The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

thriftmonster

Delurking to send condolences to Mrs L. I've had to do the same 4 times now and will probably have to do it once again before the end of the year - so I send you all my sympathy (and the toast we drank to the last one to go - Holly - L'chaim!)

[Deleted User]

On my own here today as He Who Knows has gone to do some electrical work for DD1 for a couple of days. It's odd being here without Docky but somehow he's still here and the house doesn't feel lonely or empty. Our weather today is a bit dismal and it's drizzling out there, not heavy but dreary, I hope it clears later it's much nicer when the sun shines. DD2 and DSIL have been busy getting thier little flat ready to go on the market this week, Zebra is 16 months now and they really need more rooms than they currently have, Zebras cot is in the room that used to be the guest room/study combined and he really needs a room of his own and so does Oma when she goes sitting for them, at the moment it's a sofa bed in thier lounge after they've gone up to bed. Oma sometimes gets tired before that!!! They've looked at a couple of properties but not found one they like yet, they definitely want a garden, Zebra is an outside boy and loves being here and able to pootle around in ours, I hope they find the right home soon.

I picked the first handful of french beans from the polytunnel yesterday, we had them with the first picking of broad beans from the allotment for supper last night. We've been harvesting peas, beetroot, lettuces and courgettes from the tunnel for a few weeks now and the peas are nearly over and we've had lots of nice ripe strawberries from the garden this year, got them netted before the birds spotted the fruit! result!!! We've taken down the barricades that kept the Dockling off the veg/fruit garden and it still looks odd, much bigger somehow, and I'm gradually planting up areas he had access to with herbs to use now and through the winter, put a big bed of sage plants in a couple of days ago that should mean lots of homemade stuffing in the winter, yum!

silvasava

Hi All

Taken a wander around the 'estate' as DH calls it! I'm picking cucumbers from the greenhouse, strawberries (mine are netted too MrsL!) but my runner and climbing beans are weeks off producing anything yet. They seem to have been very slow this year. As its a 'grey day' DH is doing some DIY in the downstairs toilet (no not that!!) he's taken the old tiles off the window ledge and replacing with a piece of UPVC - much easier to keep clean as no grout! Although its very surprising how much mess it seems to make before its finished............;)
Have a good day all

FairyPrincessk

Oh, Lyn I'm terribly sorry to hear you've lost your companion. I'm glad it was peaceful in the end. Big hugs. I do hope Zebra's parents are able to find the right home for them quickly. It sounds as if you're gradually transforming your garden to fit the new circumstances. Mind, in my head your garden is some sort of cross between a kitchen garden for a Victorian manner and the Secret Garden that Colin and Mary play in in the children's story!

I've just been to the doctors this morning and saw several peonies opening up in gardens on the walk there. They're one of my favourite flowers. There are tight buds on the hydrangeas--another of my favourites. We have lots and lots of green strawberries, I'm hoping they don't all go red while I'm in London. It is warmish and not raining today, but not particularly bright either.

I'm on small frequent and plain-ish meals for awhile, so I've got soup and water biscuits for lunch and we're having salmon for tea. I think I'll boil the spuds rather than roast since I need to avoid too much oil. I've got ice cream and strawberries for a mid afternoon snack.

[Deleted User]

I wish, we've a sixth of an acre overall and use as much of it as intelligently as we are able. The front garden is for apple trees on the lawn, one big old one and two small new ones plus a crab apple given to He Who Knows for Christmas a couple of years ago by the girls as part of his cider making endeavours. It's got apples set for the first time this year. The back garden has 2 x big beds, one mainly down to fruit bushes, redcurrants, loganberries, in cages, the asparagus bed and the embryonic globe artichoke bed which isn't doing too well this year. The rest of that bed will be filled with a succession of leeks to see us through this winter. The other bigger bed has outdoor tomatoes in, the wigwam of runner beans and lots of foxgloves which we love so can't fill the bed with veg until they've gone over. We have herbs, raspberries, cobnut bushes (5), strawberries and dahlias in the long narrow bed beside the garden path and 2 enormous thornless blackberries trained completely across the fence at the top of the garden. The greenhouse is filled with tomatoes and chillies and has the seedling bench down the middle with the replacement lettuces, cabbages, leeks etc. waiting to go out in various places. The polytunnel 24 x 12 is at the top of the garden just in front of the blackberries on one side of the plot with the mini barn level with it on the other side of the plot. We currently have in the tunnel the tail end of the peas, climbing french beans, an early courgette, a cucumber, various types of cabbage at various stages of development, parsley, oregano, beetroot, lettuces, sweet peppers and a large bed of basil. Some things we're harvesting some will be later. The allotment which is behind the houses across the road is a full 10 rods and we have squashes, pumpkins, more courgettes, potatoes, onions, garlic, parsnips, cabbages, broad beans, brussels sprouts, gooseberries, rhubarb and a row of sweet williams as we both love thier clovey perfume. It keeps us busy and entertained (lots of wildlife) and fed. I can think of worse ways to fill your days can't you FPK?

FairyPrincessk

Indeed! It sounds a delightful place.

stiltwalker

Sending you much love Lyn, he was a lovely chap and much loved by his legion of online fans as well as of course his very own peoples! He will live on in our memories as an eccentric, dyslexic, lovely, leaning lurcher - Hx

moneyistooshorttomention

Shattered! Done loads of work in the garden today one way or another. Trying to think positive about all the "garden goodies" I will be able to grow eventually....I've read an article today talking about vast numbers of vegetable species that are grown elsewhere in the world that I've never heard of. Lots of room for experimenting....:)

Apart from that - I am not going to be tempted to stay up till way beyond the bedtime of an early bird like myself tonight. Reason being a friend of mine nearby spotted what she reckons was an UFO in the area last night somewhere in the direction of my house. I'm not that fascinated I will stay up to have a look and see if anything happens tonight or no...I'm for bed and, if ET is around in the vicinity, if they've got any sense they wont bother with us primitive types anyway. Blas! 'r us eh? Me...I have my sights set on my nice wide comfortable bed at not too late an hour tonight...

Another exhausting day in the garden lined-up tomorrow.

ginnyknit

Mtstm Im sorry to burst your friends bubble but I think you will find it was the International space station its been over the Uk for a few days now.

Mrs LW hugs xx If I plant a cobnut will I get a little tree? we cant get them here anymore and I love them.

Busy getting ready for new grand- daughter here and have to revolutionise my bedroom soon for a cot :eek:

Hubby having some more health issues so keeping me busy but thanks to our new wonderful Gp I have apparently just narrowly missed having a stroke or worse - my old Gp had been ignoring serious symptoms of very very high BP and I only mentioned them as she said it was due to my Arthur-itis and tinnitus. I came out in shock , he said its lucky that I keep reasonably fit and eat carefully that I kept going. I was that bad he wouldnt let me leave the surgery till it had gone down a little. After 4 days on meds I am amazingly much better and feel more like the old Ginny.

nursemaggie

So glad you are feeling better Ginny. It must have been high because high blood pressure does not often give symptoms.