Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Oh joy! I have a blackbird on my fence and I did hear it the other day 😀
A little bird or two has been visiting as well.

Since the blistering dry months here and the influx of crows they had all vanished and not seen in the area when before there were masses.  So chuffed it's made my day which started grim.

Only 2c here this morning and damp but the sun has come out so there's hope.

Might as well stick to house sorting and work for the moment wort. It will keep you warm.

Dustyevsky

We're still not seeing the blackbirds in the usual numbers, 2p, nor have we experienced any frost, but apparently that might arrive later in the week. There look to be some dry periods possible too, so outdoor work should be possible here. 

Yesterday, Mrs Dusty began trimming the yew hedge. With her fully functional new knee, plus a slightly longer hedge trimmer, she's whipping through it.  I mowed the lawns again. The grass is still growing well, so I want to stay on top of it. 

While tackling the yews, Mrs D found a creature which hadn't enjoyed the recent temperature drop. It wasn't quite dead, but no doubt it is now. Sad, but all in nature's plan.

Farway

Brrr, first frost of the winter here this morning, frosty grass & roof tops, actually gloomy & grey enough for snow, but not forecast down here

The nasturtiums are droopy with the frost. I don't think it was hard enough to do them in,just wilt them a bit, the dahlia is still OK

With the frost, the blackbirds have decided, somewhat snifflely, that the berries on my pyracantha are worth the effort of getting at them after all, a few in there this morning, now ground & easy pickings are harder

Good to hear Stinky likes his glowing ball   

Very odd with the plums 2P, no second crop, green or otherwise, here, but if there were I expect the maggots would be already inside in the warm

Caught up with GW yesterday, Monty was harvesting his Golden beets Dusty, they looked good.

Actually the whole programme was of interest, except where he is planting out a million tulip bubs, money no object by the looks of it, if Mr T gets his payout Monty will  be sowing a packet of mixed annuals from Lidl along with the rest of us

Found my yellow pepper seeds packet, it was Liberty Belle, and none left in the packet 

No gardening planned, just look out the window and dream

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

Very odd with the plums 2P, no second crop, green or otherwise, here, but if there were I expect the maggots would be already inside in the warm

Caught up with GW yesterday, Monty was harvesting his Golden beets Dusty,

We had similar with a young damson.   I whipped them all off and told it to grow up!   

I'll have a shufti at that beetroot bit, but tiptoe over the tulips.   

Reminds me of a pal at school, who was given a detention with the instruction to write an essay on Tulips. Instead, he wrote a love story entitled "Two Lips" and received two more detentions! 

On golden beet, if I don't like them much, or even if I do, there's still the option of dried beetroot powder which can be made into a drink with cacao flavouring. That's a way to get the notable health benefits of beetroot, without actually eating or growing it!   

 

twopenny

Yes, my inclination is to remove them but it's going to be a heck of a job.
Presumably all the fruit buds will have popped and it will take next year to start again.

Terrible day here, it staggered up to 5c and repeated freezing rain. Everything I tried to do was scuppered. Should have taken a leaf out of Farways book and stayed in watching telly. 
But looks like it's on the up from here so fingers 🤞.

Definitely not a gardening day. Not tomorrow probably.
But I do have large daffodils come up out front, leaves only and the Hellebore is coming into bloom.
Yup, weird for sure. Perhaps the deity is practicing with AI 🤣

-taff

I could have sworn I said something about your church ybe, memory must be going, anyway, it's very atmospheric, spooky, should be a Merrily Watkins cover..I love it. 

Thanks for the pruning tip Farway, I'll take a look at that for my apple that lost it's leader. And that pepper! I have never successfully grown one, I am impressed! I did laugh at your lidl special remark...

2p, sounds like the kind of dream that's worth having again and again...also kittens for me please..Love the ducks pots in a row curve, really cute. 

What a fab sculpture Dusty, are they lawnmower blades? They look pretty dangerous and I love that [ My Riddick knives and Book of Eli machete would look well next to it ] You'll have to keep updates going on your melon-pear...The colours in that lake pic are lovely...so much interest [ the new watchword for winter stuff...] Poor dragonfly, but he/she is still beautiful, the anient Egyptians would have wrapped him/her up for sure. 

wort, an anemone silver daddy sounds lovely, very george Clooney  

We got 24hrs non stop rain from Claudia, some thunderings, and last night the frost killed the big white dahlia so they all came up today and were washed, along with some gravel moving from here to there [I didn't like the stuff I'd put on the step so exchanged it for some buff stuff from other parts of the garden. Got wood to make the second step so I'm set for DIY for the week, also did some sds drill chiselling away of the lip of concrete that would have stopped the second step sitting flush. Maybe the cold has galvanised me. It's one way of keeping warm...

twopenny

Following the glowball....Another useful product.
A woolly hat with a  torch on it. It's on offer at my local hardware shop. I might look into that for when I can walk again. Falling on the moor is always a concern and need to be found 😉

Farway

Lumme folks, it's snowing here  , now that is Just Not On, the only snow is supposed to be on Tele, not outside my window. 

The garden was looking droopy from the frost, even more so now, certainly no gardening today

-taff said:

2p, sounds like the kind of dream that's worth having again and again...also kittens for me please.

Some bits I remember from last nights dreams. not gardening this time, moved into a new office and back at work.  I was looking where to put some pot plants on window office sill, so sort of gardening      

twopenny said:

Following the glowball....Another useful product.
A woolly hat with a  torch on it. It's on offer at my local hardware shop. I might look into that for when I can walk again. Falling on the moor is always a concern and need to be found 😉

From somewhere I recall the advice on torches & being found, get one that also auto flashes, seems flashes are more readily spotted than a constant light, lighthouses anyone?

And, with you new / old phone, get What 3 words on it if not already there

Hope you are soon striding over the moors with camera to hand.

Here's my snow, with a bit of AI. 

Gemini has updated and now allows me to keep my ciggy   

Dustyevsky

-taff said:

What a fab sculpture Dusty, are they lawnmower blades? They look pretty dangerous and I love that You'll have to keep updates going on your melon-pear..

I think there were knives and scissors. It's maybe not as large as it might look. 
The melon-pear will feature in 2026., I'm sure. It might not get beyond hopes for germination, so I'll not overplay it!   

twopenny said:

Following the glowball....Another useful product.
A woolly hat with a  torch on it. It's on offer at my local hardware shop. I might look into that for when I can walk again. Falling on the moor is always a concern and need to be found 😉

I have one my DD gave me. It charges via USB. We use head-torches all the time, but the beanie hat is better in winter. I'm not planning to fall over in the field at night, but one never knows!  It would probably be good to have one in the car too.

OT: Not much to report here. High winds are drying us out fast, so I'll get more grass cut and Mrs Dusty will continue trimming the lee side of the yews. It is sunny, as predicted, and it does feel like 2c! 

I seem to have mislaid some photos I took last week here, so here's another Rosemoor random shot:

twopenny

Oh I'd like one of those in my garden!
Mind the insurance would probably say risk of floods.

Farway thanks for the laugh.
It's needed this morning as I cut the porch carpet I've been almost immobile and it's getting to me.

New phone? I hate it with a vengeance 😬 Apple want you to do everything through them including my own music and it displays white on yellow messages so as soon as the case arrives I'm going to try and sell it. Live and learn - my old one is working fine now I've stymied all the original apps.
New Honor one is excellent if it wasn't so enormous.

Yes to flashing lights. I used to have a clip on pack with personal alarm (a noise not heard in the wild) a torch and a foil blanket.
It's one of the things that disappeared when I changed cars.
However using immobile time I've found the missing letter, missing SIM cards and more. So just that and my book of passwords to locate.

A couple of long tailed tits are feeding on the seed stand as I write so the birds are slowly returning. 😀

Off to the puter to pay stuff and will see what photos I have. More tonight.
Sun is shining though about 5c and cold wind.
Not snow though, that sucks!