Awful weather - typical Brits talk

wort

Morning, It’s sunny already and I’m hoping to peg out before work. I changed the beds yesterday in readiness.

Did a couple of hours weeding, found 2 of my concrete panels had fallen out😳 top two! I had heard a huge bang when it was windy the other day but hadn’t realized what it was. A quick text to db had him and reinforcements to put them back in, with some wood to wedge ,as it looks like the post has moved. He will add some brackets at some point.

With regard to references for jobs I heard you aren’t allowed to give bad references 🙄 not sure if this is correct, I queried once after someone who finished for dishonesty got a similar position elsewhere.

Enjoy the sun. Keep hydrated.

Dustyevsky

-taff: Glad you managed to get your oil in cheaper in the end Dusty, thumbs up for real people not bots. What a lovely colour on the yew sprouties. It really does look exotic, like a bit of red hot poker.

The oil buying decision is still in limbo as regards it's relative 'cheapness.' Awkwardly, I have someone else relying on my judgement to get a good deal too, but no one, including me, has any idea what will happen to the price later this year. I'll bet Martin doesn't weigh-in on this! 😉 The only thing I'm certain of, is some individuals and corporate entities making money from the situation, while the rest of us lose-out overall. 😢

That yew is a golden variety. It's slower-growing, but worth it for those with time on their side. We only have it as a stand-alone, and it's way behind our hedges, which are not so slow as people often imagine.

The elderly person who fell on Friday is fine, but I blame myself for not being there to supply the support they should have had. Falling in your 90s is serious, even if the impact is survived.

I suppose the coast was cooler yesterday, 2p. In middle Devon we had plenty of warm sunshine for a party to celebrate our 3rd GC's first birthday. 🍰 It was real barbecue weather, as evidenced by folks still in T-shirts at 20.00. Besides being the star of the event, our 3rd GC popped a huge balloon to signal whether their sibling, due in August, is to be another boy….. or a girl. Lots of pink sparkly bits flew everywhere! 🤩 Probably un-PC, but she'll get to wear her brother's cast-offs, regardless.😂

Today looks to become scorchio here…..27c. After early watering, I'm planning a quiet day with maybe another little sleep, or two!

This butterfly was still sleepy when I crept up a few days ago to get this shot in the wildlife area beside the stream.

And because it's BH and the Mods are AWOL, here's GS on his birthday, having his first garden rant. I'll remove it later. The juxtaposition was entirely random! 😄 (With apologies to the late Rev. Ian Paisley.)

Farway

Up early agin, too hot to sleep. Did I beat Taff, are you out watering? I read somewhere that morning, or evening, watering is best, seems plants retain it better, could be codswallop but sometimes spot of truth in tales

Thanks for the carnation info Taff, that would make sense, a failure I mean. Here's hoping my dog egg tom seedlings are better than the carnations.

Forgot to mention, as well as finding the Lost Trowel of Farway I also found a hidden horde of illicit blue slug sweets, the sort that actually work. A cunning plan completed, and given my age, I suspect I now, literally, have a lifetime's supply 😁

Taff bought myself one of those bulb planters but it has a raised edge like a spade at the top so you can stand on it and it won't snap. It is a revelation for putting anything in the ground, so much easier than on your knees with a trowel. It was not cheap either but so far, completely worth it.

Nice to know they work, I bought a bulb planter years ago, but the short one you force into ground, not using foot. Good idea but useless, you'd have to be World's strongest man to get it into a hard packed a lawn

2P, First raspberries eaten. Blimey, mine are just flowering now, as are my strawberries

Yesterday I was able to water my sad seedlings with some miracle grow and they've chirped up a bit already. That's good to hear, hope they make it before you have to buy some replacements

Wort With regard to references for jobs I heard you aren’t allowed to give bad references 🙄 not sure if this is correct, I queried once after someone who finished for dishonesty got a similar position elsewhere. I heard this to, but it was more to do with being sued for inaccuracies, data protection etc, so HR folks now cover bottoms by using anodyne phrases and skirting around facts, for instance introduce an Overnight visitor Levy not a Tourist Tax

Seems a clue, from AI, maybe a brief or terse reference. Job title, time served etc.

