Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

Oh dear, Farway. Here's hoping for some good news today. I echo what 2p says about preserving your own health too. Let the young-uns do their bit. 😉

2p it's very hot here too, with cloudless skies. All watering-up completed before 10.30. We'll lurk indoors now until late afternoon, though that isn't productive. 😒 If I get desperate, there's a shady place where I can continue chainsawing last winter's tree trunks. I don't need to chop them with the splitting maul right away! 🤣

Or there's chasing after butterflies with the camera in the wild area's shade. I saw a hornet this morning, but it didn't stop to have its portrait taken. ☹️

Today's photo is yesterday's fig haul, many taken early to ripen indoors before the birds have them. I still can't taste much, so waiting a few days won't be too difficult. 🙄

The multimeter arrived by coolie yesterday, allowing me to establish the car's battery is OK. Mrs D and I will test the alternator when things cool down this evening, but regardless, tomorrow's trip to an open garden is cancelled.😔

twopenny

How do you know when to pick a fig?

With most fruits they almost fall off with just a gentle, tiny twist.

I thought figs took 2 seasons to grow mature?

There's a huge tree on the edge of a park walk 🤔 apparently they are never picked.

Too hot to be outside so I'm making strawberry and raspberry jam. Sadly from supermarket fruits that were on offer or reduced but using hard plums to make jam soon. Worked out that you get 50%fruit for about £1.50 a jar as opposed to £3 for 30% of fruit in a supermarket one. Or £5 for a 65%fruit locally made.

Lovely on toast on a winter morning to remind you of summer 🙂

LessImpecunious

Very hot here too after a coolish start, but a perhaps over-ambitious walk in the hills in the morning meant too knackered to do much in the garden this afternoon… Too hot, and favourite foodplants fast shrivelling up, for many butterflies to be active today either; keep seeing the hummingbird hawkmoth, but even that wasn't about this afternoon…

Inspired by Farway's summer fruit tree pruning I have been cutting down overgrown vegetation (too much growth in warm wet early part of the year, if anyone remembers that..) under my trees in readiness for tackling them, as they don't seem to have reached the ideal stage of maturity to prevent post-pruning regrowth (as suggested by RHS, etc), surprisingly given the conditions - think they probably stopped growing c. the first heatwave and haven't done anything since - if we ever do get any rain I can imagine them springing into life again so don't want to be too hasty…

That was too vigorous a job for today, so decided to pull up a few nettles (easy in dry soil) growing too close to a path, which led on to hacking trimming back carefully the rampant Paul's Himalayan Musk encroaching on the other side… All sort-of in the shade at least; surprising how re-invigorating a little bit of gardening activity can be, at least until you stop…😅

No photos today, so instead one from yesterday, with a (I think) 22-degree halo around sun in hazy conditions, a reminder that eclipse is due on Wednesday…

Sending best wishes to Farway and co

twopenny

And the Presides meteor shower 🙂

The moon is supposed to be right for the stars to shine out and it's warm and dry enough. It's wonderful if it's clear. We sit or lay down to watch.

Well done Less. At least you're getting something done 👍

wort

Morning all, Farway hope everyone is ok , Dusty I also had a similar experience in specs place! So busy I waited @an hour for my appointment. There was no organization, and I felt rushed when actually in the room with the optician. Well done on the fig haul. I read the clock wrong and thought your hog was late for breakfast not early for supper.

Good spot photo Less, I will probably forget to look for eclipse 🙄. 2p that rose is lovely, my tranquillity rose is on its second flowering, with less black spot this year too.

Did a bit of tidying in the garden Saturday and I cut back my lavender too. The sun is shining already, although there was heat yesterday but when I got in from work, it felt slightly chilly and overcast.

Farway

Back to semi normal, the dust has settled and way ahead known but needs an lot of coordinating, luckily the young 'uns can handle that now & I'm knackered

No name etc, precis is possible mini stroke [TIA] while driving, clipped a few cars, luckily no one injured, bashed wing mirror type of damage. Made it home and then phoned wanting lift, when us cavalry arrived we smelt gas. Usual open windows etc, while calling 111 about confusion and eye problems

Anyway, long spell in A & E, emergency gas disconnected at the mains [We think it was unlit hob left on]. Situation now is waiting on the others car insurance claims to start piling in, gas to be checked and MRI scan this week. Longer term, car to be sold, who knows what's ahead with MRI & obvious mental confusion & memory, left with one life changed forever over a weekend. It can happen so rapidly and without warning.

Back to gardening, a blessed relief where even lugging water is relaxing. Some of my pot plants were drooping of course, but they have had a good drink since and now perked up. I was out again first thing this morning, we have scorchio due Thursday and will need plenty then.

