The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

Softstuff

Always best to get it checked Alfsmum, hope its ok for you.

Thanks for the congratulations. As always, it isn't done until contracts are through, but we're optimistic. Would really be nice to have a bedroom, wardrobe, bed and sofa again... I feel quite greedy that way

alfsmum

Thank NHS, seen ahead of time by out of hours GP, infection diagnosed, banned from running this week😞 and prescribed antibiotics( !) to halt spread. Probably shouldn't have run three miles this morning as that would have helped the spread by making the heart pump harder - whoops😷

moneyistooshorttomention

Running 3 miles:eek:. There's fit...:rotfl:

Guess you will be taking live yogurt too whilst having the antibiotics - to re-populate with the beneficial bacteria that will get killed as well by the antibiotics? It took a while for daylight to dawn years back as to why I kept getting thrush after antibiotics... (about as long as it took afterwards to persuade the doctor practice at the time to let people know they should do this...:cool:). They eventually had leaflets advising people about this....wish they'd done so before I'd gone through that.....

Jazee

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Running 3 miles:eek:. There's fit...:rotfl:

Guess you will be taking live yogurt too whilst having the antibiotics - to re-populate with the beneficial bacteria that will get killed as well by the antibiotics? It took a while for daylight to dawn years back as to why I kept getting thrush after antibiotics... (about as long as it took afterwards to persuade the doctor practice at the time to let people know they should do this...:cool:). They eventually had leaflets advising people about this....wish they'd done so before I'd gone through that.....

I didn't know that. Amazing what you learn on this thread.

GreyQueen

Morning all.

Sending healing vibes to the poorly people and hoping you're soon on the mend.

I wanted to share something I saw on the allotment on Friday. Do you recall me ranting last week that the next-door lottie people had sprayed their plot with herbicide and some of it had come through the (wire mesh) fence and killed patches of my grass path?

Well, at the time I saw it, I hadn't been up to my own lottie for a fortnight, due to a rainy weekend and then being away for Easter, and the sprayed grass was virulently orange, so had clearly been done a while before.

On Friday, I happened to see a bumble bee, flying about 10 inches above the ground, fly from my plot onto theirs through the mesh fence. It stopped suddenly about 18 inches into their plot, hovered for a few seconds, and made a 180 degree turn and flew straight back into my plot and onto a dandelion which is one of several who are being tolerated for the benefit of bees and other insects.

Now I would describe myself as a keen amateur observer of nature and I have NEVER seen a bee do something like that. Their flight paths are rambling and eccentric. It clearly registered that it was in the presence of abomination on the sprayed plot. It did not even try to fly further across it, the plot is only 9 m wide and a few seconds' flying would have taken it out of the death zone. It didn't even try, it reversed and flew straight back into the unsprayed plot (mine).

:mad: Sheesh, insects with a brain the size of a grain of rice have more sense than some human beings.

Reminds me of a convo a few years ago with a plotholder a few 'doors' up the row who was complaining that he was having to mist his runner bean flowers with the hose to get the blossoms to set as there were no bees around this year. I checked and his beanflowers were indeed bee-less. I then walked him down to my plot, a distance of about 30 m as the bee flies, to show him my beanflowers. On which were plenty of bees; honeybees and 4 species of bumbles. He was gobsmacked.

And a chemical gardener.

I don't use chemicals on the allotment, it offends my sense of nature. I presently have several dandelions in flower, which I must remember to deadhead before they form seeds. Plus some patches of red dead nettle and birds eye speedwell. These have been spared the Hoe of Doom quite deliberately until they finish flowering, just because there isn't much for the insects to feed on right now, and every little helps.

I also have a few slightly tragic overwintered calendula aka English marigolds which have put out a few flowers, and will be sowing more flowers today. The bees are already pollinating the broad beans, the overwintered ones are presently 14 inches tall and already in flower.

camelot1001

GQ - That's amazing, what a clever Bee.
Money - I didn't know that! I used to get thrush after antiBs, not had them for years but if I do I will be ready!
alfsmum - Good job you went to see the GP, hope you recover soon.

Well, it's a glorious day here, I may have to spend it outside - not much to do in the garden so I may have to read a book!

moneyistooshorttomention

I'm now wondering about the wanderings of bees. I'm not very up on what time of year they can be expected to be flying around the place, but would have thought they would be by now??

I'm quite surprised I don't seem to spot any flitting around my garden - as its all organic. I would have thought I might see them making themselves at home on the blossom I can see in my garden right now???

I have in mind to plant a few flowers (of the useful sort) at some point and maybe they are more likely to come visiting then. Having read they like dandelions, I've left the ones that have popped up to tempt them in.