Dusty GS, Nice action shot, could also have Mrs Ts, No! No! No"! Did those pair ever meet? Anyone know [or No].

Jobs today, before the heat gets going, pot on some young shrubs, like acer and flowering sage, from next door's cuttings, it's a blue one, Cold Lips? 😂

If back is still working I may plant out some of the left over tomatoes

Pic today, two cousins, you can see the family likeness

-taff

Sunny here too wort, windows are open for a brief time to air the house before I shut it up again. Concrete panels, they're so heavy [ clue's in the name I suppose] but I'd prefer them to the flimsy stuff that comes in panels - you definitely need help with them though..I remember a video I saw years ago of some snotty kid trying to kick them in to be a vandal, unfortunately, he didn't know physics, and he managed to kick one in, then the one above slid down and trapped his leg. Instant karma.

Sorry Dusty, I wasn't trying to say I was laughing at the relative falling, just the whole raft of incidents occurring..hopefully you've got all that stuff out of the way now…I've got to say, I thought your gc had a very posh jelly and set custard menu on their table until I realised it was a toy…need some glasses to see the tv I think :) very funny juxtaposition…

No, I didn't beat you Farway, my one contribution this morning has been opening the greenhouse door..I'll go about six if it cools down, it's already to hot to be working in the sun [ I don't seem to have a slow down button at the lotment and it's all exposed, the only shade comes from my acquired umbrella..I need to start a list again this year of the free stuff I've had..that's a lot of job to be doing in this weather, lots of breaks I think..did you ever get one of your relatives to stand there with a palm fan over you?

Sorting out the greenhouse today until it gets proper scorchio, I need the toms in the beds and not in pots so I can see what can go to the lotment.

Dustyevsky

-taff: Sorry Dusty, I wasn't trying to say I was laughing at the relative falling, just the whole raft of incidents

Oh, I didn't take it that way. We all laughed a lot, afterwards. I bet if you took 10 nonagenarians, about 5' 10" tall, and made them fall backwards in a field, only a couple would walk away without even a bruise. But no excuses, I shouldn't have allowed it to happen.

Farway: Up early agin, too hot to sleep. Did I beat Taff, are you out watering?

Did I beat you both? Started 08.45 and finished 09.30, but left the oscillating sprinkler on the strawberries. Turning it off now. I think we shall have some this week…..if the slugs don't. 😟 Starting to put my precious 'blue pills' into sand now to eke them out. (no, not those blue pills! 🤪)

twopenny

You all sound very busy 😲

Unfortunately the leg and other bits went to useless and just recovering now so no pot watering. They are looking desperate so may have a go later Avec the trolley 😊

Yes I remember the old gardeners saying evening (I think) because it would stay damp and give the plants chance to drink before evaporation. Or it may have been morning 🤔

I know you should cut herbs between 10-11am because that's when the sap has risen and they are at their most flavoursome, potent.

I studied old herbal remedies. The best book for an easy read is The Magic of Herbs by David Conway. His mother grew them and they are her advice, recipes etc.The other is a huge encyclopedia which gives the science of plants but I read, understand and it goes straight out of my head 😵‍💫 I used a simple thyme tincture on my aged Collie when he had 'bed sores' on his elbows. No advice from anywhere scientific but it healed them for a few days then had to reapply.

One nice drink is elderflower ( Tea Pigs is the best and only real one) with grated ginger and honey. Lemon balm tea with a few lemon verbena leaves is delicious in hot weather and relaxing. My friends used to put lemon verbena leaves in with ordinary tea which was tasty. I wouldn't say further because I don't want to give medical advice.

So back to a lay down, book and coffee joining Dusty on the relaxing day and hoping to get better 🙂

Warming up here with no breeze so doors are open, blinds down on the sunny side. Not hot, just stuffy.