Daydream thread continues.....

Rummer

Gosh Choille, so sorry to hear that you have been bitten and ill, hopefully you are on the mend now!

One year we had pink cauliflowers, it is to do with the heads exposure to light. To keep them white you need to close the leaves over the head.

The plants that you sent me are all thriving, so thank you loads

alfie_1

:j:j:j hiya CHOILLE :T:T:T

soooooo glad you are back with us , even if fleetingly

sorry re your P M visit ...did they get your chicks ??

do hope the anti biotics have worked for you

keep popping in, if only to let us know your not stuck upside down in a rocky hole somewhere !!:)

lucielle

Hi Choille, I'll give you a wave on Saturday, off to Skye for my holibobs.
L

choille

Thanks for the good wishes all.

The pine marten got a load of Orps & some new egg layers I'd bought to replace a previous load we'd lost to a badger's visit - goodness, there are plenty of predators, but why did they have to come again here.

The pine martens I saw just a few days before they got into the Orps house via the nest boxes. One was less than a yard from my shoulder, backing down a tree behind me as I was watching its sibling. It growled & hissed & made such a noise I clapped my hands & shouted as I thought it was gonna attack me - fierce wee things, but quite stunning - never been so close to them before.

They got Abdul my magnificent Black Orp & Long John my beautiful lavender Orp & 5 of their girlies on the first run. Just a mass of bodies & feathers - they go beserk like foxes & just kill for the thrill often.

We have had a slow hatch & not overly successful - numbers wise. Don't know why the majority failed to hatch. I seem to have many males though...

Alfie the anti-biotics have done my guts in & I'm having gut probs now - too much detail! You take pills & get ill with them - well I do. The cure can often be worse than what you initially set out to remedy sometimes.
I await results of tests.

Lucielle - enjoy Skye. I always do. Now they've had it incredibly dry & it's caused them problems - not often they have that complaint. But the midgies are outrageously bad just now - send you mental so they do.

Rummer - I've never grown caulis before - I didn't know that. No one tells me nuffink.

Been out pulling out thistles & ragwort. I'm really pleased the way the top fields look, especially the big one since it was topped - it really seems to have thwarted the reeds. It looks lush even. Now that'll be great for when I bring my sheeps down off the hill at the back end.

Saw a dragonfly this afternoon - first this year. They do seem rarer each year.

We got a load of Mackerel the other day mmmmmmmmmm - plenty in the freezer for later & the cats are happy too.

Davesnave

Glad to know you're about again choille, but it's rotten luck with both the martens and the bite. Let's hope you get over the cure quickest, anyroad.

I don't think my poppy is the same as the Ladybird Poppy, which was smaller when I grew it years ago. Very nice though. Must admit I forgot to sow the poppy myself this year, but there was a lot going on...:o

I remember catching fine mackerel in Loch Striven when we were up on holiday many years ago. It was desperately dry then too, and hot, but oddly the midges weren't a problem at all. Must have picked the right week! :cool:

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Nice to see you choille:T:beer::T really hope you get better soon, sorry to hear about the chooks, but we all know things like this can happen, its a poo.

The mini's insurance are now dragging their feet about the caravan, and the person dealing with the claim ( who they will not put you through to) is not returning my calls:mad:.. They just keep saying they are investigating the claim.

So I have told them I need a caravan for next week, and that if they havent sorted it out a I want a replacement caravan for the duration of.....

Surely if they are investigating the guy in front of us, they should pay me, and claim off him?

They have even retracted the personal injury offer they made me????

All I want is a caravan

Also told them if they dont sort it out and I have to hire one, then i will want the hire cost back,

Hope they are not trying to wangle a way out of not paying for it, which to looking like they are trying to do:o

Davesnave

Well, it turns out that the distant neighbour's septic tank outlet may have more or less sorted itself out, as we took the local expert to see it again yesterday and there was no more black water visible or excessive waterlogging of the field, which is damp there anyway. We agreed just to monitor it.

The owners of the tank have talked about moving away, (Mr Dog's dogs being one good reason!;)) but I can't see that happening while there's no formal agreement in place for the drainage onto our land. Legal eagles are fussier about that stuff now. As the technology exists to do away with it, I'd not agree to put anything in writing. After all, if they did sell up, there's no telling who might move in....

Speaking of Mr Dog, his pooches barked morning to night yesterday, so clearly he needs a 'reminder.' I hid the lawnmower that's missing its silencer on full throttle up near his end for an hour yesterday evening, having thought of nothing more creative.... :rotfl:

Davesnave

rhiwfield wrote: »

Belatedly sorting out winter fuel...topping up oil as well. Latter is costing just under 60p per litre + Vat, about 8p a litre higher than when I should have bought it .

Thought I'd done well to get it down to 58p yesterday, then DW came in from skittles to tell me of two others, who'd just paid 55.5p and 57p.

lostinrates

rhiwfield wrote: »

Lir, here's a few before and after photos of my front garden apples and pears.
1 Lateral in need of tieing in
2 Tieing in, I use biodegradeable string to allow for branch expansion. No real harm if I accidentally snip off growing point, another bud will branch out, it just looks a bit messy. Sometimes that happens thru insect attack anyhow.
3 Pear before pruning, no fruit set at all this year.
4 Pear after pruning
5 Apple 1 before pruning. The lower branches were 18" long when planted, the upper about 4' long. You can see that after 3 years the lower branches are now about 5' long. Fruit set ok, was one of the last to blossom.
6 Apple 1 after pruning, you can see the new lower growth isnt yet fruit bearing
7 Apple 2 pre pruning
8 Apple 2 after pruning

Note to self, weed under fruit trees!!

I never, ever want to lose this post or RAS's words. Regarding tying in, as i don't have much of actual garden and its something i can potter at close to the house i have just kept up with it as they grow...do you think that can do more harm than good?


When we had the north garden lowered this year we took about six inches off. Its not been enough, we have to have the digger back to go down another course of bricks or so. We are well in to clay though so need even more removed to have room to put down top soil to plant in. :eek: I don't think i will be able to afford my brick path this year, but i am going to start keeping an eye out for cheap bricks.

rhiwfield

Lir, its absolutely fine to tie in as often as you like, thats the third time this year I've tied in that particular branch and I should have done it a couple of weeks earlier. Its easy to get caught out as branches thicken, thats why I use ties that wont last; in time as the branches are more mature I'll use fewer but permanent/expandable tree ties.

Mentioned the lower apple branch to give you some encouragement that lower branches may well grow even if shorter than upper branches. These were the only trees that I really cheated with by buying bush trees rather than maiden whips, so was pretty pleased that shapes are now working out. I had exactly the same concerns as you that the lower branches might not grow.

RAS, we'll have to disagree on timings. I use the summer cuts to maintain shape, allow air and light and encourage fruiting spurs. The winter cuts I've used in the past to form the basic espalier shape, mostly starting out with a maiden whip and cutting leader back each winter to encourage the buds to form next years laterals to be tied in. Now that front, back and side garden trees have reached the top wires I dont winter prune any more.

Mind, I may have read the books wrong!!

Dave, oil up to 61p a litre here now

Choille, glad to see you up and around, sounds nasty what you had :eek: Only ever seen pine martens eating jam sarnies on telly, didnt realise they were such a fierce predator of domestic fowl

CTC, know its difficult but keep cheerful, you're worth it