Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

Sunny with a breeze that is cold on cold bones like mine, autumn definitely on the way

Despite last week's rain, I went up to the volunteer place to use the hose on the large pots, just in time I think, the sunflowers were just starting to droop a bit. Topped up now & rain due at weekend, I keep telling myself that's it for watering this year but then have to back track

While rummaging around for ripe toms in the garden yesterday I found this year's cucumber, my Burpless, I think I need more practice

greenbee

It looks like it would prefer to be a tomato @Farway!

twopenny

The long range forcast suggested it would get warmer and sunnier again after this blip Farway - but I agree the wind is cold.

Just adding to the problem of browing leaves.

I can't provide a photo but on the way home today I saw some huge sunflowers nodding away in a garden. It was so cheery and of course now I want to grow the giant ones.

Still waiting for my dwarf ones to open up. There are signs of yellow.

I must go out an water shortly I guess but the pressure is so low it's tedious.

Nearest I got to gardening today was looking at pots and plants at Morrisons and the garden centre. One they were scraggy, unwatered and no one on duty for 2 days the other expensive and desirable. So I just came home with a new debris bag for the clearing up. I need another end for my hose because the washer has given up but couldn't remember what the bits looked like when I got there.

Weirdly when we're talking lack of water I'm off to see the beavers imported here in the woods who were bought to combat the local flooding

Woolsery

Still busy here with visitors , but when I get peace I do a bit more to the polytunnel re-build. I'm adding the wood I managed to  reclaim and refurbish around the base, but it's difficult. Although sound, some pieces are warped and that shouldn't be a surprise after 11 years. It will be all new wood on the upper parts, door frames etc.

On the gardening front, the courgettes seem to be going over quickly and the squash seem quite sickly looking too. They're all on virgin soil with added muck, so it must be the weather. We won't talk about the tomatoes. I see now how much I rely on that polytunnel!

Being 1st September, I'll now tax the automatic car bought for DB, who was finding the clutch a struggle on our 4x4 due to her dodgy knee. It's still SORN at the moment. Naturally, we got it here last week by teleportation, but we can't keep doing that with energy costing so much.

No beavers here, but we have every other form of river wildlife you could name. 

Apodemus

I did a lot of grass cutting yesterday (for the first time since early July!) and now have the compost bin full again with clippings, which will hopefully give it some heat to ward off the cooling air temps - it was 4C here at 06.00 this morning.  I brought various temperature-sensitive plants indoors yesterday after their brief summer encounter with the open air.

Today I am off for a walk in the epicentre of UK beavers (rural Perthshire) but wouldn't expect to see any.  Depending on your viewpoint, they are either doing a good job for riparian woodland restoration or are the devil incarnate for their penchant for fruit trees!

Farway

Cold wind again, but sunny enough. Nothing planned garden wise, except maybe more watering even though rain is on the cards for later

I'll hop out later & take pic, but I noticed yesterday the tomatoes I popped into pots at the front, just to use up my too many plants, have ripened, looks like Sungold, typical of course, the ones that are ignored to get on with it flourish, the ones heaped with TC just die

No beavers around here, supposed to be Sea Eagles on the Isle of Wight, I think it would be nicely ironic if Sea eagles found beavers an ideal breakfast snack, or the beaver damming drowns the great Bustard nests

Woolsery, a whole new use for Star Trek transporter, beaming cars around the country, glad your trial of it went well

2P, sunflowers, from my limited experience they do seem to respond to feeding, DD has some in an area their ducks were in, so loads of duck poo over the years, and they are real showstoppers. The ones I sowed at my volunteer place, all the same seeds, vary enormously depending on how much watering they had. Below is the largest, in a big pot but sheltered in a warm corner, as you can see it is over the single storey gutter height, but one and the same pot is not, very odd & mixed results

Woolsery

I note the way the management denies any responsibility for damage or losses. Is that in the event of someone being crushed by a falling sunflower, a sudden attack by pollen beetle or walking into the doorpost while trying to see how far up the big one goes?

I would beware of climbing it; we did a panto about that once.....

twopenny

Gorgeous sunflowers. Not sure I'd be good at maintaining them so I'll just admire others

My little sunflower is out! It's cute and cheerful.

Went to look for a long pot at the garden centre but not sure I want to spend that much. Tried Morrisons but they've closed the gardening bit and no staff to water so all the plants are dying. Definitely no access to the pots and stuff.

I wanted some winter colour for the pots but pansies are just slug food and no sign of primulas though they don't fare much better. Thought of a small conifer even but the prices are silly.

I may just get some artificial ones. No one will know from the distance of the road

Apodemus

Farway said:

No beavers around here, supposed to be Sea Eagles on the Isle of Wight, I think it would be nicely ironic if Sea eagles found beavers an ideal breakfast snack, or the beaver damming drowns the great Bustard nests

Sadly no beavers, sea eagles or bustards on my walk, but I did surprise a female capercaillie who was enjoying the cowberries at the side of the path and performed a shambolic take-off on a flight-path that seemed to take her through rather than around the bushes in the forest understory.

twopenny

I'd love to see a capercallie. What do they eat? Could you keep on in the garden as a pet? Seems like cliping wings wouldn't be necessary.

One question I didn't ask on the beaver walk was, with their love of fruit trees, what would happen to the nearby orchard at the mill? It's full of unusual fruit and the beaver water comes from the mill leat it's that close.

Bats in a couple of weeks. But I've done that before. I went on a bat course years ago.

Very cold and dark here today. Bit of a shock after so long with sunshine. But the chill wind is not helping with the poor plants.