Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Love the Crocosmia ? photo Farway. Amazing what beautiful things are right under our noses and you seem to have a talent for spotting them.

That's some good display Dusty. Look how big your apples are.

Had a fun day yesterday so it's about reducing the household list today.
 It's stopped raining but everything is wet so there'll be no lawn mowing but stewing apples is to be done and blackberries to be picked. The flavour isn't good as it's watery now but you take what you can. 

Dustyevsky

Yes, we have a tree that produces whopping apples,2p. They're good cookers too, but they didn't win. Neither did our eaters. I told Mrs Dusty an eater should be red, but she said the red variety was too variable, and all had imperfections, so there you go. 

You must've kept your orchids a while if they're now re-flowering.  We've been swamped with the ones a certain chain store throws out, so it's been continuous flowers, and then....compost!  They probably do strangethings at the nursery to have them in flower all year round! 

Farway's crocosmia seed head is indeed a work of art. However, I'm going off 'Lucifer,' which demands so much space, even in our borders. No wonder the original clump only cost £1 from an open garden. People can have most of ours for free! 

The tarpaulin didn't blow away yesterday, but the roof light on the caravan did! Smashed to bits.  I've put a big bucket in there. Fortunately, it's not mine to mend. Someone will probably want to use it at half-term, so.....

When all the windy kerfuffle stopped, yesterday evening, I ventured into the polytunnel and saw what I'd been seeking in the latter part of summer....a Hummingbird Hawk Moth!  Trouble was, by the time I'd fetched my camera, the sun was almost down and the light fading fast. I managed a few shots, but knew it was hopeless trying to achieve anything sharp. I'll post the 'better' ones later. 

Meanwhile, here are the undeserving 1st prize toms. One even has a blemish! 

OT: Sunny, breezy start. Clouds-up and becomes calmer later, they say. More heavy rain tonight. No mowing yet, 2p!

Farway

Dull, windy and looks like rain 

Hope the caravan gets fixed Dusty, maybe by those more agile and a vested interest.

Not much gardening to report, too damp, but I still want to get out there & cut back the old blackberry canes

twopenny said:

Love the Crocosmia ? photo Farway. Amazing what beautiful things are right under our noses and you seem to have a talent for spotting them. 

It's more case of need, I'd really prefer to be in, say, Machu Pichuu or maybe on a safari, but health & wealth [lack of] prevent that, so it's back mainly garden stuff. 

Here's a happy tomato 

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

twopenny said:

Love the Crocosmia ? photo Farway. Amazing what beautiful things are right under our noses and you seem to have a talent for spotting them. 

It's more case of need, I'd really prefer to be in, say, Machu Pichuu or maybe on a safari, but health & wealth [lack of] prevent that, so it's back mainly garden stuff. 

Machu Pichuu is spectacular, and I don't want to knock those who travel to far off places. However, when younger, I noticed colleagues who went far afield on exotic trips, often had no idea what lay near their home. I'd mention a walk through a reasonably well known location a few miles from the city, and their eyes would glaze over. 

Mrs Dusty and I knew when we wanted to purchase a house with land, the extra maintenance would probably swallow much of our time and money, meaning outings mostly in the locality. That's how it's been, but after 16 years, we regret there won't be enough time to explore all of our county, let alone the ones next door! 

Now, walking friend and I reckon we might have only 3-5 years of 'serious' walking left....particularly me.  I'm looking at special footwear now, not just 'walking boots'...in fact, I mended my best pair this week with CT1 polymer glue because the newer ones hurt after a few miles.  Will it work? Well, it fixed the leaky gutters! 

So, I identify with back garden safaris, and if the garden contains loads of pollen-rich plants and fruit too, in season, then wildlife will come. And who doesn't love a happy tomato, eh? 

That sermon is a waffling build-up to the not very brilliant photos I took of the Hummingbird Hawk Moth, only two of which I dare show! The plant in the background is Agastache 'Blue Fortune' Lighting was by a fast-setting sun peeping through cloud. 

OT: In other news, it's drizzling this morning with gusty winds and set to be that way all day.  There will be a LOT of mowing when that better weather materialises! 

twopenny

That's amazing Dusty!

You've managed to get the proboscis fully extended

Not sure how you can get such a fast moving object though I'm told to do the rapid fire photo setting as the best bet. It's not as if you can use a tripod for a small beast in flight. Or manual settings which Farway might suggest for either of us because I've forgotten in a way that it will never come back

Everybody must be taking advantage of the schools out and last of the mild weather I think. Indeed was I this week.

Been on a trip today, friend had free tickets for the WSR and despite the Met predicting doom and gloom it was a lovely sunny day.

I took this specially for the gardeners here, quite inspired especially the smoke on a windy day

Nothing gardening wise to report as it was gloomy and damp around my house but I went out around and looked at all the jobs that needed doing

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

That's amazing Dusty!

You've managed to get the proboscis fully extended

Not sure how you can get such a fast moving object though I'm told to do the rapid fire photo setting as the best bet. It's not as if you can use a tripod for a small beast in flight. Or manual settings which Farway might suggest for either of us because I've forgotten in a way that it will never come back

Everybody must be taking advantage of the schools out and last of the mild weather I think. Indeed was I this week.

Been on a trip today, friend had free tickets for the WSR and despite the Met predicting doom and gloom it was a lovely sunny day.

I just put the camera on sports setting, compensated a little for the failing light, and kept firing away. You haven't seen all the blurred and empty images! 

Glad you had a good run on the West Somerset Railway. Perhaps you gave a wave to my friend, who's Stationmaster at one of the villages. That's a very colourful and long-lasting display you pictured.    A day or two ago, my SiL was marooned on the local railway at Crediton when a windscreen wiper on the train broke. However, folks in his village took to their cars and ferried him and other passengers home before dark.

We were down at DD2's house today to see their progress. It was a lovely sunny day there too. Here, the fine misty rain didn't lift at all. 

Where's everyone else, apart from the holidaying, Bluey? Did we work out where she was headed? I hope it wasn't the Lakes, because they're due for a real deluge tomorrow by the looks of it!    

pink_poppy

I'm still lurking

I love that train, twopenny, especially the 'smoke' effect.

Fab photos of the moth, Dusty. You wouldn't get me anywhere near it though - things like that freak me out.

Your tomato reminds me of 'The Joker', Farway   

Not much happening here - we've got 40+ mph winds at the moment - I can hear it coming down the chimney. I think it's supposed to be dry today, so I might get into the garden. I really need to do some domestic nonsense today though - the house is a midden.

Hope YBE is enjoying her holiday, wherever she may be...

wort

Monday was the stormy day here, the wind was lifting the tiles on the roof, a bit scary at times. When I got home from work lots of pots had blown over even the large Acer. I managed to secure them near the wall in a sheltered spot. Yesterday started rainy but became warm around 20 and windy perfect washing day.

Dusty the moth looks like an actual humming bird in the first pic,. I certainly haven’t visited lots of places in this country that I would like to, most were visited when dh was alive or when I was little. It’s such a shame that it’s cheaper to go abroad than stay at home, and transport isn’t very reliable not to mention the weather. 
I’ve visited lots of places abroad when the kids were young we did a lot of Greek isles, then it became cheaper for dh and I to go long haul when they grew up.
Now I’m visiting places from cruises, cities that I wouldn’t want to spend a whole holiday there but love to see the architecture and history.
Im also in the comfy shoes bracket, I couldn’t find comfy walking boots and got some boots from hotter that I can fit my orthotics in.

I hope YBE is enjoying her hols, wherever she is.
2p your orchids are doing well, I find them really easy too, I basically leave them alone giving an occasional trickle of water. Mine are all flowering again now. Like Dusty most of mine were rejects from work 😉

Dustyevsky

pink_poppy said:

I'm still lurking
Your tomato reminds me of 'The Joker', Farway   

I thought about the iconic '70s toy, the Space Hopper. Thinking more carefully, though, that was more like a kangaroo crossed with a goat!  

wort said:

I certainly haven’t visited lots of places in this country that I would like to, most were visited when dh was alive or when I was little. 

I've focused too much on the West Country and Wales. Even as a child, my parents usually brought me here for holidays, though Scotland featured too, with family up there. I'd be up in pp's area in a heartbeat, were it not for family and friends mostly down here.   I've not been there for a long time, but when I did, it felt weirdly like home, and I lapsed into a version of my Mum's accent within a few days! 

wort said:

Im also in the comfy shoes bracket, I couldn’t find comfy walking boots and got some boots from hotter that I can fit my orthotics in.

I think help via orthotics might be that what I'd benefit from. Mrs Dusty has been advised by a brilliant podiatrist following her knee surgery, but the gatekeeper nurse here won't give me similar access.   Mrs D is going to ask how I might get into the 'system' at her next appt. After all, it's not like I'm seeking assistance to slob-out on the sofa! 
OT: A warm, dry, and breezy day awaits, if the forecast is to be believed.  I might finally get those remaining logs into the shed and make some inroads into the mowing, starting with the friend's half acre, which will probably be full of fallen twigs and branches.  

In other news, Mr Canute has overlain his privacy fence with a second layer, so that should keep my nosiness under control, for now at least. I'm sorely tempted to put a spare ladder up against the nearest large tree, about 3 metres from the boundary   but there's enough conflict in the world.....

Some trees are are beginning to turn here now. One of the prettier ones, grown from seed about 18 years ago:

twopenny

Sunny and mild. Lovely autumn day but wet out so gardening limited.
Not sure where today is going after a poor nights sleep. There's a long list of things to be done without the inclination.

Might just get out and prune the rose arch while the going is good. It's at least something I can look out at as accomplished 🙂

Dusty, sounds like your public transport is in the same state as ours. I used to nip off to the city every now and then by car and train.
Now the car parks are limited, the buses break down and the trains strike so it's not worth the risk.
I missed your last post. Love the tree colour.
How can you resist putting the ladder up? I'd have to do it. Possibly with a pumpkin dressed in a wig and sunglasses on top 😆

Your smiley tomato made me smile Farway. You just need a couple of eyes and a nose on it 😉