Awful weather - typical Brits talk

middlewife

Morning 2p, I'm day 2 after hip replacement in private hossie. Coffee is about 5/10 on the ward, it's push button machine. The cafe downstairs does decent barista coffee but currently no way of getting there. All Your pictures have cheered me up, I can see sky but only another building out of my window, they could put pots on the roof terrace, which I did when I worked in the local NHS hospital, so the patients had a bit of nature to look at. There's research proving that people get better quicker if they can see nature. Good luck with pre op, I told them I have white coat hypertension, think it was around 140/80 and that was fine, probably better than low BP.....

twopenny

😄 white coat hypertension made me laugh.

It's the 2 lots of major roadworks that is getting me worked up more than the appointment! But I have a picnic and found a route to a park through the hedge at the hospital so hoping to chill there for a while.

Thanks for the hint about the coffee. I'm not very picky but if I have to stay in overnight I'll take individual filters with me. 😉

Kind of you to stop by and reassure me. Hope you get some nature in your life soon. Meanwhile here's some wild ponies from yesterday. Terrible photo using my phone. More to come.

Dusty found out yesterday that the building at silk mills roundabout Taunton is also a no go area.

Dustyevsky

All the best for today, 2p.😊 When I asked what bits they're working on, I meant on you, not the roads! 🤣 I wasn't implying you lived in Taunton or Shepton Mallet. Those are the two places 'locally' where the NHS arranges hip and knee operations. The latter's a private hospital, but it specialises in a limited range of operations to cope with NHS backlogs. They even take us weirdos from Deb'n! 🙃

It sounds as if you have things well sussed anyway. 😇

middlewife said There's research proving that people get better quicker if they can see nature.

And function better in everyday life too. 😀 Thanks for dropping-in to boost 2p's morale. I hope you're soon up and about. I can confirm 140/80 is easier to live with than < 100 /65, which is Mrs Dusty on a bad day. 😧

It seems yesterday was a good day for most of you, with all those blue skies in the photos. Here, the mistiness didn't clear, and today looks as if it might be similar, with the added bonus of a morning shower. Overall, the outlook's positive, so I doubt we'll see the likes of winter 2010 now, taff. Further along the valley they recorded -19c, while we 'only' went down to -15c. 😦 I dread to think what would happen now if that happened, especially with so much reliance on 'windmills and solar. Being 'youthful' I recall going for a long valley trek with Mrs Dusty and DD, with everywhere deep in snow. I'd now struggle with the steep bits in summer. And we wore wellies!!😲

We lost half of our plants that winter. We'd just moved the potted nursery stock down here, and there was no greenhouse or proper polytunnel. Some went into some old pig sties, but they didn't give sufficient protection. It was life's way of telling us to change direction. 😕

That Viburnum is a new one to me taff. It's deciduous, and the flowers come before the leaves, by the look of it. Now I want one. 😉

Not much to report. I limped around yesterday, planted some Aster schreberi (now Eurybia schreberi 🙄) in the banks above the stream and made bout a dozen Potentilla something-or-others to do the same job when their roots develop more. The Aster is 'gently spreading' says the RHS, but it took over our border, so it's ideal to fight it out with the grasses, and insects love it. The Potentilla is a wild, yellow thing which self seeds. It came out of nowhere, so also ideal in a generally hostile environment, which even kills buddleia. We're down to one again in that area, so another thing to do for the butterflies.😊

2p said: Dusty found out yesterday that the building at silk mills roundabout Taunton is also a no go area.

Don't know it. Used to know Taunton, and how to get through, but they built new estates and we became trapped in new-build hell one day….Never went back! 😝 I know how to get to Been & Queued from the M5 and the quick exit from there! 😂

twopenny

Oh😊 I'll delete that bit then. But this is an area to miss till after Easter! Nearly time for Greencombe gardens.

Lovely sparkly snow Dusty.. clever that.

The bits were the iliopsoas but with the pandemic then no doctors the hip wasn't supported and has worn away. On the plus side the rest is ok . Friend has arthritic knees as well. Honest they should have arranged a discount for a job lot. I guess it's the fallout from the lockdowns.

