Awful weather - typical Brits talk

ArbitraryRandom

Farway said:

Message from Evri delivery, my bulbs and Russian sage are on the way, they're just waiting for me to go out, and then they will deliver to leave a note saying I was out and package can be collected from their depot in Rickmansworth between 1100 and 1115 Tuesdays only

I don't know what your area is like for porch pirates, but in a previous house I had one of those plastic garden 'storage benches' which are useless for sitting on, but look tidy enough as a 'safe place' for parcels. 

Now I've got a log store that does the same thing on the rare occasion I'm not sat in front of the laptop all day. 

Farway

ArbitraryRandom said:

Farway said:

Message from Evri delivery, my bulbs and Russian sage are on the way, they're just waiting for me to go out, and then they will deliver to leave a note saying I was out and package can be collected from their depot in Rickmansworth between 1100 and 1115 Tuesdays only

I don't know what your area is like for porch pirates, but in a previous house I had one of those plastic garden 'storage benches' which are useless for sitting on, but look tidy enough as a 'safe place' for parcels. 

Now I've got a log store that does the same thing on the rare occasion I'm not sat in front of the laptop all day. 

Luckily no known PP around here, and my parcel has arrived, safely left on the step . Looks like planting for tomorrow is ON

I'll take a photo of the Russian Sage just for the record

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

I was expecting an actual kingfisher there Dusty I quite like that one mind.

We have plenty of real ones, but they don't usually hang round on a convenient branch for photos. The most you see usually is a flash of fluorescent colour going past at speed, and if you're lucky, the same going in the other direction 15 minutes later!

Farway said:

Dull but pleasant enough, due a frost everywhere tonight so they say, goodbye dahlias, goodbye Castor oil plants, and very goodbye Cannas, not too sorry to see you go, but you were a let-down, a floozy promise teasing me on while others flaunted their orange delights from the West Country

YoungBlueEyes said:

I thought violas were alright Farway? Tough little sods and a bit of colour against the gloom. I'm wondering now if they're just slug fodder... 

Borage - that's another common thing that makes me smile. I had some in my last garden but I've not seen any round here sadly. It's not something I've seen on the seed packets stands either
 

Funny you mention borage, I had some, self seeded and just grew around, but like yours it seems to have died away, I wonder if the global boiling has affected it somehow?

Forgot to say, boiler passed OK, though next year it will require more cash due to a cover gasket and anti corrosion fluid needed.

Global boiling isn't stopping my borage seeding around. I have the white one, but it's the same species as the blue. I prefer the blue, but didn't plant either; this one just appeared. Since the digger was last here, we've had a few  other surprise plants pop up. One is St Mary's Thistle (Silybum marianum) which is now huge, and the other a Cape Gooseberry (I think.) If it is a Cape Gooseberry, it will die in the coming frosts. I will hang on to the thistle, if I can, but plants which live by the digger may die by it too. At a metre across there's no way it'll move now!

Good news on the boiler. No need for a blooming heat pump yet.

twopenny

Did you know kingfishers have sun glasses?
They have a 3rd eyelid that protects the eye as they dive and it's polarised for seeing through the water.

Borage has a cheering effect if eaten fresh.

Herons have talcum powder type substance to spread on their feathers to keep water out

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Borage has a cheering effect if eaten fresh.

I'll remember that at 08.00 tomorrow, if I come back from letting the hens out and find my tender stuff in the polytunnel frozen! There's a nice clump by the back door....or will that be frozen too? All I remember about borage is that you can put a flower in an ice cube, and it will make your drinks look pretty.

I've decided my body isn't quite ready for a long walk in what will feel like 4c tomorrow , but I shall try to get the threshold finished on the west end of the polytunnel. Also, we're still waiting for the guy who cuts our field hedges to do his stuff, so I daren't go out in case he arrives. I gave him a briefing, but that was weeks ago....

Now for the very last fuchsia photo for this season. This one sits at the back of our man border and comes into its own when other plants fade or are cut back in autumn. I asked Mrs Dusty which one it was, and she replied confidently, “Winston Churchill.”  It isn't! Any ideas?

twopenny

Pretty but no idea. You could make it up and I wouldn't know  . 

A frost here this morning. Rare for us. I tucked the money plant and a couple of geraniums in the shade. The two that are out look ok fingers crossed. But I'm not going out to inspect until it warms up a bit.
Bright at least but when I tried to open the curtains a blast of icy air hit me so I quickly drew them again to keep the heat in.
So with the leg dodgy from walking, swimming and then hoiking round the late night shopping with my neighbour gardening is out for today it looks like.

Have to see how it goes.
Lifes all a surprise when you get older.

ArbitraryRandom

Dustyevsky said:

twopenny said:

Borage has a cheering effect if eaten fresh.

Now for the very last fuchsia photo for this season. This one sits at the back of our man border and comes into its own when other plants fade or are cut back in autumn. I asked Mrs Dusty which one it was, and she replied confidently, “Winston Churchill.”  It isn't! Any ideas?

Far too many types of fuchsias but of the 200 odd I narrowed it down to using the search on this site, I'm going to pick these two as possible candidates: 

https://fuchsiafinder.com/fuchsia/gerald-drewitt/

https://fuchsiafinder.com/fuchsia/breeders-delight/

https://fuchsiafinder.com/colourgroup/pink-purple/?pa_flower=single&pa_habitus=upright&pa_country=united-kingdom

YoungBlueEyes

Cold and sunny here this morning, they said 'feels like' was -4' and that seems right to me Can't say it's "terrifying" though, just a bit colder than it was the other day. Maybe "terrifying" is next week...

Beechgrove was on last night and they were talking about violas and pansies. Apparently violas are the safer bet cos their petals/heads are only little so the rain doesn't weigh them down so much, they can nod and survive where pansies droop. 

twopenny said:

Did you know kingfishers have sun glasses?
They have a 3rd eyelid that protects the eye as they dive and it's polarised for seeing through the water.

Borage has a cheering effect if eaten fresh.

Herons have talcum powder type substance to spread on their feathers to keep water out

I like your facts 2p, I'm having them   I know what you mean about kingfishers just being a blur Dusty, There were a few at the river where we used to walk the dogs. The only way to know if you'd seen one was to hold still and see if it came back! Do I remember something on QI about kingfishers not being blue....? They're actually brown but our eyes see them as blue because the cones and rods in the back of our eyes are something something . I'll have to look that up.

Good news on your boiler Farway, hopefully it'll be fine next year too. Always worth getting an independant fellah out for that kind of thing, they don't find as many things 'wrong' ime

Turkish was V good yesterday, and friend enjoyed the meal and her presents. I don't know if I can mention names on here so if anybody fancies a trip to it, pm me and I'll tell you. I don't think any of yous are that near enough to me though, but you never know  

Get tucked up in a blanket on the sofa and watch Jesse Stone films all day 2p. Hot chocolate with a good slug of whiskey in it - good for what ails ya

pink_poppy

Bitterly cold here and a hard frost - looks lovely though and the sun is out. Did anyone see the moon last night?? It was really bright, not quite full, with an equally bright planet to the left of it.

I’ve been out feeding the birds this morning... (I didn’t put them all out)



Talking of birds... this is the mess that greeted me yesterday afternoon (& yes, that’s my Calamondin STILL outside 😳) I really am considering getting the roof cleared of moss 🙄



Finally, I picked this fruit the other day when we were talking about the plant it came from - unfortunately my mind has gone blank and I can’t remember the name. Jazz apple to show size. The fruit definitely has a faint scent to it - a bit lemon furniture polish ish...

pink_poppy

Ps I’m hoping to see some real live reindeer today with Santa 😁