Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Wow that's cheering on another grey wet day!

Thanks Laura, I thought you were going to say we had too many photos

Blue, hoping to go to the Wassailing this year if it's not bucketing down. The main one is really old traditional with hot mulled cider over coals, guns and songs followed by a good old singsong in the pub -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4qqMTWgBCc

 but there are 2 new ones as we have some new Community Orchards here for children to join in.

I'm thinking maybe I should do some toast soaking for my baby apple trees.

Again sodden so no gardening, not even a tidy up. The secutars are drying out on the radiator. I left them on the window sill some days ago.

The cough came back last night. Went to the hair dressers and shops and everyone seems to be doing the 2 cough tune.

YoungBlueEyes

Deffo soak toast for your baby apple trees 2p 🙂

There isn’t any wassailing round here sadly, I might have to start it myself when I get some trees planted! 

My cough is looser but not a 2 cough jobber. Yet. 

No gardening here either. I wanted to go shopping tomorrow for stuff and things, but we’re going to a diy shed instead for soundproofing. The already godawful neighbours are getting worse. I gave himself 3 options - proper soundproofing, kill one/both of them, or we move. So first things first…. 

in_my_wellies

No wassailing here but the sky was blue and the breeze was warm so I did about three hours outside. Mainly clearing away the leaves which were incredibly late to fall this year. The silver birch have dropped a bin bag full of twigs which I've collected to use as fire lighters when they're dry. The grass has really suffered this winter, not the main lawn but the parts under the trees and the paths. I think last summer stressed it so much then it didn't have time to recover. Also my neglect due to no time

I pruned what I could reach on the apple trees without a ladder and tidied the lean to dumping ground so I can access the shed. 

I gave my hens to my friends in Devon. Due to bird flu she's keeping them in her enclosed carport. Panic today when one was lost. She spent an hour looking for it thinking she'd be in trouble if anyone reported her for allowing a hen to wander during bird flu. She gave up, went inside, and there she was fast asleep by her switched off Aga. Exactly where she would be in my house although my Aga is switch on (an ancient solid fuel model) Cats food all gone!

The picture are amazing!

wort

weather forcast wrong on Weds,so washing dried inside 😟
yesterday was warmer, no rain missed chance to wAsh ,now the forcast is 2 weeks of rain! 

Went into garage for a clear out Xmas decks put away, and a pile made for the tip if I can get someone to take it.

i wanted to take a shrub out tried a few times , but ground and roots too hard so after all the rain had another go kept had digging to roots then got loppers in to cut big ones, Hopeful I can accost someone to help get that out! 

Unfortunately I was digging up bulbs and shoots of which I had no idea what, so corralled some into a pot , think I’ve lost some.
im not good at identification,before they flower!

YoungBlueEyes

Mild here this morning. Rain started a wee while ago and it's bladdy windy too. 

Wellies your hen/Aga story made me laugh! Glad she was found safe and sound 

Wort hopefully your bulbs will produce something unusual and marvelous....

Farway

Lovely montage Laura, thanks for brightening this dull, dank & damp morning

No wassailing here either, but like IMW I did manage to get the apple trees pruned in yesterday's sunshine, plus the Merton blackberry while I had loppers in my hand. I was joined by my robin who was happy enough bobbing about, a nice sunny gardening morning at last

Still have to tie in a wayward pear branch that has deviated from its espalier support, trouble is the rain is stuck in now for a week or more, so that will have to wait, as will the dead annul plants now all dead & soggy

Had I thought of it I now think I'm going to try & strike some hardwood cuttings from my yummy unknown variety apple tree, just to try, don't need them

Whisper it, but I think some of the hardwood cuttings I took of neighbour’s beautiful rose before she moved last Autumn have taken, green shoots appearing on some, the failures are a dead twigs so easy to spot possible life

wort

Whispers”well done” Farway on the roses.
Thank you young blue eyes , I’m hoping they survive! I’m a bit of a stick things in anywhere therefore no idea what anything is till it flowers again.

YoungBlueEyes

(May your roses live long and happy Farway 🤭)

I’m a bit like that wort, my last wee garden looked alright on it tho. My rule for plants is ‘it has to be pretty or fragrant or both’. I had a cracking wall of nettles last year, about 4ft tall and lathered in pink/purple flowers. Jeez they were lovely looking and you shoulda seen all the bees 😍

Over regimented gardens aren’t as appealing to me. 

twopenny

Nettles are good for butterflies too.
And they are a good nitrogen feed, liquid or compost. And you can eat them. Makes you wonder why such a versatile plant is not wanted.
I bought 4 primulas from Morrison s for 69p each to give some cheer to outside. They're just pushed placed in the hebe pot at the mo.
My neighbour has planted some in a ring around the base of her small tree that is in blossom and it really cheers you up.

Farway

Rain has stopped, which means that as I look out of my upper windows I can see the Merton blackberry cane I missed when I was pruning on Friday, standing out like a big brown accusing finger, hard not to see it, time to get back to Specsavers

Apart from that no gardening today with more rain on the way of course