Preparing for Winter V

[Deleted User]

Its swarming with bumblebees on the allotment, I don`t think I have ever seen so many and all busy all at once. I think they sense something afoot

Maybe I do too, I have just stopped sorting stuff in the room I use for putting stuff when I don`t put things and paperwork away properly. Its just like the pre-winter cleaning frenzy, so that all is in order before hibernation. I have even started knitting again and my car and stove are both being serviced next week

I feel like a squirrel, getting home growns into store as fast as possible, yet still sleeping with only a cotton sheet and a cotton blanket at night. I believe it is the light levels and maybe the uv on a daily basis. The trees are looking brown now rather than that lovely bright green, I think leaves will drop a month early this year

[Deleted User]

I've been through all the preserves and pickles on the store room shelves this morning, got rid of some old ones that had shuffled to the back of the shelf and recycled the glass jars (contents went into the compost bin). I don't have to make any jam or jellies this year but I do have little chutney/relish so that's what I'll be making when the apples are ripe enough to pick. I got all the blankets and throws washed last week and back into the blanket box and part of this afternoon will be going through and trying on the things in the wardrobe donated to me by DD1 as she achieved her weight loss as I know most of them are going to be too big for me now so they'll go into the clothing bank and I'll have an idea of what I need to replace before the colder weather arrives. I'm looking for a pair of knee boots this year with snow grips on them so might try the equestrian centre in a nearby village for a pair of yard boots, they should be waterproof too.

mardatha

Will never forget it Laura - I was in Princes St when it snowed

fuddle

Ladies I find your intuition fascinating. I don't think it's something I can learn without knowing 'my land' so to speak.

You know Laura my grandma swore by thick woollen tartan kind of skirts with a substantial lining. She had her good ones and her work ones. I only ever saw a pair of 'slacks' on my grandmas when she was travelling to Scarborough for her summer holidays. I went through a period of wearing skirts and tights but that was driven more towards it's easier to wash out a pair of tights than a skirt plus a skirt can go longer without a wash (energy saving as bills were high in a poor house we rented) I'm seriously going to look into this again, thank you.

Lucy5781

I honestly feel like Summer has already come and gone. Decent enough weather today despite a couple of minor drizzly spells but we had the best of it May & June and the start of July down here.

I keep wanting to pack away the dungerees and shorts DS has almost grown out of but keep telling myself it might get better later in August. Though by September he'll be one and almost certainly have out grown them. He's 75th centile for weight and 91st for height.

Oddly I felt the need to ensure plenty of proper winter clothing for him for his 18-24month stuff. Have found at least three good secondhand 'puddle-jumping' suits as DH calls them, even a Regatta one for £2.50!

mardatha

Def feel summer didn't even come up here. Again. We had a short nice spell in May and that was it. And during that 3-week good spell the RV was out of action due to an infection in his knee... we didn't get the bike out at all.

Eenymeeny

mardatha wrote: »

Def feel summer didn't even come up here. Again. We had a short nice spell in May and that was it. And during that 3-week good spell the RV was out of action due to an infection in his knee... we didn't get the bike out at all.

What a shame! I feel the same here Mardatha. We had a few decent weeks in May then either rain or windy for most of the days that have followed.
I've been trying to get a lot of work done in the garden and the ground has been too wet for planting most times. (Kneeling has to be done on old compost bags.) Talk of drought on weather and gardening programmes doesn't help. Thank goodness for realistic programmes like Beechgrove from BBC Scotland!

SilverFrost

I too feel that the summer is fading. The fields round here are golden, and it will soon be harvest time. Still I love Autumn.....I have started filling up the log shed with bits of fallen branch etc. Will go blackberry picking later in the week.

pipkin71

I echo everyone's thoughts on our disappearing summer and my mind is now turning to what I need to do to prepare for winter.

suki1964

mardatha wrote: »

Def feel summer didn't even come up here. Again. We had a short nice spell in May and that was it. And during that 3-week good spell the RV was out of action due to an infection in his knee... we didn't get the bike out at all.

Think I must be the same latitude as you mardatha, we got the good weather in May and rain since ( although not cold and positively humid at times) We have had the few odd days of sunshine though and have tried to get out and about. Sunday for instance,was hot but as dark as anything, we still had a couple of hours walking along the coast, then the thunder and lightening and torrential rain took over

Still I've not resorted to the heating just yet

We pulled down an old metal shed that was rotting away last week. We had been chucking any old bits of wood we had left from projects in there over the years. Mr Suki spent a day last week chopping them up and we now have two ton bags full of kindling and another ton bag of hard wood off cuts. Also found two sacks of paper logs made long ago and forgot about so I've plenty of burning material for the stove.

We also sell the kindling at the door along with the eggs

We didnt plant spuds this year, but for the first year our onions haven't shot I'm being swamped with broad beans and mange tout and lettuces are getting to a good weight. Tomatoes as usual are still green, cabbages coming along nicely as are the parsnips and carrots. Last year because of the late frosts we hardly got anything worth the trouble of growing, this year is looking better but with the amount of rain falling these past two weeks I'm not counting on anything till its on the plate

Seems it was only 5 mins ago I was spring cleaning , now it's back to winter prep