I will find out when I can kneel down so I can garden again. Meantime, distraction techniques 🙂

Middlewife, I hope you are surviving ok. Try to remember getting into normal clothes and having a choice of shoes. Then there's all the things you want to do afterwards 😉 and being left alone to sleep!

Farway

Another gawjus sunny morning, with day ahead supposed to be the same. Changes tomorrow, clouds come over from Dustyshire, so hoping to make the best of today's sun & warmth.

2P, hope the day goes well, and you manage a bit of nature watching. During my hospital stays I've had various views, some nice,across Portsmouth Harbour, and some not so nice, of the Morgue 🤨 Usually it's just car parks or brick walls.

When I stayed in, like you maybe kept in cause on my own, food was OK but I soon learnt to opt for the salad because it always contained something I could eat and did not suffer from cooling down or congealing 🤢

Love the snow pic Dusty, caught the shadows just right.

Went hunting for the Mange touts I know I have. Convinced myself I had purple podded ones somewhere, but as I can't find them. maybe that was last year? Anyhoo, what I do have is Oregon Sugar pod, I'll sow on my usual damp kitchen paper until they pop and then pot on. I think I may try to grow them up the front steps safety hand rail, but that may change

Taff said Nothing to do about dog poo Farway? Sticks in the ground don't help? I don't think I've seen a castor oil plant before, don't the seeds look like borlotti? I've been soaking my bay tree berries in the hope they'll sprout, but who knows…So I went and spent my voucher and bought myself a small pot of a bay bush in case which will be separated out to make a bay hedge at the lotment. Tips for sprouting bay seeds welcome.

Dog poo, not tried sticks, but it's only a few feet wide border and thinking on I'd hate some toddler to tumble on to upright sticks, so I have to live with the occasional dog egg 😕

Castor oil seeds, sort of Borlotti, but more Date Stones. Of course I don't know if my self saved ones are viable or not, just a case of waiting, like Bay tree seeds 😉

The Bay self seeded at the volunteer plot, Bays just popped up like sycamores, but of course I've no idea how long they had been there or how many failed

During the Mange Tout hunt I found a packet of Spring Onion seeds, must have been an offer. TSX 8516 Darcy, make a change from White Lisbon. Was trial hence name, but proved good apparently and now Darcy. Supposed to be fool proof bunching & green. I'll sow in some modules for planting out once growing.

Noticed my Korean Lilac, Pallabin? in a pot, is coming back to life, so given it a liquid fed this morning

wort

Lovely Walk this morning, it's now overcast and the phone says rain due shortly.

wort

TThe Blossom tree stood in the middle of all the other bare trees, looking very majestic

Farway

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81910582#Comment_81910582

Soon be time for the Cat Wee trees 😂

middlewife

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81910176#Comment_81910176

I got my husband to video me last week struggling to get upstairs so when I hit a rough patch I will remember why I had it done. I've just got back to swimming after a shoulder repair a year ago, so will have to start again, again, hey ho, I'm wearing out....

twopenny

Lol yes, they say exercise and what happens?! That's a good idea about the video.,

Yes I checked out the swimming pool for how to get in with a duff leg the other day. If it helps I can do exercises in the pool that I can't do on land. It's made a big difference. Today was a complete waste of time and worry that could have been done over the phone. But I did see a gorgeous magnolia together with prunes and cherry blossom all together which was a gorgeous idea to welcome spring.

Dropped into dance group and tried one but am b*******d now which I won't forget 😉 said I'll never be able to kneel which can't be right. I need to kneel to get my veg in ☹️ but got an offer of a loo helper and better crutches. It's a weird world!

Only gardening otherwise is I need to get the potted stuff out of the way or planted so I can make my way to the sitoorie without falling over 😄

I'll leave the photos till tomorrow evening. I got home with the shopping, another phone call from another doctor and had a very large scotch so need to stay away from computers 😄

Wort wonderful photos! What a joy.

Farway, I have a solution that won't damage children. Don't know if I posted it before but I'll do it again - tomorrow.