Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Awww that's pretty Farway 😍 I'd like to do things like that but everything here is so crammed in it wouldn't be noticed.

The pinks were back along, must have been a good price but I did give everything multiple feeds, bfb, chicken poo etc and at the wrong time of year because I reckoned all the rain and potential baking heat to come they needed help. I have a list of what and when to feed from when I started but now it's such different weather I think it's take a guess.

⛈️ Cloud, thunder and lightning like I've not seen for years for an hour. Very very frightening when it rattled the windows. Covered a huge part of Somerset and finally heading off to Barry. I've not seen the like before looking at the storm map.

Didn't make it down as far as Dusty I don't think but we're had a good dose of rain and now cooling off. Shouldn't be too steamy being evening and temperature drop. Of course I had my pillow airing and a chair outside as this wasn't on any forecast 🙄⛈️

-taff

I hadn't long put out the third load of washing 2p, which is now soaked but will smell lovely when dry hopefully as will your pillow and chair :)

MIA due to various things, weeding interminable bindweed at the lotment, planting out, cutting grass, making the garden look better, painting garden furniture, meeting up with friends, broke a toe, more dodgy ankle, filling and sanding holes in walls, two rooms were plastered [the plasterer can talk… insert wobbly smily face] and OH painted them, so we almost have half a presentable downstairs, OH has been commandeering the compuster so that makes it difficult to get on it, as does falling asleep on the sofa every day :) And all the usual stuff in between…It has just chucked it down royally with accompanying thunder and lightning. Still raining now but I've put the jade plant and the cheese plant outside to enjoy it. OH asked me should he take a coat to work during the 27 degrees earlier…naw, I said…Oops…

Some really gorgeous pictures, the sitooterie is lovely, as are your poppies 2p. I've noticed a proliferation of them this year, never seen them before, but there's some in my front garden, some at the lotment, some just spread about willy nilly. Also good to hear pain free, that's just so great [ had an injection in my ankle a couple of years ago, no pain for almost a year, was bliss] so I feel your joy :) As for your squirrel..I found a dead one in one of my waterbutts, still stiff so probably only happened the day before, poor thing, covered it up now..I'm not a fan of them but I still don't want to see them needlessly kark it.

OH ybe, what an absolute shame, I'd be pretty livid too, I'd write to your councillor too, point out what a carp job they're doing and hoe much law breaking is going on. Shame bushes don't have the equivalent of TPOs.

I see everyone is pretty much keeping keeping on, how's your knee dusty./ Good shout on cancelling GB, it's just going to be far too hot to bother doing anything the next few days. I'd kind of like ot set up an irrigation system but it sounds a lot more complicated.. Ish manages to make it look simple but I don't believe him. ..

That's a prize sky too wort, front page worthy for sure.

Dustyevsky

2p: ⛈️ Cloud, thunder and lightning like I've not seen for years for an hour.

Didn't make it down as far as Dusty I don't think

What? 😮 It came up to you from here, and it was in that funny Cornwall place before we had it. Last seen heading for Milton Keynes, but Farway will get a wake-up call from another storm around 03.00 if the predictions are correct. 😁

I knew it was on the way. I told Mrs Dusty, but would she close the conservatory roof lights before we headed-off for the Club's garden visit? NO! 😬 Now she's drying everything out……🙄 Apparently, the storm struck at 16.00, only lasting 15 minutes or so, but creating flash flooding and knocking-out the leccy. The cats must've fled. They returned a few hours after we did, very wet! 😅

At the garden, 15 miles from here, I reckoned the rain would hit at 15.45, and it was 5 minutes early. By then, the members had done their tour, had tea, cake. and a good chinwag, so it was a natural conclusion to the event. We heard the thunder, but it was quite a civilised deluge there.

-taff : I see everyone is pretty much keeping keeping on, how's your knee dusty.

Better than it was, thanks, though not up to serious walking. We're really missing adventures in wild places this summer. 😪 There's no substitute for exploring, and still a stack of places not visited.😐️ It sounds like your ankle's similar; not preventing you from getting on in the garden and lotty, but shaking confidence, and giving unpredictable pain. 😯

Picture below of us 'on safari' this afternoon.

I like Shiraz, Farway. Stuck with T&M's and Lidl's cheapies at present. Used to grow Norli too.

twopenny

Well we had more rain after the storm, not as much as would be wished but pretty good all the same and soil is wet.

I notice the met forecast put up thunder storms after the fact 🙄

Been out to put water in the bird bath, it's curtains drawn and windows closed on the sunrise side. When the sun moves round I'll water the pots out front regardless of time of day. And think that's going to be it today.

Dustyevsky

The flash storm here yesterday set the stream going for a short time, judging by the flattened plants growing in its bed. Once dry, that only happens in extreme circumstances.

I don't rely on the drunks for thunderstorm warnings, but use these guys:

https://www.lightningmaps.org/#m=oss;t=3;s=0;o=0;b=24.90;ts=0;z=9;y=50.6924;x=-3.0296;d=2;dl=2;dc=0;

They're informing me of a very recent lightning strike off Weston-Super Mud, and there's plenty of activity in East Sussex, so we could be in for more interesting weather than simple extreme heat! It seems logical to me yesterday's downpours will lead to high humidity, but what do I know compared with the quaffing boffins? 🤣

Back to Clovelly Court garden this morning, which I should point out is very different from Clovelly village, being inexpensive to visit, and rarely busy. It's a Devonian hidden gem, cultivated in a relaxed, organic style, often with pollinators mixed in with the crops, giving hope to those of us whose plots get somewhat weedy! 🙂

Despite that, all the crops are well-labelled, and many find their way into meals at the Red Lion Hotel in the village.

