Awful weather - typical Brits talk

goldfinches

Waving to adoring crowds and enjoying reading today's posts. My 15 minutes hasn't lasted very long but I have enjoyed it immensely, I agree with 2p that there ought to be a medal and am surprised that the editor of the newsletter doesn't send a pm to let a forumite know that their photo is being used.

You're not wrong about the water in the Thames hereabouts YBE; you can tell when it's been raining upstream because the water is greenish, grey and opaque rather than black and clear IYSWIM and all sorts of leaves, twigs, branches, plastic cones, rubbish etc. come floating down the fast current in the centre. I wouldn't fancy swimming in it at all.

Dusty I'm reading Edible Economics by Ha-Joon Chang at the moment and have just reached the chapter where he delves into the idea of eating insects and compares them to prawns among other things. How do you fancy some fried crickets instead? They'll give you energy for tackling those raised beds!

Arb that is a very handsome cat and I do like the bells on the collar. Well done on the butternut squash and that's not mess that's cottagecore chic, very aspirational nowadays!

I walked round the Meadow after my cycle ride and saw any number of squirrels all hastily burying conkers and a moorhen quartering the grass at the river's edge. It was a glorious sunny afternoon here but with ominously dark clouds scudding overhead so heaven only knows what tomorrow will be like.

PS talking of weather have a look at this article in the Guardian Man captures ‘weird anomaly’ of Storm Babet lifting forest floor in Scotland | Scotland | The Guardian

YoungBlueEyes

Ah bu99er, you beat me to it gf, I was gonna say about the lifting forest floor! Freaky eh. I've never seen anything like it and I couldn't tell you how many hours I've spent walking with dogs in woods. The dog doesn't seem overly bothered though, bless it
We're surrounded by empty fields waiting for the developers to come knocking farmland here, and you couldn't pay me to jump in a river after a while lot of rain. If it's a still day you can smell the chemicals that's washed off and come downstream. All the kids and dogs you see in it will keep the docs and vets in business anyway    

How much rain did you get 2p? It'll maybe want another coat will it? 

I remember now Dusty, you had to lower your polytunnel because neighbours. Double the work then.... maybe you'll get doubley tasty tomatoes out of it, for your efforts

I'm not a cat person but that's a great pic Arb, very topical! He/she looks very silky. Fingers crossed the squash ripen nicely on the windowsill  

Foggy out there this morning, I can only just see the bottom of my garden. High humidity and no breeze all day so there'll be no washing done here today, Domestic Nonsense day or no. Bit of a wet week coming for everyone, according to CountryFile. As long as we can get over the tops Friday morning to get to Manchester airport I don't care what it does after that  

Dustyevsky

goldfinches said:

Dusty I'm reading Edible Economics by Ha-Joon Chang at the moment and have just reached the chapter where he delves into the idea of eating insects and compares them to prawns among other things. How do you fancy some fried crickets instead? They'll give you energy for tackling those raised beds!

PS talking of weather have a look at this article in the Guardian Man captures ‘weird anomaly’ of Storm Babet lifting forest floor in Scotland | Scotland | The Guardian

I'm fine with eating crustaceans and insects, so long as no one is forcing me, introducing them surreptitiously into existing products, or suggesting I should exchange my sheep for a field full of genetically modified 3' long woodlice! Similarly, if artificial meat ever surpasses the real thing in taste and good nutrition, I'll be on board, but I'd want to know what was in it exactly and how replacing real animals with it might affect the landscape. In other words, much long-term research of the type now skipped by those producing certain other mass market products I could name, but won't.

When I saw the clip of the forest floor, my fears were for both the dog and the camera person, either of whom could have been crushed in a moment. Being the Beeb, I was amazed it didn't come with a warning not to film dangerous stuff at close quarters. 

YoungBlueEyes said:

I remember now Dusty, you had to lower your polytunnel because neighbours. Double the work then.... maybe you'll get doubley tasty tomatoes out of it, for your efforts.

We didn't have to stay on the original level. We did it as a favour to those who might otherwise see more of it, including ourselves. It was also kept  low in an area where occasional high winds might cause the sort of damage Storm Eunice did to the old one, albeit with a cover that had seen better days. We didn't realise how close we were to bed rock, though that comes with advantages too. For example, if we wanted to build a smaller single storey property, the land is already  2/3 cleared at the right level. I can't be sure why anyone might do that now, but times are apt to change. I've investigated the depth of the old tomato beds and they're only about 450mm deep. We can achieve that. Once there are 3 of them, they can be rotated annually.

Pleasantly warm out there this morning, if damp and grey. I'm still doing the chickens at daybreak in my PJs. Though our main border looks rather drab, there are still pockets of flowers elsewhere, including this annual Rudbeckia hirta I snapped in a brief period of sunshine recently:

Farway

Dull with bit of a breeze, forecast is some French rain my sneak across the Channel later, but like many crossing the channel it is mainly heading for Kent / Sussex

Dustyevsky said:

goldfinches said:

Dusty I'm reading Edible Economics by Ha-Joon Chang at the moment and have just reached the chapter where he delves into the idea of eating insects and compares them to prawns among other things. How do you fancy some fried crickets instead? They'll give you energy for tackling those raised beds!

PS talking of weather have a look at this article in the Guardian Man captures ‘weird anomaly’ of Storm Babet lifting forest floor in Scotland | Scotland | The Guardian

I'm fine with eating crustaceans and insects, so long as no one is forcing me, introducing them surreptitiously into existing products, or suggesting I should exchange my sheep for a field full of genetically modified 3' long woodlice! Similarly, if artificial meat ever surpasses the real thing in taste and good nutrition, I'll be on board, but I'd want to know what was in it exactly and how replacing real animals with it might affect the landscape. In other words, much long-term research of the type now skipped by those producing certain other mass market products I could name, but won't.

I'm with you on eating if I know what it is & how it was produced, it's the sneaky methods I'm wary off because I cynically nothing is commercially done for our benefit, and I include the change of sweetie wrappers for "green" ones, if being Green was a priority then chips would still be sold wrapped in old newspapers

I have sampled crickets at local Farm Shop, before sale was banned https://www.bugsolutely.com/legal-status-edible-insects/

They were OK but in much the same way as those little fried fish in Spanish bars

Nice flower there, Dusty, still some life in the garden. Checking my patch yesterday, I found the new Boysenberry has grown a bit, so seems it's settled in now, and my even newer clematis is still alive and not slug ravaged, plus the Cloth of Gold grown from seed seem to have taken, or at least not died

Here's the rose I grew from a cutting, pic taken yesterday. Bonus reward points for spotting the uninvited guests, which I will not be eating

YoungBlueEyes

I agree with you there about fake meat Dusty. If they can produce something of god enough taste and quality and goodness (and don't be lying to me on the packet about what's inside) then I'll be all for it. But the bigger picture needs carefully examining too. What'll happen to all the coos? Just kept for milking or given up on entirely and only make appearances at 'petting zoos'? I'd not be up for that like. I'd be alright with eating critters and bugs for protein too, it's just a change in mindset really. 

I'm no geologist but I believe bed rock is properly firm and would happily hold up a small single storey dwelling, should one appear. Like The Furey's said "the times they are a changin' "

Anyway I only popped on to say look who's in my garden! I was stood waiting on the kettle boiling so this is a really quick point and shoot photo, but still. I don't know if he's my one but he made my heart smile   

Dustyevsky

I forgot to say, congratulations Arb, you've grown 2 more squash than me this year! Mind you we still have one left from last year in the boiler room! It must be like rock by now.

Sky's cleared and it's still pleasantly warm. I don't know who was right today, as I didn't look. I know the grass is still growing like mad and the car's MoT is happening tomorrow, but I can do nothing about either right now. Maybe it's another day in the workshop. I'm slightly amazed that the polytunnel doors, stored outdoors for a year, are still not warped.

Woke up this morning....this is not a blues, honest! ....to find the wildflower name 'Betony' in the front of what passes for my mind. No idea why, but looking at the description, it seems ideal for our wild area, especially the shady stream bank. I am still struggling with the grasses down there, but a few tough perennials have fought back. You know you're up against it when Joe Pye Weed struggles!

DigSunPap

Thank you everybody for welcoming me and being so kind! My veg patch really got the watering it has been needing this weekend!!! 

twopenny

So dry day forecast, clear sky so I left paint brushes out to dry overnight only to find it bucketing down so they are in the airing cupboard to dry.   Don't judge  

I'm going back to the old way, red sky in morning etc seems to be more reliable. Hard to tell through the cloud though.

A little sun at the mo shows that the grass and plants are really recovering from the droughts and heavy rain of 'summer' - the perenial wallflowers, the snap dragons and roses. All but the small roses that were such a delight for a couple of years. 
Those still have yellow leaves despite some bfb and letting more light at them. Any tips? 

Still too wet to get out and deal with anything but given a break in the weather ground will be soft enough to dig up some turf and deal with the spreadeagled beans (that are still growing) and such.

Farway

twopenny said:

A little sun at the mo shows that the grass and plants are really recovering from the droughts and heavy rain of 'summer' - the perenial wallflowers, the snap dragons and roses. All but the small roses that were such a delight for a couple of years. 
Those still have yellow leaves despite some bfb and letting more light at them. Any tips? 

I wouldn't worry too much, what with the rotten summer they had, and now it's autumn they are probably doing what we should all do, die off until spring

Provided they are not sitting in a bog now they'll be fine & like most of their cousins just leafless twigs all winter

Don't feed, it's wasted this time of year

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

I agree with you there about fake meat Dusty. If they can produce something of god enough taste and quality and goodness (and don't be lying to me on the packet about what's inside) then I'll be all for it. But the bigger picture needs carefully examining too. What'll happen to all the coos? Just kept for milking or given up on entirely and only make appearances at 'petting zoos'? I'd not be up for that like. I'd be alright with eating critters and bugs for protein too, it's just a change in mindset really.

Shades of "The Last Rabbit," eh? We have a couple of farm-themed attractions not a zillion miles away:

https://www.themilkyway.co.uk/

and

https://www.thebigsheep.co.uk/

When the kids were young, we visited these places that had recently sprung-up, but never imagined how they would develop. They're part of the local economy, providing much needed jobs in season, but I don't believe many people visit to find out about farming!

I'll remove the links later, but I'll leave this one because the owners are maintaining this place in the spirit in which it was set up: https://www.woolleyanimals.co.uk/  And their surname really is Woolley!