Awful weather - typical Brits talk

greenbee

Neighbours are the no-fun religious sect I think I've mentioned before... so no xmas lights. They have apparently changed the angle, and are going to get a shroud made, but have no idea of lead times for a fabricator. Why on earth they don't just a. remove it and use the lights at ground floor level b. replace it with a sensible sized light c. put a new light up in a sensible place or d. run a length of armoured cable to lower down the wall and move it, I have no clue. All of those would be cheaper! I did suggest the armoured cable thing and offer to let them have the details of a couple of competent electricians  

It is slightly better, but still annoying. 

We have snow. Less than previously, but a very pretty light dusting so far. I have visitors, all of whom are still in bed, so Stinky and I might have to have a short walk without them in order for him to not get completely fed up. Hopefully we'll then go out for a nice long walk later. It looks like we've got a bit of cloud all day, and some sunshine late afternoon... and no more snow, just a bit of sleet tomorrow before the rain sets in. 

Farway

Some catching up this morning, with all the workers clocking in after their day jobs.

Hope the bug or whatever is easing 2P, but given the weather a day in bed is not a waste, nothing much was outside, except cold & grey

Looks like I have lots to learn about birds. I've never really bothered because of cats, rats etc, just grateful for them eating caterpillars etc

Never thought about other birds disturbing nesting ones, but I think I'll leave the half coconut in place for now because no bird has bothered using the neat box in umpteen years

-taff said:

Farway, you're like the child snatcher from Chitty Chitty with all your BT enticements  

Funny, I was telling my cousin about the power pack thing a couple of days ago Farway. She's never heard of such a fantastical object and purchased one straightaway This was unfortunately after she had to call out the AA, who she assured me were not alcoholics or anonymous.

My BT enticements are working, yesterday I spotted a BT on the hanging bamboo tube thingy  , and actually using it as intended. Just need to be there with a camera, but at least I feel I'm helping some birds in this cold weather.

[sneaks off, up River, checking on bird cams  ]

Those Power Pack things, I think they are fairly recent, during the last few years, new battery technology I guess. I know when I mentioned them to breakdown bloke a couple of years back [another flat battery]he had never heard of them either

YoungBlueEyes said:

You've JapAns Farway? Traitor! Turncoat! How did you manage that please

Dusty could you not get the original workmen back to do the job properly help you sort it out? Deadwood Stage - I'll have Doris Day singing whipcrackaway in my head all day now   

The JapAns, just magic. I honestly thought they headed North last year, never saw them once the drought started so assumed they had been fried.But obviously some root lingered on below ground waiting for some moisture to get back into life

Just hope the flowers are at least passable

Surely Doris should be whip cracking on the Deadwood sage? Boom Boom 

Dustyevsky said:

-taff said:

 I was telling him about Piglet Willies French Black ....

I drew a blank on that, but burrowing down a related rabbit hole produced these, and another interesting supplier.  Shhh! Don't mention this to Farway!   

https://vitalseeds.co.uk/product/tomato-sunfired-flare-organic-new-for-2024/

Oh,PW French Black, I'd grow that just for the name

Warning too late Dusty, I've just clicked and down the Rabbit Hole I go. 

Some seeds offers this weekend, maybe something but not sure how P & P will affect the "bargains"

Fothergills & Browns, some seeds reduced, and Brown includes 4 for 3

No French Blacks, but did spot a Cream Sausage

wort

hair decluttering sounds interesting. Do you put it out for the birds?  No 2p I left it at the hairdressers 😂 hope you are ok, wrap up and relax.
Glad you all escaped the snow. Yesterday was cold ,with rain that wets you through. Today is sunny but icy 🥶 done a wash and chanced it outside for a freshen !! 

Farway they are supposed to plant a row of ten mixed from albums cordage, betula albo fascination,mauls trilobite, and Parrotia persica Vanessa . But there’s no date as yet. I’m more bothered that youths might pull them out.

great photos Dusty  , the viburnum looks fab ,but the Xmas day one shows the farmers dedication to the livestock. I would have voted it for a prize. What did the winner take a photo of? 

YBE that’s a story and a half , I can just hear judge Judy saying what do you want me to do about it! You caused the problem 😂😂

I don’t know how I’ve missed 2ps elephants 😳

twopenny

There you go Wort
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Eh_gN2cso
Or watch the Earths Great Rivers on iPlayer.

I only had a frog in my room and warthog outside.

Back to bed now. In recovery. Bug ramped through fast but now need a tap on the nose and exhausted. 

LessImpecunious

YoungBlueEyes said:

So we all made it through then? We got a bit of wind and rain as the top edge of the swirl crossed us, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year tbh *shrug*  The weatherman on our local news - Paul Hudson - was calling out the Big Boys for over-hyping the thing and told them off for saying the UK was under a rare Red Warning (rather than saying parts of the UK).

Less did the rain wash away all your snow? No more pics..?  

We had a bit more snow, enough to cover everything that had melted, but only lasted an hour and then after a brief spell of light gustiness all calm...often the case that we get more significant weather when there are no warnings than when there are... Snow was rained on yesterday pm, and turned to slush in places, but that froze overnight, so much was white again this morning.

Lovely sunny day today, cold but no wind, so felt OK; good weather for getting loppers and saws out (pruning and bow, don't like the noisy ones) and cutting down a large broom branch which had broken in the snow and wind combo, and cutting down some big branches that were encroaching on my compost heap... Fog crept in along the valley late pm, and all the blue had disappeared when I took this pic... [Edited to remove potentially identifiable photo - but showed foggy and still mostly snowy garden] ] (only one today - I did try to photo some frozen icedrops on branches this morning, but one of those subjects that looks great until you try to take a pic!)... Rain forecast again tonight, and then practically tropical temps by late Sunday night, hmmm...

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Dusty could you not get the original workmen back to do the job properly help you sort it out? 

Hardly. As I implied, it was Mrs Dusty who thought the level of the soil should be higher than I'd envisaged. The digger driver always sides with her!    Anyway, the work is 3/4 done now. Digger people tend to love their machinery, and if they've brought along a road roller, they want to use it! 

I liked your moving-in before exchange story, having done similarly with my first house. The purchase dragged-on, (probate with beneficiary in nursing home, executor, aged 82, living100 miles away!) so when the agent lent a key to the boiler replacement guy, (condition of mortgage) I borrowed it and had one cut. In those days, squatting was all the rage, so one weekend I moved some stuff in and began camping out. I'm not sure how long I did that, but the sale went through OK and no one was any the wiser. 

wort said:

Farway they are supposed to plant a row of ten mixed from albums cordage, betula albo fascination,mauls trilobite, and Parrotia persica Vanessa . But there’s no date as yet. I’m more bothered that youths might pull them out.

great photos Dusty  , the viburnum looks fab ,but the Xmas day one shows the farmers dedication to the livestock. I would have voted it for a prize. What did the winner take a photo of? 

I think predictive text got the better of some names in the para about the trees, but Parrotia has great autumn foliage and that variety of Birch has an AGM. 

The winning photo showed a farmer dressed as Father Christmas putting presents by the tree. Frankly, it was an 'also ran' in my opinion. However, the judge's decision is final, even when it doesn't seem sensible. 

Less, you have lovely 'dugs' as we say here. 

OT: Today we'll have maybe 12c, but with strong winds and rain in varying quantities, it won't be gardening weather. I may paint the hedgehog houses. No hogs have been detected by the camera since before Christmas.

While this isn't gardening, it's certainly a rural craft, and we use some of the products. Live demonstrations from the Show:

wort

Wow 2 p . That’s amazing the leader seemed to wave at the person videoing 😂 
Dusty you’re not wrong I should re read ! Alnus Cordata, Malus Trilobata. 

Less are they your dogs ? Border collies are so lovely , get you lots of exercise.
Ventusky says rain and 3 degrees, with feels like minus 3 . And it’s certainly raining and very windy. I was planning a walk but will pass .

Farway

Dull & grey this morning, not due any rain so I guess that is bonus, it's very soggy already

Nice craft pics Dusty, I can almost hear the clanging of the hammer. 

Was it just us oiks that used to "bounce" the hammer on the anvil between blows, to keep the swing rhythm going. or is / was it common practice?

And a very cold atmospheric pic Taff, at least the dogs are enjoying it

I've already completed my gardening, I was picking Lily Beetles off in my dreams   !

It got worse, I finished up doing routine maintenance on Air Conditioning units 

No wonder I woke up knackered, and I think I'll need good seeing to if that is all I can dream about

No advance on tomato seed picking, but I do need to sort through what I have to narrow my selection

With all the cold and gloom, not gardening, but linked to AI doing things to pics and a reminder of sunnier days to come

Here's one from 2009. Portsmouth Harbour mouth, what my eyes saw but my camera failed to adequately capture at the time.

Old Portsmouth on left, HMS Dolphin on right, Isle of Wight on horizon

Here's what my camera caught  .

LessImpecunious

Yes, "dugs" are ours - I was going to be overcautious and delete pic thinking they might be identifiable but that plan seems to have been scuppered by all the comments

The little one is the "Beast of Bodmin", still with eyes permanently fixed on ball...

Lovely photos of Portsmouth Harbour Farway - I spent a week in the harbour at the age of c. 10, on a Sail Training Ship, the Foudroyant, which was permanently anchored in the middle (we sailed smaller boats around the harbour and over to the IoW). This was in the days when we (self and younger bro) could be put on a train from London to Portsmouth (mum travelled with us from home in Sussex to London) and then navigate our way to the harbour (tho' we did have the advantage of having visited Portsmouth before, as grandparents lived in nearby Lee-on-Solent).

Dull and miserable, with gusty winds today, not tropical yet!

YoungBlueEyes

Morning all - just. It might not be by the time I finish typing mind.

Am sick. 'Ave got lurgy. Is miserable. I've a filthy cough in me that wouldn't sound out of place on a 100-fags-a-day navvy.  

I remember now you saying about a religious sect gb, fingers crossed something comes from their deliberations  

I'll give the JapAns one more go then Farway. That'll absolutely be their last chance though. Swines. I like your AI harbour pic, shame your eyes were lying to you but, and you had to wait all these years for technology to catch up and clean up your pic  

Have you got a cold head/neck now you've had your hair cut off wort? I keep pondering getting mine cut back to a bob but short hair is that much more hassle. Glad to see you survived the (presumed) craziness at work... Valentine's next and it'll be Easter early this year too so you've not much of a break

How you feeling today 2p? Hopefully it's ramped through and gone completely soon. 

You're a better man than me gardening in this weather Less. Were dogs () more help or hindrance? 

Aye boys and their toys Dusty I bet your moving in early story is what those people thought would happen. It works well when it works but when it goes wrong...   12' bodes well for Rosemoor tomorrow then eh? 

OT raining, and cold. Drunkards say it's 2'/FL-3, windy and pouring down, and they're right. It's nearly melted all the ice and snow.