'supporting each other through really tough times'

[Deleted User]

When I walked the lurcher this morning I was amazed at where the bees were and they were all in the trees that are flowering here at the moment, specially the sycamores, the lanes were abuzz with them. I think they must go to the biggest available pollen source first and will find the gardens when we have enough open flowers to make it worth thier while collecting there. Even down here we still don't have many of this years flowers in bloom, the bluebells are over and the petunias haven't really got going yet, all we have in big numbers are last winters Pansys which have got a second lease of life.

ginnyknit

Thanks for the sausage casserole recipe, wanted something different to do with the pack of sausages and have a cabbage hanging around

Just opened the greenhouses up to get them dried out a bit as they were a bit too humid. Lots of lovely seedlings there and courgettes, pumpkins and cucumbers ready to put out. Very slow germination and poor roots as others have said. Got a big job lot of bedding plants via Hubbys fishing minder the other day, not my thing but OH loves to see them and I dont mind as they cost pennies. Means a lot of planting tomorrow but have the day to do it as OH has tickets for a rugby special at Etihad stadium tomorrow with disabled parking - he will have support so I can relax a bit:j:j

shegar

Its just too cold for butterflies and bees , although a few mins ago I did see a cabbage white.........

Ive got some lavandula in flower, wallflowers, alliums in flower, and oxeye daisies are just about to open , got buds on the rose bushes now so a week or two they will open up, got nepeta(catmint) soon to open bees love that ......

It as turned a wee bit chilly since this morning , even though the sun is out we seem to have a wind chill, good day for drying the washing .........
Im a wee bit relaxed this arvo, im doing a bit then pop back in summerhouse on the net, just watched half hour of chelsea flower show I missed during the week.....

I can see hubby in the conservatory flat out in his recliner having a kip, its pretty warm in there all day as its south facing, both dogs are here in the the summerhouse, little rosie under a blanket as she soon feels a nip in the air...........

I bought 5 plants of verbena boneriensis last week they attract all sorts of insects, flowers last from July right through til November and they are perennial , so dont have to buy them again next year.......Sheila

[Deleted User]

SHEILA I've just been up and watered the polytunnel and the few things we've recently planted outside and my raspberries are in full flower and absolutely covered with small bumble bees, dark bodies and yellow tails all busy pollen collecting. I think we'll see more of them when the foxgloves open up and I can see pink on the lower flower buds on some of mine. I have irises in bud and my ox-eye daisies round the pond are just starting to pop as well, what I have got lots of in bloom is aquelegias, they, like the foxgloves, self seed all over the plot, I love them because you never know what colour the flowers are going to be in any given year, last year was all mauves and purples, this year it's all shades of pink, genetics are a mystery aren't they? Cheers Lyn xxx.

RosiePuddingPaws

Thanks to everyone for their support last weekend. Still feel down at times about my poor puss (the end was rather traumatic rather than the peaceful one I had hoped for). Still today I have washed and dried three loads of washing, and am now sat in the warm conservatory looking out at the blossom on the apple tree. Not much blossom on the pear and none on the plum. It looks nice out but, like elsewhere, the wind is a bit keen.

Treated myself to a packet of cherries whilst at the supermarket. I love cherries, but really wish they could be a little cheaper. £14/kg. Strewth. They have such a short season too. I did try growing them in my last house, but the birds used to get them every time, despite nets and protection.

Thanks Mrs LW for the sausage/cabbage recipe. Sounds tasty so will give it a try. As there's just me, I will have to stick a load in the freezer as I try to avoid eating too much processed meat in a week, but it will save cooking another night.

I also have just seen a cabbage white, but no bees yet. Then again not many flowers are out yet. The slugs have eaten one of my young cabbage plants though and there was a snail after my tub of runner beans. I say was since the snail was slung over the hedge into the garden below where they don't grow veg!

RPP

shegar

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

SHEILA I've just been up and watered the polytunnel and the few things we've recently planted outside and my raspberries are in full flower and absolutely covered with small bumble bees, dark bodies and yellow tails all busy pollen collecting. I think we'll see more of them when the foxgloves open up and I can see pink on the lower flower buds on some of mine. I have irises in bud and my ox-eye daisies round the pond are just starting to pop as well, what I have got lots of in bloom is aquelegias, they, like the foxgloves, self seed all over the plot, I love them because you never know what colour the flowers are going to be in any given year, last year was all mauves and purples, this year it's all shades of pink, genetics are a mystery aren't they? Cheers Lyn xxx.

