Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

I quite like your dragonfly pic Dusty, it's dreamy and ethereal Did the roses smell as good as they look? 
I remember chokes and flooding it comments Farway... so does that mean I'm now mature or that I have to start being mature?

The picture probably looks like that because I messed it around so much, just to get something vaguely dragonfly-ish!

I can't remember which of our cars was first to have an automatic choke. I recall it bothering me, because habitually I'd cancel it as soon as possible, and I didn't trust 'auto.'. Although I never owned one myself, cars with indicator arms which shot out of the door pillar were still a thing when I was a teenager.

In most respects, cars then were much easier to understand and fix. When I was 19, I stripped first gear on Dad's car doing a hill start. It wasn't my fault, just the age of the thing, but he was angry with me. So, I went to the scrappie, bought a s/h gearbox and told him I'd fix it as soon as the Haynes manual came in the post. I did too! It took the best part of a day, and I'd a few nuts and bolts over when it was done, but we had all our gears again!

To get back on track..... the rose had some scent, Bluey, but not wonderful. We also met 3 of these in that garden....

We guessed they were Emus, but they're Rheas, and not as fierce as they look. One was startled by a tractor a few years ago, ran into the lake and drowned!

As Rheas aren't very on-topic either, I'll post a rather nice purplish-pink Angelica spotted by that lake. I'm guessing it's Angelica gigas.

After a damp start, yesterday turned out sunny in the afternoon, so we abandoned our gardening and visited our local nursery to buy some new dahlias. Pictures tomorrow.

Today, another damp start, but like 2p's car, up and running sweetly by lunchtime, hopefully!

Don't worry, pp, you don't sound a bit like Mrs Slocombe to me. Always think it's hilarious, one cannot say '!!!!!!' on here!

twopenny

Ok I'll play. Not much to say because I'm waiting in cool, cloudy, windy but bright weather and the forcast says a bit of useless rain mid morning.................I need dry to get out there and fix the pond but, like the car, doesn't seem broke but is. Finish painting the outdoor lights, fix the garage door and multiple other jobs that have been sidelined for something more interesting.

I've had ants eat the mortar between slabs, turned it from concrete to sand in 2 days  Scarey!

I'll see if the car will take me to the bulders yard, Perhaps that's another diversionary trip to avoid the jobs  

I could do with borrowing Taffs builders but sounds like they are well settled in.

Lovely rose Dusty. I'd like that one, It looks like a doer..........

Hmmm another cup of coffee and then I'll set to - maybe.

Anyone know what this plant is? The flowers are on long red stems that sway and the leaves at the base long slim oval shape.

It's been such a good survivor and blooms come drought or flood midsummer to autumn with no visible problems from wildlife or virus.

If the weather keeps going the way it is I'd like more of them but bought from my main street diy shop.

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Anyone know what this plant is? The flowers are on long red stems that sway and the leaves at the base long slim oval shape.

It's been such a good survivor and blooms come drought or flood midsummer to autumn with no visible problems from wildlife or virus.

Looks like the plant formerly known as Gaura....now called Oenothera lindheimeri.....and at a guess 'Siskiyou Pink.'

twopenny

Thanks Dusty, rings no bells but I didn't realise it would come to be important.

Unfortunately not a clump former and no seeds I've noticed.

Looked online and I like the white one, Like little ghosts. Might be nice at night. 

But the prices are a bit steep. I'll have to start trawling the nurserys and shops (we have a butchers even that sells plants) which reminds me I have to go to the barbers for honey   

LessImpecunious

YoungBlueEyes said:

Ooh Evesham Less, it's nice down there and hurray for free plums Enough to eat, plus jam? Gin? Pies? Crumbles? Chutney?  

The plums were a bit behind, and I think someone had just beaten us to picking, damsons were still like bullets, so we didn't get a great haul - and by the time we got home after three days they were somewhat overripe - so potential jam has turned out as plum sauce - tasty, but not quite so useful...

Farway

Back to sunshine again, but cooler

Up to volunteer spot to water the pots, despite yesterday's dribble of rain I thought I should do it, just In case of heatwave & my car, MOT Friday, is poorly and needs a Mega cash injection.

Dustyevsky said:

I can't remember which of our cars was first to have an automatic choke. I recall it bothering me, because habitually I'd cancel it as soon as possible, and I didn't trust 'auto.'. Although I never owned one myself, cars with indicator arms which shot out of the door pillar were still a thing when I was a teenager.

In most respects, cars then were much easier to understand and fix. When I was 19, I stripped first gear on Dad's car doing a hill start. It wasn't my fault, just the age of the thing, but he was angry with me. So, I went to the scrappie, bought a s/h gearbox and told him I'd fix it as soon as the Haynes manual came in the post. I did too! It took the best part of a day, and I'd a few nuts and bolts over when it was done, but we had all our gears again!

My first auto choke was Hillam Imp, as if owning an Imp that was not enough trouble anyway!

Indicator arm, that was the passenger's job, give the door pillar a good thumping

Haynes manual, wonderful series, I stripped down my Maxi engine and replaced gear box [integral to engine] using Haynes.

