Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

Farway:The rain came with some wind, which blew over a tomato & my Runners are back to leaning,

No wind needed here. Yesterday, while Mrs Dusty and I were on a hospital appt, our 10' tall cucumber in the polytunnel lost its battle with gravity. 😥 It was well secured to a net by many tendrils, but the weight of fruit proved too much. Normally, we tie it in too, but we're not up to being perfect gardeners just now. 😔 At least we have numerous cues, the plant may recover. and there's a second one just starting to ascend.

The car behaved, but I've a multi-tester coming up-River. 😉

While Mrs D was visiting consumer emporia, I foolishly strayed into Sp*csavers, thinking it was time to have my self-destruct shades renewed, but apparently not. I vaguely recall having a rant on here when, at the last test, a family, munching crisps and pasties, appeared to have mistaken the place for a fast food outlet. Their revamp certainly made it look like one. So, that wasn't long ago, yet there's been another internal 'improvement,' hard to describe, where one now sashays and twerks among a maze of racks, customers, and staff, vainly attempting to find a recognisable reception point. It wasn't quite the Marquee Club Bar in 1968, but it reminded me of that, or various discos. 😄

Eventually, a forward young lady intercepted me, and we established contact with my personal data without dancing. It said I'd to wait till October for a free test, and no, the place was under new control, so Mr Smith wouldn't be doing the test, like he's done for many years. In fact, it wasn't possible to divulge who'd be testing….. ☹️ She looked my type of girl, and we'd have got on fine 60 years ago, but I decided to end our speed date and left the club shop. Now I've until October to find somewhere more 'suited to my demographic.' 🤓

Farway: All set for Mangy Toots next year then, and Fennel. looks like another bargain haul there, with some unusual ones.

Yes, there are some new Mangy Toots, and there's a 'proper' pea called Bernard, which they claim suitable for containers. It doesn't say F1, so improving on the stingy packet contents ought to be possible.😉 As for the fennel, we already have it, but Mrs Dusty cuts the heads off for some reason. ☹️

Love the chameleon fail! 🤣

Dug around for a photo, but only came up with this one of buddleia 'Dusty's Erect' with Red Admiral and bee.The advantage of this 'variety' is that it doesn't flop over paths. The disadvantage is obvious!

Weather edit; A really pleasant summer day with 21c and light, cooling winds from the NW. Back to scorchio soon, though.😣 Will it come with a thunderstorm bonus this time? 😏

Farway

Sunny of course, and this weekend continues with hotting up again, I'm getting acclimatised now and into Tropical Routine, up early, do a bit, then loll about. In past times the lolling may have taken place in some dingy dive, which sounds somewhat like Dusty's Marquee Club Bar. By coincidence it was sixty years ago Mr C Checker began twisting the night away, I may have joined in 😁

OT, I only found out recently every Sp*csaver is a franchise, but called a joint partnership, which explains the revamp at your one Dusty. Hopefully alternatives are around, I know there are here, presumably because some prefer them. I use SP, but it suits me,parking etc. I've never had same person test me in SS, but I go 24 months apart, as the booking robots require. I'd use Morries or B & Q if they had one, then I could browse the garden bit while waiting

The up early today involved feed & water the front pots, they're drying out very quickly now the plants are larger, more lady courgettes on the way as well. Plus outdoor toms starting to ripen, first up is Bajaja,, a red cherry, supposed to be a micro tom but is quite a large plant. One that looks like it may do well is Vilma, supposed to be basket but is growing like a cordon.

Picked my first tom, Sungold, a bit sharper than I remembered, but maybe I picked too early? i had to pick 'cos it split as Sungold does

On picking, started picking my early apples, they are ripe & dropping off now. Unknown wrong label, but AI thinks it could be Ellison's orange, all I know is it is early & does not store or keep well. Not huge crop this year, I'll take pic later. Some years I've had bags full to give away. Could be jam making next week with the blackberries

twopenny

How are the apples Farway? I had problems with the ones I got being too hard to cook 😲

On the jam front, I found I had a jar of plum that was too thick and sticky to spread so I mixed it with apple. Delicious. I seem to have some plums on the tree but they are small and mostly 'firm'.

Dusty, glad you're on the mend even if it does mean having to deal with lifes scrap.. I've got quite a bit of that to deal with shortly.

Been a tiny bit awol. I've started dancing again, swimming and walking unaided so the weekend to hang around and dealing with trying to tidy the garden someway I'm so fed up with looking at it parched and dying.

I'm thinking the drooped leaves can be disposed of now it's not blistering hot and I was hoping they would keep the roots protected from the direct sun. And if I'm careful I can move the pots that got scattered around the garden to get them in the shade.

Got a text from Wessex water saying please be careful with your use of water as we haven't had to impose a hosepipe ban. Nothing like telling everyone that so they rush out to give extra water to the plants in panic 🙄

Cool even cold evenings now as the nights draw in but very warm during the day. It's no fun going out when the countryside is parched golden and no animals to see. I deadheaded the English lavender and tried to strip the heads but they aren't dry enough! In this weather that's Annoying!

The ponds where I photographed are half mud now .

