Awful weather - typical Brits talk

LessImpecunious

Just watched that episode of GW, and was commenting to OH on the running discussions on here re. Erigerwhatsits and LIAM, and that I didn't remember ever having heard of the former before the last decade at the most - and it now appears in every GW… Quite apart from the potential as a trip hazard I wonder how long before it is classified as an invasive weed 😏 …

Like the look of that Erodium too. I note RHS says it is susceptible to vine weevils, so maybe Farway could plant it as a decoy for less vigorous plants…

Dustyevsky

Less: Like the look of that Erodium too. I note RHS says it is susceptible to vine weevils, so maybe Farway could plant it as a decoy for less vigorous plants…

It's one of my better finds from the 1990s, when we were selling it before the usual suspects.😛 It's not that vigorous, just good at self-seeding. The seeds, with spiral tails, spin with changes in humidity and literally drill themselves into the earth. In pots, they're vine weevil fodder, but in the ground, no more so than perennial geraniums. 😇

Yes, the Erigwhatsits are non-native invaders from Central America, but much less of a problem than, say, Impatiens glandulifera, which has driven native species from many a waterway and railway embankment. It was unknown to my generation, when we were kids. 😕 At least Japanese knotweed is edible, and you can make pea=shooters with the stems. 😄

A quiet, grey, morning here after, quite a pleasant Sunday, not that I saw much of it. We have plumbing woes caused by the perishing of a small washer in a toilet cistern, though the real issues are an apparent lack of a shut-off valve, and the inability of plumbing suppliers to supply a spare inside a week….that's if it's in stock, which mostly, it's not. 😞 It's been cheaper and faster to buy a whole service pack. That should be with me tomorrow, so I can pick out the rubber washer from the other 5 bits not required. Meanwhile, we either have a dribble at the taps, or normal pressure and the offending bog discharging hundreds of extra litres into the aged septic tank system.😬 The only positive; our water's 'agricultural,' so no meter. 😝

Where's Bluey? I can't leave that Yorkshire reference and the dog up indefinitely. And at least you have a potential pear, Farway. I see nothing on our two trees, though our plums look promising.🙂

Spoiled for choice with photos just now. Here's Powderham Castle taken from the boat on Saturday; it's tenuous link with gardening being as the home to Toby's Garden Festival, an annual event using BBC presenter, Toby Buckland's name. Mrs Dusty has been there once with a friend. I dropped them off and went to a 'proper' nursery nearby with an amazingly well-kept demonstration garden, now sadly closed. 😪

I forgot to mention, Teddy Swims, Alanis Morrisette and Lewis Capaldi were all performing over the weekend at Powderham. Reviews say it was well-organised. I wonder, do they have patrols preventing access from the estuary under cover of darkness? There are other situations where, apparently, that kind of security breach is incredibly hard to prevent. 😉

Farway

Out early, prescription collection + obligatory Morries Mooching. They were just trundling the plants out, but none are required here, and none that were so appealing they had to come home

Dusty, We have plumbing woes caused by the perishing of a small washer in a toilet cistern, ……………. or
normal pressure and the offending bog discharging hundreds of extra litres into the aged septic tank system.😬 The only positive; our water's 'agricultural,' so no meter.

Well blow me down, my cistern would not shut off Sunday, just a last bedtime flush, gallons of metered water down the bog 😭Thankfully it must have been a "proper plumber" that fitted it, because there is an isolating valve within the housing, so I just shut it off & went to bed, to fight it in the morning

Come morning I fiddled about and seems the plunger syphon bit was stuck, or summat. A couple of jiggles and hard stares seem to resolved it for now, never even needed to go to YouTube & Co, plumbers

but much less of a problem than, say, Impatiens glandulifera, which has driven native species from many a waterway and railway embankment. It was unknown to my generation, when we were kids. 😕Not quite unknown to me 😈, I remember we used to cycle over Iver way and there was large stream near a bridge, where this exotic plant grew and we could, and did, spend ages popping the exploding seeds pods, unknowingly adding to the futures problem. All my fault, along with washing bearings in Tric 1.1.1 , sorry about that 😉

More self sowing blues, walking past neighbours on return from Morries, they have "MY" self sown calendula, pot marigolds, just starting to flower in their front border. Non in mine of course. The wind must have blown seeds over. If seed heads set I will reclaim some and sprinkle where they should rightly be

No rain is forecast here for next week, so watering will have to continue.

Picked, and ate, my first courgette yesterday, must say it was very tasty and I enjoyed it

Farway

Is everybody asleep? Or someone win the Rottery & you've all run off to Rottery Acres without telling me?

