Awful weather - typical Brits talk

pink_poppy

Ooh, nice sitooteries, dusty. I like the old rickety one, even though it would probably collapse if I sat on it    

Exciting to be getting your tiles today, YBE - are these the ones off Working Mum?? What do you intend doing with them, or is it a secret until the grand unveiling?? I'm going to see if I can get hold of some free ones to do something similar to taff or wort (sorry, I still can't remember who's who). I could also do with the gravel that WM is giving away - shame we don't live closer!!    

A different kind of pic - these have just flown over in a messy 'V' formation...

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

My grapes are really swelling now, just sorting out buying some mesh, anti bird & wasp , fruit bags. Not cheap but having waited since 2018 to taste one I think I'm worth it.!

Sampled my Bloody butcher & Veranda red tomatoes. Couldn't wait any longer.

The BB are more my taste, I found V red a bit sharp, but perhaps if I'd left it to fully ripen?

No need to protect the grapes we have here! :'(

I think the Veranda Reds are middle-of-the-road OKish for taste, and I don't find ours sharp. They don't compare with the Sungolds for taste, but as easy to grow, minimal effort toms, they get a thumbs-up from me.

Having taste-tested our real Sungolds against my second generation non-F1 copies, I must reluctantly conclude it's worth paying the extra for the genuine article. They were quite nice, though!

Farway

Dull, but thankfully cooler, so I had a decent night's kip & feeling much more ooomph in me this morning! I've been flopping around cream crackered for the last few days.

twopenny said:

What have you found Farway?

I got silly amounts and silly prices apart from an unknown website that looked odd.

Found these witn 20pcs.......

https://!!!!!!.com/ms98eyrz

Your link is bent

I found some on Amazon £4.99  for 25, 15cm x 20 draw string bags, much the same as eBay, but I have Prime so no-brainer, arriving tomorrow.

I'd put the link but can't figure out how to post it without including my details, but if you pop following in a search engine it will give result

"Fruit Protection Bags, 25pcs Reusable Fruit Netting Bags, Garden Fruit Netting Bags Clear Insect Bird Barrier Netting Mesh Grape Bag with Drawstring for Fruit Plant Vegetables 2 Sizes (15 * 20cm)"

pink_poppy said:

One of my unknown variety tomatoes is ready to eat too, Farway. I did ask lovely neighbour (who gave me the two plants) what they were, but he couldn't remember   

I've come to the conclusion I have messed up with my tomato labelling, some I know, the others are a jumble and not as I thought.

I have a small red cherry one which I thought was balcony yellow, and I have a cherry plum and I don't think I sowed any of those. I wonder if it's a yellow pear drop one like YBE?

Plus I've one with flower trusses as big as a hand, gawd knows what that is.

Reminds me of a YouTube I saw, you know you're a proper gardener when nothing is labelled

A good pic of pterodactyls flying over PP.

Looks like it was a nice outing Dusty, give your knees a good workout

Dustyevsky said:

Farway said:

My grapes are really swelling now, just sorting out buying some mesh, anti bird & wasp , fruit bags. Not cheap but having waited since 2018 to taste one I think I'm worth it.!

Sampled my Bloody butcher & Veranda red tomatoes. Couldn't wait any longer.

The BB are more my taste, I found V red a bit sharp, but perhaps if I'd left it to fully ripen?

No need to protect the grapes we have here! :'(

I think the Veranda Reds are middle-of-the-road OKish for taste, and I don't find ours sharp. They don't compare with the Sungolds for taste, but as easy to grow, minimal effort toms, they get a thumbs-up from me.

Having taste-tested our real Sungolds against my second generation non-F1 copies, I must reluctantly conclude it's worth paying the extra for the genuine article. They were quite nice, though!

How long have you waited for grapes Dusty? Next year, you just see.

Jury still out on veranda for me, must agree on the easy to grow bit. My hopes for 2025 are pinned on the Polish ones I have bought on offer.

Today is picking Merton thornless blackberry day , at last there are more than enough to collect instead of graze. I may freeze or stew, depends on how I feel later.

Apples not yet ready, so freezing until apples ready was what I did last year

twopenny

I thought that link looked wrong. Ever since !!!!!! went posh it's been rubbish.

It was Ebay, £3.80 or something for 20. They give a 10p discount for 2 pks lol.

Edit: Hmm about the same price all in all as yours. I need stuff from Amazon (just hate the site now) and that would help bump up the free delivery price - if there still is one. They're slimy biggers on that site now with their tactics.

Bluey, re yesterday, sparrows are on the 'endangered' list now.

The weird heather I found didn't show up in the photos and I can't definitely identify it. Pretty though.

Love the little Sittorie Dusty, the crumbly one looks like you could be undisturbed and in the wild. That appeals. But the other is cosy.

Ever since our photo group Garden Theme challenge I'm amazed at how many people have cleared their gatdens of anything living.

Local village that used to be alive with colour has been taken over by posh incomers and all grass and hedge. The whole place looks dull as ditchwater. In town so many tarmaced over and just cars.

Cool and cloudy today, maybe some sun later. Bits stopped me doing anything yesterday but maybe today finishing jobs.

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

I've come to the conclusion I have messed up with my tomato labelling, some I know, the others are a jumble and not as I thought.

I've one with flower trusses as big as a hand, gawd knows what that is.

Looks like it was a nice outing Dusty, give your knees a good workout

Dustyevsky said:

Farway said:

My grapes are really swelling now, just sorting out buying some mesh, anti bird & wasp , fruit bags. Not cheap but having waited since 2018 to taste one I think I'm worth it.!

Sampled my Bloody butcher & Veranda red tomatoes. Couldn't wait any longer.

The BB are more my taste, I found V red a bit sharp, but perhaps if I'd left it to fully ripen?

No need to protect the grapes we have here! :'(

I think the Veranda Reds are middle-of-the-road OKish for taste, and I don't find ours sharp. They don't compare with the Sungolds for taste, but as easy to grow, minimal effort toms, they get a thumbs-up from me.

Having taste-tested our real Sungolds against my second generation non-F1 copies, I must reluctantly conclude it's worth paying the extra for the genuine article. They were quite nice, though!

How long have you waited for grapes Dusty? Next year, you just see.

Jury still out on veranda for me, must agree on the easy to grow bit. My hopes for 2025 are pinned on the Polish ones I have bought on offer.

Would the many flowered tom be a 'Sweet Million,' perhaps?

I've only had the dessert grapes in about 2 years, so I know not to expect miracles, especially this season. The ornamental ones are about 14 years old, and they always produce something, but not for humans!

twopenny said:

Love the little Sittorie Dusty, the crumbly one looks like you could be undisturbed and in the wild. That appeals. But the other is cosy.

Ever since our photo group Garden Theme challenge I'm amazed at how many people have cleared their gatdens of anything living.

Local village that used to be alive with colour has been taken over by posh incomers and all grass and hedge. The whole place looks dull as ditchwater. In town so many tarmaced over and just cars.

You'd get blown out of the crumbly one on many days, but that's where the fruit & veg is grown. I was surprised by that. All the gardens visited were owned by retiree incomers (last 15 years or so) but that hasn't spoiled things from a floral POV. Did you work out where we were? (2.5km from County Gate as the crow flies, on the East Lyn. )

twopenny

Well I thought it was Brendon Dusty, but the location isn't right with the sea.

So no

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Well I thought it was Brendon Dusty, but the location isn't right with the sea.

So no

I've just measured accurately, and the high sitooterie is 3.099km from the coast, but from there you'd actually be looking way beyond to see any sea because of the cliffs. Nice, benign maritime influence on winter temperatures, though. At 950' inland, say near Challacombe, would be a different proposition!

pink_poppy

Pterodactyls lol    
Hope you enjoy your blackberries, Farway. I had some shop bought ones in a smoothie (with strawberries, Greek yogurt and milk) this morning. I'll have to keep an eye out for the wild ones growing - I'll pick some for lovely neighbour as I know he usually picks them but he's incapacitated at the moment

I've just been watching two robins (and numerous sparrows) eating the insect infused suet block that I've put in a hanging cage. The sparrows seem to be able to cling onto the cage, but the robins are fluttering their wings like mad trying to get some, so I've relented and put another block in the swinging seat to make it easier for them. I stopped putting the blocks in the swing because it was attracting pigeons - started off with just one, but then it turned into ten!!

YoungBlueEyes

Oops, seems a few of us were posting at the same time this morning and I've missed a couple of posts!

Cracking sitooteries Dusty, I'd happily have any of them, and the gardens they come with. Lovely  

Yep pp the tiles are from wm. I've seen all kinds of ideas on pintrest etc but I'll be doing it meself so I may have to downgrade my ideas a bit. Possibly. They are mostly of the 'swirls on the ground to put a sitooterie on' type of idea. I've no rush in that department, even if bad weather hits Portugal  

Bad news that sparrows are endangered now 2p, and they used to be so common too! She said, sounding like an auld biddy. In other news - aren't the policemen getting younger and younger  

Speaking of sitooteries, we went to Filey yesterday and I saw this. It's all just concrete lumps but they've tried to do something with textures and shapes, it looks good in real life - 

Somebody at sea wanted to come in, so out went a fellah on his tractor - 

A black something. Looked like a bullrush or summat - 

Finally a wee bird. The boat it’s sat on is called “The Life Of Filey”  

YoungBlueEyes

What if you've got the last sparrows pp You might have to put up with the flying rats pigeons!