Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

  Another job required some hot water. It took exactly 90 seconds to arrive! Glad I don't live in a huge place with the tank miles from the sink. Rottery Acres better not be like that, even if it has a lake!   

Rottery Acres could have hot springs, bit like Iceland, and the huge greenhouses will be heated by the same springs

We could also have some of those Japanese monkeys that swim in the hot springs, just for our amusement

Dustyevsky

Hmm, those monkeys look kinda troublesome to me.   I'm thinking they might want to grab my banana if I got in there with them.  I'd trust small penguins, and I wouldn't object to a nice, friendly beaver, but monkeys ....count me out! 

No hot springs, but on the same lines, I recall an old friend had deep pools inside his large greenhouse, which helped maintain a more even winter temperature by storing heat built up in daylight hours. 

I agree, 2p, wort's working hours bring us retirees back to earth with a wallop.  Of course, Parkinson's Law applies, and I can vouch for its veracity. Two telephone calls yesterday evening have completely rearranged my day, unless I can find a way to fit a set of dining chairs and the remaining Christmas shopping into a Fiesta-sized car. Remove their seats and stack them inside each other, perhaps? I'm very grateful we'll be able to match seats to bums now, but there wouldn't be a difficulty if my van had been here, instead of miles away. Grr!

In other news, Mr Canute has blocked the other side of the stream now. On the positive side, our septic tank drain has unblocked itself, so the world here has found some sort of equilibrium. 

By the time I was free to roam with camera in hand yesterday, the sunlight was gone, but I snapped this winter beauty anyway. A little breath of fragrance at solstice time, if you have a corner for it:

OT: Cloudy, windy, 9c if we're lucky, but not much chance of wet stuff. Colder from tomorrow onwards.

twopenny

Ooo lovely Dusty ☺️ I want one of those.
My fragrant winter plants are too needy to appreciate. The Daphne has survived with a lot of tlc but still tiny and the witch hazel huge, not taken to being potted.
I was hoping for some fragrant cut flowers in winter but they haven't flourished enough.

The winter clematis is good but better in a clump than rambling. It does seem to root easily so that's a job for the future.

And I'll have to think round a winter garden rather than spread out.

Not looking great today. Dark and grey, cold northerly wind but dry so might give a photo walk a go if bundled up, a swim and sauna might be on the cards given that I have no hot springs in my garden.
I'd give monkeys a go but what they never show on wildlife films is they must poop everywhere 😲

Farway

Dull, dry, grey & cold

My only fragrant winter plant, the hyacinth, is now wafting away. When I draw the curtains back in the morning, I can smell the lingering scent immediately. 

It will be touch-and-go if I get a full open spike come Thursday, but it's not far  off.

twopenny said:

Not looking great today. Dark and grey, cold northerly wind but dry so might give a photo walk a go if bundled up, a swim and sauna might be on the cards given that I have no hot springs in my garden.
I'd give monkeys a go but what they never show on wildlife films is they must poop everywhere 😲

Hope you manage to get out, dark broody skies etc.

I just asked AI about the monkey poo, it seems they are trained and actually get out to wee etc like you are supposed to at the swimming baths.  .Plus normal animal behaviour of not pooing on your own doorstep,

And it is flowing water, so it is regularly refreshed/replaced

Dustyevsky said:

Parkinson's Law applies, and I can vouch for its veracity. Two telephone calls yesterday evening have completely rearranged my day, unless I can find a way to fit a set of dining chairs and the remaining Christmas shopping into a Fiesta-sized car. Remove their seats and stack them inside each other, perhaps? I'm very grateful we'll be able to match seats to bums now, but there wouldn't be a difficulty if my van had been here, instead of miles away. Grr!

In other news, Mr Canute has blocked the other side of the stream now. On the positive side, our septic tank drain has unblocked itself, so the world here has found some sort of equilibrium. 

I got lucky, my emergency late call was just for Pickled onions, seems Ocado failed to deliver. 

Asda delivered my offering this morning, not what I ordered which was the traditional type, in malt vinegar, but silver-skin in sweetened vinegar, Hmm, any port in a storm I guess

Mr Canute needs to get himself along that canal, his blocking skills are need there 

Actually, must be awful for the barge owners, just before Christmas, and I guess with the tilts and lists, plus lack of cooling water for any machinery, the barges are not suitable for living on at present

No gardening today, 

Dustyevsky

I'm not surprised the monkeys have decent hygiene habits, considering ferrets also look after the cleanliness of their immediate environment. However, ferrets may have some mischievous traits, and monkeys are similar, but even more inventive! 

