Awful weather - typical Brits talk

-taff

So it's been one week since my last confession....A week! what on earth have I been doing? Well, we had our birthdays and that was a couple of days of doing nothing, then there were various DIY jobs and cooking jobs and flitting about doing a bit of this and that so apologies for lack of postage by me, but to be fair, you've all managed brilliantly without me anyway

2P, what a good looking dog, all alert and attentive. I know cotton traders [ is it thm?] do fleece lined waterproof trousers, OH has some for riding his bicycle to work...but a boiler suit of the same sounds lovely. Except the bit about taking ti off to pee. Gawd, are you still waiting for gas men? That is absolute pants.

ybe, what a great bookmark, I like the other paw is there ready and waiting to admonish. Well done for luring the robin closer Love the windy thing blowing, looks like sky squid.

Farway, I sort of had the same experience working for a company..Lot so intense work when it was there, lots of loafing when it wasn't, then resentment for being asked to do my normal job when there was nothing to do...I never did get out of the habit of long breaks even when  we had to clock in and out [ I was senaky sneaky, I managed to do mine at a different place so I could leave earlier to get there on time  ifyswim...coincedentally, I've ordered a bottle of Jersey full fat milk too for Christmas treating..Cheese scones are one of my favourites too, found a good recipe for blue cheese scones which are very indulgent but also quite weighty...err...wow @the gas main..

Dusty, litter of bins? ::snort:: and what a great idea of having a wheelie bench, saving money while still having a plethora of sitooteries. And is releasing the chickens the same as releasing the kraken Is your dentist doing the decorating to distract you from the pain or the price? I think your bird sculpture reminds me more of a tit, but which one, who knows.

pp - loved the sunset pic, for some reason it reminds me of a bit in the new Dune 2. medellin cacao? Are you sure it's just chocolate powder? love the pine cone birds too.

wort,  just get your willy out? I did laugh loud at that one

I'm drooling with the cheese talk. I've started amassing my cheese for CHristmas, I'm only three types up so far, but there will be many more to come....

Cold, dry, a bit windy, finally got my aliums and tulips in, looking forward to continued fruit cage cleaning. And the gazebo is just about hanging together frame wise [ broken in places] but tht'll be my brassica cage now so nothing gets wasted....

Dustyevsky

Well, it's Friday 13th, so I'm not expecting much from the dreary weather. No matter, I have a non-gardening agenda today. Tomorrow, and a few days thereafter, doesn't look too bad, but after suffering mist & possible fog, I'll be driving home in rain this afternoon. Lovely!

No 'being jolly to order' here, 2p, but I expect to review a few garden and other visits over the year. It's been a challenging one, and I'm not talking about the mud or the slugs! On the subject of the latter, how do the RHS do it? With me, it would be 'Kale today, gone tomorrow!'

DenOfFlowers

Our local allotments have had a great big fresh manure delivery so I'll be braving the cold and rain this weekend to shovel lots of lovely poo onto our plot for a winter mulch. Strangely looking forward to it.

Farway

Still, dull & grey. For some reason, my 'puter tells me I have a yellow wind warning. That looks very unlikely, even this close to Christmas sprouts.

I was hoping to get my hyacinths planted today, but it's too dreary at the moment, if it brightens up I may get one lot in Also noticed my Lucifers are lolling everywhere, yet another job for another day.

Wheelie bins emptied, bin men seem to have taken delight in returning bins to random houses, ensuring hours of Hunt my Bin.

-taff said:

 

Farway, ...coincedentally, I've ordered a bottle of Jersey full fat milk too for Christmas treating..Cheese scones are one of my favourites too, found a good recipe for blue cheese scones which are very indulgent but also quite weighty...err...wow @the gas main..

I'm drooling with the cheese talk. I've started amassing my cheese for CHristmas, I'm only three types up so far, but there will be many more to come....

Can you link or show scone recipe? My Christmas cheese is growing, and one, new to me, from Morries yesterday was Dolcelatte: not prepacked but wrapped in store.

Dustyevsky said:

No 'being jolly to order' here, 2p, but I expect to review a few garden and other visits over the year. It's been a challenging one, and I'm not talking about the mud or the slugs! On the subject of the latter, how do the RHS do it? With me, it would be 'Kale today, gone tomorrow!'

Maybe they pick the slugs off? I know one of the “attractions” of RHS was they also had lace curtain cabbages like the rest of us.

Best of luck on Robin photo shoot 2P, at least they are quite obliging most of the time

Tomskey said:

Our local allotments have had a great big fresh manure delivery so I'll be braving the cold and rain this weekend to shovel lots of lovely poo onto our plot for a winter mulch. Strangely looking forward to it.

Welcome Tomskey, will you be stacking the poo or just flinging it about carefully mulching?

Older readers may remember the schoolboy joke in there

twopenny

Denny, do you mean you're looking forward to the shovelling - or the mental image of masses of wonderful healthy veg

Either works, as long as the job gets done.