I'm guessing they are thin on the ground here because of the number of "concrete gardens" there are around here and I do notice a lot fewer flowers/etc than I am used to seeing in gardens. Its a bit that the definition of garden in the immediate vicinity of my house tends to include a lot of concrete and tarmac/some grass/a few neglected-looking shrubs and I have to have a short walk to see any attractive gardens. I'm quite saddened by the number of gardens immediately nearby that don't even have any grass in them from what I can see. So maybe the bees are heading in a totally different direction to my garden because of these barren type gardens in my immediate vicinity?? (I cant think of even one garden with much in it within 100' or so of my house:(). So I'm guessing the bees look at all these surrounding barren type gardens and don't realise mine is on beyond it??

Guess the way my garden will be when I have it finished is going to stick out a mile....LOL.

ginnyknit

Bee's also have a sense of humour I think. Im allergic to them yet they regularly come in the house and buzz round the window next to my chair. I scoop them up in a seive with a piece of card and chuck them out the back. They then try and get past me again before buzzing off I talk to them while Im catching them cos my Grannie told me to.

Is it just here or are seeds germinating slowly this year? I always think its because they are growing good roots but its a tad frustrating. Im growing lots of flowers this year for Dgs's sensory garden and Im hoping it mkes the garden cheerful as well as productive.

Just going to rip the living room apart to find my sewing machine needles - really not like me I usually know where stuff is even though it look chaotic!

the_cake

I am sowing loads of seeds at the moment, but all in pots or trays, not in the garden, as it is being visited by a !!!! pheasant and I don't trust him with small seedlings! The only things I did sow outside recently, broad beans, have only just come up: I sowed them on 21 March. I keep a garden diary from year to year, it is really useful to remind me what is worth growing, and what is a waste of time. As I get older, I guard what energy I have carefully, don't want to waste it. This time last year I heard the first cuckoo; no sign of him yet this year.
I have managed to build a 'Rustick Struckture' for the peas to clamber up - I cut the hazels out of the hedges and tried to get them all to look vaguely matched, but it is really much more difficult than it looks. As is experimenting with the most effective knots to keep it all together - some of them done from the top of a wibbly stepladder (don't try this at home ...). Still, it certainly looks rustic (i.e. home made) and as long as we don't get a breath of wind between now and September it should be fine. Back up the ladder shortly to drape the pea netting over it. My winter job has now finished, nothing else on the horizon for me except some work on election day (poll clerk) so my challenge is to grow as much food as I can to help the family finances ... and enjoy the summer. Our litigation is still rumbling on and the stress of that is just horrible, so my time in the garden gives me back some sanity. Love to you all, Fellow Fencers, x
PS Happy to report there are loads of bees here, enjoying the fruit blossom!

FairyPrincessk

Afternoon all,

I've only seen a few bees this year, but we usually see more later in the summer. Certainly not as many as we'd like, although we try to keep a close eye on Maggie the Cat when she is in the garden as she thinks bees are prey. Any time one is about she is whisked inside for the mutual protection of the bee and Maggie. GQ I was always taught that marigolds were excellent pest deterrents, I save some seeds from some last year, but not sure if they'll come up or not. They were the first plant I remember understanding life cycles for as I remember my mum teaching me how to pull the dry flower heads off and pull out the seeds. I wish I knew more of those kinds of things and I'm working on it, trying to look things up. I think I've recently diagnosed one of my 'weeds' as Lady's Apron which is apparently edible although I'm not confident enough in my ability to identify it to actually give it a try.

Tea tonight is Vietnamese Pho as OH has come back with a nasty sore throat that is threatening to become a cold. He has two days worth of trips with pupils next week and a late evening, so I shall endeavour to feed him up with nourishing things in the evenings. I'll happily pass along a bowl if you'd like, Petula? It is made with HM chicken stock, ginger and lots of veg. It did mean I used most of the shopping budget this week so didn't help with my challenge, although some of it will go into the freezer.

We have really smartened up the front of the house and it looks so much nicer out there. Fortunately the neighbour of doom went out yesterday and it was only his houseguests coming outside. They were waiting for something to be delivered so took little interest in us. Fortunately it was blissfully quiet last night, I didn't wake up until 8:30 this morning, which is almost unheard of from me.

Mum has confirmed my ideas for how to fix the problem with the dress so that is back on the agenda, and I've cast on to knit my first cardigan:eek: I had most of a ball of wool left from some slippers and I've managed to get three more of the same dye lot. By my calculations I CAN do all of the stitches, hopefully I'll be able to do them all in the right order and with tension consistent with my gauge swatch. None of that though until I've cleaned the bedroom and done the sheets and put the washing out.

Alf's mum, look after yourself!

Sheila, how is your husband?

Mrs. VP I hope the sun has had restorative properties.

Congratulations Softstuff!
I know I've forgotten some poorlies, but have a hug.x