stranger stories about the garden

rudyhock · « **on:** November 30, 2018, 02:56 »

Bonjour, my name is Rudolph and I am very much in search of inspiration around the garden. I am surrounded by greenery, but much of it belongs to others. I think that is likely for the best.

I am designing my very first computer game and had a concept of the player protecting their vegetable patch from wee beasties, and other garden pests. It's just something simple, but the details I couldn't possibly know, so I wanted to reach out to the community in hope that some of you wouldn't mind sharing some odd stories about the goings on in a garden or allotment patch.

The thread of an idea can be comically twisted out of all proportion, but I need the seed of an idea and that usually comes from the story of a stranger.

Thanks for helping !

sunshineband · « **Reply #1 on:** December 01, 2018, 09:59 »

This sounds quite interesting. I am sure that members here will have strange tales to tell to provide some new ideas for your game. I can offer two, neither are earth shattering, but we do lead a quite life so for us they were interesting!

1. Two years ago we had a truckload of Autumn leaves delivered, to store and let them rot down to leaf mould. Out tumbled a mole, alive and rather bemused, but instead of being the usual velvety black clou she was pale grey. We carefully transferred her to a vacant plot next door, and this season we have been overrun with moles tunneling under our crops

2. One clear moonlit night last Winter I spotted a ghostly figureof what looked like a WW1 nurse, on a nearby plot. It did make my heart beat a litle faster, but when I got closer she disappeared. Next day I went to check it out and in the shed on that plt, rigth next to the window, was a mannequin dressed in an old army uniform with a white headscarf on. It has been so clearly visible due to the angle of the moonlight, and no leave son the trees, which would have screened the shed from our view earlier in the year

rowlandwells · « **Reply #2 on:** December 01, 2018, 11:58 »

Like most I've have many garden stores all that are true events that actually happened

1 we had a real problem with pigeons down the allotments so a friend suggested I make a snake board that would chase away the pigeons so I nailed some plastic water pipe to a piece of wood painted them and set them out next to the brassica bed went down the allotments a couple of days later to a great deal of micky taking by the other plot holders who said the pigeons loved sitting on the plastic pipes eating all the plants I had planted and low and behold the plants had gone

2 last year we bought a new rotavator when down the allotments with the new rotavator and my mate kevin to try it out as I had already cultivated the ground with my tractor we where ready to plant potatoes i also bought a ridging tool to fit the new rotavator so its all systems go my Kevin said you don't need the depth control Bare that's the thing that goes in the ground to make the rotavator go deep or less deep if you follow what i mean so all set to go Kevin said he would show me how to do it Great

so of Kevin goes with the rotavator but the rotavator was pulling Kevin so much that his feet was hardly touching the ground he looked like he was flying i was in fits of laughter seeing Kevin flying behind the rotavator and needless to say the potato rows where like a snake when Kevin got back to me like he had just had a heart attack i was still unable to speak because i couldn't stop laughing Kevin said i think we need the depth control bare putting back on i still can't stop laughing every time i think of Kevin and planting our potatoes

Goosegirl · « **Reply #3 on:** December 01, 2018, 13:44 »

That reminds me of a true story where I suggested to my dear friend Kate (who's as daft as I am) that we re-do her husband's rather bare lawn whilst he was working on the oil rig. We ordered a rotovator which was delivered by a chap who looked at us rather worriedly saying "Are you sure can you manage this" and naturally we assured him we could. She started it and set off across the lawn at a pace then stopped because it was digging down to Australia. Trying to lift it out was another matter but we succeeded then repeated the whole process to the extent she lost her footing and backed me into a blackcurrant bush whereon I lost my wellie as she was standing on it. We couldn't get our breath for laughing!

Feeling a bit naughty we rang a friend (as you do) so she came round. Que nudge-nudge, wink-wink, then lots of giggles accompanied her being surrounded by plumes of blue smoke. We finally got it done, raked, and the lawn seed evenly applied then we stood back to admire our efforts just as the heavens opened and washed all the seed to the edges.

As for a computer game about garden problems and how to avoid them, it could include things like hosepipes having a mind of their own where they sneakily trip you up or suddenly shoot off the water tap and thoroughly drench you, hidden obstacles in the grass such as a rake which when the upturned end is trodden on rises up and smartly whacks you on the nose, being warned when you're on your knees and just about to back into a rather thorny plant (I'm sure other will have more suggestions) then some way of earning awards like petrol for the lawnmower, sun or rain just when you need it, help with digging and weeding, then the ultimate gain could be a large glass of vino or whatever, a favourite meal or DVD, or winning the top prize at the local garden show.

rudyhock · « **Reply #4 on:** December 03, 2018, 04:21 »

Quote from: sunshineband on December 01, 2018, 09:59

One clear moonlit night last Winter I spotted a ghostly figureof what looked like a WW1 nurse, on a nearby plot. It did make my heart beat a litle faster, but when I got closer she disappeared. Next day I went to check it out and in the shed on that plt, rigth next to the window, was a mannequin dressed in an old army uniform with a white headscarf on. It has been so clearly visible due to the angle of the moonlight, and no leave son the trees, which would have screened the shed from our view earlier in the year

Interesting story sunshineband, something like peek-a-boo has been done many times before, but for a bonus game it could be good: Turning away and then only having a second or so to look back and decide which from the lineup is a real person or not.

