Awful weather - typical Brits talk

wort

Morning , Thursday was rain all day along with work. So yesterday was nip to Lidl early just in case. Got back and did a quick 45 min tidy of the garden pots and chopped at the spirea.
Rain started around the school finish time. Went to local panto last night, saw a couple of kids go home not well 🥹 hoping they were far enough away not to have passed anything on.
off to work now, have good un .

twopenny

Good luck with work Wort. Hope it's all healthy there.
I'd like to get out and about but we have rampant norovirus here and schools closed down and the warning about flu both in schools so keeping well away would be the best option as I have the choice 😬😬

More rain and wild wind predicted here, it's cold and dark too. Not a great start and I can predict no gardening today.
Seems to be the same for a couple of weeks so I will be catching up on GW and Gardeners Question Time while doing something.
Saw half of GW last night. It was good but can't remember why. Oh yes, raising canopies on trees was interesting. I've seen it done on an Acer or two and would like to have a go at that. I'll dig a photo out when I'm on the 'puter again.

I have a real photo of a cat and fish that would rival Farway ai. Of course that has vanished for the moment.

The fruit tree video reminded me that you can also grow gooseberry and currant in those shapes.
Currant is easiest, now I have goosegogs growing up the fence. Much easier to pick too.

Farway

Overnight rain, looking a bit brighter right now, even some blue sky.

Dustyevsky said:

People believed what they saw in July 1969. So did I. Now, I'm less sure.   Even more so with 9/11. By Covid, I was awake and spotted.... 'issues.' Can't say more, but what scares me most nowadays, is the nuanced psychological stuff. I fell for that too, for a while, before asking, 'Who wants people outraged? Who benefits if folk feel demoralised?' Nothing's black & white any more, only shades of....oh, burger, they've ruined that expression too!   

EDIT: On a completely different tack, my Uchiki Kuri squash are not keeping as well as their more traditional butternut cousins, which are Hunter. (AGM) It's been good to have them in the same location and see the difference. The Hunter were harvested later too. Food for thought and next year.  

Your first para, like you I'm questioning things much more now, once upon a time I believed most things, but these days it just seems easier for people & institutions to just lie as a matter of course or policy. 

The only good thing is with the t'internet fakers can more readily be exposed

But enough of that, don't want my Social score reduced 

Same about the squash, guess this is another lie mistake ?

" early to mature with superb storage characteristics." 

My left knee is playing up, very tender & swollen, why I've no idea. 

The same happened earlier this year and was a real painful and literally crippling PIA. I'm hoping it clears up for Christmas, meanwhile I'm slapping oinkment & embrocation on

Only gardening today will be watching Monty & mates getting ready for winter, waves to 2P on similar mission

At least not temptation to go out & about and catch something

Photo is a self seed goosegog, been there a few years and is a tasty one. While I was out mooching the sun caught it and the leaves jumped out, not sure I've got it in it's full glory, but enough to show you

LessImpecunious

Squash seem to be very unpredictable in keeping - I've just had two Buttercup (not Butternut - don't think they would cope here, but like a green version of Uchiki Kuri, and one of the best tasting if you like the chestnutty squash) go bad, but still have three marrows and two giant patty pans looking quite happy and firm...

OT, weather turned very suddenly to howling gales and rain with a bit of hail c. 2pm yesterday, forecast today looking a little similar...

greenbee

My uchiki Kuri haven't lasted either, although I think my (north facing) kitchen windowsill might be a bit warm for them. (It doesn't feel warm to me...). Blue banana are currently looking OK, but I'm planning on cooking them fairly soon to be on the safe side. 

YoungBlueEyes

Morning all, on World Pear Day  

Sad news - Alice in Wonderland has been sucked upstairs to do Serious Things with the Proper People Am unhappy about that, I'll be bereft of a good person to talk to *sob* BBM is equally unhappy - she's been moved to the other fee earner's team. OMM is too pleased with herself as the whole things was her idea. I'm expecting ructions.
In other news - Beechgrove is a real address! Well, Beech Grove is. I tell ye I near squealed  

What's that about July 1969 then Dusty? Is that when you got your first real six string? Did you buy it at the five&dime? Play it 'til your fingers bled...?  

It's frightening how fast AI is moving - it doesn't seem like long ago I said "well we're in no danger from AI are we" then it produces your (completely believable to me [apart from the subject matter]) robin and cat on fence ensemble Farway. This is why people take to their beds and rant and rail at the world and never get up again. 

I don't know if I'd be more pleased with your xmas work lunch wort or the enforced jollity of the usual ones. Himself had his last night - after a near 8hr drive back from Epsom through freezing fog and bad weather in general they all went to a steakhouse and filled themselves with good dinner and lots of beers. Ours is on Wednesday - straight after work into a local place, meal and one small drink paid for. 

Boo to the lurgy but yay for your blackie 2p :clapping: No PF isn't coming with us to RA. She's on facefook and she loves that, but talking to people you don't actually know is weird she says.  

