Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway

It's awful outside, wet & windy, absolutely not a gardening day, I may gaze at my excess amount of seeds and daydream of the yummy tomatoes yet to come

I've decided to clear out the pots I use for tomatoes and start with fresh compost this year, I was going to do that last year but failed with some. Will try harder this year.

YoungBlueEyes said:

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

Very Lefty Luvvy stuff, slagging off the families for being jingoistic warmongers waving troops off to kill people while completely missing the point their loved ones were going to an unknown fate and it could be the last time they saw them, as sadly turned out to be true for 255 families.

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

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

I'm not going to be sharing conspiracy theories. Just following proper science, not the fake, undebatable sort once curated by a certain portly gentleman, is enough to create feelings of  ... hence my current sig.

Turning to lighter matters, that pond was not my doing, Bluey, though I demolished the wall surrounding it and re-did the edges in wood, making it easier for frogs, toads and newts to get in and out. My pond and my patio were elsewhere. I'll see if I can find more photos in the back cupboard behind the water pipes.....

There might not be any wind where you are, but we're forecast 50+mph by 13.00.   River's still just about within the banks, and if the wind blows the rain away, we'll probably be OK. Famous last words!

Farway

Dustyevsky said:

There might not be any wind where you are, but we're forecast 50+mph by 13.00.   River's still just about within the banks, and if the wind blows the rain away, we'll probably be OK. Famous last words!

We've got Orange wind & Yellow Rain warning, but it's a cracking sunset right now, wonder if I can catch a photo?

twopenny

We've got amber wind, yellow rain and wind warning.
Not special out there apart from a few gusts at 1ish. Blankets of black cloud. 
Thought of posting what my garden really looks like but don't want to depress everyone. Supports all blown down in the mud, flowers rotting and pots strewn etc but it's not worth even trying to tidy up untill these continuous storms stop.

Some primroses are starting to bloom, lots of flowers trying to bloom out of season as it's 12c out there.
But the tennis players that usually deal with any weather have stopped playing. Just too much I guess.

Net curtains, stained glass cuddly toys anything hung across the windows to cheer the place up.
I'll get around to posting gardens I've photographed perhaps in the hope of lightening the days.

Dustyevsky

Wind was as predicted at 13.00, but before that we lost electricity for an hour or two. I managed to muck out the hens, get logs and weigh-down some ground cover that was becoming restless before retreating indoors again.

The local river cam went down with the same power cut, but I think the water rose further. Anyway, they stopped the trains in that valley due to flooding further down. I'm not sure how DD2 is getting home tonight, but I've seen buses, so the road's still passable. She'll love a long trip on a bus in the dark after a 10-hour day!

When this wind finally dies down, I have some perennials to sow that will like a bit of frosting. There's also loads of self-sown plants ready for relocation too. I'm putting off the chain-saw work, until the ground is less squidgy.

Still no sign of Arb.

Paspatur

Dusty, Arb seems to be active on other parts of the forum so not totally MIA. What perennials like a bit of frosting? I can give them plenty of that

Dustyevsky

Paspatur said:

Dusty, Arb seems to be active on other parts of the forum so not totally MIA. What perennials like a bit of frosting? I can give them plenty of that

I was referring to sowing seeds that may have become dormant, like hellebores. There's too many to list, but freeze/thaw is helpful with germinating a lot of larger seeds, including those of shrubs. Also, garlic benefits from a period of winter cold before its spring growth. People say parsnips and other mature crops left in the ground are sweeter after frost, too.

Glad to hear Arb's around and active. Thank you.

twopenny said:

I'll get around to posting gardens I've photographed perhaps in the hope of lightening the days.

Have one from me.This is Lychnis coronaria  at The High Garden and Nursery in Kenton, South Devon:

You may spot something unusual if you look closely!

Now the depressing bit. The nursery, one of our favourites, has closed down! It's still worth trawling back through their blog, though:

https://highgardennurserykenton.wordpress.com/

twopenny

Aww Dusty, that's a shame! What a wonderful border - doesn't look too complicated to do either.

