Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Dusty I didn't mean it was the same one, I meant that's what my one looked like earlier in the year Lots of rich coloured flowers and good leaves and lushness in general. My one it's all pale and sparse and the leaves are thin... There's plenty of it, just that it's tired looking

Ah, I did think you're generally much sharper than it seemed there, but it was me that got confused! Put it down to my age.  It's still good to give the pale fuchsias a plug. Like female Japanese heavy bands, they tend to be overshadowed by the brasher, heavily promoted members of the family!

Warm here at sunrise today, but if the cider drinkers in Exeter are to be believed, we shall have a deluge before sunset. I have been turning my 'hay' daily, having mown the wildlife areas of grass, so it will be a quick pick-up of that plus all the stuff Mrs Dusty has strewn about in her travels with the hedge trimmer.

Yesterday I braved the commercial yard behind us and attacked  the buffer zone full of bramble, nettle, and bindweed with something equally 'commercial.' It will have been on the weeds for at least 30 hours before the rain, so I think that's job done for this season. They're not our best neighbours, but still infinitely preferable to some others!

OK, you know I like to go out and about to find pictures beyond our garden, so here's one where I have no idea what's going on, but it sure is interesting!

This is in a field where last year some sort of deep bed Hugelkultur seemed to be going on, but not much else. This year a barn-sized shed, huge polytunnel frame and a water tower have sprouted up.....and now this! Given the hassle we've had getting a 12metre gap in a hedge, I looked online to see what permission these guys have sought....but I can find nothing.

I'll keep you updated. I'm guessing the 'farm' here is in excess of 15 acres, so different rules apply. It's next to a major road, so not likely to go unnoticed.

YoungBlueEyes

Happy belated birthday wort! Enjoy the Lakes, and take lots of autumnal pictures  

Farway did you get your clematis planted? If the band of rain we're under at the minute is heading for you, it's lovely lots of gentle steady rain.

I very like that gateway (?) Dusty, aren't they lovely. We were at Revesby country fair the other year and a fellah was doing carvings like that with a chainsaw. A chainsaw. Not on that scale like, they were a couple of feet tall. I was mesmerised. I wonder what sort of approvals you'd need for that...? You know, those that try to do things properly  

Anyway. I put my big girl pants on and knocked on the fuschia house's door and guess what the answer is? It's 2 different fuschias interwiggled with each other. The guy didn't know what they are (he's a renter he said) but his mother said it was a very clever combo as there'll be something on it practically the whole year round. So that's one mystery solved! 

twopenny

And your cuttings Bluey?
You did ask if you could take cuttings?

Been running around doing stuff again today and then it started big spots of rain re drunkards spot on so too damp, too tired.
Bbc had technical issues again!

But I have got some organic paving long term cleaner. Used my neighbours' chemical one yesterday for a part of the paving so I've got a 'which one works' scenario.
Anything that keeps it looking good all winter with virtually no effort sounds too good to be true. But hers looks great.
Of course I only went out for paint.

Also thinking about a plastic small greenhouse sort of thing. I had one and it was forever blowing over but I've got someone with one that still has ripening tomatoes in sited at the end of the drive.
I found a cheapish one and could stake it down in this garden.
What do you think?

ArbitraryRandom

Farway said:

... Michael Douglas in Falling Down... 

An excellent and underrated film. 

Dustyevsky

Have a lovely, special birthday break, wort. With the change in the weather, it doesn't seem likely the yellow flowers will suffer if they're heeled-in and remain unplanted for a while.

'Interwiggled' is a great way to describe close planting of two similar plants, Bluey. As I said, the lighter coloured varieties come late, and ours get quite lost among the other full-grown plants. They need to be somewhere more prominent. I'll talk to the boss!  

Not much extra to report. I continued picking-up after Mrs Dusty, who was on the Lidl long handled hedge cutter this afternoon. In between times, I planted about 30 garlic cloves, meaning I'm actually on time with something for a change! As I finished, around 17.00, it began raining, bang on cue.

Chainsaw carving can be pretty impressive. We have a chap doing some locally, who's based in a lay-by on the main road. It's something to think of if you have a friend who already has everything and needs a special present.

Here's another view of the 'Dragon Entrance' ....but to what? That is the question!

Edit: Oops! Think I almost shot myself, but you only get my chin!

