Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

Cold and sunny start this morning, only “must do” today is water the plant pots in the back garden, I did the front yesterday afternoon. Still dry as dust and no real rain forecast, I expect it’ll tip down Tuesday because that’s the day I’m off to RHS Wisley

I think that’s me and IMW in a bidding war for the bungalow Woolsery,  ideal for someone with time & money, reading between the lines looks like a knock it down & build something else place for someone in London selling their cupboard and moving down

Lovely Bramley there IMW, something I’ve never really had space for is a specific cooking apple but your tree looks an old one, a “proper” apple tree in fact

Woolsery

Farway said:

I think that’s me and IMW in a bidding war for the bungalow Woolsery,  ideal for someone with time & money, reading between the lines looks like a knock it down & build something else place for someone in London selling their cupboard and moving down.

Here's another, sadly not updated yet on Street View which was razed to the ground and replaced with something larger and swish:

https://www.instantstreetview.com/@50.893357,-3.875379,342.06h,-12.68p,0.08z,Ju1jPgXpmXJISaaeRpTFqA

Keep travelling in the same direction and the next bungalow, a Woolaway, was purchased around the same time and then turned into a 2 storey modern house. It's gentrification, but on the positive side it's replacement of sub-standard accommodation too.

We didn't take on anything so drastic; in fact we thought ours would be a doddle.....before realising reconfiguring the weirdly altered interior meant replacing not just walls, but all the ceilings, plumbing wiring etc and essentially going back to a shell in several phases over a total of 3 years. Had I known that.....:#

It wasn't a bad one yesterday, with little wind, so I got my guttering on with copious quantities of silicone sealant spread in all the right and wrong  places, just like a professional. o:)Today my legs know how long it took me up two ladders.

That Bramley is well ahead of mine wellies. Mine has about 6 leaves at present and no blossom. It was another casualty of our location some years ago and broke, so now it's a sort of step over tree, re grown very badly from just above the graft. It's Clone 20, so dwarfer, but it won't stay this dwarf for long! Love the roller too. I have one too; the oly sort of Roller I'll ever own!

I looked and we do have some vestigial plums, but nothing to rival yours, Farway. I don't think we are in the right place for plums, but I'll replace the damson next year.

Farway

Off to my granddaughter's birthday today, but rain is on the way at last, tipping down in the west and on the way over to here. Yay

Woolsery

Yes, I can confirm it's raining very steadily here and my guttering isn't leaking....yet.

So glad I whipped round on the mower yesterday and didn't bother with watering. I was still sawing up last  winter's wood for logs too. In theory it should be satisfying making logs for winter 2023/24, but the reality is that it's very boring, involves a lot of bending, wielding of log spiltter and wood chips ending up in your underwear! 

Have a good party. You can have my share of the jelly.

twopenny

It's raining but only gently.
It's refreshed the plants but doubt it's penetrated the hard soil. Maybe enough for me to move some more turf tomorrow if the aches and pains are willing.
A lot of bio spraying of greenfly on the rose buds more of a priority as they're smothered.
Some potting to do with all the bargain plants I couldn't resist.
Huchera (sp) for£1 etc. Looks lovely with pink/peach geraniums @ £2' and hopefully slug resistant!
Party always a good break. Enjoy. I saw your advice re bird table. I thought the same having watched. A small barrier at the front and I'll just nail some wood on the roof. It shouldn't notice once painted.
It's in the spot the birds like. I moved it once and they remained indignant.
Neighbours have remarked about the increased bird song so i guess my feeding and gardening has done some good.

Farway

The rain didn’t amount to much, steady drizzle but better than nothing and will have washed the dust away at least

Today’s forecast is Humid, I suppose with the newly damp soil, great to get that fungus, mildew & blight going early [sarc]

Plenty I should be doing, like potting on the coleus, but probably won’t today, feeling a bit lethargic I think it’s left over Covid but could be plain old CBA

Tomorrow I’ll be absent, off to RHS Wisley for the day, forecast is Okish, maybe rain showers later in the day by which time I should have finished the Grand Tour, camera battery on charge as I type, I'm hoping the wisteria is out, missed it every time and of course the Covid stopped visits for a couple of years

Just managed to do someone a favour, there’s a local Trash nothing pages here, and I’ve just given way six excess tomato plants, always the way, I kept my sowings low this year and they all grew unlike last year when most just died in the manky bought in covid compost

I hope to buy some seed & potting compost from Wisley shop tomorrow, normally I would avoid due to stupid cost but with petrol price etc. I’ve decide a bird in hand is best this year. I don’t need much, just for leaf cuttings of the Cape primroses I have yet to take

Woolsery

We didn't get our guests' Covid, or any Covid, come to that. I almost feel left out! The youngsters thought we were a bit loony taking certain substances daily, but they're cheap and we sat between them sneezing and a snotty grizzling child with impunity. There again, maybe we've had it and didn't realise. I've had huge bouts of sneezing at night, but it's not amounted to anything. Anyway, hope you're good for the Wisley trip today, Farway. I'd like to do a walk or go to Rosemoor, but instead I must venture east in search of a new combi oven to replace the one our other guests tried to microwave a meal on a metal plate with.....

I managed to get some serious weeding done yesterday, discovering many gaps into which DB may insert new plants that still lurk from our nursery days. There's also lots of 'perennial' wallflowers and Sweet Williams to dot about.

liberty_lily

Phoebe here 😉 I've been missing in action due to getting a new mobile and managing to lose all my forum login details and email passwords etc in the process 😢 Fortunately, I suddenly recalled this old account....

Anyway, fab pics folks - hopefully I'll be able to add some better quality ones myself now as the garden (or at least the parts we've tackled 🙄) is starting to look ok 😀 

Farway

Back again, weather held out for Wisley so although dull it was pleasant & warm enough.  Loads to see of course but wisteria still not out, however the rhododendrons [sp?] / Azaleas made up for it, plus the Acer foliage and general lushness this time of year

I never bought the planned compost; I know I said I knew price would be high but £6 for 15 litrs? No chance; I’ll get by with what I have

I forgot to bring in the hardening off lupin last night and slugs have noshed a lot of it by this morning, lupins are one of the plants I like but always struggle with due to pests. One day I’ll have a big show of them but maybe not this year

I saw some very striking yellow flowers t Wisley but couldn’t spot a label; I’ll ask identity as separate question, very striking plants and look easy enough

Some pics below of Wisley items

liberty_lily

Super pics, Farway 🙂 It's one regret of mine that when we lived in that part of the world (for approaching forty years), we never visited Wisley, despite driving in close proximity very many times. I guess we were just too busy back then 🙄

It's dull here and feels like rain, although yesterday's showers didn't come to more than a few spots. I need to do more weeding, plus there's still heaps of laurel branches that need moving to the bonfire pile but indoor stuff is calling me today....perhaps later this afternoon if I succeed in getting the other things done.

Here's a few recent pics (including one of malus blossom in the mini orchard which is now past its best - this was last week/one before)....

Azalea with one of the palmatum rubrum rheums -


Wisteria venusta alba this morning -

Hostas moved from white bed and doing really well -