Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

Theoretically, it's persisting down as I type, but the reality is just a dull, drizzly morning. So much for the 'shepherd's delight' yesterday evening, though! 

No free pigeon, either.

Farway

Dull & stiff breeze this morning, rain may arrive, V'sky has gallons of it nearby, plus lightening, so who knows?

pink_poppy said:

Farway, do you freeze the stewed apple?? I've still got loads of apples that were gifted by lovely neighbour, but don't know what to do with them once stewed (apart from have it with porridge, but it's been too warm for a hot breakfast) If I could freeze some in portions that would be good if it worked.

Yes, I freeze stewed apple in useable portion sizes, enough for say a crumble or bowl for a pud. I can then add my frozen blackberries it required, because the blighters have ripened at different times.

I think this year I'll pinch 2P's method and freeze some smaller portions for apple sauce duties, I always used the little jars but at the current price of them could nearly buy an apple tree

They look nice apples Dusty, TBH I have never been ecstatic over Cox, but maybe I've never had a proper one?

Apple tastes do vary so much, what I've particularly noticed with mine this year is the denseness of the flesh, some of mine are quite hollow sounding, while others, like Elstar, are solid, maybe a function of the summer weather?

2P, possibly next year for apples? I've waited years for grapes, and I'm still not certain I'll get to eat those that have appeared this year now the squirrels are using my fruit nets as suitcases.

Just been sorting out the ripe toms this morning, over 600g of cherry types, too many to eat right now so again I'll freeze some and use in stews etc later. I just open freeze raw, no blanching, and then put in bags, fine for stews / casseroles.

Picked the very last of my impromptu, late, runners. 

They turned out well in the end, no glut, just the right amount for meals as I went along. I'm going to leave the vines to dry naturally, two reasons, idleness and Eco hidey holes for overwintering insects, ladybirds etc, sort of vertical bug hotel with extra Eco bragging rights.

Today is another Wisley one, Naked Ladies [colchicums] in the sun

They have massed colonies of these.

Dustyevsky

It's clearing-up here. Cue bright sunshine within the hour.   Yellow warning? Meh!

Regarding surplus toms, Mrs Dusty just blitzes them, puts them in 300g lots, freezes them, and we add to stews, spag bol, curry etc, as and when. The only ones she peels are the enormous Lulu's.  

I'll see if I can find pics.....

I didn't say they'd be in a logical order!

twopenny

Dead envious! I've left my one little ripe tomato in the hope the others would catch on to the idea but it's been too cold and wet.

Bucketing down here since yesterday so it's a lazy Sunday. And yes, there were hints of a sunset last night so that old adage doesn;t hold true in this era.

I forgot about Colchicums Farway. I think I must  find some for autumn colour in my crocus border. Not something you see in the supermarket offers.

On the plus side the chubby little birds, Dunocks I think, have been in the garden. They bounce in a happy way around the grass and borders which is cheering - haven't made it to the Box hedge yet though and the bugs came back when the birds left.

Nobody out that I've seen, seems everyone has the same idea today. Hunker down and do chores tomorrow.

Farway

Clearing up here as well, but it never really rained.

Dusty, I've not got enough tomatoes to warrant blitzing, and the last time I put liquids into poly bags into the freezer it looked like an axe murderer had been using it for storage

Stewed blackberry & apple, dribbled out and dripped through every drawer

Lesson learnt, now I use fake Tupperware

My toms, I even still have some outside ripening & blight free

pink_poppy

Second attempt at posting and I can't remember everything I wrote before my laptop made it disappear!!...

Lovely pics - sunsets, flowers and tomatoes   

We've had another gorgeous day here, although I think this is the last day and we're back to grey tomorrow. We were out for the day, so multiple photos alert...

I think this is a first on here... sheep bum   


It was on top of this very high cliff (you can see it at the top in the next pic) Just looking at it gave me the collywobbles...


I liked this wall...


And this bug hotel...


Spectacular views (although the photo doesn't do it justice)...



And something completely different - fungi on a root that's been languishing in the garden for months...



That'll do

LessImpecunious

Thought I'd posted this yesterday but it doesn't seem to have arrived - away for weekend with only phone and no laptop so haven't been keeping up properly...it was my very poor attempt at a photoing a spectacular red moon rising on Friday evening, with whitish blur below figures silhouetted in a campervan window....or maybe my post was removed as the photo was so poor....

pink_poppy

Your moon pic is better than my attempts, Less, at least you can see the colour, mine was just a white blob.

I've remembered some of what I wrote yesterday that got deleted...

twopenny, homemade non-cook mincemeat sounds delicious - please can you tell us the recipe/method (and what alcohol you put in).
Good idea to use cake cases for the stewed apple - my pretend tupperware containers are too big for individual portions and they would take up too much space in the freezer.

As forecast, it's a grey start to the day, bit of a shock to the system after the last few days   I think I'll be putting the warm bedding on this week.

Dustyevsky

I'm pretty sure your photo wasn't removed, Less. No sins committed over the weekend are dealt with here until Monday morning. Anyway it's a perfectly good photo, now you've explained it!

Wonderful photos from pp too, though the sheep ones made me uneasy. After all, some of my closest acquaintances are sheep. Simply stunning landscapes, I'd happily live alongside, but it's not likely.

We'll not have enough fake Tupperware for the toms Farway, but I take your point, and I might root out some extra strong bags to prevent dribblephenia. 

It did rain again, briefly, yesterday afternoon, but not enough to stop us getting out and about, planting daffs and chatting with a few people. We learned interesting things.  It looks as if the temperatures are set to fall soon, so goodbye any prospect of an Indian summer. The mists were already forming by the time I locked the chickens up for the night.

And while we're on the subject of censorship, here's something my DD sent me....can't imagine why!

YoungBlueEyes

Morning all Yous have all been busy - lots of lovely toms and gorgeous sunsets and a loch We'd have been better off weather-wise going up your end of the country pp, we were in Malvern and it sure wasn't great weather down there! Actually it wasn't as bad as they predicted but on the drive home yesterday it bluddy was - himself has a satnav screen thing in the dashboard and it turned itself to 'nightmode' - it was that black and lashing and properly stormy, we crawled a lot of they way through notts and derbyshire at 30/35 mph. There were still some people doing 60+ with no lights on  

Malvern is lovely, can recommend, but we used it as a cheapo base to see other things. We went to Leominster and Worcester (I never tire of the Mappa Mundi) and Hereford for the Cider Museum It was closed for years but it's open again now. - well worth a visit. With yous all talking about apples this is right on topic. I'll not say where it is (but if anyone wants to know, pm me). There's a carpark in Leominster that I parked in years ago when I was house-hunting down there and around the edges are houses. One garden has big tall walls and an old apple tree overhanging the wall, and those apples are the truly the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. Indescribably delicious. So that's what we really went down there for, and came back with a bucket full but mostly of fallen ones. The conservatory smells amazing this morning  

I got a couple of pics. A wee car under a lovely tree (it was gone in the morning so I couldn’t get a day lit one (the semi circles are from the lamp post above -  

On the right of that pic is the back of a hotel, and they’re garden wall is this - 

The ambrosia tree - 



I'll leave the bucket out and fill it with water to remove any beasties. 

OT - mild and humid. The sobers say no rain 'til about 1400, the drunkards say it's black as night and lashing down. Guess who's right (so far)