Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

That's my plan gb, if in doubt do nowt. Good luck with your Open Garden

Farway

Looking promising outside, blue sky & sun, still chilly right now, but expecting it to warm up once sun gets going

Jungle jab means I have a bit of a sore arm now, hopefully it will not make me even slower bimbling about with the watering can.

I also want to plick out some tomatoes and feed the posh fuchsias in wall baskets. 

I was not really expecting the fuchsias to survive winter outside, but they have & are just showing fresh growth, so may as well give them a helping splash.

YoungBlueEyes said:

I did go out in the new jalopy yesterday, I'm a bit less impressed than I was tbh.  I took it for a wash, which did help, but I think I liked my Swift more. Things that want putting on car adverts 1) if you've just come from a petrol car be aware that diesels have a sharp lack of poke in comparison and they want driving differently. 2) When you're standing there filling it up, petrol smells lovely and diesel does not, so don't be taking big deep breaths while you're filling. 3) If it has thing on the display telling you when to change gears, ignore it at your peril. The days of learning what the engine sounds like when it’s ready for a gear change are gone and now you have to do as you’re told. Honestly, I half expected a German-accented klaxon to start wailing! Anyway. How's your new car 2p? Have you settled into it rightly?

. The thing with weeding/hoeing now is I don't know what's what. I was slinging seeds about a few weeks ago, and now how am I meant to know which ones are flowers starting and which want getting rid of... it's all very tricky.: 

Agree with the diesel advice, I have one. And top tip, Pay Attention when refuelling !!!

I suddenly twigged I was pumping 4 * into my diesel. It was only a couple of pints before I realised. 

Luckily mine is an old car so can shrug off a few pints, modern ones apparently cannot and will expensively die permanently & immediately.

There were a couple of times post this error when a slug of petrol reached the engine. 

One morning it just turned over & over and never fired. It was OK the next morning, I assume once the petrol in cylinders had evaporated.

Another time the engine died on the motorway, luckily the momentum of the engine flushed the patrol through & it just carried on after a cough or two

I'm with you, flowers or weeds? I also emptied various seeds around, and now is it bitter cress or some flower?

I'll know in a week or two, and I have some that could be sunflowers even thogh I never sowed sunfloers, so I bet they are not.

I do have self sown nasturtiums popping up now, obviously it's warm enough to sow hardy stuff outside. Now, where is that packet of Love in wahtsit?

Here's my pears, this year I have loads of pear blossom, which I'd like to put down to excellent horticultural husbandry, pruning and training.

Actually on training, I am pleased with my bendy branch method, nicked from some TV prog. I tie the branches down & round in curves, the pear below is part of one such curve.

I've deduced it as Red Williams, it is not labelled that, but of course it's not as per label.

Some French fella

twopenny

My everyone's up early - must be Spring

Yup, dry but freezing wind. No sign of the sun yet just bright.

Hoping to have time to pressure wash the path where the fencing guys left mud all over it and then treat it with W&F which has come by delivery.

Wicks had a spring offer so it worked out cheaper than Amazons spring offer for which I couldn't get rid of the delivery charge on the 'free delivery'

Need to have a go at the fountain pump. I have a feeling it's a goner but I'll try flushing out the pump in case it's gunge. If I can find out how to disconnect it.

Daffs have gone over and been deadheaded. Primroses still looking good, they seem to survive any weather.

Must look up open gardens.......thanks for the reminder.

I did get the Charity ones booklet but it's getting quite expensive now. I know stuff has gone up but how can a local garden be more expensive? I think they are going to find a drop in takings around here.

So here's a lakeside sitoorie for free......no mossies because it's beside the sea and full of ducks, geese, cormorants, kingfishers.

Or you could look at it like this.............

Brief signs of sun while I've been typing.

Hope the jungle juice jab went ok Farway.

Dustyevsky

Congrats to pp, who's made the front page with her ducks in a row!!   I only know this because I pressed a wrong key and ended up there by mistake, but it was a nice surprise.

I'll take that sitooterie, wort....if I can bring my fishing rod. The midges never show much interest in me; I've got all the wrong pheremones!

Diesel cars are best for us country folk, Bluey. We knock up big mileages just 'nipping down to the supermarket' (40 miles, return) Having less than ideal roads, the lack of poke isn't often a major issue. One adapts. I got used to the Diesel Zafira, though I wasn't sad to see it go. However, the Honda 2.2 was a different animal. Sedate most of the time, and doing about 44mpg, it could give nippy little hatches serious competition, if asked. There was no gear change sensor, but an indicator told you the MPG in real time. I tended to let the hatches win!

Owning one of each sort is also fraught with danger. Like Farway, I once put a few litres of petrol in our Transit. Then, I had to fill the whole tank with diesel.....and hope. There was no reaction afterwards. Mrs Dusty went one better and filled the Zafira to the brim with petrol. It cost £250 to have it all pumped-out and thrown away.

twopenny said:

Dusty, my dibber is an old spade handle sharpened to a point.

OK, but that might be a bit coarse for seedlings under 5cm long!   I use coloured electrical tape for other tools, Bluey. Earth cable green & yellow, mostly.
No jungle juices here, so obviously, I'm still suffering with the lurgy, but it's fading fast now. I stand with my prediction it will be gone tonight. Three days in the sunshine has worked a treat....Oh, and a special 'elixir,' usually made in Scotland.