What do you think?

rudyhock · « **Reply #5 on:** December 03, 2018, 04:27 »

Quote from: rowlandwells on December 01, 2018, 11:58

Like most I've have many garden stores all that are true events that actually happened

1 we had a real problem with pigeons down the allotments so a friend suggested I make a snake board that would chase away the pigeons so I nailed some plastic water pipe to a piece of wood painted them and set them out next to the brassica bed went down the allotments a couple of days later to a great deal of micky taking by the other plot holders who said the pigeons loved sitting on the plastic pipes eating all the plants I had planted and low and behold the plants had gone

2 last year we bought a new rotavator when down the allotments with the new rotavator and my mate kevin to try it out as I had already cultivated the ground with my tractor we where ready to plant potatoes i also bought a ridging tool to fit the new rotavator so its all systems go my Kevin said you don't need the depth control Bare that's the thing that goes in the ground to make the rotavator go deep or less deep if you follow what i mean so all set to go Kevin said he would show me how to do it Great

so of Kevin goes with the rotavator but the rotavator was pulling Kevin so much that his feet was hardly touching the ground he looked like he was flying i was in fits of laughter seeing Kevin flying behind the rotavator and needless to say the potato rows where like a snake when Kevin got back to me like he had just had a heart attack i was still unable to speak because i couldn't stop laughing Kevin said i think we need the depth control bare putting back on i still can't stop laughing every time i think of Kevin and planting our potatoes

Nature finds a way, especially when there's food involved rowlandwells!

I never considered a mechanical "vehicle like" device for use in standard gameplay, which is how you've painted it in my mind, given the involuntary movement of your friend Kevin. I think it might make for an interesting bonus game where cabbages have to be planted in a strait line, on several passes, giving the player an opportunity to swat away the birds when they go for the seeds?

I already had in mind a difficulty setting where the heart rate of a player's character would be taken into consideration given their workload and a certain distaste for specific animals, of which they would need teamwork with another to overcome this?

What do you think ?

rudyhock · « **Reply #6 on:** December 03, 2018, 04:44 »

Quote from: Goosegirl on December 01, 2018, 13:44

That reminds me of a true story where I suggested to my dear friend Kate (who's as daft as I am) that we re-do her husband's rather bare lawn whilst he was working on the oil rig. We ordered a rotovator which was delivered by a chap who looked at us rather worriedly saying "Are you sure can you manage this" and naturally we assured him we could. She started it and set off across the lawn at a pace then stopped because it was digging down to Australia. Trying to lift it out was another matter but we succeeded then repeated the whole process to the extent she lost her footing and backed me into a blackcurrant bush whereon I lost my wellie as she was standing on it. We couldn't get our breath for laughing! Feeling a bit naughty we rang a friend (as you do) so she came round. Que nudge-nudge, wink-wink, then lots of giggles accompanied her being surrounded by plumes of blue smoke. We finally got it done, raked, and the lawn seed evenly applied then we stood back to admire our efforts just as the heavens opened and washed all the seed to the edges.
As for a computer game about garden problems and how to avoid them, it could include things like hosepipes having a mind of their own where they sneakily trip you up or suddenly shoot off the water tap and thoroughly drench you, hidden obstacles in the grass such as a rake which when the upturned end is trodden on rises up and smartly whacks you on the nose, being warned when you're on your knees and just about to back into a rather thorny plant (I'm sure other will have more suggestions) then some way of earning awards like petrol for the lawnmower, sun or rain just when you need it, help with digging and weeding, then the ultimate gain could be a large glass of vino or whatever, a favourite meal or DVD, or winning the top prize at the local garden show.

Hi Goosegirl and thank you for taking the time, another great insight into what a rotavator is to different people, you clearly with more land to play with, I hadn't seen one before, never being that seriously into gardening.

The goal I've settle on so far is simply to protect the gardens fruits and vegetables, I didn't want anything too complicated and this should be something that doesn't need explaining with text. There will have to be a system of currency and at present I feel it best to be snails, for trade.

It also seems like you and I have been fed on the same diet of buffoonery around the garden as I already picked the fruits of rakes in the face and bum jokes, but it's a good confirmation of whom my audience is

rudyhock · « **Reply #7 on:** December 07, 2018, 01:48 »

Hi guys, I'm now looking into outdoor winter produce that can be grown between December and the end of February.

Leeks, Swede, Chicory and Parsnip all seem to be hardy enough for the season, to harvest I mean, but they will survive it, and I was wondering if anybody did try any of these and what to look out for?

I read that Lemon (this time of the year as it happens) are fine outdoors, but they need a lot of sun as well, so I am unsure which advice is correct?

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stranger stories about the garden

rudyhock

stranger stories about the garden

sunshineband

Re: stranger stories about the garden

rowlandwells

Re: stranger stories about the garden

Goosegirl

Re: stranger stories about the garden

rudyhock

Re: stranger stories about the garden

rudyhock

Re: stranger stories about the garden

rudyhock

Re: stranger stories about the garden

rudyhock

Re: stranger stories about the garden

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