Daydream fund challenge part 4

choille

Until about three weeks back we had 6 weeks without a drop of rain which for here is incredibly odd.
I'm pleased that things have been soaked as it was so dry even some of the trees look parched and a bit brown tinged. And of course the fire risk is lessened now the place has had a good belt of wet. And of course for the grass for the sheep. And of course that you don't have to lug water about as the hose doesn't reach.

ukmaggie45

We had a decent amount of rain yesterday, though could do with a lot more.

Just sitting in the caravan with the french windows open, and this gorgous Magpie Moth just fluttered in and landed on a curtain!

Magpie Moth by Maggie, on Flickr

Davesnave

That's a nice easyish one to ID maggie! Most of the moths we get are just brownish undistinguished things, so we give up!

Had what we believe was a wood warbler in the garden yesterday. A first so far as we know, but it was so quiet and unobtrusive.....

Never a dull moment dept....There was a meeting of our village Land Trust this week to announce the site they've negotiated for the building of 10 affordable rental homes. It's behind our friends' house. They were thinking about moving from there, and now they probably wish they'd got on with it!

Most here, including me, are in favour of this scheme, but it would have been more entertaining and less predictable to see it blocking the views of some up-market properties. In the end, location is down to many factors, including who will sell land at a knock-down price, and I dare say there's some devils in the detail yet to come.


Rain last night was welcome, but its effects will be limited to a day or so.

alfie_1

no rain here...at all....not a drop....nothing...zilch....zero....

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

alfie_1 wrote: »

no rain here...at all....not a drop....nothing...zilch....zero....

Neither has there been for us.

As Himself is unable to comprehend that 'can you take three buckets of water out the front every other day and chuck them over the windowboxes, please? means something other than one and a half mixing jugs of water once a fortnight - and I am in no hurry to repeat my earlier escapade - I finally dragged the hosepipe through the house and stuck it outside the window first thing this morning. Hopefully that will keep the Geraniums alive, as even they were looking like one more day and they'd be dead.

Out the back got ten minutes to fill the minipond/birdbath/cat bowl, give the mini cherry tree something to be going on with and damp down the shed itself, as it would only take one spark from the scaffolding over the back to send the whole lot up.

As I came back in, I could hear lots of small bird noises start up, so I think they might have taken advantage whilst the felines were collapsed in puddles indoors.


Wish I could have taken better care of things this year, but work, the excessive heat and my general physical incompetence has made it impossible again.

But it looks like we've got some blackberries almost ready, so I'll at least shove them in the new freezer as I pick them - last year's blackberry, lemon and elderflower jam has kept brilliantly and has been the only jam Himself has eaten all year.

choille

Oddly most of my blackcurrants have disappeared going by the purple spraints I think the pine marten has had a field day. As I still have blackcurrant jam & blackcurrant & apple jelly from last year left - and mine too has kept well - I boiled them & drained them through an old pillowcase & will boil them up with sugar & lemon juice for cordial. I still have blackcurrants in the freezer from last year as I did have a bumper crop last year.
Made another Summer pudding with some & rasps & one or two gooseberries & some stalks of rhubard again as I'm getting a bit addicted. I hate waste so I have to use the fruit or I feel guilted out. Looks like we shall have a lot of apples this year off a tree that hasn't done much so far & I forgot about. The dark red crab apple is filled also & also the rogue crab apples in the vertical mill ruin are heavy. I doubt I'll use them as those as they are always rather speckled.
Been up since before 5 am and it's low cloud and raining again.
I am supposed to be going to neighbours to run round with the hoover - as she likes to call it. I could do without it as this place is an eye sore.

tori.k

Few degrees cooler here this morning, finally cleared some of the back perimeter wall, so get to put something in rather than pulling out which will be a nice change, I have a bag of crocosmisa lucifer that someone over zealously sowed at a local allotment site, hidcote, achillea ,erigeron and prostrate rosemary so it will all look after itself, it will still be full of red valerian but will hopefully save me having to get out there with the weed wacker. think its still going to be to wild looking for the immediate neighbors but its better then the goosegrass and brambles they have been living with so they wont complain.

Davesnave

The overcast is welcome, as I may get something useful done before heading off to the joys of the supermarket run. :undecided Just had DD2 and partner camping in the garden, and now the Outlaws are due to descend.....


We planted the rest of the Portugal laurel hedge last night. It's kept remarkably well in 2 litre pots, so its demands can't be that great; the ones we have growing already have fared much better in this drought than most other hedging. I can see mass deaths in the cotoneaster simonsii and eleagnus as a later consequence; good for wildlife but can't take the dry.


Meanwhile, half way across 'Afghanistan' with my main pathway, I'm now digging-out more crap from the previous owners' nursery, like plastic pots, bits of ground cover and broken glass. Was there nowhere these 'organic' gardeners failed to pollute? :mad: We have a dumpy bag full now.



Yes, the bird bath is queueing room only, but the insects are having a bumper year....apart from the white-tailed bumble bee that found its way inside my T shirt. Ouch! I think it survived, though.

alfie_1

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Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Yay. The temperature display greeted me at 7am with a cheery 31 Celsius.

So Himself is languishing in front of the fan in the permanently dark bedroom and the cats have disappeared into the north facing recesses of the house.

I'm jealous of the waterfowl, as there's only so much water I can use in good conscience.