With zero supervision, you can bet I had a good poke-about to see what compost they were using!

Hmmm….maybe that tenner I paid recently was worth it. 🤔

Cor! Those are really hit-you-in-the-eyes geraniums pelargoniums, 2p!

Farway

Dusty but Farway will get a wake-up call from another storm around 03.00 if the predictions are correct. 😁

Nope, never arrived here, maybe I'm too far South? Although sometimes they divert round the back of the Isle of Wight. Could've done with it though. I'll be following 2P lead later today, out to put water in the bird bath as zero rain, the pigeons are landing on B Bath and trying hard to sip what there is left, I'm not a big fan of pigeons but this weather is something else

While I'm out there topping up the bird bath I will check the Boysenberries, with this heat I think I may find a ripe one by now

Your pots look lovely 2P, despite the Ergythings I can see 😭

Welcome back Taff, a busy time it seems, well mainly as does falling asleep on the sofa every day :) I recognise that, much like me, I get woken up when the TV remote hits the floor.

This weather has it's up sides, the beetroot I sowed among the new fuchsias, some are germinating now, as are a million self sown tomatoes also in there. Who would have thought weeding consisted of pulling out tomato seedlings?

Dusty I like Shiraz, Farway. Stuck with T&M's and Lidl's cheapies at present. Used to grow Norli too I've lost the packet so don't know where I bought them, somewhere common, like Browns, T & M etc. And must have been on offer at the same time. One reason I'm saving the seeds for next year, not paying £3 or more for seeds.

Just looked, I see T & M [other suppliers are available] have on offer at £1.69, down from £4.99. Must have been free P & P at the same time when I bought them Orders for packets of seed incur a delivery charge of £2.99 https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/pea-shiraz-mangetout-seeds/gww4959TM

Apart from bird bath & Boysenberry no gardening anticipated due to heat

Here's my first buddleia, Buzz" dwarf variety. No butterflies yet, camera on standby

Dustyevsky

Dusty but Farway will get a wake-up call from another storm around 03.00 if the predictions are correct. 😁

Nope, never arrived here, maybe I'm too far South?

It went to the London area instead. 😇

https://www.independent.co.uk/weather/heatwave-uk-weather-warnings-forecast-live-updates-b3000919.html

Dustyevsky

Phew! I did what I could this morning in the way of watering (polytunnel 😉) mowing the grass, and digging-up all the garlic. Then the heat became too much, and I gave up at midday. 😬

Now it's around 18.00, and allegedly 30c, so we're still indoors. We did horrible dom non this afternoon, like washing the wet rugs from the conservatory in the bath.😨 Sweating, I explained to Mrs Dusty how dangerous this heat is for us old folk, but she wouldn't listen, and went off to do the ironing! 🤐

This morning Mrs D was touring the area, putting up posters, when out of the blue a sparky appeared, saying he'd heard from a friend we needed a few leccy jobs sorting. Of course, one of them just had to be in the loft! 😲 He cracked before me, but to be fair, he had his boiler suit on.😵 It turned out this chap also did the wiring for our DD's refurb, so we know he's OK. Sparks, plumbers and good sweeps who can mend stoves are like gold dust. 😉

Your buddleia is way ahead of ours, Farway. We still have that new aphid attacking and disfiguring them. 🤨 I agree, the Buzz series are good for the mid-border and restricted spaces, but we need a few thugs in the wilder spots.

And lastly, for -taff, and others who appreciate the finer aspects of sitoooteries, I bring you another one from Regency House's walled garden. Look away now if the sight of unbridled Erigowhatsits, cavorting and reproducing freely offends your sensibilities! By way of compensation, there are also some LIAMS, sensibly, ignoring their ribald neighbours. 😇

twopenny

Pheeeeeeeeewwwwwwww it's hot 🥵

Not a breeze in sight. 25c overnight in the house and can't bring it down any further.

I've drowned essential plants with a hose and hope that's enough. I once made an irrigation hose with an old one with holes in it and they constantly needed unblocking but was good when it worked.

Squirrel wars here. Not content with the bird seed it's going for my raspberries now 😬

I understand Scotland has torrents of rain. Could you kick one down this way please so I can breathe again?

Farways area seems to be worse. Hope you've found a way to cope. Love a buddleia. We have them growing wild here in all colours so I take cuttings but since one seeded into roof tiles and caused endless damp problems I've given up.

Not sure wether to stagger to the hairdresser's for exercise or just wilt here. I went outside to cut a rose for my bedside table but all dropping petals and going into survival mode. I guess the July gap is becoming the June gap.

-taff

Yesterday I just sweated, watered some plants last night..Today in anticipation of more plastering we have moving of furniture and wallpaper stripping…wish OH had said no, leave it till next week..I did jetwash the birdbath free of green gunk and restock it though. There are two sparrows who are fascinated by the greenhouse and keep popping in and out of it [ I've taken some glass out so it's more open so they don't get stuck]

That's a lovely sitooterie, so green and cool looking, I even forgive the ribald erigerwotsit. I have finally cracked nastutium, since one of them has gone and may continue to go mental…already too hot to bother with anything..

The cram it all in bed until the herbs establsh, nasturtium and sunflower :)

[I think my camera phone is giving up the ghost a bit, I may have dropped it too many times hence rubbish pics, or at least that's my excuse]