Stripping gear was my fault as well, came back from working in US and driving fully auto cars, whacked Maxi into reverse, forgetting clutch etc.

Still, skills & lessons learnt.

I like that angelica, very majestic looking

Hope the dahlias are good uns, I'm thinking of some dwarf ones for next year, but who knows by then

twopenny said:

Just had the fuel filter changed and aparantly it hadn't been done in 20yrs! But if that's enough we'll see. If it is I may treat it to an oil change.

Could be fuel filter, lots of carp in the tank, which is what the filter is for of course, just doing its job

If it was a Spitfire, the engines used to conk out when flying upside down, like the top of a loop. The float in the carburettor was not expecting gravity from another direction.

YoungBlueEyes said:

Snowcap fuchsia, that rings a bell. Mine was also morries when they were kicking out their climbing things, it's doing alright but it's not very big yet. I also bought a loganberry from them and it's not doing well. It's been in Hospital Corner these last few weeks having a little word with itself but I think it's only waiting for it's ticket northwards to come through and it'll be off. Selfish swine. I only bought it cos himself (who has the palette of a 10 year old) says they're his favourite fruit. And they say women are complex :rolleyes: 

Ohh, I have a newish loganberry, also from Morries, £2.50 in July. Mine seems to have settled in, but I have it in a pot for now, until I finally decide on it's fate. I like them as well, but they do need to be really ripe IMO.

Back on topic, went to Morries after watering, dead plants R Us.

Still dead bamboos & standard roses, now joined by dead Kilmarnock willows

There was a young girl watering them, haphazardly, of course. Apart from a polite nod, I said nothing, mainly because what may appear to me as friendly advice from an elderly grandad figure may seem as being chatted up by Humbert Humbert to the young girl.

Anyway, she missed most of the plants but did manage to soak the lawn fertiliser, which is on offer BTW, maybe not get it from my local Morries?

wort

That made me laugh Farway, though I think I would have told her to give the plants a better drink as the boxes don’t need it.

That Rhea is cute Dusty, and I quite like the dragonfly be nice as dress material.😂

Yesterday was sunny, with breeze but not cold. Today I’ve just closed the windows ,put socks and a jumper on. Chilly and grey 😞 between the flags at the front needs weeding again I’m sure I only did it last week ! Chopped a bit of the forsythia, but couldn’t get too far without it pulling so stopped before i did myself a mischief.

my white anemones are flowering. Plus 3 different types of yellow tall daisies , no idea what they all are. 

YoungBlueEyes

Honey from your barbers - gawd that made me laugh 2p Your flower is very pretty whatever name it's going by. It looks a bit like little stars bursting out of a big star. I like that Would it go from cuttings maybe...? 

Ah that's awful about the drowned rhea Dusty, hopefully the rest of them were fenced in or the lake fenced off or something  

I spose plum sauce is better than nothing but not really what you wanted eh Less. It'll be no consolation but my plum tree has done precisely nowt this year except get a bit bigger. No flowers nor fruits nor nothing.

There's no sense in people any more is there. Why would someone let cardboard boxes get wet? If they reduce them further could you get a couple and dry them out? Would that even work...? I might nip out and see if my morries has that paint reduced too, it's what himself used on our fence. #BetterLookingAtItThanForIt.

Cool and cloudy and breezy here still Lots of sirens and helichopters about though It's upsetting Handsome, he's done nothing but bark all morning. 

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

My first auto choke was Hillam Imp, as if owning an Imp that was not enough trouble anyway!

Haynes manual, wonderful series

I like that angelica, very majestic looking

Hope the dahlias are good uns, I'm thinking of some dwarf ones for next year, but who knows by then

In that case, my first one was also on the Imp I had.....though not for long! Lovely car for it's time, if only they'd finished the testing and development before marketing it!  The motoring equivalent of those fancy coloured Echinaceas!

 The Haynes manuals and a basic set of tools got me out of a few early motoring scrapes, even with no previous experience to mention.

The dahlias are all dwarfs in the 'Happy' series. Photos coming. I'm hoping to hybridise them with some larger 'Bishop's' types. Small ones tend to be chomped quickly when planted out here, so they're staying potted.

The rain drove me inside, but we're back to just dull now. I'll leave you with a couple of 'dangerous' plants snapped in a 2 acre riverside garden last week. According to the MSM , buddleia is almost as bad as Japanese Knotweed for getting into your foundations and gutters. As for the bamboo, well, the lady in the far background is blissfully unaware, it's knocked £50k off the value of her house!   Me? I'd be more worried about the American willowherb busily seeding there! 

sandra8009

Dustyevsky said:

twopenny said:

Anyone know what this plant is? The flowers are on long red stems that sway and the leaves at the base long slim oval shape.

It's been such a good survivor and blooms come drought or flood midsummer to autumn with no visible problems from wildlife or virus.

Looks like the plant formerly known as Gaura....now called Oenothera lindheimeri.....and at a guess 'Siskiyou Pink.'

Or Gaura lindheimeri 'Cherry Brandy' a popular name for pink.