I noticed most of the meja seized on the chance to incorrectly use the term 'sinkhole' when describing the breach in the canal embankment. That's less dramatic-sounding, though the consequences for the narrowboat owners are still just as severe.  :'(

I have plans for the boundary with Mr Canute. As you'd expect, it involves planting a second boundary some metres from the existing one, thus creating a buffer zone. I can think of international situations where this has worked well enough, at least in the past. Mr C doesn't like our mini-woodland trees, which pre-date his presence. He's about to get more. 'Don't poke the bear.'  I'm more like 2p's teddy than a grizzly, but everything's in the eye of the beholder. 

Shopping's done, and the renovated chairs fitted in the car easily, once I learned how to fold the seats down properly.   It's just a pity the chairs were 10 miles in one direction and the shops30 miles the opposite way, but as usual, there was no serious hassle and everyone seemed very chilled, in more senses than one. I hope 2p wrapped-up warmly if she went out with her camera. 

My pictures remain in short supply, so here is a rather underwhelming cumulonimbus I spotted a few days ago:

OT: Cold.

twopenny

Indeed I did but it still wasn't enticing and all wildlife had found somewhere more comfy because there were only a few geese snuggled together.
Talking of guesses they do make a mess and don't seem to mind where they leave their own slippery stuff.

Not a lot to say really. Very cold, dry and brightening up but that's one fierce north easterly so I'm slow on getting going.
I could mow the front lawn if it dries out a bit but will leave that for tomorrow. Intended to go for a walk because it will be lovely and quiet out there. Especially now Dusty's finished driving around 😉

Hope you've got everything sorted. Farway clear of the bug and Mr Bluey up to a celebration drink. Wort and Taff to put feet up.
Less gets the chance to chill out with some cloud spotting.
All good thoughts for Poppy, WMum, ARandom and anyone else who needs them 😊😊😊

Farway

Bright but cold start, would be great for walking about, except for the traffic on the way and parking when you arrive. 

2P, if reports are to be believed, the geese may be taking comfort from safety in numbers

If anyone has time or inclination, Mr F and Browns have free  P & P over the Christmas period, no idea when it finishes, but if any one is tempted to spend a Christmas bonus, you can stretch it a bit further with this offer

My part time lurgy seems to have gone just in time, feeling fine now, apart from normal aches & bits dropping off etc

No gardening today, a few bits to still sort out for tomorrow, including trying to disguise / wrap the indoor mini rose without breaking it. 

This is probably my last show until Boxing Day, have early start tomorrow, so I wish everyone a Happy and lurgy free Christmas

DGS is picking us wobbly old ones up at 0730 to transport to DDs, he is hoping to avoid the pandemonium there will be on M27 detours, with them slotting  a new, ready built, bridge into place over Christmas. 

The proposed boundary changes sound intriguing Dusty, shame there are not Triffids, a clump of those would do well

If Global Boiling continues maybe some Banyans? With alligators & swamp pythons lurking in them

If dreams came true

twopenny

Farway I looked into buying some seeds of the little yellow tomatoes that were such good doers, Honeycomb, but they are £1.99 + £1.99pp from one supplier and £4.99 with free pp from TMs so it's no win.
I've saved seed but they are F1. Still may get something. I like an experiment but would prefer tomatoes 😊

By gum that's an early start 😵‍💫 you'll be having a snooze before the dinner! Or all boxing day.
Good of them to host. It seems to be a dying art judging by the numbers of people applying to the church for a companiable meal.

Your picture makes me want to go for the river walk I was thinking of. It looks identical and I thought you'd nicked one of my photos 😄
Then I may have a go at digging out turf if I'm still in one piece.
After that I can do low level housework on my knees 😲

Dusty, how about some Gunera? sp. 

Or some starved Wood Sedge, ideal environment and protected so mustn't be interfered with 😉

wort

Oo Dusty I like your inventive idea 😉
Yesterday was dry and cold but we had a fabulous day out in the city , the show at the theatre was amazing. 

Today is sunny but with a chilly wind. I’ve done some washing and a quick Hoover through, prepped some dinner for later. 

Dgson is calling later we shall transport the food from mine to dd2 s for tomorrow. The alcohol went last week😉

Wishing you all a fantastic Christmas wether you wish it to be raucous or peaceful, or a mix of both, enjoy !! 

twopenny

Practicing on my phone again. 
Picture of spring? 
Bluey will favour this