Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

Thanks folks Mind I’d be properly beaming if I’d made the Times, trumpets for Farway’s gd :applause: Such a beautiful bush too, it looks like it smells amazing! 

Phew for edible toms… so how’s the right time for squidging out the seeds then? (I’ve got a couple of really tasty [bought] toms sat waiting…) 

I only popped on for a min to say if anyone’s looking for erm… sticky plant snips… I got these today in Boyes. Not sure if it’s available to you southerners. Sat them on my lap so you’ve an idea of scale. They sure are handbag sized, so that’s me away now

Not interested in the garden centre? Jeez are you sick 2p? Mind sat with a good book is endlessly appealing. 

Speaking of books I bought another old cookbook today. It has lemon not lime curd in it, but lots of recipes for jams and marmalades. I’ll take photos if anyone is after them  

twopenny

Love that photo Dusty! And the one of the little garden with the rusty shed - but all I could think of was someone moving in and replacing with a plastic 'smart' one and clearing the garden.

Bluey, I did stop at the garden centre - after 10 miles at 20mph behind something and then a clear run it was not as busy as you'd think. No bargains to be had but it took my mind off things. Saw some intriguing leaves in the car park and looked for a cutting but there wasn't one to be had.

I did slightly fall for a Penstemon called Queen Victoria with dark pink flowers and dark red foliage, a dark red grass with red tipped fluffy seed heads that I thought would look good with the silvery Angels Wings.........so would be just under £40.

My thinking being that if my scented garden isn't going to flower in this extream dry and wet then maybe coloured foliage?

Been out the back watering everything! Random seeded or planted tomatoes, herbs whatever was in the way of the hose.

Ground is bone dry down a foot or more.

Weather - sunny and hot, a brief spray of rain, windy and repeat. Very very strange.

Like the trousers Bluey. I think those little cutters are cute. Worth buying just because they would be useful for something

Dustyevsky

We don't have Boyes around here, Bluey; nor Girles for that matter. Darlac tools are usually OK and that's a good bargain, even if £17.99 was a bit steep in the first place.  

It's not been a very warm or encouraging day here, and the brisk wind has now brought rain in modest amounts. My compost heap courgettes have all collapsed and conked, which points to disease. A couple never got properly started.

I can't leave my post on such a negative note, so here's a late-blooming, wildlife-friendly field on the cliff top we went past yesterday. Maiden aunt trigger warning, there may be some mild phallic symbolism!

twopenny

Anyone with clear skies it's the Persides Meteor showers this month and mostly tonight/tomorrow.

Cloud cover here

YoungBlueEyes

Awww no meteor showers here, also too cloudy:( Probably. These things are usually middle-of-the-night fare and I never see 3am now. I've not even seen stars in I couldn't tell you how long. Roll on autumn. There's a feel of autumn this morning tbh, pretty clouds and cool breeze with a damp earth smell on it If the neighbours would just do the decent thing and commit a murder/suicide pact then I reckon this is as close to heaven as I'm likely to get. Well, without dogs.... or a wildflower meadow like wots in Dusty's pic despite the "mild symbolism"  

Those trousers are donkey's years old. They started out a beautiful bright rich coral-y red colour, but they're so soft after 25 (gulp!) years of washing. When they were new and lovely looking nobody cared, now they've faded out to a queer colour everyone compliments them *shrug* 

Yep my little snips, I've not tested them yet. Well they made short work of the blaster packaging, but I'll take them food shopping on Tuesday and see about that funny bush with the yellow flowers. I thought a fiver was a good price, and on the Darlac website they are £15.99, so whoever your woman on the pack is her name is worth another £2. What do I know?  They're sturdy and little and a lovely colour  

I vote yes to coloured foliage 2p. I've tried to do different textures and colours here (cos I didn't know what kinda flowers I'd end up with, if any) and I'm pleased I did - you're not always looking at a lot of the same thing when that thing hasn't flowered. There's another thick band of rain coming up from the SW tomorrow, hopefully that'll give you a good soaking :fingerscrossed:

I'm hoping they're right today (all of them) and it's breezy cloudy cool. We got the last of the hardcore down yesterday, so it's drains in and then wakkaplate (sp?) today. Ventusky was spot on with it's forecast, so that's my go-to now

twopenny

Hope the nippers do their job well today. In the Woolworths years I bought a cheap pair and they lasted over 10yrs! Loved them. Noow I have to buy tools with orange handles so I can find them when I've put them down.

You can see the meteors straight after dark. Well you can if there aren't clouds.

Woke to gloomy light and wet paths. Promise of sun on each site but not when you look through the window. Think it's time for cutting a bunch of sweet peas to cheer the day up.
My neighbour gave each house a packet of the seeds for Christmas. Finally they've bloomed but are all white with mauve edges. Very classy but i love colours more.
The grower goes in for competitions and used to sell the cut flowers in enormous bunches. They really are lovely.
https://www.somersetsweetpeas.com

YoungBlueEyes

Well the nights are drawing in now so maybe I'll have chance of seeing them  

I agree about sweetpeas, they're so fragrant and delicate and happy I'm waiting on mine deciding if they're gonna go for a second flush. They're a long time thinking about it... And everyone being given a packet of the seeds for Christmas, I love that  

ArbitraryRandom

It's actually got me thinking about halloween - I don't get many kids knocking, but the neighbours did last year. I'm thinking a chocolate bar and a little potted alpine strawberry maybe...? I've still got about 50 to find homes for somewhere  

Farway

Tipping down first thing, hope some sun at some stage during the day, I want to clear some of the blighty tomato plants, had to pick the unripened Shirley, blight just edging onto the plant, and it's a good crop so far, if not ripe

Nice wild flowers there Dusty, had to clutch my pearls when I noticed the background item

Very handy snips YBE, hope they will soon be hacking bits off carefully trimming selected plants

No meteors spotted, just clouds, but I'll have a peek weather permitting

YoungBlueEyes said:

Thanks folks Mind I’d be properly beaming if I’d made the Times, trumpets for Farway’s gd :applause: Such a beautiful bush too, it looks like it smells amazing! 

Phew for edible toms… so how’s the right time for squidging out the seeds then? (I’ve got a couple of really tasty [bought] toms sat waiting…) 

I just squidge when I'm about to eat them, they're ripe then, and it's always worked for me, so that's probably a good time. BTW I wouldn't rely on bought toms to provide, the bought tasty plum ones I tried this year were a complete wash-out, but as always, worth a bash

One success has been my figs from cuttings started in water, back in April 2021. 

I started a thread on my progress back then and have just updated it, Here's link should anyone find a fig tree & some snips in their handbag / pocket   https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6274664/figs-from-cuttings/p1

Here is one of the cuttings, with it's ripe fig, still in pot but will go to new pot come the winter

YoungBlueEyes

Thanks Farway. I’ve squished the bought toms out onto cling film so I might try a couple of seeds but not rely on them. 

Snips are very snippy. Bit of strength in them too, but that might just be while they’re new and sharp. 

Arb mind you don’t spend ages getting them potted up and carry-able just for kids to still not knock on your door  

(Suggested) Signs of a gardener no 1. When you see it’s raining and you’re stood waiting on it stopping so you can go out and water your pots cos it never rains right 🙄