Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Dusty you'll have to start carrying a big stick to hook your teabags down with
Hope you had a lovely birthday Farway

I'm considering taking my telescopic light sabre in with me. It's had little use since my pantomime days; just fighting with the grandchildren.

I can't see a reference to Farway's important birthday, but I hope it was a good one. It's certainly a good time to have one, compared with January when mine occur. Always too soon after Christmas.

A dull, quiet, and fairly warm start to the day here. Still only two swallows and no house martins, but it felt more summery when I let the hens out an hour ago. Lots of green showing in the trees now.

The tent is still up; its previous occupants will be making the return trip from the foot of England on Monday and breaking their journey here again. Forecast doesn't look too promising and I doubt they'll be barbecuing at 02.00, as before!

YoungBlueEyes

wort said:

Happy big birthday 🎂 Farway! 🥳

I had lidl compost last year and it was ok, dark and not woody , it did the job.
beautiful sunny day if chilly out of sun. 

Happy Easter to all.

Here @Dustyevsky

BBQ'ing at 2am? Holy moly!

Edit - my birthday is the end of October. Makes it very dear to go anywhere cos it's half-term  

Farway

Thanks for the birthday wishes, it went as hoped for, no surprises, nice pub "brunch" I had full English, no beans thank you, as befits my age

Back to normal garden service today. The tomatoes I potted on have survived the uprooting and looking good, around thirty of them, gulp, what have I done ?

The missing ones are the saved seed from the supermarket super sweet baby plums ones, never germinated so maybe duds? I'll sow a couple more today just to check. I have about six more toms to pot on and then I'm done

Sounding like Wallflowers are loving it at yours 2P, always nice when something just settles in and does the job without much effort required. My perennial wallflower seems to be sulking, Bowles mauve I think, just one lonely green tuft so far this year

Amazing price for the standard fig, my attempt is biding its time but not much growth outside on most of my plants yet, just too cold. The gooseberry seedling that was going to make my fortune appears to have other ideas with no sign of flowers and some very dead looking brown bits

Today's must do, apart from tom potting on, is sowing some Honesty seeds from the in training green fingers granddaughter, once they grow final destination is the volunteer border, for flower & seed pods

Hoping the sun keeps going today, one of the pears is covered in blossom buds and sunshine will spur it on [pun intended], the camera is on standby

Perfecting my Lily Beetle death grip, I managed to grab two amorous pairs in one swift snatch and stomp yesterday

Tea of choice is loose-leaf, Portsmouth Blend via mail order, suitable for the hard chalky water here, hence my tea-leaf slop bucket adding to garden mulch

twopenny

Many happy returns Farway!! 
Sorry I missed the congrats yesterday, it was the excitement of finally getting out in the garden.

Cloud but bright today. Hoping to get over to Greencombe today then clip back an ivy tree and bay that are shading my apple but I'm being a but slovenly so far.
I will try for some photos tonight. Would be a good filler while your shrubs are growing Blue.
Dusty, you still make me feel exhausted with all that goes on.

YoungBlueEyes

30 toms Farway? I’m looking at a triple digit forest here 😆 They’re not dying off either, despite my very clear instructions… 

2 finds whilst digging this morning. A rusty hook that I’ll have to find a use for cos it’s a substantial lump, although only a couple of inches tall. And a queer wee plant with very pretty leaves. Any idea what it is? It can stay if it’ll be lovely looking and fragrant but I don’t want over running with something malevolent… 

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Dusty, you still make me feel exhausted with all that goes on.

To be fair, I'm not the one who instigates most of it, and I wasn't even conscious when the middle of the night barbecuing was going on. Some of us have to be up at dawn!

It's an easy day today, anyway. Got the big chicken prepped and into the oven by 08.30 and others did most of the veg. However, more people turned up lout of the blue at 10.00 on their way home to Bristol....but at least they brought their own sausages, bacon, eggs etc. Making a second breakfast has held us back a little, but we're on target for Easter dinner @14.00.

Some younger people are going for a walk through the valley after that, but knowing what a mire it is at this time of year, I shall probably sink into a comfy chair rather than the mud!

I've noticed the compost I made with coir isn't suiting the tomatoes. It's only about 25% coir and I added some fertiliser to compensate, but they aren't a good shade of green.

Still grey or hazy sun here, but I'm in shirtsleeves.

EDIT:

Blue Eyes that tuberous plant has me beaten! I feel I should know it, but the only thing I can think of right now is maybe a type of Evening Primrose.

YoungBlueEyes

Thanks Dusty, I’ll not hoy the rest of em up then  

twopenny

It looks like michaelmas daisy from the leaves and purple on them. But the root thingy isnt right.
Blue, you're going to have to get that plant identification app.
I think you need a bunch of cheap pots with all these mysteries in 
How's the lurg?

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Thanks Dusty, I’ll not hoy the rest of em up then  

Nooooooo!!!

Although some Evening Primroses are 'weeds,' others are very acceptable.

But I'm not sure if that's what it is; I'm leaning towards Alstroemeria now. They're not usually purplish-leaved, but the variety 'Indian Summer' is. Can be errr....prolific, but that one's a gem.

Have a butcher's at this link: https://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2002/08/26/rainshadow/68318e.jpg

Good mystery anyway. As 2p says, you can always pot up unknowns.

YoungBlueEyes

Thanks both I've left the majority of em in so we'll see what happens. That wee bit in the pic shrivelled up quite quick, if that's a further clue? Lovely neighbour came round yesterday aft cos Handsome wanted to be involved in the proceedings. She doesn't know what it is and doesn't have any on her side...

The plant id app was useless, but Michaelmas daisies or Evening Primroses or Alstroemeria would be fine by me. My rule is - it has to be pretty or fragrant or both If we get some nice light I'll take more pics. Your pic wasn't the same as my thing I don't think, my root bit was white and straighter, firm too. The leaves look right tho... 

The lurgy is tiring. I'm coughing like a 100-a-day smoker but that's all I've got. No temps/shivers/aches and nothing in my head so it could be worse.

The sun was out here yesterday so we got cracked on. Fences painted, trees in (one of them has wee tiny buds on it!) and one mystery planted. Himself went to B+Q for more paint - One Coat is not literally true despite what it says on the tin - and came back with a few more plants. He's as bad as I am ha haa!

Cooler here this morning and it's been raining all night. Heavy showers all day too they reckon. Which is what they said it would do so I reckon someone's called time at the bar  

Oh and if anyone needs tomatoes I can send you a few dozen each and not miss them....