Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

I had to look up "cats ear", yep, none here, but I have seen it around. I do have Lords & ladies, which I think is one of your successful pictured weeds, Dusty?

I had to look up Catsear too. It began in our lawns grass areas near the house a few years ago, but the ones in the fields now are twice the size of those. The fields are still developing, with more variety in the grasses and new wildflowers, possibly because we've reduced the coarse grasses that once dominated. At one time, we'd get 30+ big bales of hay per season, but they were rubbish and only fit for sheep. Now, we only get around 20, which are kept for the cattle. I'm told they appreciate them.

The Lords & Ladies got out of hand here after I decided they were 'interesting.' Some survive in the field hedges and down by the stream, where I photographed that one. They're not allowed in the garden now.

More mowing today, which began dull and improved. Mowing's pretty much a continuous activity at this time of year. The chimney sweep also visited for his annual chinwag. He did a few minor repairs too, so that's us sorted for next autumn.

YoungBlueEyes

Optimism is a gardener - I like that  

I binned my peppers cos they weren't doing owt, I thought if I left them longer and they grow what would I do with them ha haa!

Thanks for those links 2p, I'll get some of those. The ant powder is doing beggar all and now my grass is sinking in parts so there must be a bladdy squillion of them under there  Better them than rats but I'd sooner not have any of them.

Everything's belting along here too. My much depleted tom forest is nearly 2 ft tall with a few flowers on, my strawbs have one fruit - which I knocked off while looking at it, naturally - so I turned it over and stuck it bun side up in the soil. Shawshank rules. I put my rose sticks in water but they don't seem to like it so far.

The Holey Roamin' Terror is getting skinny and boney. He was twirling round my legs as I was hanging out and bringing in washing yesterday. I can't believe I'm about to say this but I hope he's alright...

Still got the chill wind, but the dawn was quite pretty. "A grand drying day" as my granny would've said

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Optimism is a gardener - I like that

A variation is the Greek proverb:

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit”

I'm an old bloke who plants trees. Five last week. Mind you, I cut some down too! 

We get a decision on whether we need planning permission for our new rear driveway today, though it might be tomorrow before we know. Because of technicalities, it will still be lawful for us to proceed to a certain degree and throw in some further planning at a later stage if it's decided we require it. However, this may will confuse the neighbours, so apart from the hassle (and cost) we'd rather have it waved through now. We already have a bat survey in hand, and no doubt someone will find a Great Crested Newt or a Sand Lizard at the last minute. What's the betting there's a third option we've not even considered?

Lovely sunshine again this morning, but 3c was predicted overnight, so all the toms and courgettes etc came indoors, apart from the pair on the manure heap. They didn't look too upset this morning at 06.00.  

Farway

Sunny day ahead, but there's still a cold wind rattling my old bones, any gardening will be later once it warms up a bit

While putting the dahlia & extra sown runners out to harden off I realised I have a large pot that was for climbing beans, going spare, so that will now become another tomato pot, should have room for two in it. Due to previous years slug nibbling gorging beans are a no-go in that location

Talking of R Beans, the new neighbour appeared with some in small pots and a little pot with some wigwam like canes.

She has parked these on a dividing wall in her garden, I think she imagines them forming some yummy edible backdrop, however I'll do the decent thing and tell her they will just blow over in the first decent gale we get. I know I've had a full large pot go down once all the beans are in full leaf and soaking wet

My Burpless cucs from seed, they have two real leaves now & looking a bit greener, one shade darker than the sickly yellow. I suspect I'm not going to get much from them, but Optimism is a Gardener  is very true, has to be.

I'm already planning where to plant the cherry tree I've not yet got at the volunteer place this winter, not sure if I'll ever sit in its shade, but at least the birds can happily poo from its branches and passers-by can admire the blossom on their way to the Co-op

Hope HRT fattens up a bit, Blue, worrying times even for a terror

pink_poppy

I have the Ant Hill Mob in my garden too. I made a disgusting video last year of them grabbing and moving loads of eggs further into their nest (??) after I inadvertently moved a big stone to find them lurking underneath 🤢 I also have that sinking feeling in the lawn, I didn’t know that was a sign of ants... definitely need to try the stuff 2p mentioned, thank you.

