Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

Good thinking. But I have the cheapest cherry tomatoes in the fridge and I'm thinking they would be easier to balance on the others than a banana   
Woke early again and it's cold, wet, grey and windy. If you'd told me it was November I'd believe you.

Glad you've got the gutters done. That's great. I'm going to try and get a heating man and the window woman today. Can't seem to get anyone to commit to a job or even answer the phone let alone get a price. Even the odd job guys have vanished.

Gardening is obviously out for today, seeds and bulbs sorted. Sheesh it's gloomy.

Dustyevsky

Be grateful for a lull, Bluey, the growing that's gone on here in the past week is quite scary! Suddenly, weed seeds that have lain benignly dormant, have leapt into growth, while the grass thinks it's June! We cut the top grassed area which is 'almost lawn' a week ago, and the amount that came off it last night filled four dumpy bags. I'm giving up  on the lower grass, cutting a pathway and creating two 'wildflower' areas again. So long as the visiting grandchildren have one wide area to create mayhem.....

I'm also loving the fact that the big hedge which has caused all the controversy, has now grown out so far, the grumpy resident who cuts the grass can't get his mower underneath. He's needed to use a brush-cutter. Nothing we can do, of course, it's nesting season till September, which is when the council will make their decision. If it goes our way,   we'll get the guy with the tractor in and sort it. If not, well,  guys with tractors can be as hard to find as gutter men!

Made an error of judgement and visited the much vaunted B&M yesterday. Admittedly, my RAM is fairly modest, but the prices I carry in my head for the everyday shop didn't seem to be eclipsed. Outside, the dead and dying stocks of plants looked as inviting as the scenes of chicken cruelty recently exposed  on so-called 'farms' supplying some major supermarkets. I guess it's end of season.

As we're on tomatoes at present, I can report that a new variety to me, 'Crimson Crush,' tastes very good. It's doing OK in the polytunnel, but for many, quick ripening is key. Here's one from Rosemoor that seemed to have 'got there' outdoors, while others, like 'Mountain Magic,' hadn't.

YoungBlueEyes

Oh aye, how would you balance a banana?! My gutter man wasn’t answering his phone, or was originally but offer to offer textbook excuses, then at 6 last night he just turned up. So fingers crossed that’ll happen for you too 

So maybe my non-growing grass isn’t a bad thing then. Just doesn’t seem natural when lovely neighbour is going at hers almost weekly. I may have to start researching and doing something about it. Or revert to Shawshank mantra ha haa! 

So that’s just timed itself right for your hedge then Dusty. Let TPTB work themselves out and you can start getting it tidied. Sounds perfect to me  

And please don’t say anything more about ‘farms’ and the ilk. I grew up on a farm and we never did anything like the ‘modern methods’ that sometimes appear now. I get a bit discombobulated by it all and I’m really not a sensitive sort. 

Anyway. Food shopping to be done now all the worker bees have cleared off the roads. I’ll swing into B+M and see what I see. Never anything inspiring but I do lift the odd thing sometimes. 

-taff

So I googled black mushrooms UK and there are loads of them, even if at first glance I thought it could be a dead bat...which brings me to mention, I have seen live bats, but what happens to dead ones? Never seen a dead bat.

2p, you lose flavour if you keep tomatoes in a fridge, especilally ones which aren't proper ripe in the first place. Sorry, I got all pedantic there for a bit...

YBL, well, at least he turned up eventually. Tradesmen don't seem to be wanting to do jobs lately, or wanting to quote, or anything..I wonder where they go to do their jobs, is there a village in tatters where they all work?

Sunny yesterday so the bench got it's first coat of paint, two loads of washing got dried, one load is still on there soaking wet because I took my OHs word for it that it would be dry overnight. D'oh. Cut off some lambs ears for some seeds. Next year I expect I'll be sowing more flower seeds as I never realised it was that easy [despite obviously sowing veggie seeds for years] an that many don't show up, but some do and it's worth the cost.

Did that aubergine have any fruit on it Dusty?

