Awful weather - typical Brits talk

pink_poppy

Not me with the rhododendron and prunus, taff, possibly wort??
The bee definitely had tarantula looking legs. Eek.
Shipbags is such a funny word    

Up early, which is not good because I have a long day ahead of me. I think I'll be flagging later...

YoungBlueEyes

I was wondering about that bee, I hope it was alright and got itself cleaned up   Gawd you were up early pp, doing something exciting today? 
I've only done the Guinness tour once but I loved it. I remember all those windows at the top, and I loved that too. And the waterfall. And the fellah who was teaching us how to pour a pint properly and said - don't be putting shamrocks on the head. Shamrocks is for tourists and americans  
I don't know what the wee things under the trees are but I'll go get a pic cos they're coming out now and maybe yous can identify them. I remember buying them, they were ys cheapos from morries.

I watched quite a lot of those Chloe vids, she's some girl eh! (It made me go a bit wiggly to be compared to her, I'll take that )  She's got that dog properly sorted, it's a beautiful thing to watch when people get it right   How's the arm/leg this morning Dusty? Can't really tell from your pic. Did it drop off in the night?

I agree with you taff about creating the garden you want now. It'll either take or it won't and it's all a work in progress but that's half the fun of it! How's your allotment coming along? Have the foxes been shredding the place again?

Well it started raining last night and I don't know what time it stopped but it's a squelchy sodden mess out there this morning. And I was gonna cut the grass today too   Mild again though. 

No good work stories this week, it's all a bit repetitive now. I'm expecting it to be fairly monotonous this week before the barrage of "! told you I couldn't afford stamp duty!! Why have you put it on my bill?!?!" starts. 
 
Oh and anyone who thinks shipbags is a bit much, the cleaner alternative (which makes Cissie giggle) is ratbags  

YoungBlueEyes

Diddy things - 

Also my apple tree has decided to have another go

Forgive the size of the pics, my phone’s not letting me resize them anymore 

-taff

pink_poppy said:

Not me with the rhododendron and prunus, taff, possibly wort??  

Up early, which is not good because I have a long day ahead of me. I think I'll be flagging later...

Damn, sorry wort! Lovely prunus and rhodie btw

PP, far too early, you're right..

No no ybe, keep the shipbags! I don't know what they are but they're cute! Foxes are still shredding so wire mesh has been employed. It was hanging round the place anyway. 

Nuffin planned for today yet, it's grey and about to be wetter...

twopenny

Wow I've just caught up.

I didn't mean to be awol yesterday but met a friend for coffee and she talked for 3hrs! Did some shopping and collapsed.

Seems the gardens are starting now. I've already picked up the Charity Gardens book but nothing that exciting and it's now for a while.

Here the lovely daffs are suffering from the dry, the one day of heat and the slugs and snails. It's a sad affair as they're tatty and drooping. Never seen the like.

I have to do some watering again today. No sun again, just grey and North wind but it is around 13c so not freezing indoors at least.

I reckon that's a Siberian squill under your tree. I planted some in the gravel when I first moved here and the pale blue is a huge clump now. The dark blue seems to prefer Norway, looking around the gardens. But that will do ok there.

My £5 apple tree that sat and did nothing last year is showing signs of leaf buds. Only signs but it's a start. When you look at the damage done to the roots and no feeding roots on these things it's not surprising.

I miss my Magnolia. I waited years to get one and it was lovely in it's pot but it got bugs 2yrs running and the heat waves it just turned up it's toes.

Don't think I'll be tempted by another. Was glorious for a few weeks then dull the rest of the year.

Tomato seed germination? Would it be ok to start some early indoors that will go outside?

Could I plant some later in the hope of a later crop? I've always found they just catch up which ever way, plants or seeds but I'm feeling (over) confident as my winter veg seeds have popped up like lightning. Nice change after the struggle with the weather the last couple of years.

Meanwhile I'm trying to persuade myself to go for a walk somewhere nice but it's a chill wind and thick grey cloud and sunday so feel I'd just like to doze. Wish there were two of me

Farway

More overnight wetness! Reading that back, I think I should clarify, it rained last night.

Which is good, get those ergy whatists & lobelia dust seeds watered & germinating, maybe

There are loads of something germinating at the front, just seed leaves so far, and can't yet identify them to decide if oik out or leave alone

Not LIAM though , wrong type of leaf.

YoungBlueEyes said:

Stout is a queer choice for a first pint Farway, or did he already know he liked it I like Murphy's myself, but you can hardly find that in good shape over here. A proper stout drinker wouldn't consider Murphy's proper, and your purist Guinness drinkers wouldn't consider stout at all.  Whatever happened to good old lager+lime/cider+black?? Did you get your beetroots in?

No idea why he chose stout, and AFAIK he's not one to have tried it earlier, but you never know, do you?

Lager & lime, used to be all the rage, never got into cider + black, more of a cider lemon tops person.

I was too old to get involved with Snake Bites, so missed that phase.

I imagine Snake Bites encourage gorillas to follow you home from pub &  into bedrooms

OT, just looked, snake bite is now banned , attracted too many gorillas?

https://homediningkitchen.com/why-are-snake-bites-banned-in-uk/

No to beetroots, seeds located, just not done it yet

And, toot toot on your apple trying again, and 2Ps five pound special as well

twopenny said:

Tomato seed germination? Would it be ok to start some early indoors that will go outside?