Not much to report. Mrs Dusty and I are working our way through the borders, weeding and planting. Perhaps, this time, her clematis will survive. I found my canna intact, so dug it a hole in a sunnier spot, added compost, BFB and said a short prayer. Who knows?

We have the same sunshine and keen wind already reported. We also had a visitor in the bottom yard, who deposited a 5' plastic table  minus its legs. I thought someone had been in with a dog recently.   A padlock has gone on the gate and 5m of prickle strips ordered for the top of it. Thank goodness we have no gateways to public roads!

Here's another plant I've not appreciated enough in the past, now due to be properly propagated. Not sure of the variety, but it's Lungwort.

YoungBlueEyes

On the refuelling thing, I can't think now where I read it or heard it but if you put the wrong fuel in it can be sucked out again and it'll all be fine as long as you don't start the engine. Did I maybe get that from Top Gear... <snigger> at yours having a cough and keeping going Farway ha haa! I think if I did that with mine Helga would climb out from behind the dashboard and beat me about the head with a stick in a sort of reverse John Cleese scene  

I like your sitooterie 2p, there's a lovely calm feeling about it. You could be hours there, with you/dog/both having a swim  

Good to hear your lurgy is on the wane Dusty. Cissie always said the best thing is to drown/intoxicate it into submission. That lungwort is very pretty, I'd be happy to have a lot of that about the place  

And congrats pp on your home page ducks pic :clapping: 

twopenny

No dogs Bluey, it's a nature reserve. You can walk them on a lead but the sea and shore is on the other side for dogs so everyone's happy.

Car, it's ok. I can't love it. It's not the cars fault, it's me but it gets me places.

I love Lungwort Dusty, beautiful plant that's underrated because it's easyish to grow and doesn't need a fuss.

Well done Poppy   Irony that Mallards get the prize but the Aurora doesn't.

Farway I missed your post but just found it.

Thanks for reminding me about sunflowers.......I want some opposite the kitchen window. Last year I tried planting the ones from the bird seed but they didn't come to anything.

Also the bending branches. That may be the answer to my badly shaped Cox. Couldn't see how to prune it to any effect.

Is there a secret to how you do it or do you just get some string and tie each end?

Right must get off and do something! I've been doing all my online list but of course I get side tracked answering other peoples problems. It's easier to deal with those sitting down with a coffee than dealing with your own

YoungBlueEyes

Me dibber - 

It was in a bag of compost last year but I’d be sorry without it. It’s lovely and grippy and sits nice in my hand. 

I was going to ask about making branches go in the direction you want. I have a couple of cherry trees heading for the sky but I want them to be waterfall stylee like you used to see in the middle of people’s lawns. Will I put a Heath Robinson something over the top of it to force it to grow downwards, or will I weight the ends of the branches while they’re only skinny and bendy? 

There was nowt worth lifting in the ‘Oh and a few plants’ centre and the cafe was too dear so I’ve come home and got another wash on. The sun’s lovely but the breeze isn’t giving up  

-taff

Lovel and sunny and yes windy but not too windy...besides, I hid in the allotment shed and Sorted It Out by emptying, adding a couple of shelves, some screws for the tools, bagged up the rubbish, folded the fleece, collated the goodies and put the stuff back in. Took a couple of hours but it's good to go now and I can find and see everything. Finger is still hurting a bit from yesterday when I managed to get a bamboo splinter in the crease of my middle finger. Had to wait till this morning for enough pus to form to shoot it out when squeezed. Still a bit crunchy sore now. Made a pea structure, put down a lot more hay along a landing strip, turned compost and had chats wih everyone eysterday, a sunny weekend day meant there were thirty people around not one or two for a change. Joined the local allotment society too which is now known as Sl@gs as the guy behind me calls it...

Congrats on the front page PP, maybe the aurora is for later this week

Dusty, also well done for showing the lurgy who is boss...kinda....Lungwort added to list of easy plants to grow

YBE, I made a framework of bamboo ound my apple tree and tied all the branches in. You could do similar but obviously give them more curve than I did. Your dibber is most impressive.

Farway, I spotted one with a  big nose this morning sticking it to the man some pansies, very peculiar looking. I would never have noticed if you hadn't said about it. Hopefully this is the year of the pear munch.

Less, i do like your red ones, I'm just not a fan of yellow no matter how hard I try, the less acid ones re more acceptable, but I'd love some red pansies...

greenbee, good luck with your open real garden..

The primroses were a surprise but I stuck in the tulips for some bedazzle....

pink_poppy

Aw thanks, Dusty for accidentally finding out that I’m photo of the week *takes a bow* 😊

That’s a stunning Lungwort - I’d like one in my garden too 🌺 
Btw, I did laugh at your sinkhole tree comment 😂

Stunning sitooteries too, wort and twopenny - they look so peaceful ❤️ and your waddling ducks pic was fab, wort - what a gorgeous location.

Beautiful blossoms, Farway 🌸 and very pretty primroses, Less 🌺

Did you ever get anything planted in your wall, YBE?? 🤔 Your tree would look lovely drooping.

I’ve been busy in the garden this weekend - saw my first ladybird today🐞 and Mr & Mrs Chaffinch doing the dirty business 😂 (see if anyone gets that reference)…

pink_poppy

Whoops, should have refreshed before posting 😳
taff, your allotment looks amazing and super tidy too. Hope the finger heals quickly - lovely description of it btw 🤢😂