Awful weather - typical Brits talk

phoebe1989seb

Blimey, RAS 😨 Looks very pretty, but I confess I'm glad we don't have it here!

Another couple of cold, mostly sunny days for us, although we did have a brief showery spell late yesterday. Brilliant sunshine again today.

Those tellimas turned into 67 plants in the end, so I was out till dusk getting them in the ground. Altogether I planted 84 perennials on Tuesday 😀

Yesterday it was back to moving huge rocks embedded in the soil/grass, that were obviously part of the 'terracing' years ago when the property belonged to the big house. These need to go as they're - not quite - on the perimeter of the mini orchard, where we plan to have espaliered apples.

Might just do a bit of gentle weeding later today.

greenbee

We've just had horizontal hail, and its now white outside!

Good luck with the moving plans @Woolsery - I had agents round before Christmas for a chat, and having done some of the work that was already planned at that point, I've just arranged for them to come back on Monday to do a final valuation and work out a marketing plan. I now need to review their ts & cs properly and break the news to them that I won't be signing a 10-week contract!

Farway

Wow, some snow there RAS, just a few flakes in the biting cold wind here, but warm in the occasional sunshine, my pear & plum blossom looks lovely but very frustrating knowing it will very likely come to nowt, but that’s gardening for you

On a brighter note, my beetroots have germinated in their modules, and my cosmos is going well, if weather ever gets better I can start moving them outside and slowly harden off. I never did sow the radish, maybe later?

Woolsery

greenbee said:

Good luck with the moving plans @Woolsery - I had agents round before Christmas for a chat, and having done some of the work that was already planned at that point, I've just arranged for them to come back on Monday to do a final valuation and work out a marketing plan. I now need to review their ts & cs properly and break the news to them that I won't be signing a 10-week contract!

We're not moving anywhere at present greenbee; we have tentative plans for a big barn that came as an 'extra' with the property and now has potential due to changes in the law and planning policy. We wanted to know whether the main property's desirability would be seriously reduced if were to sell the barn with outline PP + 1/3 acre to a close relative. The answer is 'No,' provided we put up a new machinery shed/log store in our garden, and it'll be even better if a nice Alton-type cedar greenhouse is erected too!

But there's many a slip.......and when one reaches a certain age, who knows whether abilities that have been taken for granted won't fade. So, it's always good to know what options are available.

I agree; tied into a 10 week contract is no way to be just now, or any time! There's a dearth of good stock here at present and property is still being snapped-up fast.....apart from the cottage down the road which is up and down on Rightmove like a .....err ....Good Lord, is that the time? I must away and find some logs to fend off the 1c we're expecting!

greenbee

Brave of you to consider having close relatives living so close But then I guess it could come in handy as you age. 

I'm looking to move about 4 hours away, so given the speed at which property is moving, I'll probably contact a search agent once I've got confirmation on the valuation here - assuming they want my business on a 4-week contract (I'm going to ask them to try to maximise price rather than speed unless I suddenly find something that means I'm on a deadline) - as I can't keep nipping up to have a quick look at something on the off chance. My boss might have a few things to say about me vanishing regularly!

Woolsery

greenbee said:

Brave of you to consider having close relatives living so close But then I guess it could come in handy as you age.

 For the relative, it's a cultural thing, just like it used to be in the UK once upon a time. We aren't young or as fit as we were, so it could enable us to hang on here longer and see more of grandchildren too. I see multi-generational family living making a comeback in the UK before long, but that's for another section of the site!

A touch of frost here, but nothing worrying. We are not going to experience any rain over the next few days and it's going to stay chilly. I'm tasked with defrosting freezers today, so that's OK. If freed by lunchtime, I might even get some more seed sowing done.

greenbee

That all sounds good! Small children make surprisingly good free garden labour too 😉

Farway

Sun’s back, winds dropped and I’m feeling much better as well, so all’s good

As per Woolsery, “when one reaches a certain age, who knows whether abilities that have been taken for granted won't fade.” Today could be the day I get down the garden for photo of the pear blossom, it’s still there from what I can see and forecast is getting better, if only it can hang a bit longer until the weather improves next week, everything crossed please

And just maybe those pesky radish seeds will get sown

greenbee said:

That all sounds good! Small children make surprisingly good free garden labour too 😉

They sometimes require a sound beating to stop their bleating, little nimble fingers picking blackcurrants, pah, even collecting windall apples was a struggle at times despite knowing the crumble that was to follow was dependant upon them

Should've sent them up chimneys instead, at least they could've brought some soot home

twopenny

Still the cold wind here. It's just no fun being outside.

So I bought some geraniums (pelagoniams) instead. They will go at the end of the 'tunnel' at the side which makes a cheerful kitchen entrance to the veg patch.

The ones I had there went all through the winter but the last rain gave them rusty something. More leaves are coming after trimming so the new ones will go there and the old 'maybe they'll come good' ones at the side of the kitchen door.

Trouble is the primulas already there are just blooming nicely!

The plum tree I was so worried about last year is blooming a treat.

The dwarf cherry I moved from pot to soil is covered in buds....but I don't know if that's leaf or blossom. If it's blossom I'm quids in.

The greengage doesn't look like it's going to produce this year.

The young apple trees are hanging fire, keeping me in suspense.

The raspberries are full of leaf and even some flower buds! Hopefully they will screen for privacy this year.

Buds on the £2 Clematis and it's coming from the old stems, leaves and all. Just don't ask me which it is until it blooms. Again for privacy I'm hoping it will romp away. May have done if I hadn't accidentally snapped off 4 stems

Woolsery

greenbee said:

That all sounds good! Small children make surprisingly good free garden labour too 😉

 Ours didn't do much work, but they used the garden a lot and caught the green bug in the end.

I remember the eldest staging a Swampy-type protest, sitting in her favourite apple tree when we decided it had to be cut down. Her Grandpa literally chain-sawed the limbs off until her branch was the only one left! 

Younger daughter was keen to learn. She's now a very competent gardener, though a south facing sun trap in the city gives her quite an advantage. I have to say that because her results are often better than mine!

We've had sun all day, but with the biting wind I didn't mind that the freezer defrosting took longer than expected. I  eventually trekked down to the stream half-heartedly to plant a few valerian and geraniums. At the end of that it snowed briefly, so I decided to call it a day.

Glad you're feeling better Farway and my fingers are crossed for the pear. Less cold on Monday onwards,