Tomatoes are starting to ripen everywhere now, even the self sown in cat poo trough. Not ripe enough to sample but maybe by the weekend

Figs. How do you know when to pick a fig? They go soft & squidgy, honey dew oozes from the end, and they split, cue wasps. I read they do not ripen off the tree, Dusty, once picked the just deteriorate, so it's a watch & wait game. Only one crop in UK, but maybe with global boiling that could change, mine are starting to get second crop, unlikely to ripen before frost but you never know

Less as they don't seem to have reached the ideal stage of maturity to prevent post-pruning regrowth. Some regrowth may occur, but the solution is prune the fresh growth back to one leaf. So you have a spur with three leaves, then a fresh shoot, with one leaf.

Only other garden job is trundle garden waste wheelie round for collection tomorrow

LessImpecunious

Glad things are back to a new normal for you at least Farway…

Less as they don't seem to have reached the ideal stage of maturity to prevent post-pruning regrowth. Some
regrowth may occur, but the solution is prune the fresh growth back to one leaf. So you have a spur with three leaves, then a fresh shoot, with one leaf.

That would be OK if it was just my one trained tree (which I have already pruned) - but I've done a lot of renovation pruning on other trees (I have a few!) over the past 3 or 4 years and seems to result in a lot of excess growth (upright shoots, etc) especially on some over-vigorous trees - so want to avoid having to do a second prune if at all possible!

Hardly any apples this year after two good years, so it would have been ideal to make a start on them without worrying about disturbing the crop, and when it's too hot and dry to think about planting or sowing late summer veg (though will have to do that soon regardless, or miss the boat…😕)…

Dustyevsky

Best wishes to Farway and family after yesterday's ordeal. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but there will be much adjustment required. I dread the loss of my independence more than anything.

Speaking of independence, one doesn't have much in the country if personal transport stops working. 😕The car's battery and alternator have checked-out as working OK, so my best guess is it's the starter motor on the blink. That goes beyond my willingness/ability nowadays, so the garage will be sorting things on Thursday. Meanwhile, cross fingers time. We're off to a small gathering tonight, but it's almost walking distance if the worst happens! 😧

Glad it's not just me, wort, finding the casualness at that particular franchise unnerving. I've gone there for many years, and I didn't recognise any of their staff.😐️

2p, the figs are in embryo form early in the year, and they're properly ready if they're really brown and splitting, like Farway says. Mine aren't, but at least I'm getting some! I can see new embryo figs forming, but it's unlikely these will mature before cold weather intervenes, so they'll drop off out of doors. In a greenhouse, one might get two crops if the first comes from overwintered figlets.

No apple pruning here. The one I did last year has just 2 apples on it.😞 I couldn't do quadratic equations either.

Never mind, I have my own Holly Blue now. 😛

twopenny

Phew Farway, at least they are around and getting all the investigations and had you to turn to. Friendly support is the biggest factor in taking the unwanted stress and strain out of the situation.👍

Dusty hope it was a good night and we'll know tomorrow if you got home alright 😄

And thank you both for the fig information. Completely different to what I thought I knew. I think I'll stick to waiting for roadside figs to drop off into my pocket because I think I've killed off my Morrisons twig I bought. The little pot kept drying out daily 🙂

I think ours is going that way Wort too. Every time I go in the staff have changed and seem to be new to the job. Used to be happy friendly folk but now look bemused and stressed.

Been a hot one again, 34 in the back garden and despite the cooler nights sleep is tricky. Most people seem to be the same and we're all slightly grumpy and bemused. But I did get some more seed in pots.

My tiny brassicas have been half eaten overnight and the butterflies are laying eggs on them like mad. All very unsatisfactory 😬

In fact the whole day has been a bit that way. The electrician swapped my little vintage light for a massive bulk head one too big for the bathroom but they don't seem to have any feel for that sort of thing. I guess it doesn't matter in the greater scheme of things but the hours I spent sourcing the right look - I could scream!

Dustyevsky

2P: Dusty hope it was a good night and we'll know tomorrow if you got home alright 😄

Yes, thanks. We had a very pleasant evening in good company, with the sun setting over the lovely view and that quintessential English background of church bell-ringing practice! 😄

The car did start, but I'm not pushing my luck. I'll shop in the van this week! Now is a good time to think about what to stock-up on, remembering Europe has gone through drought and high temperatures too. It could be better than the lottery. You are wise getting some brassicas in. 😉 We're not so focused on this time of abundance, as on what we can be grown in 3–4 months time, especially in the poly. Oh, and I'm ordering more logs too.

Extra hot today, with a brisk SE wind that'll dry everything out quickly. Might get some hole-digging done for a short time, then hide indoors with paperwork while the sun's at its highest. This house never becomes too hot for us, as we just shut off the south-facing side and live in the other part.

For those who've had enough of the heat, here's Rosa glauca with an early reminder autumn's just along the road now! 😎