Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Today tried 2 thermometers, 42C in my back garden not counting the heat coming off the paving in the patio, 32C in the shade.

Thanks Apodemus but no, it was 25C at night and my bedroom faces the sunrise so tired and grumpy.

Farway I think that is a good idea with the hose. I used to have a connector when I had the big garden so a second hose joined meant that I could unjoin for the winter and 2 were easier to store.

If we are going to expect this heat regularly I may just do that again and blow the water meter.

Fabulous photo Woolsery, I used to paint wildlife for a living and the moths are just as lovely as butterflies.

So spent the day indoors defrosting the freezer and fridge. Will use the melted ice to water something.

I had some sucess yesterday watering the small hedge by the steps. Water very slowly once, wait for it to sink in and then again gently and it does start to dampen the soil without running off. Tedious though to do more than once.

Woolsery

twopenny said:

Fabulous photo Woolsery, I used to paint wildlife for a living and the moths are just as lovely as butterflies.

Thank you. I've identified it now as an Oak Eggar, which makes sense considering the number of oaks we have.

https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/oak-eggar/northern-eggar

Woolsery

Nothing of note to report today, so I'm putting up a picture of the spot where DB and I pitched up to eat our fish & chips last Friday. It seems there's a reasonable wheat harvest here in Middle Devon, which is encouraging.

Not a lot of wheat in the biggest local L^dl I visited yesterday, where the cereal we eat was non-existent and staff were busy spreading stuff out to make it look less empty. Sainbods was pretty normal-looking though. I've never bothered before, but I'm now building an online relationship with a couple of the big supermarket players, especially since our local butcher has retired and not been replaced. It goes against the grain, but looking towards a possible winter of discontent.....say no more!

Farway

I'm melting already, but I have been busy before it gets really hot, most urgent was put garden wheelie bin out, I had a message the bin men will be starting earlier to avoid the heat & give them breaks, when I lifted the lid the heat inside was like an oven, guessing composting already commenced in the bin. If my back & puff allowed it, I would return to Dalek composting, but it's no longer practical at Farway Towers

Nice pic of the moth Woolsery, and top marks for identifying it. Today's pic looks hot & dry, which I guess it is. I heard on R4 farming this morning that the Ribena blackcurrant crop is very early and some berries have followed my blackberry & cooked on the bushes

Good idea getting "known" with online supermarkets, I've been using them since Covid and health forced me to, I'd rather not but beggars and choosing of course. FWIW some S/ms were much better & loyal to customers than others when the crunch came, top for me was W8rose where I got priority slots because I had previously registered as a silly old sod tad poorly

While oiking the garden bin round the front I noticed my unknown but not a Golden Delicious apple tree had dropped a few apples overnight, a quick check showed them all ready for picking, which I have just done, one large carrier bag of fresh apples picked , half a bag of windfalls as well, with more fallers on the ground where I hope to be able to reach them later

PS, Update on Sungold tomatoes, yesterday I tried a couple grown outside, sun warmed & ripened. Pleased to report a completely & pleasantly different taste to the indoor ones I tried, if only blight allowed me to grow outside in normal years . This heat is the first year for ages that I've had ripe before blight toms outside

 

RAS

Farway, photo of those apples? There are very few that ripen this early.

I was going to write that I volunteered yesterday for the first time since Covid; a bit on the warm side and we stopped early. The Beauty of Bath apple tree had deposited a lot of fruit on the track and we picked most of the rest; they'll all go to juice later in the week. Emneth Early was also dropping some fruit. And we came away with some pears and plums. 

Although I was a bit tired, decided that watering the plot early was the better option as it was over 25 degrees at 8.30 last night. Came back at 9am. The James Grieve has been looking close to ripening for a week now, and one of the apples I went to pick had already parted company with the tree, just sitting in the crook of a branch. I spotted one on the floor and then found others. This is supposed to be an early September ripener, at least up here!

twopenny

Farway, when I get my next hose I determined it would be bright yellow.
I'm inclined to leave it laying around on the ground during the heat of summer and just one day I'm going to go out at night distracted and trip over the green one!

There were some green ones in lidl today. They don't look any cheaper than the hardware shop tbh.

Nothing done in the garden. Broken freezer, dentist and horses swimming on the beach has taken most of the day. Off to water now again ...... sheesh!

Farway

Boiling hot and to cap it all my gout has returned to the right hand, which is very painful as well as awkward, however I made an early start with watering the volunteer pots, they are getting past it now despite the watering, Hot Lips and the sunflowers are the ones loving the weather

Here's pics of my early apple, eater and quite tasty at the right time, woolly after a few weeks. Unfortunately with my gout I can't hold a knife, so prepping for stewing will have to wait, the smaller bag & second picture are the windfalls

RAS

Well it's not James Grieve, Beauty of Bath or Grenadier! Maybe look at FruitID?

Meantime, a frenzy of bees. They were even busier earlier but I had to come home to get the lap-top.

Woolsery

Still hiding indoors from 10.00 until about 17.00 with all major exertions before or after those times. Last night I was mixing concrete at 20.30, having worked under a gazebo canopy thing cutting up logs for a couple of hours prior to that. It needed some imagination to feel that making more logs was a worthwhile activity!

RAS, our cynara may have lots of bees on them, but currently at around 9' high I'm unable to see! DB likes them, so we have some, but they always fall over in the end.

twopenny

You're such a good lad to keep going Woolsery!

Yesterday it was still 32C at 7pm and no breeze. Went for a swim and meteor gazing on the moor where it was just pleasant temperature. The house was stuffy for sleep.

More plants in need of water as showing signs of distress.

Happily today there's a SE breeze and the temperature is down to warm but comfortable.

I must get around to posting some photos - just laying around and coping after a blistering and busy day yesterday.