear when a bit damp or slipping a bit sideways.

Oh piff I meant wire binding.................. sorry Sacha! Your
suggestions are really helpful though. Just wanted to make them
different to a normal notebook. We find we're scribbling over all sorts
of bits of paper when we see plants we like!


A plastic envelope at the
back for holding e.g. wage packets, or those little cellophane packets for
seed collecting would be a boon.

Not sure about that, that's my area! They seem to buy plants, it's my
pockets that always have secateurs, plastic bags or label in them!

You could give them the option. Perhaps they'll get the "I wonder that
will turn out to be" seed collecting bug. ;-)


As to covers, hessian is both trendy and popular.

Hmm was going to use some wipeable material but I'll contact the paper
company and ask if they can suggest anything.

Yes, good idea if they're likely to get mucky. But if they're likely to be
kept in bags, 'pretty' might be okay.

Thanks Sacha.

If you could lay out the pages with columns or areas or boxes what would
you do? Or wouldn't that be any better than blank pages?

Janet

Hmmm. Personally, I'd find it better to have blank pages and then use them
as I want. One person's column might be someone else's "those lines are in
the way".

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 25/10/07 08:08, in article
, "FarmI"
ask@itshall be given wrote:

"Janet Tweedy" wrote in message
I want to make some spiral bound notebooks

I use A5 notebooks with a bound binding. (These are specifically selected
because they aren't spiral bound as I've found the spiral bound books lose
pages too easily) and in addition to these I use an A4 Any Year Diary (for
when I need to know a date/year of planting out trees, what's in flower when
etc). The only thing I haven't done yet and which I need to do, is to
either stick an envelope into the back of one of my notebooks, or create a
folder with such envelopes for sticking plant labels into - those plastic
things that can't be pasted into notebook and for which I know I won't
remember the name and for which I don't want to make up a proper metal name
tage.


I think Janet has corrected herself from spiral binding to wire. I agree
about spiral binding. The pages seem to tear away far too easily. Glad we
agree about the little pocket at the back - and now I know you're one of
those people who pinches the labels out of our plant pots, causing the next
customer to tell us, indignantly, "this isn't labelled!" ;-)))


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

On 24 Oct, 17:13, Janet Tweedy wrote:
All ideas welcomed though I hope it isn't TOO intricate as I have 6 to
make

I own a couple of waterproof notebooks. One was made by Aquascribe,
the other I got from an army surplus place. The aquascribe worked
with ordinary 2B pencils, the army surplus one had a chinagraph
pencil, with the thinnest lead I have ever seen in a chinagraph (most
are about 4mm thick!)

I don't know if you can buy coated paper to make them damproof? or
perhaps experiment with spraying ordinary paper with clear matt
lacquer (or coloured - that would be fun).

I also have some cricket score books printed on cream paper "to reduce
the glare" from white paper in sunlight. That might be interesting.

I normally use a "police style" A6 notebook, with an short length of
elastic to keep the pages together in the pocket. I have always
wanted one with two elastic loops - one to mark the current page, and
one to keep it closed in the pocket.

You could print something useful on the cover: a short ruler in cm or
inches down the edge. Conversion tables, or nomograms for calculating
fertiliser usage.

Prepare some fun pages: rule up a grid for grass cutting - day cut,
days of growth, apparant length, boxes removed; Fruit tree pages -
date flowered, date flowers dropped, date picked, amount of fruit,
"pruning notes"; A year-grid with little boxes to be coloured in -
with a colour code for rain, frost, sun, snow, fog; perhaps a grid for
night and day temperatues; A bird species check-list with tiny ident
pictures, customised to suit what lives where the recipient lives; A
bug-list similar, with little pictures of pests and beneficial insects.

In article , Sacha
writes

You could give them the option. Perhaps they'll get the "I wonder that
will turn out to be" seed collecting bug. ;-)

They've all got that, but they give me the seed to find out or ask if
I'll take a cutting of their newly bought shrub, a) in case they lose it
or b) to give to on of the others.

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article
, FarmI
writes

The only thing I haven't done yet and which I need to do, is to
either stick an envelope into the back of one of my notebooks, or create a
folder with such envelopes for sticking plant labels into - those plastic
things that can't be pasted into notebook and for which I know I won't
remember the name and for which I don't want to make up a proper metal name
tage.

Helen Dillon once famously said that the thing she grew best in her
garden was the collection of plant labels from stuff which either
disappeared or died
I know the feeling ...
Mind you the other annoying thing is when a seed germinated after about
2 years and the writing on it, albeit 'permanent' had become so faint
you can't read it.

--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

In article m,
writes


I normally use a "police style" A6 notebook, with an short length of
elastic to keep the pages together in the pocket. I have always
wanted one with two elastic loops - one to mark the current page, and
one to keep it closed in the pocket.

Not sure how I would fix them but it's a brilliant idea. Thank you!



You could print something useful on the cover: a short ruler in cm or
inches down the edge. Conversion tables, or nomograms for calculating
fertiliser usage.

Was thinking of a photo of their own garden. I can get one of each
garden so to personalise them. Being NGS they all have some time in the
year when they can actually not say
@wish you'd taken it next week' on the other hand all this year's photos
seem to be of persistent rain..



Prepare some fun pages: rule up a grid for grass cutting - day cut,
days of growth, apparant length, boxes removed;

Not sure about that one


Fruit tree pages -
date flowered, date flowers dropped, date picked, amount of fruit,
"pruning notes";

Oh yes an idea!


A year-grid

That would NEVER fit into an A6 page !

with little boxes to be coloured in -
with a colour code for rain, frost, sun, snow, fog; perhaps a grid for
night and day temperatues; A bird species check-list with tiny ident
pictures, customised to suit what lives where the recipient lives; A
bug-list similar, with little pictures of pests and beneficial insects.

No but I will give them a page for gardens to visit, times of opening
and phone numbers of nurseries with room to write that nurseries
specialities.

This is all really good ammunition for the Project. Thank you1
--
Janet Tweedy
Amersham Gardening Association
http://www.amersham-gardening.net