Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

Just dull & damp, which is better than DGD way up North, it's an ice sheet everywhere with rain & frost, they are hiving to work inside today, some have already fallen over with the ice. These non-self clearing paths eh!

Love the reindeer 2P, cheerful little fellows, and the horse Dusty, impressive, I wonder where one starts with something like that? Find a bit of chain & think, "I bet this would make a nice horse"

Dustyevsky said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

I've been seriously considering some vitamin d at the least as they say we're all short of it (especially in winter) but I wonder what plants I can grow to have some healthy vitamin boosting salads and the like (bringing it back to the topic of the thread ) and planning what I want to grow next year. They say you should eat the rainbow, so it might be fun to see if I can grow something from each of the colour groups. 

 Eat the rainbow? You should see my rainbow chard after that frost. It will survive, but it's obviosly had a big shock!

Beat me to it, I was going to suggest rainbow chard. But mine has never really thrived, grows OK, just not as good as I've seen elsewhere.

twopenny said:
Why did they pull the research when vit c only costs pence. No profit=no sponsorship.

Something similar happened a few years back, they found cause of stomach ulcers was bacterial infection, quick dose of cheap antibiotics cleared it = Collapse of ulcer drug industry.

The research carried out was inspired but dedicated, and worthy of the subsequent Nobel Prize

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_peptic_ulcer_disease_and_Helicobacter_pylori

gardening highlight, the garden wheelie bin has been emptied , no bribe required

Hope the Lamb's lugs recover YBE, the volunteer border ones seem fairly tough plants so I guess yours are similar, but I've not inspected ours yet so it's got me thinking now

ArbitraryRandom

Those horses are absolutely delightful! And probably Dusty's is still cheaper than keeping the real thing! 

I am away with work again, and didn't get a chance to find any greenery today, but when I was walking to the hotel there were a lot of Christmas market type stalls and I did spend a bit (lot) of money on some tasty snacks, gifts for others, and one or two gifts for me... I can't share all the pictures I snapped, but I thought this (I got one, but not on the shovel - as that was the difference between £5 and £50 ) might be in keeping with the thread today and maybe a few others I bought or saw might crop up over the next few days if I don't spot any living plants/animals on my travels  



And these (approximately the same location) are the fields I posted a few months ago completely flooded out by Babet - now just the odd trace of water. The sun was so strong the camera has auto adjusted to it looking quite dark, but it looks so peaceful and was a really nice (surprisingly warm) day today  

YoungBlueEyes

Woohoo for empty wheelie bins! 

The biggest hole is the size of a £2 coin. Hopefully your ones are alright Farway, mine are resembling Swiss cheese. I know it was only cheap but I’m more upset by critters noshing on it than I am about the 2 plants next to it that were not cheap! At least they’ve just suddenly dropped all their leaves but that’s fine cos it’s the season. 

Considering ripping the lot out and putting grass seed down and just doing arty stuff  

YoungBlueEyes

In OT news - lovely sunset on cliff cam 3  

ArbitraryRandom

I can't really tell, but most common culprits are: if the holes smooth (which would suggest slugs) or a bit raggedy (which would suggest earwigs). 

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Himself’s ’orrible sister would like that horse Dusty, bet it’s kinda spendy though… 

I’ve not seen the Kelpies in real life, but if I did bucket lists they’d be on it  

Shawshank Patch is all having a go at dying on me. Honestly it’s like a conspiracy out there. I know we had that bit of bad weather but it was hardly all that cold and wasn’t long in melting either. Too many dead-looking things to take pictures of…. *sigh* I’m just hoping they have another conflab and decide to get growing again. And something’s been eating my beloved Lamb’s Ears 

Sorry, I can't price the horse, but I imagine it will be more than a very nice car.  However, Arb's right that it might still be cheaper than a long-lived real one!

I'm Kelpie-inducted now. Like other wonderful things this nation offers, I'd heard of them, but I'd have been hard-pressed to give a location within 100 miles. My assumptions about the cause of stomach ulcers also appear to have been stuck back in the 1960s too! Thanks, Farway and pp.

I don't think you need to worry too much about your garden, Bluey. Many plants begin to look ragged and half dead around now, and that's normal. They'll stun you in the spring with the way they suddenly burst forth, full of vigour. If only we could do similarly!

I'll try to look at my Lambs Ears tomorrow to see what they're doing. I bet they're all holey too.

-taff

My lambs ears are a but holey and also a bit bedraggled looking so don't worry, they will do an Arnie.

Love the kelpies, should mke an effort to go and see some stuff in person....And did not know that about stomach ulcers therefore you are continuing the tradition of letting me learn one new thing every day

No gardening again, it's too cold, I'm too wussy...

twopenny

Morning all. 
It's quiet round here so i guess you're all out frantically gardening or Christmas prep. Sheesh now I remember why I don't do it. It takes a ridiculous amount of time and mess to add to other stuff that takes a ridiculous amount of time and mess. Even if it is pretty and fun.

Dry yesterday but dentist and shopping, digger and drills nearby and still 5c. 
Car passed mot, drs appt cancelled and teeth filled so for the moment my life is my own. 
Starts to get dark around 2,30
I shall leap to as soon as things perk up both weather and leg.  Have been known to garden Christmas day when it's a lovely one with people looking bemused or just plain envious while they do the obligatory family thing.

So still cold but dryish. Going to marzipan the cake. There will be flowers on top as well as something seasonal.......

Hope everyone is ok and no more injuries.

Farway

Morning all, just dull and bleh outside, garden looking very soggy and knackered, nothing of any colour except wet greenish, brown or black

What is surprising though is my castor oil plants, ricinus, look like they are still alive. 

The other day with the frost that whisked the dahlias to the fiords I thought they had joined in, but this morning they are still alive & upright . As they are near the front door, I'll pop out later just to check them out

Dustyevsky said:

I'm Kelpie-inducted now. Like other wonderful things this nation offers, I'd heard of them, but I'd have been hard-pressed to give a location within 100 miles. My assumptions about the cause of stomach ulcers also appear to have been stuck back in the 1960s too! Thanks, Farway and pp.

I

Glad to have helped with ulcers, and like you I really had not much clue where the Kelpies were, In my mind they were near Glasgow / Loch Ness, but I think I was confusing them with the Caledonian Canal locks at the top of Loch Ness which I have driven past many a time, no wonder I never spotted the Kelpies, or a monster

If I peer closely, I think I have buds on my Christmas cactus, will they make for the Big Day?

Dustyevsky

Well, that was a surprise! No, I'm not talking about this morning's frost here, which was a little unexpected, but the Deputy PM's 'advice' to us digital wizards to not let go of our analogue stuff in case of a cyberattack. Apparently, this could be launched either by those pesky international enemies of democracy, or perhaps just some spotty nerd in Mum's back bedroom, harnessing the power of AI.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/brits-warned-stock-up-candles-radios/

And I thought we were doing well this year in the run-up to Christmas, with no specific threatening event being prophesied! 

We should be OK though, if we have plenty of candles and a battery radio, allowing the government to broadcast helpful advice in the event of a prolonged power outage. Maybe how to cook a 10lb turkey with 3 candles? Or how about ways to connect up your pedal bike to power your heat pump? 

I jest, and it's sensible to take a precautionary approach, but these are the guys who want to phase out wood burners and bring in digital currency etc. Those of us amenable to the idea of prepping have been doing it for years, and I doubt if those who have a more laissez-faire approach to life are likely to change.

Meanwhile, here's something that will keep the average family going in a crisis: