Awful weather - typical Brits talk

RAS

Well at least it's an apple, and looks like domestica.

Dustyevsky

I'll bear Lazarus Blackberry in mind when looking at the dead sticks I have in pots out there, Farway.

Sadly, I didn't get to B&M yesterday, or even B&Q. OH had given me a shopping list to get through after my eye test, and there was no time for frivolous consumer indulgence.

The eye test was interesting. It was the owner of the establishment (a well known franchise) who did it. He said there was little  change since 2020 and did I really want another 2 pairs of specs at the price they'll be with my prescription? I decided I was worth it, even if the specs weren't! 

Dull and grey here too, but not too cold. Her across the road, who's the bane of my life at present, has had her gardening man in all morning, including at least an hour with the 2 stroke brush-cutter. She must know I'm siting here trying to apply the General Permitted Development Orders for Farming & Forestry to the recent works she's reported me for!  I'm not much good on any instrument, and the government's statutory ones are no exception! Despite the noises off, I think I may have cracked it.

Some of you posted some very pretty mosses the other day, so here is a sort of variation on that theme. It's lichen on one of our apple trees:

 

Farway

Oooh, that apple is begging to be espaliered with all those near horizontal laterals YBE, close to that fence, nice & warm.

Like the lichen, very nice and sign of clean air I think

By coincidence, I have an eye test near the end of the month, bog-standard Specsavers one, I think I'll be having a new prescription because I've noticed some of the TV is not sharp as it was. Perhaps I should eat more carrots

PS, just sown some nasturtiums in pots, sown is bigging it up, more poked seed into soil

YoungBlueEyes

Aye that’s the plan Farway, espaliered along the fence. The pear will be too but it’s not such an easy job - fewer branches and at the wrong angles. 

Well I say that, but the leaves on the other one look the same to me so I’ll maybe end up with 2 apples after all 🙄

Lovely lichen pic, I always wanna pick the ‘scabs’ off it tho ha haa  

twopenny

Still cold and gloomy, to be the same for the week. This has been a long winter

No gardening again, it's wet still and shattered from the 'short' wedding yesterday that went on for 6hrs! It was gloriously sunny, the one day, and we were inside.

I've looked at my seedlings, still no sign of anything but broccolli and kale. Don't blame them. I'd hibernate too if I could.

I did dig 3 dandlions out of the lawn though. Happily not more there yet. I don't think their keen on the weather either.

Cherry blossom out, apple still reluctant but it is there. Off with my polinating brush tomorrow because I've only heard one bee a day so far.

Love the lichens. Great photo.

And that's a great blackberry shoot. Are they as rampant as other varieties?

YoungBlueEyes

No sun here either this morning, been a bit damp overnight. They say it'll be like this all day 'til just before sunset when the sun will come out. I bet that's right too. 

No more gardening done here. We went to the beach yesterday for a change of scenery. It's a long old poke to get there, it was better at my last house cos it (Skegness) was nearer and easier to get to. Ah well.

I've dandelions out the front but they're still just buds. You'd think being in the sun all day (SE facing) they'd be out first, but the ones out back are up and flowered and clocked and removed already. Shows what I know eh  

Apart from it being 6 indoor hours, was it a nice wedding 2p?

Farway

Same sort of morning as YBE, dull after damp night and not much better for the rest of the week it seems. Despite that, plants keep popping up, my Stargazer lilies seen yesterday and not yet discovered by the lily beetles

twopenny said:

And that's a great blackberry shoot. Are they as rampant as other varieties?

Probably, I see "vigorous" in some descriptions but also "upright" so maybe not a sprawling bush.

My main reason though is thornless, self fertile, and one I don't have. I grow them trained against neighbours wall / fences, so need thornless. Just looking at the prices, it seems my £1.99 was an absolute steal

In my allotment days I grew Himalayan Giant which has vicious thorns and lovely berries. Makes an ideal anti vandal climbing paint substitute with benefits

Would be "funny" if YBE finished up with two apples, but sadly par for the course, Soon tell once the leaves open

If it warms up I may pot on some Achillea Cloth of Gold seedlings which have been hanging on waiting for me to get bum into gear. I have a forest of them to sort out, which s one reason I've been putting it off

Dustyevsky

Early start here, 'cos DD thought the bus was a cancellation, and then it drove past when she returned to the house to fetch the car. Cue chase across country to head off the Deadwood Stage at the river crossing.... Her husband had to take his camper van to be re-shod at the MoT station, so it was over there to pick him up next. Must admit, playing 'dodge the pothole,' I didn't consider the weather, but it wasn't raining. Apparently, it's going to be similar to that you folk are reporting.

I have some'Cloth of Gold' to go in too Farway, but mine have been in pots a few years and are now welded into them. Hatchet job. They're going into the wild area.

twopenny

A sultry 11C! wow out of single figures but cloud and the warmth :Dcreating mist and fog.

The cherry has burst into masses of bloom and I heard the solitary bee out in the garden. One can only hope.

Blue the bride is a lovely person, both in their 70s, and she was extreemly happy. But while it was an hour of hanging about with no drinks while they got the talk, still thirsty during the short (1hr) service and then an hour while they had multiple photos done. The photographer was constantly photographing the 'friends' you had to remain smiling. Then 3hrs over dinner with those 50% drinking non drivers as it was out in the country getting louder and more vocal the rest were in a zone of their own. And it's the first time in 3yrs I've had to get into a dress and high heels. My body is still in shock.

Never again!

Hopefully tomorrow I can get into the garden. Forgetmenots that were just green this morning have burst into bloom. A self seeded foxglove I hoped to move from the path has burst forth.

We may not have been keen on the weather but the plants seem to be

YoungBlueEyes

Aww well at least the bride was happy 2p, that's the main thing. And in their 70's? I love that I need to get me erse into gear about our wedding really. We had our wills done when we moved here last year "in contemplation of marriage" so we're on countdown. I keep thinking Gretna Green but it'd upset almost everyone. I could live with his sisters blaming me, but it'd pure break my heart if Cissie was upset with me.

A cherry with masses of blossoms is one of my favourite things in the world. Especially if you're walking under one and the wind blows My 2 trees both being apple would be funny after all this! I'd like a pear as long as it's not a bladdy conference one. Really, anything but them. I'll wait for more leaves to squeeze out and I'll take a pic so yous can tell me  

There's a tree in the church yard at the end of my road that has blossoms all over it. I took a pic. It's trunk is lots of squiggly thin trunks, plenty of blossoms (I can't tell if they smell or not) and bright amber-y flowers. It's very pretty  

Get your bum into gear and sort out your forest Farway!

Another bit-weather day here. Bit cloudy but not lots, bit breeze but not really windy, but chill but not cold. They say the sun is due mid aft... They were right yesterday - it did break through in time for it to set