Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

Those are wonderfully atmospheric moon pictures, Less, especially the one with the 'gibbet!' I like the changing moon views on your early morning dog walk pictures too, WM.

I nearly had some moon photos as it came up last night, but unfortunately, the discovery that a cat had been run over and killed on the road outside took precedence. We thought he belonged to a friendly person in the nearby barn conversions, so there was a sombre wheelbarrow journey with the animal wrapped in an old towel. However, when the towel was pulled back, the 'owner' cried "That's not him!" just like in the morgue scenes in films. Feeling a little better, we followed another lead to a householder, who identified him as a wary 'stray' they'd been feeding for more than a year, but without success capturing him for a vet's attention.

My theory is that the cat lived as a 'rodent control operative' in a commercial/farming site across the road. I've seen him about. To my eyes, he looked too well-fed and healthy to be a proper stray. Anyway, it looks as if the least time-wasting action is for me to bury him today, unless responses quickly materialise from local Faceache etc. I have photos.

pp I agree with Less about the Little Egret. It's far more likely to be one of those than the Great Egret, though those are around in very small numbers, apparently.

It's so dark and grey here this morning, I checked a second clock before releasing the hens! We're forecast more strong winds through tonight and tomorrow, so it looks like the rest of my day will be prep for that.We still have some dodgy fencing on the chicken run. No gardening then, unless I can find more speed than usual!

No more 'greens' photos, but thanks for the kind comments. With Rosemoor nearby, I don't have to work too hard to find subjects! I'll go with a winter theme today.

LessImpecunious

Thanks for photo comments - the trick is using the night vision setting on my phone - otherwise photo was just dark with a faint glowing smudge...

Didn't realise there was a Great as well as Little Egret! (makes sense of course...) 

Better check forecast re possible incoming wind :#thought we weren't due that til weekend after Xmas...

Have just looked - seems worst may be from the south, from where greenhouse is best sheltered, so crossing fingers, etc

Farway

Dull & grey here as well, fortunately without any cat casualties.

The dull day is not helping me get up & go, very gloomy as befits nearly mid-winter,

No gardening planned for today, I keep looking out and seeing things that need sorting, but it's just too cold & damp at the moment

PP, no, not yet tried the Ginger cheese. Over the past year, I've gradually experimented with other cheeses apart from Cheddar, and found I like many of the newer concoctions. 

Lime & chilli surprised me by not blowing my head off and being moreish, but my best “find” IMO was with cracked black pepper, naturally I've never seen it since.

Swiss chard, I've never grown it like the ones I see elsewhere, mine are scrawny efforts, and mostly green despite the fancy pictures on the packet.

But I don't think chard is a pleasant eater anyway, very overrated IMO, I could put up with that if it was a colourful addition to my garden, but it's not

No moon to be seen here, clouds & clouds

One sign of new season spotted this morning as i drew the curtains back. 

Fresh shoots just popping out of the amaryllis bulbs. I'd not deliberately tried to restart growth, they are old ones just sat on window sill because I CBA to move them.

They have been neglected, so no idea if there is a flower within the bulb or not. They are just the red flowered ones, another mislabel from T & M, should've been red & white stripes, money refunded so a free plant really.

LessImpecunious said:

Thanks for photo comments - the trick is using the night vision setting on my phone - otherwise photo was just dark with a faint glowing smudge...

Didn't realise there was a Great as well as Little Egret! (makes sense of course...) 

Better check forecast re possible incoming wind :#thought we weren't due that til weekend after Xmas...

Have just looked - seems worst may be from the south, from where greenhouse is best sheltered, so crossing fingers, etc

I found the same on my camera, with "scene" settings.

Hope the greenhouse survives any pre- or post-Christmas wind

twopenny

Indeed it was grey here this morning. They said rain by midday so I planned accordingly and got shopping done instead of gardening. Guess what, so far no rain

There are yellow flowers on my hamamelis. The whole point of growing this otherwise boring shrub was for the scented flowers to bring inside in winter. Seems like it's an unscented one though. It needs an out of the way spot to go in the ground but I don't think I have one.

I do however have quite a few blooms for winter and will have to get out with the camera for some cheery pics. Good luck with the pots Farway, hope they have some buds.

Lovely moon shot Less. I got to see it last night in between the clouds and it was lovely and clear. Also some big bright stars - again.

Thanks for that photo Dusty. I used to drive a country road to work and would see the seed heads frosted and gorgeous and say 'when I retire I'm going to have time to come and photograph those'. But when retired no way do you want to get into the hills at silly o'clock on a frosty morning   Now I don't have to.

This is the Great Egret should you see one. I took many photos as quite an impressive bird but no way would it turn it's head round for the photo !

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Indeed it was grey here this morning. They said rain by midday so I planned accordingly and got shopping done instead of gardening. Guess what, so far no rain

The cider swillers told me at lunchtime the rain would part and go north and south of us. It obviously didn't go north, nor did it come our way. It took ages to bury the cat at a depth where foxes or badgers wouldn't be able to exhume him. I looked for hungry fleas, but saw none, so I don't think he was uncared-for. Tomorrow, I'll put up a notice at the commercial site to say what's happened. People come and go there at random intervals, early and late, sometimes days apart, so catching them is hit & miss.