There is just a tiny bit of rain this morning, a passing shower, which will damp things down at least, but certainly not enough to give a good soaking. Hopefully enough to trigger the carrots I sowed the other week

OT, but my "fix" of cistern flush appears to be holding. I did look on YT yesterday, and it seems a common problem, gunge [AKA chalk lime scale] under or on, sealing washer. My fiddling laser like forensic examination, probably dislodged whatever was causing the problem.

Mild enough, not melting any more. Due for scorching to return next week. No gardening planned but may have a mooch around later, see if any carrots showing, or beans

Here's a rainy nasturtium

Dustyevsky

Farway: Well blow me down, my cistern would not shut off Sunday, just a last bedtime flush, gallons of metered water down the bog 😭Thankfully it must have been a "proper plumber" that fitted it, because there is an isolating valve within the housing, so I just shut it off & went to bed, to fight it in the morning

This is what's supposed to happen. However…..our bungalow was extended in the 80s, and the route chosen for the cold feed was through the loft. I believe there is an isolating valve up there somewhere, but access to extension loft is poor. There's now a huge amount of insulation, reducing the chances of finding it, and making the search risky for persons of 'mature' years. 😕 I've not been up there for almost a decade.😔 Even our super-fit SiL decided not to use that loft as storage space.

As for Tric, I had an interesting experience while working in a shoe factory after uni. During the shutdown for hols, an apprentice and I were told to "use the stuff in the big drum" and clean all the machines. So, we poured some "stuff" into a bucket, took some rags, and set to…..

It wasn't long before we found ourselves giggling. As we worked, things got funnier, and then, woozily weird. 😵Fortunately, the factory was well-ventilated, and my addled brain finally twigged the smell was the like the one in the dry cleaners. I knew their chemicals were dangerous, because they'd a fume room, where garments were left to 'breathe' before being plastic bagged and sent out.

Anyway, after getting outdoors and returning to normality, we had monster headaches. We reported to whoever was in charge, he had 40 fits, and we got the rest of the day off! Don't recall any more, but our 'advisor' probably got a severe bollocking on their return. It could have been worse! 😱

No Rottery win here, just a slow burn start. 😉 Yesterday became rather physical in the afternoon, when I chainsawed some of the more daunting tree trunks and split them, while Mr King watched me periodically through binoculars. I put on a bit of a show for him…..and regretted it after! 😫 He clearly thinks I'm up to something, or he has a screw loose.

Glad you are having success with your spherical courgettes. As usual, mine in the polytunnel have been less than wonderful, and I may hoik them out today. Those outdoors can take over in a week or so.

Today's photo should please 2p and other fans of thyme. Not sure which one it is. Mrs D is in charge of the herb garden. 🙂

twopenny

I'm around. Still waking up at 6.30am when the holiday planes go over. I start to do stuff in the house. But still tired, it's been successful but getting around so quickly is exhausting.

Out with a friend yesterday who took me all over and I practiced walking on uneven terrain and got to see the outside world. Another friend called the day before and one took me shopping the day before that. Everything takes longer to do the ordinary so not a lot to post yet. 2 more weeks before I get the assessment.

Picked some raspberries today while the squirrel was busy looking for seed so I could get there before it. They aren't ripening properly, ditto strawberries because of the hot dry weather.

I like the look of your courgettes Farway. Right size for one and the yellows tend to have softer skin. Does yours? Do you think I could get them growing later so they arrive the same time as the tomatoes? I do like them fried together with some onion and garlic.

Dusty, yes. Lemon thyme, good with sage, onion and bread to stuff chicken. I've been complimented on that. 😊 And ordinary thyme, good for tissans and ointment.

Not much in the offing today. I have 4 bags of prunings with nowhere to go so if they aren't too full of ants I've got some green sacks to put them in. That's going to be messy.

Rain predicted from lunch time by one, no rain by another but at the moment sky clearing to blue. Really need a rainy day.

Have photos but they are on my camera so need to be downloaded. Not sure if it's worth the doggy one as bluey is MIA. It wasn't good news last time she did but hopefully she got inspiration from the puffin cams and is taking a holiday in the Scottish islands 😏

Dustyevsky

2p: ….it's been successful but getting around so quickly is exhausting.

It takes ages to get over a general anaesthetic, and your body needs time to get over the shock too. The main thing is it's worked out OK. 🙂

I'm not seeing much improvement in my knee, despite exercises and using it frequently around the 'farm.' 😥 I've had a quieter day, but it's mostly been dry, so I could have been digging or mowing. Fixed the bog this afternoon. 😁 The new part was actually delivered at 10.30, but no one noticed. Good service, and actually worth the extra few quid.

