Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Woolsery

I've got the grass partially sorted now, but clean forgot the 80' roadside verge which had been merrily turning to hay for a few weeks. I don't see it as I'm usually too busy trying not to collide with anything as we exit and swearing about the estate agent sign cutting visibility on the other side. The owner there does pull them up as soon as they sprout, but instead of cheerfully burning them, like the previous owner, she re-erects them on the edge of her grass. EAs know better than to try and erect anything on our side! Totally unnecessary things when 'What 3 Words' gets you anywhere in the world.

Where was I? Oh yes, had to do 3 passes on the verge, but was most impressed there were no dog poos at all; a sure sign our neighbours are so much nicer than those in days of yore.

As you can probably guess, I have very little gardening news. Most things are doing OK, but I'm not happy with the Tumbling Tom tomatoes and cold weather at night persists, so they're still going in and out like the hokey cokey. My free cornflowers from Morrisons came up in 3 days!

There was a beacon lighting outside our village last night, but it's not in an acessible place and we were told there's no parking, so DB was effectively excluded and we decided not to bother. Instead, we looked out the window and watched the one outside the nearby town being lit and I took a rather bad photo:

That's my favourite tree standing on its own there. It's the only one I know with its own telephone cable!

Woolsery

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday at this time it was warm, sunny and still, while today, being a special one in the village, it's cool, blustery and there have been showers.

Yesterday, the farmer opposite wisely decided to go for it with cutting silage, so we expected some extra predator activity and boy, did we get it!  Firstly, 5 buzzards turned up, followed by a lone seagull, hotly pursued by a crow. The crow would normally have a go at one or two buzzards, but maybe five made the seagull a more attractive target!

The Buzzards moved off to a second field also being cut and into view came a bird we'd heard rumours of, but not seen here so far; a Red Kite!  We saw one last month while on the M4 in Wiltshire, but it seems to have taken them a long time to move down here into traditional Buzzard territory, just as it took ages for Buzzards to be seen in North East Somerset where we used to live.

Naturally, I was out with the camera, but with maximum sunshine behind me I had to switch from the 3" screen to the little viewfinder one and that did cause some problems, notably about 10 shots wasted on the blooming seagull! However, a second Kite showed up and the pair stuck together for a while, making tracking them easier. Most shots were only of one or the other, but eventually I got lucky and the photo below is the result. 

Farway

Rain overnight, complete change in the weather today, at least it has watered the last of my climbing beans and the cucumber I planted out yesterday, however slug patrol has not yet been completed so they may no longer be there

Cracking bird photo Woolsery, I can appreciate how hard it is. I did see on YouTube advice to film them and then cut out the best frame to use as photo, bit beyond my cine editing knowledge but it’s a thought. I’m waiting for the Isle of Wight Sea Eagles to swoop low here, not seen them but you never know

No gardening today, too blowy, dull & damp. However here’s a pic of my Merton Thornless blackberries now set

RAS

Lovely pics Woolsery and Farway.

I've never thought to photo the kites we get hovering over the plots, mainly in winter. I suspect some are roosting further into town, as I've seen them struggling to climb in the early morning, near an area that has a lot of catering/food companies. We are near one of the re-introduction sites, so not surprised they've moved in.

Went to an agricultural show recently and one of the acts flew a red kite. I'd seen a couple having a bust up with crows earlier but they were nowhere when it went up. However four then appeared, one flying quite low to inspect the interloper, but plainly not so keen on the crowds below. 

Still unseasonally cold here; 13 degrees might be Ok but a 15-20mph breeze from the north-east take the edge of it. Had to come home and upgrade my fleece and add thermals at lunchtime.

My Loch Maree blackberry is just coming into flower for the first time, grown from a little sucker two years ago. Hopig the new shoot will be longer but looking forward to it anyway.

Woolsery

Farway said:

Cracking bird photo Woolsery, I can appreciate how hard it is. I did see on YouTube advice to film them and then cut out the best frame to use as photo, bit beyond my cine editing knowledge but it’s a thought. I’m waiting for the Isle of Wight Sea Eagles to swoop low here, not seen them but you never know

No gardening today, too blowy, dull & damp. However here’s a pic of my Merton Thornless blackberries now set.

That's a good idea Farway; I forget my camera shoots movies! The only problem I foresee is that the extracted pictures might not be so sharp at distance shooting, but without trying it I won't know. I do know the birds were a long way off in the above picture and it was  a lucky fluke. I can't recognise the house in the shot, so I'll have to return to my vantage point to see exactly where it is and how far off they were.

Your lovely photo reminded me I promised DB a Merton Thornless this year and I haven't bought it. Luckily, I've located a supplier. Thanks!

PS. Spoke to a photographer friend today and he pulled out his latest camera which looked expensive. "See here," he said "bird recognition and tracking mode."

"Mmmm" I replied. "Lovely."

Farway

More overnight rain, which is a Good Thing, not least because it will swell my ripening cherries, or split them more likely

I was thinking how far behind some of my garden seems to be when I look at tele programmes, trouble is though I'm never sure if it was recorded last year these days, and pictures on FB need a shovel full of salt IMO. In particular I was thinking about crocosmia, mine are still just leaves but I’ve seen pictures of it in flower, are they cheating?

Being a bit dull and damp nothing doing in the garden today, I may just tie in one of the climbing beans to give a hand upwards. I had pencilled in to plant out the dwarf French beans but they can wait another few days without harm

Blackberries, I’ve not yet succeeded in rooting a tip of Merton yet or I would offer one Woolsery,  RAS, intrigued by Loch Maree, reading the blurb it sounds like it could be grown as a free standing bush.  I need a bigger garden!!!!, oh and a camera that tracks birds and stars while I’m dreaming

goldfinches

We had a violent thunderstorm here last night and this morning with more forecast for tonight so a lot of the plants at my favourite local garden were looking a bit battered today but this foxglove was still upstanding and very popular with the bees.

Woolsery

Seems we've all been out photographing foxgloves goldfinches! I took my picture on Saturday evening, but didn't find any bees to add interest:

I also didn't mark the plants I want to keep seeding, so I must do that. The rest come out when they finish.

It's been a busy weekend, with Village Day followed by a Jubilee Day for the village. Kinda confusing, but one caters for the surrounding area and the other was purely local. Mercifully, the rain held off completely on Saturday and there was only very fine drizzle through the children's sports on Sunday afternoon, when there was plenty of room in the marquee for non-participants. As usual, the adults had a go too and nearly everyone cheated. (and we'd set out all the lanes and equipment so carefully in the morning to ensure fairness! ) Oh well...

So, no work in the garden for a few days and the ride-on's packed-up, but at least we're back to some sunshine. Yesterday we hit the dizzy heights of 13c mid afternoon, and being rather damp, we put the CH on when we arrived home!

Farway

Not much gardening over the last few days, damp + car getting fixed, at least watering is not a problem for the moment

Spent some time giving snails flying lessons, they have discovered my lilies at the front, also picking off the leaves with poo encrusted lily beetle bugs. They also took flying lessons over the wall onto shrubby but overgrown council verge. It’s very wildlife friendly and no doubt something will scoff them                                                                                  

I still have not planted out my dwarf French beans, to damp & CBA after running around after car

Photos continue, this is one of the geraniums I raised from seed a few years back, nothing exotic but the bees make a bee line for them, sorry couldn’t’ resist that          

RAS

Hoped to get a few pictures yesterday evening but the sun was in the wrong direction for most. And rather than sunshine we currently have more cloud, following the overnight rain.

Did however take this shot of a peony on another plot. might be Bartzella.