Also reinforced two more fence posts, barrowed more willow over to the sawing site, and checked everything over in view of the wind predictions (50mph at 05.00) for our area.

Farway said:

Swiss chard, I've never grown it like the ones I see elsewhere, mine are scrawny efforts, and mostly green despite the fancy pictures on the packet.

But I don't think chard is a pleasant eater anyway, very overrated IMO, I could put up with that if it was a colourful addition to my garden, but it's not

Mine ( actually 'Perpetual Spinach' at present) is too large and coarse. Even the hens look at me sideways when I offer it. The fancy colours work here, but may not be so winter hardy, and slugs/snails are a problem with all. I must cut it back now.....then we'll have frost!

twopenny

Oh we got the rain just as I set out...........but not enough to be bothered about.

The wind was another matter, strong Northerly as I was going for a walk. A big tree down which fell away from the historic steps and houses. Just good fortune as there's a smart expensive seating hut just by it I'm guessing they are still celebrating - or in shock.

LessImpecunious

Hmm, I have grown the perpetual spinach type too and found it wasn't as hardy as promised... and lacked the delicious chunky petioles which are one of the main appeals of chard to me... Wish mine had been "too large" too!

On amaryllis, my mum has one which I gave her c. 3 years ago (an actual red and white striped one), flowered as promised c. its first Xmas, died down (I think I potted it on and topped compost up at this point) then it regrew and flowered either a bit before or after the following Xmas (should have taken notes!), failed to die down at all this year (it remained on an inside windowsill), producing more leaves through spring and summer, and then produced 2 massive double blooms (as it has done every year)  c. October / early November - only lasted c. couple of weeks, despite being a relatively cool windowsill. I think they pretty much have a mind of their own

wort

Yesterday I was up stupid early, so cleaned the house, rain was forecast for lunchtime, so at 9 I set off to post last of my cards, of course it started to rain. After lunch it had dried up so got in the garden and managed to severely chop a lot of the escallonia as the flowers are all at the top ,hopefully it survives. There’s a clematis that runs through it that I’m never sure of right time to prune, well some came off whilst I was man handling the escallonia. Bin full ready for collection today.
Rain and wind started after teatime.
Work today, so glad I got lots done .

The black and white photo of the moon was great ,it could be used for a spooky film poster. 2p I laughed at the egret being shy . Well done Farway getting the bulbs in, sorry I can’t remember what I’ve read but you all are such upbeat lovely lot you make my day.

Dustyevsky

wort said:

 sorry I can’t remember what I’ve read but you all are such upbeat lovely lot you make my day.

Here's some more upbeat news. According to the mainstream media (Telegraph today for the mods! ) a bottle of wine a week is possibly better for your heart than statins, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal. The fine detail after the headline also mentions the wine being consumed as part of a Mediterranean diet, which is probably significant too, mind! 

I'm currently trying to lose a few pounds grams in the run-up to the big 2 days and their aftermath when we curry everything in sight. Blooming health MoT always comes hard on the heels of Christmas, but this time I'm going to shove it into February somehow. Perhaps I'll say I'm on holiday or something like that. I know it's a lie, and I'm not a politician, but it's only a small one.

I tried to do something arty with yesterday's dismal 'sunset,' juxtaposing a view of it through a window with the brightness of our tree.....but it didn't work very well.

Farway

Sun's out! Very surprising because it was tipping down & blowing a gale at 0700, when I opened the front door, in the dark, to get the bread & milk in.

Good old milky left the loaf and cardboard box of broken biscuits out in the rain , despite me adding a note to delivery to put food in the large, lidded, plastic box I leave out for such a night.

I don't leave a Christmas box, but if I did I wouldn't now.

I'll contact the Head Office later to grass him up register a complaint.

Never know, may even get a refund, luckily the biscuits were also in a plastic bag inside the soggy box, and bread looks like it survived, had a waxed wrapper.

Dustyevsky said:

Mine ( actually 'Perpetual Spinach' at present) is too large and coarse. Even the hens look at me sideways when I offer it. The fancy colours work here, but may not be so winter hardy, and slugs/snails are a problem with all. I must cut it back now.....then we'll have frost!

Adding olive oil to the cooked P Spinach helps, makes it easier to slide off your plate and into the gash bin.

twopenny said:

There are yellow flowers on my hamamelis. The whole point of growing this otherwise boring shrub was for the scented flowers to bring inside in winter. Seems like it's an unscented one though. It needs an out of the way spot to go in the ground but I don't think I have one.

I do however have quite a few blooms for winter and will have to get out with the camera for some cheery pics. Good luck with the pots Farway, hope they have some buds.

Typical of growing life, get the plant you want, wait years & then find it's a duff one

I'll feed the amaryllis now, hopes are high, like Less's ones, the leaves never really died down, some did but a few remained. I've tidied them up now so they look intentional & not leftovers from last year. Which is what they are.

Only gardening to speak of, just had living pots of Mint & Rosemary delivered with my Asda shopping [£1 a pot]. They are to accompany my lamb & new spuds during the upcoming event, hopefully they will live on my window sill until harvest time.