Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Woolsery

twopenny said:

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.

It's quite a long haul, the one who'd do the bulk of the driving has other health issues and there are 2 children, one under two involved. Having said that, they didn't look too unwell tonight. They also know the other pair are returning on Friday and all get along very well. We expect everyone will depart on Sunday a.m and then we'll either collapse in a heap or go to bed, depending on whether we've caught it or not!

My sympathies lie more with you and that double extraction.

Not a lot to report here, but on my evening perambulation I noted a lot of blossom on our neglected pear trees. We also saw a lone swallow yesterday.

The coat hook saga continued today with the arrival of two more tradespeople and another attempt with the jack-hammer. I do hope they're solid brass, not plate.

Farway

Back to dull this morning but I did get my bottom into gear yesterday by sowing the nasturtiums and trimmed the base of the gooseberry

I decided to sow the nasturtiums in situ in the end, the only thing that made me hesitate was the cat’s loo potential but I‘ve decided to risk it. After sowing I then thought about adding some beets in there for more colour and a quick crop, but of course I now have no idea where the nasturtiums are sown, so I’ll wait a week or two before sowing the beets in the spaces

2P, salads from Spain, I did know, and some from Holland, but I guess it depends on the time of year and available supplies as to where Asda etc. go shopping.

Listening to farming on R4 this morning it seems the cost of gas is starting to affect all glass house growers both here and abroad, with some now just sowing for the warmer summer months, one crop instead of three, which must affect cost in the shops

Maybe my sowing a few Little Gems & a couple of Burpless cucs was not such a bad idea after all, and I can but don’t eat nasturtiums

2P mention of Bowles Mauve reminded me that I’ve not seen mine this year; I know they don’t live long so maybe it’s a gonner?

I'm fairly certain I have Covid but test is negative, seems a lot are negative but still have it, luckily mine seems in Heavy Cold category and flopping around is standard at Farway Towers there’s not much change there, hope all other suffers improve and your visitors manage to get away Woolsery

RAS

The light was very difficult at the show, stands too crowded most of the day, and late sun shining in through the top windows plus overhead lights but here's one, not my stand. Show winner

Woolsery

I  thought 'Dibleys' as soon as I saw that, RAS. Lovely! Long established and a proper company.

Wish I could post a few photos, but the new computer isn't set up for that yet and there's no peace here to do things that require thought at present. Our guests keep opening windows and patio doors to 'dilute' their germs and we're freezing with the keen north-easterly that's arrived with the dullness today.

All I've done outdoors is cut grass and push children in wheelbarrows, so fairly unproductive again....I did notice this morning our lovely Bowles Mauve that flowered profusely last year has also vanished. I think they just flower themseelves to death. Luckily, I take cuttings.

Farway

Woolsery said:

I  thought 'Dibleys' as soon as I saw that, RAS. Lovely! Long established and a proper company.

My recent Streptocarpus purchase was from Dibleys in March, my first venture into Streps and hooked already. Only four little plugs for a start but the buds are forming with the photo finger itching for them to flower, another few weeks to go yet I think, watch this space!

Dull with a bit of a chill wind, still continuing to harden off the cosmos & Bishops Children

Job coming up soon is pot on the remaining tomatoes; the new compost I bought this year does seem to be much better than last year’s rubbish. I also have loads of coleus seedlings to pot on, they look a bit too small just now but they are certainly getting a bit crowded

While watering & mooching yesterday I noticed my old apple tree, wrongly labelled decades ago & variety unknown, has at last started to look like the “how to” pictures, with flowering fruiting spurs along the old boughs. Only taken it forty years to get here.  

The tree has been a monster in its time and I really went to town on it about four years ago when I could no longer reach up to the top, cut out the top and concentrated on laterals, regular summer pruning and shaping during winter trying to keep it no more than shoulder high. This year seems to have be the pay off, but still slightly lop sided

Luckily it is quite fruitful and a nice early apple or it would’ve gone years ago. Here it is, for Blossom Day

Woolsery

That ghastly NE wind is drying everything out and making gardening a real chore, but I've been tied up catering for invalids, so it matters not. Luckily the cavalry has come over the hill now in the form of other daughter and spouse, who are the most competent parents I know without having any children of their own.They also know how to cook and exciting smells are reaching me now.

I took a few photos of Cowslips in the lawn tonight, so I'll see if I can upload one tomorrow. Apart from that, the only notable other thing today was discovering what looks like a tulip emerging in the field, nowhere near any garden.

Farway

Wind’s dropped here as well, looking quite sunny & cheerful out right now

My tomato potting on is more or less completed, just a couple of Balcony Yellows to go into wall baskets in the conservatory & I’m done until final planting them out

I’ve decided to sow a couple more Burpless cucs, two seemed to have rotted, not shown up anyway despite being in same environment as the other pot. I if the new sowings grow I may have surplus Burpless

Grass still needs mowing otherwise I’m up to date for the moment

Woolsery

Woolsery said:

I took a few photos of Cowslips in the lawn tonight, so I'll see if I can upload one tomorrow. Apart from that, the only notable other thing today was discovering what looks like a tulip emerging in the field, nowhere near any garden.

  I should have kept quiet last night! At around 9.30pm there was a knock at the door and a man told us he'd rolled his van nearby. The road was completely blocked, so we went out with torches to warn other traffic + a 999 call.

Later, the man was arrested for suspected drink-driving.

(edited)

OK.... cowslips.....Nope!

I'll try later...

Much later....Hurrah!

RAS

Lovely Woolsery, and one of those occasions when daisies earn their keep.

The lawnmowers at one of our orchards carefully avoids clumps at this time of year and they look lovely on a steep bank.

Yesterday did not turn out as planned. It was pretty nippy with a "moderate breeze" aka 20mph+ when I went to the allotment shop. Came back to get a late breakfast/early lunch when my phone rang.

Since Easter it's been too cold to inspect the bees and one hive celebrated a brief warm spell just after midday by trying to swarm. They decided otherwise after 20 minutes but that meant we had inspect the hive and do an artificial swarm. Couldn't find the queen and it took longer then I like in temperatures lower than optimal. Desperately hoping the brood didn't get chilled.

It was even colder in the wind when I finally got on my plot. 

Farway

Sun again, with a very chilly wind

Reading the above couple of posts I’m glad to say nothing has happened here, unless yo count my RH index finger swelling up which makes handling, and using a compute mouse, awkward, hopefully it will sink back to normal soon

Only gardening was sow a couple more Burpless cucs as mentioned, and pop some sunflower seeds into pots at the front, more on off chance than expectations. Slugs seems to love my sunflowers

Lovely pic of the cowslips, all I have are dandelions at the moment