YoungBlueEyes

Aww I didn't even think of cuttings 2p! Mind that pic I took was from the pavement so I could easily snip some bits off... Aye interwiggled is just right, from close up you could see the 2 different leaves and the branches were all up in each other. It was a beautiful thing  
Paving slabs - I was doing mine (the old concrete ones) just with lovely neighbour's pressure washer, no chemicals, but she does hers (same as my old ones) with a spray thing that I can't remember what it's called but it lasts a year. I'll ask her if you like? I'm sure I read on the Old School board somewhere that using a bit of washing soda in a bucket of water swept on slabs will bring them up perfectly. 
Plastic greenhouse - I had one of the blow-away ones at my last house. It might have been user-error but I wasn't impressed. I took the middle shelf bit out so my toms could grow tall but the shelf was lateral support so it was weakened. I staked the bum of it down with these little horseshoe looking nail things, which did work and kept it stable but when the plastic died I just did without. I think the sun degraded the plastic for it was only cheap. Which way round does your garden face? Will it be in strong sunshine all day? 

That dragon entrance Dusty, does it lead to Westeros? That's a lovely shot of it in the fading sunshine eh. Chainsaw carvings - I'd never seen anything like it! The details weren't very delicate close up like, but whaddya want from a chainsaw. If they'd been cheaper I woulda bought one. There was an owl sat on a tree stump, and he'd 'sliced?' feathers and markings into the bark on it's back. It did look good but not £150 good.


Well the fresher air came down over us yesterday, it was actually cool. I saw people out in their big coats (it wasn't that cold), but it sure is cool this morning. Bit of condensation on the inside of the conservatory... so that's it now, bye bye summer. Need to sort my toms out today. There's still some fruit on there but they're not ripe. I'll snip them off and see if they'll ripen on a windowsill. I'm still waiting on the last windowsill dwellers ripening mind... 
The sobers have given rain for this aft, the drunkards and ventusky say cool but still and sunny. That'll do me  

YoungBlueEyes

Also - I'll have a look for Falling Down on the catchups, for it's a desperate forecast tomorrow...

twopenny

Put a banana or a ripe shop tomato with your green ones Bluey.

Finding a cutting that hasn't flowered, is small and has ripe brown wood on the end - then pull it off where it joins a woody branch with a heal of bark is a sure way.
Mind you're sort of obvious while you're rummaging in the bush.
Best to practise on something less obvious   

Rain and dark here for the foreseeable. 

Debating whether to go for the walk on the moors as planned or chicken out.........

Edit. Looked up at the hills, couldn't see said hills and it's thick mist/cloud so walking in the wet with no view for more than 50yds on a chilly morning has no appeal.

Gardening is obviously off too. Think I'll go for no mow Oct,Nov,Dec,Jan,Feb,March also. It just grows again.

Dusty that's a beautiful bit of carving. We have a lot around here but nothing as beautiful as that.

I'd post our 'bear in the wood' if I could find it

Farway

Dull, grey & damp, rain tonight and then more to follow.

YoungBlueEyes said:

Farway did you get your clematis planted? If the band of rain we're under at the minute is heading for you, it's lovely lots of gentle steady rain.

Not the clematis, I did get the passion flower in yesterday & today was clematis day, except just realised it's volunteer AGM, plus it's wet now, so looks like a job for another day

However, silver lining, the top-up Morries pansies I was going to plant this Saturday I can get in this afternoon before the AGM, and this rainy spell will be an ideal time

ArbitraryRandom said:

Farway said:

... Michael Douglas in Falling Down... 

An excellent and underrated film. 

Yes, and it's become one of the classics now, I was only recently reading how every actor turned it down, but Michael Douglas having read it just went for it because it was so far removed from his normal roles

Checking my pansies awaiting planting, four of the plug ones have been knocked over and upside down, blooming squirrels I guess, I've stuffed carefully replaced them back in the pots & hopefully all will be well

Chainsaw carving, seen a few around, here's one I've posted previously, at Wisley

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Dusty that's a beautiful bit of carving. We have a lot around here but nothing as beautiful as that.

I'd post our 'bear in the wood' if I could find it

Is this her?

Oh, hang on.....

I don't think you need to forego your visit to the outdoors today. It's not brilliant out there, but we're still quite warm and there's no more heavy rain predicted before tonight. For us, the big chill arrives at the weekend!