Awful weather - typical Brits talk

wort

Couldn't resist these as they lit up my room !

YoungBlueEyes

Morning all 🥱It was that bluddy hot last night I was properly mafted. It was lovely when I got up but that heat's coming already. God help you suvveners and easterners with the heat dome that's apparently getting into position.

I went into the council and they weren't a dam bit of use. Genuinely didn't care at all. If she'd said something like 'we haven't the budget to take care of stuff so it had to come out', and maybe agreed that it was the wrong time to do it that would've been something, but she just kept repeating that "all the information you need is on the website". Which department is it that's responsible for this kinda thing? All the information you need is on the website. Ok but which section am I looking for? All the info etc etc etc. No Bluddy Help. Wilfully unhelpful actually. I'll look up that Act and report it if I can, thank you gb. I might also look for some hands off/hazard tape and twirl some round it's trimmed pal before they get to that one 😈

How you doing 2p? Making steady progress? I can see your micro toms - they look fine, and they're further on than mine are. I got my baffle from B+M (possibly) and it deffo worked. Right up to the point when the bastuds figured it out and would just fling themselves at the feeders from my fence. But there was nothing wrong with the baffle itself…

I can't remember when I last saw or heard a woodpecker mw, that's special is that. For bolding I do it in 2 ways depending what I'm on. If I'm on my laptop I press control+b and type what I want in bold then press control+b again to go back to normal. If I'm on my phone I type the word/name then double tap the bit I want to bold so it's highlighted and then press the B symbol at the top of this typing box. Hopefully that makes sense.

We'll all keep our fingers tightly crossed for your runner bean flower Farway, maybe it'll surprise you 🤞Mind, you've got mangy toots to console yourself with ha haa!

I love your view Dusty, you'd never get sick of looking at that would you. And couldn't you just wiggle your fingers up into those clouds, they look all fluffy and soft 😍 How about that with the resistance bands appearing at just the right time. Good karma is that.

Gawd that is a proper belter of a sky wort, that should get the front page/calendar people calling. You can feel the peace in it, it's heavenly 😍

I'm sure I've got a picture in my phone from a while ago that was certainly influenced by that Robertson person. I'll dig it out and come back later. DomNon and food shopping now, before the heat really gets going. That lazy article of a husband of mine needs to get his erse outta bed too so I can get all opened up upstairs and let the heat out before the new heat comes.

Dustyevsky

I wouldn't say it's hot here, nor will it be today, although we might get a sunny afternoon. 🤔 They promised that for yesterday, but then changed us to, "Well, it might rain, a little."

So there were walking friend and me, in our light trainers, getting damp feet in the drizzle. I didn't even have a jacket 🙄 We'd gone to Clovelly Court Gardens, last visited in March '25, so we could see it in summertime, and maybe, walk a small way on the Coast Path. The rain let up enough to allow a good look around, but the visibility was pants, so walking wasn't on, even with the right footwear.

The only photo I took that approaches the colourfulness of wort's sunset 😍, was this one:

More later. The things achieved in those glasshouses are pretty remarkable! 😯

greenbee

I'm supposed to be travelling from East to South to Southwest on Tuesday, which appears to be when temperatures will be roughly equivalent to the surface of the sun. So I'm contemplating a very early start to make sure I avoid the bulk of the motorway traffic and the risk of getting stuck in a traffic jam on the M25 or similar, then stopping off somewhere for breakfast before doing the next leg of the journey. One of the issues is that Stinky eats raw food, so I have to make sure that stays cold/frozen as appropriate.

YBE - how about printing/laminating a sign saying 'Nesting birds - protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981' and putting it up next to the other forsythia? I'm not personally a fan of forsythia, but I'm also not a fan of letting councils break the law - I'm pretty annoyed about all the verge cutting going on round here at the moment. Yes it's useful where there are ditches next to narrow roads so people can see them and not end up in them, but otherwise they should be left. Particularly as highways seem to be mowing stuff not on the schedule that includes private property.