Love your moon + Beast pic Less To stop losing balls you could smear it with a tinny wee dot of peanut butter or something, she'd not stop looking then  

OT mild and dry and calm now after yesterday's weather. Honestly at what point is a lot of wind and rain a "storm"? Cos the wind was howling and the rain was blowing in sheets here last night but there was no warning about it. Conversely some of the 'storms' we've had have been standard Autumn weather... Anyway it blew over and took the cold with it, so it's 9'c out there now and the sun's breaking through. The humidity is in the 90's all day though *sigh*

Dustyevsky

Wort, you make me feel lazy, nipping to the garden and doing winter tidying between work, rain and other chores.  Even a short time outside, observing nature is beneficial, apparently, though maybe not so much if the scene creates stress.  I'm thinking of jobs that must be done by a certain time, like my prepping the hedgerow so new posts can be banged-in. Without that, we don't get sheep this winter.   There again, with all the rain, there's no way we want tractors on the fields, leaving deep ruts, so it's a tricky situation all round. 

At least Mrs Dusty's hedges are done, and for that I'm grateful. Going on past years, there's usually a period in autumn to get those done, and the field edges are dealt with when we get those cold, settled weeks, sometime in January or February.

twopenny said:

More rain and wild wind predicted here, it's cold and dark too. Not a great start and I can predict no gardening today.
Seems to be the same for a couple of weeks so I will be catching up on GW and Gardeners Question Time while doing something.

 I've looked, and it seems next week isn't too bad for us.  Ironically, Monday's fine weather window will be used-up here by the Garden Club Christmas Lunch, but apart from Tuesday, there seem to be no more heavy rain warnings. Longer term, the pattern down here is predicted to be warm, somewhat wet, and windy.....'normal' for the run-up to Christmas.

Last night's blustery conditions didn't deter one hog from making an appearance, but despite our removing the cat-deterrent forks, it didn't enter the feeder.   The lack of markings shows it's probably a new, untrained adult, which hasn't worked-out how to reach the food.

Grr,  right-clicked involuntarily and lost the rest of the post where I related my experiences with a ballooning right knee, and what happened next, Farway, but I'll come back to it later.   What an unusual subject for 'autumn leaves'....goosegogs! They look quite like a bed of coreopsis! 

Todays photo was taken on a dull evening, so it's not as striking as the gooseberries. However, appropriately for Bluey's World Pear Day, here's Pyrus 'Chanticleer,' finally turning. Sometimes, the leaves stay on almost until Christmas. 

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

What's that about July 1969 then Dusty? Is that when you got your first real six string? Did you buy it at the five&dime? Play it 'til your fingers bled...?  

Shortly after, in 1971, I bought a Telecaster copy. I even used to take it on stage sometimes. It was never plugged-in.  By 1977 I'd learned enough to convince a gullible class of 10-11 year olds that I'd acquired a demo tape of the Sex Pistols next single.* That was the peak of my playing career.  

July 1969, was very like the Last Supper. All 4 of my friends fell asleep, so I watched the historic moment with a fine, Irish, Catholic girl, who'd the misfortune to rent the back bedroom in our shared house.

* Edit: They weren't that gullible. Now I remember, it was supposed to be Ron Vicious, Sid's brother, and the title was, something like 'I'm bored!'  

twopenny

Just saved Pyrus 'Chanticleer,' finally turning. Sometimes, the leaves stay on almost until Christmas.  To a folder on my tablet.
No idea what I'm doing so hope it stays cause that's a lovely tree and columnar for a small garden 😀 thanks.

On marrows, I used to peal slice into thick chunks, take out the seeds and fill with a Bolognese mixture then freeze. Individual portions you slice some cheese on and heat. 
Easy to store and a healthy meal after work when you don't want to cook.

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Just saved Pyrus 'Chanticleer,' to a folder on my tablet.
No idea what I'm doing so hope it stays cause that's a lovely tree and columnar for a small garden 😀 thanks.

It's in leaf a long time, but given the choice again, I might plump for a Malus instead. Some of those, like 'Aros,' or 'Evereste' are good for smaller gardens. 

Farway said:

My left knee is playing up, very tender & swollen, why I've no idea. 

The same happened earlier this year and was a real painful and literally crippling PIA. I'm hoping it clears up for Christmas, meanwhile I'm slapping oinkment & embrocation on

I had the ballooning knee in winter, two years ago. The physio said, “Rest until the swelling goes. I can't start you on exercises until it looks normal.” So, you're doing the right thing by resting and massaging the joint.

Later, the guy gave me exercises, and I invented more to do in everyday situations, like standing at the sink or potting-up plants. While I then doubted exercises would do much for worn cartilage, now I understand stronger muscles reduce stress on joints. Even those in one's bum are important, and they can be exercised sitting at the computer. That's the sort of exercise I like best!   The overall message was that knee surgery can be avoided, or at least delayed. 

I can't say precisely what's worked, and anyway, people's needs vary. Top of my list was probably losing weight.   Now, I take a couple of supplements which appear to assist, and won't do any harm, but it's been a long process, with set-backs. While I could return to walking four or maybe five miles by the first summer, it's only recently I've reacquired the ability to climb and descend stairs without using a handrail. That's not been helped by living in a bungalow. 

And I've still no idea why my knee suddenly 'went' in winter '22/23. With Mrs Dusty then still in similar difficulties, I thought we were done here. Now, with her new knee, and me slowly improving, things look brighter, but I don't take any of it for granted. 

OT: A blustery and often wet day again, but we stayed in the workshop, marking-out secondhand sheets of ply for hedgehog nest boxes. It seems we can have the first two back before Christmas if we can provide approved homes.  I was shocked at how much wood was needed, but it's better than paying over £100 each for ready-made. These hedgehog folk are strict, and they won't accept tacky Chine second-rate quarters for them!