Farway

Sunny again, and going back to boil next week, just as I was starting to sleep at night, seems today is the last OK sort of day before it's back to bake.

How are the apples Farway? I had problems with the ones I got being too hard to cook Seem OK, but these are the early ones and tend to go cotton wool after a week or so. I have small hard ones on another tree, but they are not ripe yet.

Just tasted one, sweet and much as you'd find in a SM, not as juicy as some years, hardly surprising with the lack of rain. Photos at end. They will be fine for jam but would not win any prizes. I found I had a jar of plum that was too thick and sticky to spread so I mixed it with apple. Delicious. Good, apple seems to mix with most, and gives bulk, also Pectin I think but no expert on that side of it. I only have one, bullet, plum so not even a jam sandwich there.

2P, sounds like normality is quickly returning to your life since the op, good to hear and hopefully even the parched garden may be tolerable now your pain has gone.

Bit more watering first thing, the cat poo troughs with the self seed tomatoes in, the leaves on those toms are starting to yellow so I'll remove some soon, give them a fighting chance to shine.

Picked & cooked my only two runner beans yesterday, awful, despite being young and not monsters they were case hardened by the sun. Terrible, and no more coming, lots of flowers but with next week's heat I suspect they will fail as well. And all I wanted this year was a taster, still time I guess.

Not sure it good or bad, my Paul Robeson beefsteak tom is ripening, but the darn thing is only normal tomato size, not a beefsteak jumbo. At least it fruited. I have another plant, outside, which may do better. Also the Caniles from a seed smear from an Asda tomato is growing well and has set fruit. Fingers crossed on that, I liked the original hence the seed smear.

Here are some of the apples I picked, with still a few on the tree. Some have maggots but I don't spray, and cut out those bits anyway

Spot the maggot damage, no prizes.

Dustyevsky

2p: Dusty, glad you're on the mend even if it does mean having to deal with lifes scrap.. I've got quite a bit of that to deal with shortly.

Your own mend has been very impressive! 😇 As for life's um, 'scrap,' my latest is failing to locate the note from my insurers saying I have 9 years no claims discount. After 2 years of being Mrs Dusty's named driver, I want to have my own policy again. It won't be with that insurer, though. They refused to cover me when I reached 75. 😭Obviously, they don't know I could still thrash my DD on this! 😜….or maybe they do! 😆

Farway, there are no edible apples here. It could be another month, and they're small. Plums are coming. Figs have arrived in quantity, but I'm having to pick them early to beat the birds. Picture soon.

Mercifully dull here, but we have GCs and their parents visiting, so not much will get done.😔With it being so dry, the hedgehogs are emerging earlier, not only to supplement their diet, but also to get a drink. As you can see, it wasn't properly dark when the first one arrived on Thursday:

twopenny

Good looking apples Farway. That's an achievement this year 👏🎉 and yes, tomatoes are smaller than they should be all round.

Aww the hedgehogs Dusty 🙂 I keep putting out water.

Was cooler this morning and up early so went and got my Little Owl picture 😁 not as good as the one that got deleted but there! Photos later.

Set to pruning the rose arch while neighbours son wasn't parked there and lopped off the wrong bit but been feeling iffy all day and it's muggy now. I've got a cold sweat on which isn't right so guess I've been over doing it or caught the bug, people coughing wildly all over the supermarket. It's a lie down for me now. Try to get rid of whatever it is.

Just to add a little cheer here's a Gertrude Jeykl . Just trimmed off dead heads but it's smothered in greenfly now. And that's a 6yr old me in the garden with my granddad who started it all off 🙂

Dustyevsky

2p: Aww the hedgehogs Dusty 🙂 I keep putting out water.

If only people would do that through this extremely dry spell. No need to feed them, Although dry kitten food isn't expensive, people fear attracting vermin.😕 We've had none in our special box, or even passing-by. 😇

That's a cracking rose. Seems to have kept its AGM despite being middle-aged. ☺️

Visitors meant no meaningful garden progress today, but they took their tropical fish home with them after 4 years in our hallway, so that was a win. 😄

twopenny

The vermin are just as desperate for food and water. One ran in front of my car around 11am in town. So they are around where there may be scraps anyway.

If you know you've got hedgehogs some food on the trail they visit wouldn't hurt. They are more likely to get it first.

I didn't know about the dried kitten food.

Farway

Morning all, just a quick pop in, no foreseeable gardening over the next few days because around lunchtime yesterday had The Phone Call, so it was into car & then 111, then A E hanging around until nearly midnight.

All's well with me, the subject has been kept in overnight and who knows what today will bring? Certainly not gardening.

Luckily DS & DD are near by so a lot of the organising & driving is being done by them, with me as, now worn out, advisor

Catch you later

twopenny

Sorry to hear of trouble Farway. 🤞that all goes well. Don't forget to rest as well because you need that for the supportive role. Remaining calm and there to talk to is more exhausting than actually doing something. Been there, done both.

It's blooming hot here already and no breeze! So even light stuff outside is off the cards for now.

We had a few, just a few, drops of rain yesterday. Enough to make me hear it but only a few polka dots on the paving. Disappointing.