I need to tweak the veg plot irrigation system today, and get the greenhouse sorted out, and then see whether I can get irrigation set up on the patio, as I have an old solar irrigation system that runs off an outside tap. While I don't generally like using tap water for watering, it will be useful while I'm away as watering doesn't seem to get done consistently when I'm not here…

There are also more plants to pot up/stick in the ground, blackcurrants, peas, strawberries, and raspberries to pick; weeding and mowing to be done. And probably soaking a few trees/shrubs/newly planted things.

I bought a lovely magnolia in the spring, planted it, and it got eaten by something, so moved it and it looked a bit sad for a bit. It perked up, had lots of new leaves and was looking really good, and suddenly all the leaves have drooped and it looks as if it's dying. I don't know whether it was the heat, the torrential rain after that, or the wind. And I'm now completely stuck as to what to do to help it.

Farway

Another one here with grey skies, nothing like Wort's magnificent show. Warm though and maybe even get a shower later. But it's Gas Mark 8 from tomorrow when the French Plume arrives

You must have been steaming after the Council visit YBE, and you pay her wages as well. 😡 Just a thought, on the web pages is there a complaint section? How are we doing sort of thing? Perhaps, if CBA, compose a polite moan about her attitude and lack of help on there. Or local councillor maybe?

AI may help with Act and letter, but it can lie / embellish so don't rely on it, after all you are not a Chief Constable moaning about football fans 😁😈

YBE We'll all keep our fingers tightly crossed for your runner bean flower Farway, maybe it'll surprise you 🤞Mind, you've got mangy toots to console yourself with ha haa! Ta, it's still there, and a pink one, so I know it is Celebration, I had so many fails, due I suspect to old seeds & badly stored by me, they all got muddled in the end.

More Mangy Toots picked yesterday, looks like that's the the lot, but I was only after a taster anyway. There are a few round the front , but I'll save those for next year seeds. If heat & burning sun keeps off I will get the MT stems out later today & sow some carrots in the tub. Again I only want a taster. I did try last year but slugs had the lot one damp night

I also picked my annual strawberry. And I have a raspberry coming up where there should not be one, not a runner 'cos mine are in large pots to stop running. Maybe a bird pooped one?

Great show of nasturtiums Dusty, mine cover nowhere near the area , but do make an easy & colourful show, at least until the cabbage whites eat them

And now, the Boysenberry. I think some are just about ripe, certainly not far off. I left them alone and will try in a few days, looks like final colour is black/ purple. Once taste test completed I'll report back, but these do seem an early & prolific berry, beating my blackberries easily

middlewife

YBE yay, thanks for the tip, now I can reply to people properly! The baffle only works if the feeder is exactly equidistant from the fences, otherwise the little bustards can jump like yours did, we are lucky to live opposite protected woodlands on the periphery road so there's open countryside beyond the woods, with a stream leading to the River loddon and a pub by the ford. My recovery goal is to be able to walk there and stagger back, about a mile each way, but I've done something to my hamstring and my arthritic knee is complaining, so back to pacing myself, icing and physio.

Dusty shame about the rain, my son lives in Cornwall and it definitely has it's own microclimate down there, enjoy Clovelly

Greenbee I have a young cherry tree and apple which are struggling, but the sambucus nigrans I planted last year is thriving, I guess all you can do is keep it watered and give it a feed; an irrigation system sounds great, better than lugging 20 watering cans around, although that's good physio for my shoulder

Farway, here's my mangytoots, done quite well this year but my dwarf beans are taking ages. Have a courgette and looks like toms will do well.

Enjoy the reasonable temperature today everyone in the sarf, supposed to be hobbling with hubby and daughter tomorrow but think I'll hide save a seat in the cafe for them.

Noisy here today with all the toffs flying into Ascot, far too hot to be outside all day

twopenny

Thanks WM. Thought I said that last night. May have done. Most of the brain fog has gone but not all😉 sorry to hear you haven't got your painful bits coordinated. That's really annoying 😑 hope you get something going the right way.

