Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

A quick word of advice VJsmum.

Steer clear of things like Baked Beens, Radishes, etc., especially if you will be sharing a tent.

GreyQueen

Just back from the lottie and have got The Reapers are the Angels from the library, but I appreciate the offer of your copy; such kindness on these threads.

Went to the allotment having to find some mojo and got cracking at 7pm. Very heavy still evening, not a breath of wind, just a couple of bumblers (giant buff tailed) in the broad beans.

Normally, the broad beans are full of bumblers, usually 4-5 species visible at a time. I hope it was just the lateness of the hour and the heaviness of the weather and not a dearth. I do love my bees.

In council land, me and my colleagues are constantly having to tell callers; we don't kill bees. Not any kind, anywhere, under any circumstances. Most are protected and all are beneficial. If they're honeybees in a swarm (we had several in the city this week) we put the caller in touch with the local beekeepers' association and they try and capture the swarm. I've never seen it done, but know people who have watched and it's supposed to be amazing.

We do wasps' nests (for a price) but keep trying to persuade people to let them alone, as they are doing useful things in the ecology. I'm constantly saddened at this time of year by the amount of people who seem to be nature-phobic. They have an ants' nest in the back garden or silverfish in the house and want to call out heavy duty poisons just so as not to live in the same space as an insect. I could understand if we were talking bedbugs or c-roaches, but to have screaming fits because of flour beetles in your kitchen cabinet.........oh dearie me.

Lottie isn't looking too bad but the grassy overgrown ones on either side are 5 feet tall in grass. Objectively, they are things of beauty, with many differenct grass species, of slightly different heights and tones, all swaying gently. And every single one of them with ripening seed heads just feet from my cultivated soil.

I tidied up with the grass shears and did some hand weeding. In two months my beetroot have grown a whole 3 inches tall and with about 4 small leaves apiece, and the leeks are 2 inches tall and tiny frail hairs. If I hadn't deliberatly left the garden line over them I would never find them.

Onions are starting to go over, tatties are in flower, [STRIKE]triffid[/STRIKE] blackcurrant seems to double in size every week, sunflowers growing, strawbs flowering, bindweeds twining and horsetails sticking their heads above the soil despite my best efforts. One inch growth every 24 hours, shouldn't be allowed.

Yeah, I'm nerdy enough to have measured them.

Right, time for a cuppa and some browsing on the other threads.

mrs_lds

The poor Greeks are being told to tighten their belts even more

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-06-20/stocks-plunge-imf-tells-greece-plug-holes-or-it-pulls-plug

greenbee

pineapple wrote: »

Blimey! Yes indeedy

I did wonder whether they were catering specifically to the inhabitants of this thread I heard Death Duties today and part of Drowned World at the weekend. The website isn't intuitive but most of the stuff is available on listen again or will be after the omnibus. There are some classics there - but it's a lot of traumatic listening in a short period of time...

VJsmum

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

A quick word of advice VJsmum.

Steer clear of things like Baked Beens, Radishes, etc., especially if you will be sharing a tent.

I am sharing with a 14 year old boy (my own 14 year old boy, I might add! ) I don't think it would matter!

Butterfly_Brain

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

ALFSMUM we suffer more here from vandalism than actual breakins, although there have been some thefts from sheds, targeted I think as they took rotorvators each time. Mostly it's youngsters throwing stones through windows and breaking greenhouse glass. We are lucky as the allotments have housing right round the perimiter and although it's at the bottoms of the gardens folks notice if anything happens. What we've been suffering from over the past few seasons is actual theft of crops, particularly high value ones like strawberries, asparagus and blackcurrants although the more everyday things get taken as well, but not the entire crop as with the higher value things. It usually happens very early in the morning just as it is getting light. I don't think any of us mind if it's someone trying to feed a family and not having enough income to do so, but stealing to sell is just so wrong. Last christmas someone overnight stripped every branch with berries on from the village holly tree, one day it was beautiful, covered in berries and the convention is only take a few and then we all get holly for decoration and next day gone!!! you could see where they had parked a lorry from the wheeltracks and took the lot, that kind of thing I really do find unacceptable, it hurts whole communities, not good, Cheers Lyn xxx.

This happened at the school where DH works, they have a beautiful cherry tree and the staff sell the cherries to the parents to raise cash for the school. The tree was stripped in one night and now one of the security camera's points in that direction all the time. It turned out it was those of the traveller persuasion and they were selling them at the local car booter :mad:

alfsmum

Is it too early to pick gooseberries folks? The bush on the lottie had a heavy load but I've noticed them disappearing over the last few days even though some of them are still quite small. I didnt think critturs usually bothered with gooseberries but something is making off with them! plans for a stash of gooseberry jam and chutney are rapidly disappearing...

Butterfly_Brain

Postman has just bought "The wilderness wife" that I ordered from the U.S. it has taken 6 days to get here exactly the same time as a letter sent by the council less than ¼ mile away :mad::mad:
I am really looking forward to reading it (Not the council letter :rotfl:)

Butterfly_Brain

alfsmum wrote: »

Is it too early to pick gooseberries folks? The bush on the lottie had a heavy load but I've noticed them disappearing over the last few days even though some of them are still quite small. I didnt think critturs usually bothered with gooseberries but something is making off with them! plans for a stash of gooseberry jam and chutney are rapidly disappearing...

I would pick them or you will lose the whole lot, it is birds usually, that is why I have got DH to make me a fruit cage, so that the winged thieves don't get at the fruit

D&DD

Alfsmum you can start picking from June I usually test them out on my dear old Dad to see if they are ready..if his eyes water then they still need a bit longer...:D:D

Final clean through the tidy house this morning DS3 has just rung to say he's leaving soon he has coped a little better this year but had 1 to 1 staffing in their apartment (2 kids and 2 teachers,very impressed!) so I think that helped.

My garden however needs some serious love next week :eek: Jungle is an understatement!

GQ glad you got the book it's a very good read

Rightyho need to drag my aching butt out of this chair have a great day all XXX