Awful weather - typical Brits talk

ArbitraryRandom

They are absolutely delightful, but I'm thinking you could probably buy a mould from China and make one in concrete for a darn sight less  

YoungBlueEyes said:

Question - I always plant my bulbs like the packet says, 10cm apart and 15cm deep or whatever, so they grow into clumps over time. So I do one here, one over there, one somewhere else... Is that not right..? 

You're not wrong... I'm just being realistic that it was either dump mine together or bin them - the bulbs had already been hanging around a few weeks and with the heating on in the house they weren't going to get more viable. 

pink_poppy

I went back to p675 and thought it was the same bird, but at a different angle. Still looks like a wren to me because of the sticky up tail.

I haven't seen the waxwings since my brief glimpse a couple of weeks ago, but apparently they've been quite a common sight in Scotland in recent weeks - apparently it's called a waxwing irruption...

In pictures: Waxwing irruption flies into Scotland - BBC News

Dustyevsky

ArbitraryRandom said:

They are absolutely delightful, but I'm thinking you could probably buy a mould from China and make one in concrete for a darn sight less

A bit small for concrete, but the Chinese will sell you some nice resin too.  

To remove any possibility of misunderstanding, my tongue was firmly in my cheek when posting mousie. Attendance at a pottery class would allow one to produce a dozen of him/her, each individual in some way, and glazes or acrylic paint would extend the possibilities still further.

If I were to go in for making garden ornaments, I think I'd like to produce tortoises. After all, these days, the home-bred ones are expensive, and as we found out in the bad old days, their ability to escape or simply not wake up in spring made them a risky investment .

-taff

Well, it hasn't rained for a few days and the green bin gets collected tomorrow so I'll put it on the mental list of jobs and see what happens. Mind you, the mower might take one look at the temperatures it's expected to work in and go on strike...No gardening has been done in any shape or form because it's just too cold and I obviously, am a delicate flower [yes I am ybl and don't you snigger]

Lovely daisy Farway, and the rose..

I'm currently waiting on the phone because my call is important obviously so a quick think about concrete is going on, is it hand mixed or machine mixed? We're planning on building a thing next year now [ it just didn't materialise this year]. I remember the amount of woek it was just to make one wheelbarrow full to top up round the posts a few years ago.

Good luck with the clumps too arb, for some years all the ones I planted failed to thrive but the ones that seeded themselves in the three inch stone strewn gap between us and next door took off like rockets. 

 

Farway

Cold but sunny, DGD reports snow & ice up where she is near Aberdeen, and no one has salted the drive, how odd, drives normally salt themselves when you are living at home. 

She can't say we didn't tell her, should've opted for training at Osborne House IOW.

The Russian sage have been moved into the unheated conservatory, it's a start at least 

Dustyevsky said:

Looks like another calm, grey 6c day today, so still difficult to cut wet grass. I did some cutting yesterday as it refuses to stop growing, but the results weren't pretty. Looking further ahead, something colder this way comes, but not as bad as predicted a couple of days ago. We have had our Winter Fuel Allowance which paid for the car's MoT. I suppose we can always set fire to the car if things turn extremely cold! 

I had to laugh at that, I've also had my allowance, plus that Hunt bunged me extra as compensation for being a grumpy old git

Dustyevsky said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

They are absolutely delightful, but I'm thinking you could probably buy a mould from China and make one in concrete for a darn sight less

A bit small for concrete, but the Chinese will sell you some nice resin too.  

To remove any possibility of misunderstanding, my tongue was firmly in my cheek when posting mousie. Attendance at a pottery class would allow one to produce a dozen of him/her, each individual in some way, and glazes or acrylic paint would extend the possibilities still further.

If I were to go in for making garden ornaments, I think I'd like to produce tortoises. After all, these days, the home-bred ones are expensive, and as we found out in the bad old days, their ability to escape or simply not wake up in spring made them a risky investment .

Yonks ago I did consider casting garden gnomes and selling them from gnome [groan] but cunning planning was as far as it went before life interrupted

Crept out yesterday to take a photo, it was surprisingly warm in the sunshine, my violas will be loving it

Here's one I took, quite arty by accident

ArbitraryRandom

Back from my appointment and thawing out - decided not to sing as the council would just hike their bill next year due to having to 'investigate increased reports of noise pollution' as well as everything else they say they need money for  

I can't compete with farway for artistic composition (or indeed focusing skills!), but my quest to find flowers out of season was moderately successful - I took a different route for part of the walk. Quick snaps taken mostly at arms length with max zoom, but a welcome flash of colour  

twopenny

Oh I would so like some of these on my wall!

That daisy sticks in my mind as a sign of hope in the winter brown and cold and that first yellow daisy is sooo cheerful

I could do with some singing Abs, the heating pump in my little place is constantly grumbling along reminding me of the cost. Had to put it on all day because I'm still trying to sort out the same problems online and paper that just keep going round in circles despite my best efforts to solve them. I'll swear it's a plot by business to keep you going till you give up.

At least the heating grant is through at last. I don't get the bonus because they reckon I'm not old and grumpy enough. They obviously haven't met me lately.

Definitely no gardening. It's cold and wet. around 5c. This really isn't normal in these parts. It is brightish though and not blowing.

I can't match Dustys masterpieces but here's one of my own. I didn't make it but bought it for £2 for no apparant reason but it's been my companion for years.

Sorry it's out of focus. I was shivering too much when I took it

YoungBlueEyes

Ah it’s good news on my separately planted bulbs then, thanks Arb. Maybe I should do as I’m told more often… no scratch that, that must be my low blood sugars talking cos it’s pre-lunch time here  

I like that wee mouse Dusty, I reckon I could stand a good few of them dotted round ShawshankPatch Any chance they’re about 3ft tall so they scare the bejesus outta the squirrels? 

Ooh “irruptions” pp, I like your word. I’ve just D’Duck’d waxwings and aren’t they striking looking? No point keeping my eye for some though eh. 

Not sniggering here taff, it’s bladdy cold here too, delicate wallflower or no! They keep saying it’ll snow in the next hour but it keeps on not snowing. *sigh* 

Loving all the flower pics. That’s a beautiful colour viola Farway, and that’s a properly cheering yellow on the wosnames Arb  

Hurray for your heating grant 2p. Any chance being stubborn and persistent will see the bonus swiftly follow…? 

I can contribute to the ‘garden ornament’ bit too, when I find the pic I took a while ago. 

YoungBlueEyes

Here you go - garden ornaments. 

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Here you go - garden ornaments. 

Another person who was taught an apostrophe means “Look out, here comes an S!”

But then, if they think that, why isn't it Aggregate's and Sleeper's as well?

In these parts, some of us were very pertickler about our apostrophes, but it didn't stop our council banning them.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2293868/Residents-fury-council-bans-APOSTROPHES-street-signs-avoid-confusion.html

“As a council spokesperson didn't say, because it would have been the truth,”They'me jus' too 'ard m'dear!”