Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Woolsery

Looks like sunshine most of the time today, but with a chill NE wind. If I can get away with it, I may spend the day sorting out plants in pots and planting more garlic that's been sitting in toilet roll inners too long. Yesterday I cut grass, which has suddenly woken up.

I hope you come to live near me wellies. At the weekend we had a big party and many people commented on how lovely this area is. Oh yes, they'd been to Devon, but somehow never found this part. That's because they were too busy trying to reach the same bits as everyone else!

Our new distant neighbours have disappeared. On Sunday they had a cooker delivered and a visit from a builder (Yes, a builder on Easter Sunday! ) which either means they can pull strings or he's a rubbish builder!  Curiouser and curiouser.....not that I'm being nosy, mind...

in_my_wellies

Woolsery said:

I hope you come to live near me wellies. At the weekend we had a big party and many people commented on how lovely this area is. Oh yes, they'd been to Devon, but somehow never found this part. That's because they were too busy trying to reach the same bits as everyone else!

I think I'm not too far already but I don't live in that house just now. I live in the house I bought in 1982 and sold about 20 years ago. When I needed to return to the Midlands it happened to be up for sale and the owner was delighted that I would be caretaker for 'a few years' while he works in the USA. I pay just a peppercorn rent and so I charge the family in my house in Devon just the same. I would like them to stay - good people, they are able to save. 

I need to downsize. Small house, big garden. I've seen one off the A377 but it has a public footpath right through the garden. I'm OK with that but my family are not!

Beautiful sunny morning here. I'm hoping to catch up with seeds this morning, planting and pricking out. Plants in the greenhouse are very slow, not dying but not growing either. Suffering from neglect I fear

Woolsery

in_my_wellies said:

Woolsery said:

I hope you come to live near me wellies. At the weekend we had a big party and many people commented on how lovely this area is. Oh yes, they'd been to Devon, but somehow never found this part. That's because they were too busy trying to reach the same bits as everyone else!

I need to downsize. Small house, big garden. I've seen one off the A377 but it has a public footpath right through the garden. I'm OK with that but my family are not!

I suppose it depends on the footpath, but most of them here are not used a lot in my experience. We can walk all afternoon and sometimes not meet a soul, even on the busier ones. Not the Tarka Trail, of course; that's more like a walker's/cyclist's motorway.

I can think of two properties here that have a footpath along the edge of garden; one is big and worth about £3/4 million and the other is massive and off the charts financially. I did see another on Rightmove which might be the one you're referring to, where the path intersected at right angles, cutting the long garden in half. Can't recall where that was though, as I still have an alert relating to a friend's search in Somerset.

Lots going on this morning. Our visitors have Covid, which they assume they caught at our party, but I think that's debatable. They've been all over the place since last week. Meanwhile, great hammering and banging is now going on in our distant neighbour's property....It's listed, so I expect they're just putting up some coat hooks.... 

Farway

Sun’s back, with a bit more warmth as well, allowing me to get those Cosmos etc. out and continue hardening off. The Bishop’s Children dahlias have joined the outside party this morning, they are doing well since I topped them with the leaves really increasing in size, all being well my timing for Mid-May planting out could be spot on this year, I’m hoping to leave them in their modules until final position 

And the little gem lettuce have germinated on the window sill, which leaves me with possible space & “MSE censored” ing out problem in a few weeks

Never got round to trimming the gooseberry bases, it rained yesterday instead, that’s a job for another day then

Woolsery

Really warm yesterday and I finally got those tomatoes potted-on. Sadly, this fine spell hasn't helped my grass seed germinate, so I had to rig up 3 hoses to reach it in the afternoon and then our grandson 'helped' watering it. Of course, he ended wetter than the ground, but I think we did enough.

With our visitors Covid-conked there is a lot of pressure on us now; not that there hasn't been for the past 10 days. They're unable to drive home and we're unable to chill-out like we'd planned by just pottering in the ornamental garden. Work is falling rapidly behind, which isn't good in a year where we will see long term shortages. I noticed sunflower oil was back in Sainsburys last week, but there are alternatives we use to that. In the case of wheat there are fewer other options and a price rise of 100% looks on the cards. Perhaps those who went mad and bought many kg of spaghetti weren't so daft, but like the huge 'stockplile bags' of rice I also saw in Joe's place, I bet it was all the processed stuff and not so wonderful  health-wise. I don't know about you folks, but I've transitioned to wholewheat and brown rice etc without too much pain and prfer them now.

Must soak my peas today and Farway's reminded me to get more Little Gem lettuce in. The first ones are nearly ready to cut, but they began in those seemingly far off days when we had a polytunnel!

RAS

Rather missing in action. Been setting up a show stand, volunteering and now staffing, so not much else this week. Hope to pot on the lettuce and other seedlings today, but just about managed to water everything first thing, after being called in last night. 

Typing this on the bus, so excuse spellers. might try a piccie or two later.

in_my_wellies

Another beautiful sunny morning but so much to do and little time at home today. In limbo at the moment.

Last night I sorted seeds, again but doubt they'll be planted until this evening if I have the energy. Eye off the ball, slugs have eaten 17 of the 48 marigolds I grow for my blind aunt - just about the only plant bright enough for her to see and look after. I'll have to spread them out. 

The ground is so dry here too. Why does the hose work perfectly in the autumn when I pack it up and not when I unpack it in spring? Like Christmas lights!

Another security camera appeared yesterday - all singing and dancing rotating on a tall stick. I'm not sure if it rotates enough to capture my property but I won't object if it keeps me secure. I thought the 7 they already have would be a deterrent but not always. Anyone would think I live in a terrible area but no, just 2 miles along a track leading to a huge company. 

Farway

More sun & maybe shower forecast, seems we are in for a long dry spell now, high pressure etc. Good and bad in many ways, more watering but gets those bees busy on my fruit blossom and allow the hardening off to continue.

Space is getting short in the conservatory, could be more if I sorted it out better instead of shoving things wherever I find a hole

Trip to RHS Wisley sorted for week after next, post Bank Holiday, bit tied because due to my lack of puff I need to use one of their free electric buggies to scoot around there and limited supply means I have to go on a day that a buggy is available, they used to have a “Land Train” that went round dropping the less nimble off but Covid spacing has killed that for the time being

Could actually get the gooseberry base trimmed back, and get the nasturtiums in. I’ve decided to sow them in pots first to keep eye on watering while young because the space I want them to go in will be dust dry come summer

Woolsery, I never could get used to brown rice, whole wheat bread is fine, just brown rice takes me back to Ying & Yang days of looking at bowls of gloopy brown rice and no matter how much soy sauce I applied it just tasted like soap to me

It was potential shortages this year that has prompted me to sow some Little Gem & Burpless cucs, normally I just buy them for the small number I eat but free & fresh may be far easier this year. I think with my slug problem though the lettuce will have to grow in the conservatory, I doubt they’d survive a night in the wild

twopenny

Been lovely weather here. I was even on the beach photographing in a trappy tee shirt.
Not so good for the garden. It's bone dry just as everything is growing.
Covid recovery + double tooth extraction and i set to do a little bit and ended digging up kale plants, raking etc etc and useless today. Feeling terrible. Hoping for a miracle cure tomorrow.

I was delighted yesterday to go out and hear the buzz of insects. From 3yrs where there was nothing it was a joy and sucess. The new varieties of perennial wallflower are feeding the bees - but none as well as Bowles Mauve.
I now have regular small birds along with the blackbirds all of which I can watch from the settee. Just as well at the moment.
The seeds suddenly appeared one morning too.
I've got lots of questions so tomorrow I'll start posting them as I need to rest.
Wools, why can't your visitors drive home? The infection not that bad. It's just that it goes on. They aren't in contact with outside if they're in a car.

twopenny

Oh and thanks for the laughs folks.
The hose, the coathooks the security cameras
Farway did you know our salads come from Spain? I only just found out.