In the absence of various friends, I'll add another picture. 😛 This is what I'd call our most challenging border. Indeed, until 2024, it didn't exist in an organised way. It's dry, infertile earth at the base of the established elm hedge. We didn't improve that; just planted bombproof cultivars and kept them watered in really dry spells. In the picture there are Geraniums, Foxgloves, a Japanese aster, Ox Eye Daisies, Linaria, Centranthus, Stachys byzantina and a Salvia with huge leaves and an equally large, unpronounceable name. More of it tomorrow.

D'ya think Bluey is still at the Big Council offices, holding the Conservation Officer hostage until she gets some answers?😄 Maybe BBM will have to mediate.🤓

wort

We got some rain yesterday teatime, but it was the misty stuff so not sure if it’s wet the soil. Today is very grey out to the west, so expecting rain today. I’ve some financial stuff to sort through, I’m speaking to a financial advisor aka cousin next week to try work out options for retirement.😁 I’ve a way to go for state pension so hoping to bridge the gap with company/ work place pension.

Yesterday I nipped down to tie in dgsons tomatoes, they’re a bit further on than mine but due to him having no string they were growing at weird angles. Stayed an hour doing some chopping and weeding of the garden, spoke to SIL about what needs doing but he and dd2 don’t have the gardening genes 🧬 and are more about what they’d like to do rather than doing.

2p take it easy,don’t be trying to do too much. Hope everyone’s cistern is sorted, and we find our missing people ..

twopenny

"are more about what they’d like to do rather than doing." 😂 I'm like that I have to admit. Till it dawned on me that if I wanted it I was the only one to get it for me. Then things started to happen.

Everything these days plays into get what you want at the press of a button. Not actually doing stuff. Shame really because going slow and and taking time to do stuff is pleasurable and relaxing. It stops the noise.

Especially if there's something delicious to eat at the end.

Supposed to be more of the dry and bright for the foreseeable. Hanging around 16c these days but both me and the plants need some rain. Love the rain spattered Nastwhatsit Farway. That's a corker 🙂

Watered one pot so far. More later and feeding.

Farway

Up early, now muddled on what day it is, I was sure it was Thursday but the rest of world say Wednesday, so I'll go with the majority. Be careful Wort, this can happen once retired and dates / days are no longer relevant to your daily life 😂

BTW, there is an Over 50's Money Saving section, where early retirement is one of the subjects. It is inhabited by polite folk, with what I would call normal pensions or savings, not the must have a million pounds saving pot before retiring on income of £500 a week. Some sound like they are, have been, in your position.

Dry again and sun out, heating up again, and back to oven at the weekend and next week, no respite or rain down here. Good for the outdoor toms at least

Hope everyone’s cistern is sorted It is, thanks, but this morning I entered Phase II of buggerdom. Fridge freezer is not 100%, milk became yogurt overnight, frozen bangers are limp, generally no cold enough. Of course the temperature control dial is useless bit of design, it has Low or High as temperature, so, is Low colder than High? The graphic line is thicker on High which to me means more or colder. Luckily if it all defrosted it is not a catastrophe, frozen chips & peas etc, not sirloin steaks

2P I like the look of your courgettes Farway. Right size for one and the yellows tend to have softer skin. Does yours? Do you think I could get them growing later so they arrive the same time as the tomatoes? I do
like them fried together with some onion and garlic. I admit I went for looks when I sowed them, but they turned out well, skins soft. more to come if I can get Boy & Girl flowers at same time. I think it would be easier to get later courgettes than earlier tomatoes, July for seed sowing may be a bit late but this weather worth a bash if seed, or better still, a plant, available

Everything takes longer to do the ordinary so not a lot to post yet. It will come back over time, pacing jobs is something I've had to learn, along with accepting there some things I will no longer be able to do and thus enjoy what there is.

Dusty Good service, and actually worth the extra few quid. Glad it's finished, and a few quid extra is often worth it.

No gardening, may go down to look at my Lucifer crocosmia, I spotted them from the bedroom window, and check on Runner beans, I think, could be imagination, I can spy tiny beans

Most of time will be looking up White Goods, grrrr, and financial mish mash ISA rubbish. But, it's the 1st July, there remains hope of a knock on door from Our Rachel to let me know I've won P Bonds jackpot, and could she borrow a few quid please 😁