Farway

Dull & cool, rain showers expected, but that will be once I'm out of course, off to G Centre for lunch with DS + family, so who knows what may find its way home with me? Nothing in mind but have to check in case clearance seeds are out, I expect Christmas trees will be on sale by now

Talking of tomatoes, I heard good things about Crimson Crush Dusty, and tried growing them last year, failed 100% . I had the same spectacular non result with Mountain Magic

This year I'm trying Oh happy days, which is looking good outside, and I've high hopes for it, especially the blight resistant bit

The "We kill any plant" neighbour seems to have some surviving plants since the revamp of the front strip, fresh soil etc. One of note is a salvia, like Hot Lips but purple & white. Next time I'm out dead heading the dahlias, let's hope my knife doesn't slip and cut some bits off

The Santana apple I bought last year, on offer from T & M looks well, three apples this year, its first year of growing, just hope it tastes as nice as it's looking. The online tasting reviews are mixed, some say Cox like, others insipid. I sometimes wonder if they are describing the same item

pink_poppy

Just a quick post from me because I’m supposed to be working 😈

On the subject of fungi... saw these a couple of days ago.

Dustyevsky

-taff said:

Did that aubergine have any fruit on it Dusty?

Yes, they all did, but not focused on aubergines, I didn't take in how 'ready' they were. Mrs Dusty isn't an aubergine fan, I'm afraid.  

Farway said:

The "We kill any plant" neighbour seems to have some surviving plants since the revamp of the front strip, fresh soil etc. One of note is a salvia, like Hot Lips but purple & white. Next time I'm out dead heading the dahlias, let's hope my knife doesn't slip and cut some bits off

It'll most likely be "Cherry Lips," which I prefer to the original.

Dull here, with drizzle now and again. The car told me it was 12c on the station run. Felt more like 10c. I nearly put the CH on last night!

YoungBlueEyes

Dead bats - nope never seen one either taff. Never thought about that before… Presumably they die out of sight (roosting or whatever) then get snaffled up by foxes (?) Hmmm.  
I’ll go with the village-in-tatters notion. I reckon it’s inhabited purely by stinking rich auld gets, and the workman are all over it to get their bills in before they snuff it. Mine prolly only turned up on his way home for his dinner ha haa! 

Bit late maybe but take big strong bags to the gc Farway, there’s always good stuff galore when you’re out with no bags and no money! Santana looos like a good eater, I wonder which camp yours will fall into? 

Your mushrooms look like they’re ready to be filled and cooked pp. Some slices of veg, topped with cheese… yum :y:yum:

I need to learn some stumbling/leaning/sticky knife techniques. There was a lovely bush in Lidl car park today (that I didn’t get a photo of) but it would look rightly in my garden…

-taff

Dustyevsky said:

It'll most likely be "Cherry Lips," which I prefer to the original.

Dull here, with drizzle now and again. The car told me it was 12c on the station run. Felt more like 10c. I nearly put the CH on last night!

I've got socks on. Second time in August [ not worn since April]...

YoungBlueEyes said:

I need to learn some stumbling/leaning/sticky knife techniques.

Just do what I do, take come secateurs with you, and bold as brass, go snip some off. I did it in a car park with figs a couple of weeks ago so I could try the water in a jar trick, but unfortunately, I took wood that was too young so only a few are showing signs..Must go back and get more..

P.S. Not got the hang of multi quoting obviously...

ArbitraryRandom

YoungBlueEyes said:

Aww no, am I the slow ship? I've nothing pretty or interesting going on out there... I'm waiting on all my snipped stuff to produce more. 

I think that would be me  

My single squash plant is (I think) just starting to produce flowers. I'll get some snaps next time I'm out to water, but it's also coming out with some absolutely delightful and delicate little curly tendrils.

It's stayed as a fairly bushy plant (not really spreading out or vining) so I'm hoping it'll just pop open some flowers (and that some of them will be female!) in the next week or so and I'll still have a chance for some fruit before the first frost...  

EDIT - a couple of pics of nothing really yet but hopefully something soon: