Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

Happy new year and all the best for 2024 everyone! May this be the year it comes good, and I wish you everything you wish for yourselves  

I like your fellah and his boat Dusty, that'd do me rightly. I think yours would be a bit thirsty at the fuel 2p   Are you for buying more fruit trees then, if you see them? There's bound to be something tempting... 

Carol Vorderman might be turning into a Glenda Jackson sort eh? Good, we need more of that. I might even sign up to some social meeeja, just so I don't miss out. 

Fingers crossed for your ceanothus pp (storm Gerrit Right Up Ye made me laugh too ) 

DGD is whizzing along eh Farway. Must be great to be doing something that you love, and doing it well, because it's easy because you love it. Itms.  And heart shaped toms.. I hope they work, even just for the novelty of it  

If you ever get sick of your greenhouse Pas, I'm right here  

Good luck finding spots for your quince and medlar taff, surely they'll squidge in somewhere..? In fact anyone looking for space there's plenty in my garden ha haa! I'm gonna have to do some rejigging I think - I've bought stuff I liked and planted it where I wanted it to grow and that's not how the thing works at all. Sadly.

OT - vent/ards have given windy and mild, sobers say rain, so I've a wash on. No I know you're not sposed to wash on new years day but I've woken up with a devil-may-care attitude  

Farway

Happy New Year everyone.

Computer says rain later, which was what happened yesterday just as I was thinking about toddling round the garden, but to great joy I read the meters instead ready for the New Year price rises.

twopenny said:

I too thought about a mini orchard instead of garden. It would have suited the site which is too hot to sit in and given summer shade. I think I've been affected by the progs and how people think of gardens now.
I can feel rebellion coming on with so much time to think indoors.

Go on, go mad, get an olive tree! I don't like olives much, and I believe they are a pain to process, but just think of the bragging rights down Waitrose.

Alternatively grow standard trained, lollipop style, grapes and join Dusty & me in our, so far, fruitless quest for a decent bunch of HG grapes

YoungBlueEyes said:

Carol Vorderman might be turning into a Glenda Jackson sort eh? Good, we need more of that. I might even sign up to some social meeeja, just so I don't miss out. 

Hope not, I've never forgiven Glenda J for her comments about forces families waving off the Fleet and their loved ones as it sailed to the Falklands, a wicked evil woman whose remarks have now been airbrushed out

The squirrel digging in my large flower pots is getting daft now, I'll have to hunt out some chicken mesh I think. A couple of my large pots are flooded, presumably the drain holes are bunged up, at least it will have drowned the vine weevils, every cloud etc.

Paspatur

2P no challenges from me at the moment, I do have a few blow ins I would like identified but have left it too late as everything out there is just wet, brown and dormant (apart from the evergreens but I know what they are)
I checked the over wintering stuff in the greenhouse, door was almost frozen shut and it was minus 1 in there
I pruned the 2 broken branches from the James Roof, the garden waste bin was frozen shut
That's the total sum of gardening, lawn too frosty for even a walk round, I could feel my boots breaking grass
Dusty you had me looking out the window thinking actually I have room for a long polytunnel if I move some plants (well a lot of plants) then I gave my head a wobble. I get nervous enough about the greenhouse when it is really windy a polytunnel would scare me to death
YBE no way will I ever get fed up of the greenhouse, although at this time of year it just sits there doing not a lot apart from looking rather pretty when it snows!
Started looking through my seeds but got a bit overwhelmed, Secret Santa from work alone has about 3,000 flower seeds!
Got 6 new varieties of tomatoes for this year as my others are old, did I throw them out? Nope
I find it very hard to throw out seeds, like I am denying something life, daft when I won't plant them anyway

twopenny

"Secret Santa from work alone has about 3,000 flower seeds!"

Lucky you! I've got biscuits, enough to last me to next autumn  

Don't like to hear about that weather. I've been wandering along a sea front taking photos. Chill and wet and grey but that's nothing compared to what you have.

Could a sunny picutre help?

My last garden just outside kitchen. I miss it. Got to find a way of making that here. Hmmm given me an idea.

Dustyevsky

Paspatur said:

Dusty you had me looking out the window thinking actually I have room for a long polytunnel if I move some plants (well a lot of plants) then I gave my head a wobble. I get nervous enough about the greenhouse when it is really windy a polytunnel would scare me to death

Got 6 new varieties of tomatoes for this year as my others are old, did I throw them out? Nope
I find it very hard to throw out seeds, like I am denying something life, daft when I won't plant them anyway

Polytunnels are remarkably resilient, if properly erected and specced to the environment they're sited in. I have added crop bars for strength, but in a windy Scottish location, hoops might need to be closer and extra bracing bars added too. Well tensioned covers are essential, as is renewal in about 6–7 years. I know to my cost what happens if a section of too-old plastic rips! There are toughened varieties of greenhouse, but I'd expect a strong polytunnel to fare better than a standard greenhouse in a severe gale. Same principle: lose a pane and the rest may follow.

I'm not saying a polytunnel is nicer than a greenhouse; it isn't. My old Alton-style 25' x 10' wooden one was lovely. If I ever have the cash.....

Against my better judgement, I've just purchased seed for 'Gardener's Ecstasy' and another new one to me, 'Lulu's Best Ever'  which claims to grow toms up to 1kg. Famous weasel words in there!

YoungBlueEyes

Oh gawd, have I put my foot in it re GJ?    What did she say Farway?  

I know what you mean about throwing out seeds Pas, I think I've enough to restart all of our gardens. But that's not the point is it. You're better looking at it than for it.

That's a picture of serenity 2p, I'm not surprised you still miss it. Was that here was it? Looks like a Turkish courtyard with their big almond trees  

An up to 1kg tom Dusty? Make sure you invite plenty of people round for their dinner! Looking forward to pictures of them. 

Nowt occurring here gardening wise. I did see one wee flower when I was bringing the wash in yesterday, a yellow primrose. So that's cheering. IIRC CountryFile weather said we'd be alright today up 'til maybe 2/3 o'clock then it's set to lash down, if there's anything left in it after coming up from the SW and across the middle of the country. Mild out there this morning and will be for a few days, then colder come the weekend. They say. 

Anyone got a good New Year's resolution then...? Mine is write shorter posts ha haa! 

wort

Happy new year everyone hope all your gardens grow like Mary Mary quite contrary this year.

No chance of plates on wall unless they were concreted on, they’d be on the floor in no time. Love to be on that beach right now, never fancied a canal barge but looks ideal if you can sit and read in peace.
Today started sunny and bright , but as I only got in at 4.15 am I kept thinking I will have a walk later and then it was raining , very cold too. Off to work now so hope you all get out and about , if you want to that is 🤗

Dustyevsky

wort said:

Happy new year everyone hope all your gardens grow like Mary Mary quite contrary this year.

Thanks, but I don't think Mrs Dusty would appreciate the “pretty maids all in a row” as much as me! 

2p's old garden photo reminds me I've never posted a picture of our old one. I only went digital in 2006 and didn't shoot much then except flowers we were selling, but here's an upstairs view of one part in the winter, when the structure was visible:

It was a city garden 120' long, cut in two by the fence you can see before the whirly line. The bottom bit was theoretically where the 'business' part was, with the big greenhouse, but in the real world, trugs of plants were often everywhere! Moving from this sheltered space, at under 100' above sea level,  to an open place 500' up was a baptism of fire!

Paspatur

Gorgeous gardens Dusty and 2P
25' x 10' greenhouse sounds like heaven
Mine is only 7' x 7' I should have gone bigger but I fell for the pretty octagonal one
Warmed up a bit greenhouse currently 5 degrees but heavy rain and 40 mph winds

YoungBlueEyes

In at 0415 and out to work early?! You’re made of strong stuff wort 😆 Not much movement here - food shop done while it’s quiet, I’ll nip out to post a birthday card, then I’m cleaning the cooker/oven this aft. 

I like your ex garden too Dusty, might see if I can’t replicate your pond… 

Mild and not a breath of wind here, the outside of my windows are running!