Could I plant some later in the hope of a later crop? I've always found they just catch up which ever way, plants or seeds but I'm feeling (over) confident as my winter veg seeds have popped up like lightning. Nice change after the struggle with the weather the last couple of years.

Tomatoes, so much depends on weather, but daylight hours are in the mix as well. I'd give it another week or so for outside ones, April Fools day would be fitting.

Having said it, I'll sow my outdoor ones then, the conservatory ones are just coming up inside.

YoungBlueEyes

I can't say shipbags at work taff, but ratbags is ok... when spoken under my breath and not to someone. Big Boss Man has wholeheartedly adopted shipbags but Cissie told me off for saying it so... 

I only got my toms done yesterday 2p, and according to Chloe I was weeks to late at it. She starts hers in January cos they've such a long growing season, but then she has a polytunnel or 8, and all that warm southern weather. She's kind of a Dublin accent but it looks rural so I don't know where she actually is. Mine are in yoghurt pots in the front window for the sun/heat there, it suited them fine last year  
Siberian squill sounds good. I can't remember what they're called but I know I bought a few of them because they are meant to be easy care. I'll get more pics when the rest of them come up. 

I can't believe snakebites are banned Some people are no fun. My brain's chowing away now - what did we used to call snakebite+black...? Cider tops for me too yummy yum yum  

Despite it forecasting rain all morning there hasn't been a drop and now the sun's coming out, so I need to get more of the conservatory slung in the bin carefully sorted and rehomed. Himself is away on site next week, right oop norf - Kishorn - to build lodges for a salmon farm, so fingers crossed for great auroras and skies and stuff cos his phone takes much better pictures than mine  

Dustyevsky

LessImpecunious said:

That looks (and sounds!) nasty Dusty (speaking as someone who has had some similar, but less narrow, escapes!) - hope Mrs D wasn't too cross with you for being a silly/naughty boy!

It's only noticeable the shower, and doesn't hurt. I think older people bruise more easily, not that I'm in that category yet.;) Mrs Dusty wasn't too annoyed, given I returned with all my extremities still functioning. She knows when we reach mid-March, time's running out for the tree work. It's tempting to press-on when the conditions are good.

YoungBlueEyes said:

Stout is a queer choice for a first pint Farway, or did he already know he liked it

Down here it was rough cider, obtainable for 1/6d at the back door of the Txxxxxxn Inn, provided you looked at least 14 and brought your own quart bottle. My first proper pub pint was at 16. I was never asked my age until I was 18 or 19. I told the guy,"Well, you should know; we were in the same class at primary school!"

-taff said:

Chloe certainly reminded me of someone who posts here not as frequently as before but has some great stories...And yes, I see your cautionary tale and raise you a next time don't...It is a very impressive war wound though...Just goes to show even if they look spindly, they weight a lot more than you think and would be pleased to fall on unprotected areas. I agree to a suit of armour.

Hawthorn is very dense. Not lignum vitae dense, but you get a surprise when hefting a piece. The trouble with armour is that it makes you clumsy. I had a pair of 9 layer thick chainsaw trousers, but I couldn't move in them!   It's the same with visors....can't see!   Having the ability to move fast, with all senses active, is the most important IMO.

YoungBlueEyes said:

I don't know what the wee things under the trees are... they were ys cheapos from morries.
I watched quite a lot of those Chloe vids, she's some girl eh! (It made me go a bit wiggly to be compared to her, I'll take that )  She's got that dog properly sorted, it's a beautiful thing to watch when people get it right   How's the arm/leg this morning Dusty?

I don't know your wee flower, Bluey. Maybe work with Incognito morrissii for now? 

I agree, it's great witnessing a 'proper' human/dog partnership. We had someone here this morning, and they'd got it right. Early start. The people who left a Luton van worth of stuff with us for 6 months, finally sent someone down from 'oop norf' to collect it....in a standard size Transit!   Never mind. We got a small, non-fitting-in shed out of it.

Photogenic dawn again today. Mild with it, and no sign of rain in the next week. It'll be drought soon! Where did that wall of snow go, due to hit next weekend?  Have any of you guys got it in your weather horrorscopes?

twopenny

Meant to say - shaggy daisys, I've got some Osteospermum that my neighbour gave me and I thought was an annual but it rooted in the Apricots pot where I plonked it in it's pot and survived through the winter and is already in flower.

It's now planted in a bed.

I love Guiness, and any dark beer. My favourite is Black Prince but can't get it now.

I found the Manns Brown Ale to be fine, just a bit light. Even Banks £1 special would be great in summer because it's like a shandy.

Is this what you mean about good training Bluey?

Before you look at her weight she was 16yrs old and had been racing dog skinny all her youth.

Much like me. You'd never identify me from the photo now

So that's what dawn looks like Dusty! It's just a lighter grey here.

greenbee

YoungBlueEyes said:

I can't believe snakebites are banned Some people are no fun. My brain's chowing away now - what did we used to call snakebite+black...? 

Red sky at night...