Dusty, what a lovely colour and great photograph of kale! That's wall worthy  

Wort, bummer about the cage but good that you can make use of what you have.

Weathers not got better here, just chillier and wetter. Not looking forward to tonights outing standing around. Forecast said mild and dry

Can't find my fancy veg photo so here's one of 'not' a robin from my kitchen window when you could see further than your hand

pink_poppy

That robin will soon be literally eating out of your hand, YBE

Your cutlery sculpture does kind of look like a robin, Dusty. It's got the slightly downturned beak and spindly legs.

I love your sky squid photo, twopenny (thanks to taff for that description)   

We haven't seen the Dune 2 film yet - DH is getting the DVD for Christmas. I'll look out for the orange landscape.

I'm still feeling grim   DH's cough is so loud it makes my head hurt.

OT - what a dreich day it's been today. Slightly 'warmer' outside, so the front room got up to the dizzy heights of 15.9 degrees with the storage heater on overnight...

-taff

@Farway there you go

http://www.thebeardedbakery.com/baking/bread/blue-cheese-scones/

Did you know there's a whole load of jokes about flinging too...

that's some darn perfect looking kale there Dusty. Mine was green and got chomped...

Den, lucky you to have some poo..jealous!

2P, yep, defnitely not a robin...impressive though...

PP, just lit the fire now, I went out to make wreaths at a friends today, we got treated to a parsnip, carrot and coriander soup, bread and brie...I am stuffed and happy now. The wreath's not bed either...

YoungBlueEyes

That's a lovely wreath taff, is it as fragrant as it looks? Which reminds me I didn't take a pic of the pomander I made at wm's.... I'll do that today when the sun gets up a bit. It's a bit tatty now like, being as it's a landing pad and storm-battered tousled. 

Without asking for too much detail pp, would it be worth looking at insulation or draught-proofing your house before shelling out for a heat pump jobber? Sorry that's stating the bleedin' obvious Would insulating plasterboard panels in your rooms and slinging out a few more rolls into your loft of whatever it is they make fibreglass out of these days see much improvement? I keep thinking of what my gas man said to me - roughly speaking, only houses built this decade should even consider heat pumps.  Anyway. DH and his head-hurting cough need to be relocated to the car imo, with a pillow and a duvet if you're feeling kind  
 
Is that a heron 2p?  Aren't they graceful and elegant Another one who likes your sky squid Yep the people I work with are a smashing bunch, one of them is absolutely on my wavelength. The hours thing is being considered - I said I know I'm on 3 months probation but if this is going to be a daily argument then I'll bow out and give you chance to find someone who will happily work that extra for free. I will get my final answer on Monday, apparently.   That's a bu99er about your heating guys. Could you get any help on the DIY board? 

Did you get your hyacinths in Farway? Was redistribution of the litter of bins (love that) successful?  If you've a devil-may-care attitude on you, maybe view the fartless hormone/chemical/drug laden cheese as a possible boost? Might do you the power of good, you never know   (That is NOT medical advice!) 

Welcome Tomskey/DenOfFlowers (?) Fingers crossed you get nice weather this weekend for your shovelling. Have you an established allotment or is it a new one? 

Belated happy birthdays taff  Were they big birthdays? Did yous do something special to celebrate? I've prob read it and forgotten but, did you work out your cage thing in the end?

I agree about alcohol-free Guinness Dusty, most acceptable *nodding* A lot of the lagers/wines etc aren't up to much (I hear) but they've deffo cracked it with the Guinness.  I love the cutlery birds, but I'm not sure your one is a robin... is it perhaps a ...spoonbill...  

OT well the sun's up, and the clouds have lifted a bit, and we've a bit of a westerly that has no heat in it. But it's brighter out there, which is a welcome change from the damp and gloomy grey we've had this last wee while Will have to get in the garden today, after I've done Domestic Nonsense. And put up the tree + decs. And bought + wrapped presents. And speaking of books - I got caught up on a bit news this morning, and I can't think what's put it in my head but I've a copy of Louis De Bernieres The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts that I've not read in a while   

wort

Well done on the wreath making Taff.
Ive been either out eating and drinking or at work this week so not much done at home/ garden.
Dgson brought cheese and we had drunken monk, peri peri, and my fav the baby cheesus. With a glass of port.
I hope the gasman comes soon, sorry I can’t remember who was waiting for him.
my living room was 13 when I got home from work yesterday. Rained overnight, but dry today no rain showing ,and I’m off out for drinks again followed by takeaway and strictly final,so hope they are right, work early tomorrow so not a late night here.

greenbee

PP - lots of good advice on the heat pump sub-board (on the energy board). As you're all electric it's probably a good option. Either that or modern storage heaters (and there are some new tariffs coming out for people using smart storage heaters). In both cases improving insulation is important, but with heat pumps even more so. 

Dull and damp here. I hope to get out and do some more cutting back and weeding, but have exhausted the compost heap so don't have anything to mulch the last of the borders with. Given how poor the soil is here, that's a pity, but hopefully I'll make more/use less next year and that bit can catch up.