That's beautiful Dusty. Now I want a personalised one 🤔

Gorgeous skies, lovely landscapes and gardens helping me see what's going on out in the world 🌎

Something to keep Bluey amused when she's sheltered from the heat. Puffins going about their business

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/virtual-visit/watch-puffins-on-the-farne-islands

Amazingly I got some gardening done today. Rain overnight it was a bit muggy but with long handled loppers, trowel and hoe plus a few ballet moves I've cleared a bed, put in some sprouted potatoes, deadheaded two big bucket loads and no pain at all for the first time in 7 years 😃

The not so good. Only cherries. Heat and dry I guess

Lots of these which the bees like but I've had to pull loads out because of getting around at the moment

Got almost chilly again tonight like it did yesterday. Wonder what next?

wort

yesterday was sunny but a breeze ,so lovely day. It was dh anniversary so I had lots of visitors to keep me company, we sat in the garden and SIL brought some post crete and put up my arch 👏🏻 I had to chop great chunks of plants to get it in , so if the weather is right I will look at sorting properly.

Dusty I love the artistry of Colleen and friend. It’s already looking a sunny day again, a few in a row now. But I’m in work so will still need a vest on 😉

You lot are making me wish I had mangy toots. But going off the lack of flowers on my toms I don’t hold much hope.

2p it definitely wasn’t chilly here last night, first night I’ve slept with the fan on.

Farway

Morning all, happy Solstice, and just for once the weather is correct. The sun is burning even now, luckily there's a bit of breeze so far.

2P no pain at all for the first time in 7 years 😃Wow, amazing, what a relief that must be, even at this early stage. Marathon run next year?

The not so good. Only cherries. Heat and dry I guess At least you had some, mine just went manky & not fit to eat

Great caterpillars Dusty, inspired work.

Wort You lot are making me wish I had mangy toots. But going off the lack of flowers on my toms I don’t hold much hope. Mangy toots for next year? Very easy and IME trouble free, assuming slugs are avoided in early life

On Mangy Toots, I cleared mine yesterday while it was cooler, and found another meal in there. I have left a few to go to seed for 2027. I've sown some carrots, a free packet of Nantes 2. in the same tubs, maybe get a taste come Autumn. I'll try to keep the slugs at bay this time, I never realised last year they could scoff the lot in one damp night

More tom flowers, seems to be catching once they started, even Paul Robeson has opened up, so now I'm tapping up the tomatoes every morning. 😉

The Morries fuchsia I planted mid week have settled in, or at least not yet died, some buds fell off but flowers are opening up

And, best news so far, the dahlia wot I snapped orf, has a new shoot and signs of more to come

And a lady bird, hopefully setting up shop ready for any aphids on the runners

Dustyevsky

2p: That's beautiful Dusty. Now I want a personalised one 🤔

I recall they were expensive! 😮 DD has had a 'normal' one on her birthday since he was invented, about 25 years ago, so the decision was obvious. One wouldn't have been large enough….

wort: You lot are making me wish I had mangy toots….

Mine are over and I think Farway's first lot are done too. middlewife's look very pretty in their raised planter. 😇

A calm start here, but forecast to top 20c by 11.00, and said to reach 25c in the afternoon We'll see. 😉 I'm glad we shifted a load of soil yesterday in preparation for lorry access. The 20' container will be removed on Thursday, now DD2 and husband have their own house.It was rammed full of stuff, so they must've fitted it in somehow in the year since they moved! 😏

This means we'll finally get to use the 3 railway sleepers supporting the container on one side. 😃 I might even buy a few more, before finally flogging the old van. That's done most of its allocated trips to the dum recycling facility for this year.

wort, I love it that SIL brought Postcrete to your dh's anniversary, so the new arch could be put up securely! 😀What a practical gift. 😇

Back to Friday's visit, and here are pictures for 2p and Farway of a few apricots and grapes in the glasshouses:

Note the use of Nicotiana sylvestris in the background. No perfume in the daytime, though.