My ox eye daisies self seeds by the 100 s, they are everywhere in my borders , I started off with one plant I bought a few years back, ive given loads to my neighbour,ox eye is a beautiful wildlife flower........

I threw loads of hollyhocks and foxglove seeds last year and ive got loads of plants near in bloom, not the hollyhocks yet but the foxgloves , like you say you never know what the colours will be, ........Also ive had to do division on 3 plants of sedum, im really not that keen on it , but I know the insects like it......
Haps at the end of summer we could swap some seeds , and see what happens this time next year.....:)

At one of our beaches close by , every year thousands of red valerian (centhrantus) comes up, its a beauty,it readily self seeds, ive also got clumps of that too , as when I was walking the dogs a handful flew in my pocket..!!:eek: ..........that flowers from now til very late summer........Google it , its a good all rounder........Or I maybe able to get you a little seed come the autumn.....;)

UV filter and pump up and running , it was okay after I realised that I had to turn pump down to get water to come out of the filter box:eek:,I was in and out of that water like a duck:eek::mad:....I knew I should have bought a wetsuit :eek: and that it would come in handy one day......
Ive got some very small gooseberries on my bush ....
Sheila...............................

Hardup_Hester

That recipe sounds delish Mrs LW, I'll try it one day next week.
Well we are home but worn out, DD's surprise party went well, so very pleased with that.
Sheila, Dr's always way say 'well it's because' what ever I have my Dr blames my weight or my age, even when I had an ear infection!
Keep on keeping on everyone.
Hester.

GreyQueen

fuddle wrote: »

Easy said though short-bird, I do too but when you have so many small stuffs to deal with it can really overwhelm. It's normally something really small that tips me over the crying cliff whereas the bigger stuff I deal with much better.

I'm told don't sweat the small stuff quite regularly by DH. Personally, if I lived with me I'd be saying summat much stronger than that lol

Fuddle, our family saying is Worse things happen at sea. Dunno why; we're not seafarers and not on the coast. Richard Carlson's book Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (and it's all small stuff) is a wee gem if you'd like to get it from the library.

Glad your washer is running - isn't it good to know your MSE pals can diagnose a washer prob over the t'interweb? It'll be all that collective life experience coming into play.


Hester, I first heard a doctor utter the dreaded excuse It's your age when I was 30.

Here we go, I thought, instant cop-out for the rest of my life. I'm getting random aches in places I don't recall noticing before, but I'm heading towards 50 so that kinda stuff happens. I do think it's wrong to still get pimples from time to time when you have grey hairs and laughter lines........... should be some law agin in, IMO.

Mum's been a bit poorly these past few days, and the GP said it's a virus. Olden tymes medical practicioners probably said their version; it's your humours/ the phase of the moon/ bad air/ a witch's curse.

And then charged you, the cheeky be88ars.

Keep warm and keep on going, people. GQ xx

[Deleted User]

SHEILA that would be a lovely thing to do, I'll save seed from all my self sewns and mix it all up so you get some of everything and if you let me know where to send them in the Autumn I'll post you some and we'll see what happens next year, what a nice idea, I'd love it, thank you so much, you're very clever!!! I could collect you some Alexanders seeds from the wild ones that grow by the river, they should go well in a coastal area, I love them for thier green/yellow flowers in the spring!!

I'm glad you all like the sound of the sausage and cabbage casserole, it's one of our favourites and so easy to make, it reheats very well too, I hope you all enjoy it if you do give it a try, Cheers Lyn xxx.

fuddle

We had it for tea Lyn. I was dubious that DH wouldn't be keen as cabbage isn't something he really likes but it went down well. I mixed a bit Worcester with tomato sauce. I don't know what it was meant to taste like but it was quite tasty!

We dropped the girls off at MILs house (she's going to get me some ringtons tea leaves when he comes in 2 weeks) and then called off at electrical shop. DH wanted to look at our washer model so he could check the gubbins of the filter. It certainly didn't feel like the right thing to do anyway but as he twisted the knob water came gushing out the machine on the carpet!!! The more he tried to get the knob tightened up the more he panicked! OMG! We won't ever go in that shop ever again. Mortified. He grumbled I only wanted to look at a demo model, everyone looks and messes with the demo model. He grumbled about doing nowt right. I said don't sweat the small stuff and we fell about laughing. Was a tonic seeing mr cool panic lol

Had a lovely afternoon, washed Alfie in the garden and about to watch an old Sherlock. Enjoy your evening everyone

Oh GQ, I will look out for that book, thanks!