Do you know the names of those 3 plants?

No I can't see a surprise but maybe one of our early bird posters will be wider awake.

I miss Scotts Nursery too. The rose fields were 3 fields of roses from step over to the ones for colourful briars. It was wonderful to choose your roses like that.

Here's a garden from the other end of the scale............the sled at the front is for getting your groceries down the hill. Imagine what that would be like in this weather

But despite it chucking it down and grey all day I did wake up to hearing the Blackbirds singing this morning!

Not just chuntering somewhere but singing from the roof outside

YoungBlueEyes

Christ sake Farway You don't need to be from a military family to have a bit of common sense about the thing and keep your bladdy ignorant mouth shut! I better not say anything else about that. *Ahem*. Did you get a photo of your sunset btw?

Did DD2 get home alright Dusty? Hopefully the river didn't wash up over the roads... Jeez those 3 plants are lovely - is there a happy wee sweetpea in the lower right quadrant? Actually are there a couple...? I want to agree with 2p but I don't wanna curse meself, that border doesn't look too difficult does it. It's just picking the right plants and them not dying on you before they get big. Why don't they sell those in a multipack sorta gig? Here - these 3 plants are lovely looking together so have one of each. I'd go for that  

Love your pic 2p, the black + white with the blue front door is very holiday-y. A sled in this weather would need water skis on the runners ha haa!  

Maybe @ArbitraryRandom 's gone wandering around the forum, looking for a board where people don't spend all day talking random nonsense  

I've something funny going on here with my birds. Mr+Mrs blackie have taken in a male lodger - they all come and go from the hawthorn tree quite happily. And Mr Robin has decided the bird feeder is all his and he's fighting the wee sparrows that come to it. There's possibly another robin too - lots of mid air twirling and flapping and dive bombing going on. I don't like it. Do they think it's Spring do they? Maybe it'll reset when Winter comes at the weekend... 

OT CountryFile got it wrong too! I went out yesterday morning and got soaked to the skin It wasn't meant to rain 'til about 2 ish. It did give wind but there wasn't any really, but my god it did rain. I don't know when it stopped (some time over night) but it's dry out there now. Just need the water to flow back down to the creak now. At least I know where the low points of my garden are now, and can re/plant accordingly. I hope no-ones had any damage from storm Henk...? 

Dustyevsky

I'd guess that front garden area with the sled might be in Clovelly, 2p. Now they charge folks to park near there, we've given it a miss in recent times. If my fitness allows, we'll walk in there from Brownsham in May, when the bluebells are out.

YoungBlueEyes said:

You don't need to be from a military family to have a bit of common sense about the thing and keep your bladdy ignorant mouth shut! I better not say anything else about that. *Ahem*.

One might say the same about the huge number of 'celebs' who exhorted people to do something novel and experimental without knowledge of consequences....but likewise, I'm not elaborating further. The truth is out there, as they say....you'll just have a job finding it! 

Did DD2 get home alright Dusty? Hopefully the river didn't wash up over the roads... Jeez those 3 plants are lovely - is there a happy wee sweetpea in the lower right quadrant? Actually are there a couple...? I want to agree with 2p but I don't wanna curse meself, that border doesn't look too difficult does it. It's just picking the right plants and them not dying on you before they get big. Why don't they sell those in a multipack sorta gig? Here - these 3 plants are lovely looking together so have one of each. I'd go for that

DD got home fine, thanks. The railway man spoke with forked tongue and they opened-up again after checking the problem areas.

The 3 main plants are Lychnis coronaria, a yellow/orange Day Lily, and a Perennial Salvia ...can't tell which one. There are more than three plants, though; possibly 5 of each, at least. That's what you do with planting a large border like that. The unusual plant is the Lychnis, 'cos it's double, and they're usually single flowers. What you thought might be a sweet pea is a Lychnis too, possibly a white/pink one called 'occulata' that got in there by accident! 

Sunshine and heavy showers again this morning, and the promise of wind unrelated to last night's lamb curry!