Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Torrential downpour last night but only brief. Was awake at 5am and a bit cooler, went back to sleep and the usual cool breeze blowing through but it's still again now so battened down all hatches and staying indoors.

I get the sun on the bungalow all day and this time of year it's above as well. So it's back to 30c in the shade and 28c indoors.

No gardening. Perhaps I should watch gardeners world from the winter episodes. See if that would help 🥵 no sign of this endr.

greenbee

Forgot to close the west-facing window above the concrete-tiled garage roof that I suspect was radiating heat in. The irrigation thermometer behind the shed (so north-facing and sheltered) was registering 40C at 11am and is now down to 39C. Indoors is 27C upstairs, a bit cooler downstairs. I've just mended a blind and put that up to help a bit. Sitting room blinds are arriving today but I'll need someone to help me put them up (or just put them up for me).

I've ordered curtain wire so I can hang muslin/old sheets at windows that are too hot, but I'm tempted to get some space blankets, cut them to size for the outside of the south- and west-facing windows, and make some kind of velcro strap to hold them in place. That should guarantee cold and rain for the rest of the summer!

Too hot for much gardening - just trying to keep the things I want alive in the time outside is bearable. I'm glad I got the irrigation up and running and need to have a good look at the greenhouse system to work out what the problem is. If I can get drippers working on the patio that would be a bonus, but I also need to fill the pots otherwise that's a bit pointless.

Still, it's good weather for killing weeds - if I can pull them out and fling them on the ground they're not going to survive long!

Hoping for rain tonight to fill the water butts that have run down. I do need to buy some more - there's room for one more on the old oil tank stand, and I'm going to talk to a neighbour about putting some slabs down on the east side so I can put some there too as there is masses of water coming off the house roof and no real way to collect it.

I also think that taking up some slabs by the two west-facing walls and planting against them will help keep the house a bit cooler. And hopefully once roots get under the slabs they'll also have access to plenty of moisture. I think the garage wall, which has no windows, could be good for something like a climbing hydrangea. The one between the kitchen and utility room windows I'm not sure about … I don't want to encourage spiders, particularly as the bathroom window is above it. At the same time, there's a lot of wall that might benefit from having a green layer added. There's one more second-storey wall that could do with something on it, but there's glass and paving underneath it, so no way to get anything growing up there.

I do have other places that I could grow plants against the walls, but being an arachnophobe, I need to balance the benefits of cooling with the risk of wildife using them to access the house (see also mice…). However, suggestions are welcomed!

Farway

GB However, suggestions are welcomed! Grape? Would love a west wall, loads of green foliage, roots go down & down. Pick the right one and maybe even eat, or drink, them.

Fig? Huge leaves, and fruits if it feels like it

twopenny

I've got blackout fabric, the heavy stuff, with the use of double sided velcro to put up and down. You can't see the velcro strip on the inside of the window. Amazing what you can do with self adhesive velcro and double sided tape. I

I also use space blankets pegged up over the patio doors and draped over garden chairs to keep the slabs cool as they can act as a radiator.

I have used the foil windscreen covers to stick on windows in direct sun.

Unfortunately I am not allowed to get on a stool to put the blinds up at the moment because of the op.

I have planted a small prunus nigra outside the bedroom window and that shades it and is nice to look out on. In winter with no leavesit lets the sun in 🙂

twopenny

Ok😃 the temperature has dropped!! From 35 to 20 c so now it feels really cold.

So I've made a start on deadheading because the temperature indoors is still sweltering despite doors and windows open and cut some pinks for indoors. There's a lot more to do.

Watched a bit of gardeners world and there's a great bit about a garden about 30mins in. But Farway, don't watch beyond that. It will upset you 😏