Good luck with the planning letter today, Dusty. What a pain that you have to go through the hassle and expense.

It sounds like the HRT is hungry, YBE, if he’s twirling around your legs as well as looking skinny and bony. I thought you said a neighbour was feeding him though.

Off work today as I’m feeling a bit under the weather. It’s grey, windy and cold anyway.

LessImpecunious

https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/ants

-taff

It was sunny but windy this morning and sunny and not windy this afternoon. I moved my water feature to another spot in the garden, putting an old concrete reinforced slab under it which I walked from the corner of the garden to nearer the house. Of course, when I dropped it into place it scraped down my leg and broke on the corner so I swore and then hid the broken bit with some tree stump. Then I empited the water feature of green water [old iron trough] and stabbed myself in the finger with broken glass that I'd forgottne was in the bottom [ ex bee friendly pot so they wouldn't drown] and bled like a stuck pig. Waiting for the third one now...But all plants bought over the last two weeks have been planted out, all pots moved, three newts saved from under the wood pile where the trough went and the water feature is now available to cats, foxes, birds and bees alike again. I put my piece of copper pipe in there and will look for watercress next time I go shopping.  I am feeling very Olympic today.

YoungBlueEyes

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit”
It's another good one Where have I heard it before... maybe Stephen Fry in Mythos..?

I've my fingers firmly crossed for your decision today Dusty, then you can get cracked on while the good weather's here. How's Mrs Dusty btw? 

Sounds like your neighbour is a gardener then Farway. Does she seem like a nice person? I'll mention how skinny the holey roamin terror is to lovely neighbour when she comes round in an hour. I've got Handsome for the day while she goes to a work something. I don't know what age he is, he's older than handsome I think and he's coming up 9. Is more than 9 old for a cat? I'm really not a cat person. Yeah she does feed him Poppy, he wants for nothing cos she is a really cat person ha haa!

I don't know that a sinking-in-parts lawn is down to the ants btw, it just appeared at the same time as the little ant mounds did. I don't have a bowling green like but the droppy bits are new and so are the very-close-by ant doings.

Hope you slathered yourself in Germolene taff, just reading about your activities was making me wince  

Weather - ummm well it's not cold or warm, and there's a wee bit of breeze, and the sun did rise but not prettily.

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

I've my fingers firmly crossed for your decision today Dusty, then you can get cracked on while the good weather's here. How's Mrs Dusty btw?

Don't worry, we can crack on anyway. The discussion I've had with the planning lady indicates making a rear drive etc in this situation is lawful. However, if we connect it to a field, that may make it 'agricultural' despite being in a garden. Being agricultural on less than 15 acres has more restrictive rules than large acreages. So, for example, if we were Jacob Rees-Mogg we could bluddy well do what we like, but as we're not, we may have to get planning permission to remove our garden hedge if it's deemed agricultural, not residential. 

Therefore... if we don't connect the new drive to the field, it will become a nice, lawful residential one, albeit rather heavy duty for that purpose. We can apply for planning to do the field connection later, meanwhile continuing to use the other entrance for tractors, balers etc. Do you think our opposers will understand any of that? Neither do I, which is the main reason why I'd like a favourable decision today. o:

In other news, I've found more Ladies' Smocks in the fields than ever before. Yesterday was mostly very sunny and a good time to snap a picture of one.

Dustyevsky

Taff, it was years before I discovered the finer builders' gloves actually let you feel what you're doing, so I don't just use the heavy protection ones that are so useful to keep fingers warm in winter. This sort of thing, or even finer:

https://www.workgloves.co.uk/traffiglove-tg1010-cut-level-1-classic-safety-gloves.html

For the heavier kind, my Home Bargains have them in a range of sizes at 99p.