Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Davesnave

Pretty dire weather here this morning, but very warm for January. Rivers still contained within their banks at present, but lots more wet stuff on the way.

Life has taken a sudden different turn for us and right now there's a lesson about adjectives in progress on Zoom! I won't say where it originates, but I'm getting my education with a Midlands accent.....surreal! 

Have to do some essential shopping later of 60 pre-ordered  trellis battens. They're essential because I'll go insane with boredom if I don't have them. At least 2 more days of this weather ahead.

Farway

Warm & breezy here as well, bit drizzly but nothing like the stuff promised further north & west

Spot of essential shopping for milk in the Co-op, which coincidentally meant I parked in my volunteer place, and managed to do some daily exercise by hard pruning a couple of roses. It's all looking very January in those borders, wet fallen leaves & bedraggled perennials

ancientmum

I did go to the allotment on Sunday, to clean and refill the bird feeders. Someone had left garlic bulbs in the "help yourself" spot so I helped myself and poked a few cloves in near the cabbages. It has been mild and drizzly here for the last two days and windy last night but it seems to have dropped off a bit today.

Davesnave

Got my battens, but the present 'service' doesn't extend to loading them, so they were just left on the grass outside the timber yard! Normally I have them delivered, but they did go into the van with a struggle, as the loading area's about 3.45m and they're 3.6m. They're totally saturated, so drying out in the barn, but at least I'll have something to work with if the rain continues as predicted.

Farway

Very wet & windy this morning, just the type of day to read my garden magazine [being MSE it's free on line from library]

Davesnave

Yes, wet & windy is  the theme here too, but not as wet as most places up north thus far. Rivers are still in bounds.

I've just escaped from phonics (at least no one can say "They don't teach 'em proper nowadays!") but my pupil is somewhat bored with those, as he knows them. Zoom is old fashioned teaching with fancy gear, as everyone gets the same medicine, regardless of where they are in understanding. Poor teacher has no chance of a quiet 5 minutes, and with 30+ kids on the screen it must be hard for her to keep up. Parents are whispering the answers too!

Apodemus

Lol! Glad I'm not caught up in the whole home-schooling-by-zoom business, sounds a nightmare.  The weather here is so different to what you guys are experiencing!   Although the snow disappeared last weekend, the ground never properly thawed out, then back to hard frost on Sunday evening and now snow again, so little prospect of making any progress in the garden. 

On Saturday I managed to winter-prune my espalliered apple trees which are against an old wall in a sheltered part of the garden.  However, I still need to attend to the Leylandii that overshadow the apples to let more light in - that is a ladder-and-pole-saw job to take out some big heavy laterals that will need to come down in small chunks from about 20 feet up, so needs a calm day.

I had hoped for a respite from the frost for long enough to prune the lavender but the ten-day forecast doesn't give much hope for that.  Conditions here are marginal for lavender and it only gets to full flower in mid to late August and provides valuable autumn feeding for the bees.  By the time the flowers are past we are into frosts and newly-pruned plants are really susceptible to frost damage.  A few years ago Gardeners' Question Time suggested spring pruning for lavender in the north but I've found that it seems even more susceptible to frost damage once the sap is rising in spring, so I either try to find a suitable window between October and February or leave it to late May - neither option being ideal.  

Black_Cat2

Hi guys, you've all been keeping yourselves busy over Lockdown it seems 🐈

Has not stopped raining here, so much so that it's running in a vast river down our street!  There had better not be a water shortage later this year or I'll likely clock someone!  Sun... please come back!  🌞

Apodemus

Black_Cat2 said:

Hi guys, you've all been keeping yourselves busy over Lockdown it seems 🐈

Has not stopped raining here, so much so that it's running in a vast river down our street!  There had better not be a water shortage later this year or I'll likely clock someone!  Sun... please come back!  🌞

BC2, I hope your river stayed in the street overnight and didn't come up to meet you!  More snow here overnight...

Farway

Bright but windy morning, give everywhere a chance to drain away & dry a bit

Nothing planned for the garden, but i am getting itchy sowing fingers

If it stay dry I may re pot a lilac I have, Meyers Palabin, AKA Korean Lilac and take the suckers off for new plants to use in the volunteer border

CV jabbed yesterday, went well & very organised. I am now a statistic