Awful weather - typical Brits talk

ArbitraryRandom

Wet and relatively warm here today. Typical as it's been dry all week and this morning was when I needed to put the bin out  

I say 'relatively'. It's been warm enough outside that the heating inside hasn't really been clicking on overnight but I still didn't want to get out from under the covers... last 24 hours are showing as a high of 11 and low of 10. So practically civilised for February. 

Had my quote for the small patio area and raised beds, so need to pay the deposit for that soon, still expecting the work to happen in early March. You've all reminded me I need to take some pictures to document on my thread... but it looks such a mess at the moment I really just don't want to look at it. Once this is done I'm going to have to invest in some early flowering things. I can't think of any winter/January flowering edible plants off the top of my head, but something to research  

Dustyevsky

pink_poppy said:

Now if that bird hide had been on the Isle of Skye, Dusty, it would have been a Pterosaur...
Pterosaur: Unique flying reptile soared above Isle of Skye - BBC News

Ah, but would there have been anyone around to record it, and also complain about the quality of the pens supplied?   A couple of comments on the Derelict Places site seem quite grumpy too....and they were made in 2008!

To balance those, I've dug out a picture of DD1 enjoying the toboggan ride. I'll delete it later. It doesn't look as if she was having too bad a time!

(DELETED)

OT: Weather tolerable here, so I'm off, outside!

YoungBlueEyes

Gawd that picture made me laugh Farway  

If I could fit me bum in I’d have a go on that toboggan Dusty, DD1 looks like she’s enjoying it. Bluddy elfin safety gorn mad there, it just wants a sign at the front  of the queue saying “Big girl/boy pants required. It’s a bit lively but you’ll not die. 20p a go.” 

I wouldn’t worry about the state of your garden pre-work Arb, the contrast between the pics will make the post-work ones all the better imo. 

The bit of rain earlier has decided to properly go for it so I’m pleased I’ve no gardening to do. Still mild and breezy though  

twopenny

Yes Abs, it's always interesting to see the real thing. 
I posted some of mine from when I started to show Bluey when she was getting bogged down. 
It was also good for me to realise how far I'd come when feeling it will never end. 

I think oonly posting the good bits is misleading.

Farway that made me laugh    I must check my mini pond!
Yes Poppy, I saw that on the news and it had me taken in for a mo what with all the introductions!

Couple of random wet bits here, grey and windy but still mild. Not right for ladders or turf lifting but I may go out and do some more stone edging out front.

ArbitraryRandom

Thanks both I just (like a lot of people) struggle with energy/positivity a bit this time of year. If I ever manage to become a 'lady who lunches' then I'd consider leaving the country until everything wakes back up a bit. On that note, I've just turned on the lights as I think part of my moping today is that it's such a grey day you can't tell what time it is without checking a clock. Next step, put the kettle on  

twopenny

Tell me about it!
I've been for physio, a swim and indulged in all that I'm not supposed to. Tomorrow is another day 
I've made myself sit down in my daylight porch with a book I picked up in a charity shop.
Lost Gardens of Heligan.
Really well written about the discovery and restoration. Definitely recommended.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Gardens-Heligan-Tim-Smit/dp/0575402458

I really must organise my living room for a snug spot for days like this.
It's got wild windy and wet with low light -again. I've draped the dark spot in the garden with cluster fairy lights for tonight.

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

If I could fit me bum in I’d have a go on that toboggan Dusty, DD1 looks like she’s enjoying it. Bluddy elfin safety gorn mad there, it just wants a sign at the front  of the queue saying “Big girl/boy pants required. It’s a bit lively but you’ll not die. 20p a go.”

It was fast! However, I remember being more worried about the wooden sides and the potential for big splinters or trapped fingers, so told DD not to use the side grips. She's hanging onto the front ones, as instructed.  

Having taken kids away on school journeys more times than I care to recall, I appreciate safe visitor attractions, but  accidents often arise via totally innocuous-looking situations/objects!

ArbitraryRandom said:

Thanks both I just (like a lot of people) struggle with energy/positivity a bit this time of year.

When we lived in the city, we suffered from SAD. When it deigned to appear, the winter sun would be stuck behind conifers and a nearby terrace for ages, and then it would vanish early behind next door. We didn't deliberately try to find a property with all-round views; in fact we preferred shelter, so this house went against our usual grain. There are disadvantages in exposure, but the winter blues have gone.

I'll try to dig out some photos of our 'garden' when we arrived here. It wasn't on the scale of Heligan, and it had only been abandoned a few years, but it was horrific enough!

Today I managed to prep for more concreting tomorrow when things are forecast to be calmer, but it was far too windy to go on the hedge. Some professionals were chain-sawing nearby, but I'm no pro, nor a spring chicken! Thinking strategically (and wimping-out somewhat!) I retired to the polytunnel and made 60 divisions of these:

https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/vinca-minor-atropurpurea/classid.2000042506/

They're much better behaved than the large one, 'major,' which is a thug.

YoungBlueEyes

That's a brilliant book 2p, I've got it somewhere (I think). The transformation was amazing!  A daylight porch sounds good, I could do with one of them.

Arb if you're a bit squiggly about showing the photos on here, just take some for yourself so you can see what you've accomplished. But some 'after' shots would be nice if possible so we can see  

Ooh I love those crocuses Dusty, aren't the slanty petals unusual? 60 though have you got places for all of them? I've room here if you need it...

Cooler and calmer out there this morning, my phone says 1' but I doubt it. Feels more like 5' or 6' to me. They're persisting with the "disruptive snow" thing for tomorrow so we'll see who's right - drunkards+sobers or my 90 year old aunt.  Desperate rain for a lot of places though, I hope good wellies have been bought!

twopenny

Morning all, grey and dark here. Reading 4c but no wind so it's not too bad if you can remember it's morning and not night.
Even the birds don't seem keen to come out.

Bit of a storm last night, rain and wild winds but it's dried up this morn.
At least my plants have been watered in.
Not the sort of start that entices you out to check though.

Bluey I got caught out by the crocus thing. That's the name of the company. The plant is Vinca, can't remember it's common name. But Dusty will put us right.
I used to have a varigated one, loved it.

Thiught I'd got over buying plants as I have most of what I want now but there's all sorts outside Tesco and I struggled with that.

Bit of a sheesh day. Nothing organised, not tempting to head for the hills, wondered about a round country trip of garden centres but that could be fatal  . 

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Ooh I love those crocuses Dusty, aren't the slanty petals unusual? 60 though have you got places for all of them? I've room here if you need it...

Eh? Wot? Crocuses? Nah! These are wee Periwinkles; evergreen ground covering plants that form a mat to  keep the soil together and stop weeds growing. I want them for the hedge bank, where 3 or 4 hundred wouldn't go amiss to replace ivy, but I'll settle for 100 or so. I just take a lump of them, divide it with scissors into little bits, and then stuff those into the corners of a 9cm pot. Give it a month or two and they'll be sturdy enough to plant out.

I made the mistake of planting their big brother, Vinca major, before. It did too well and began to take over completely.

I'm still trying to kill bits that survive! There are other plants I want in the hedge bank too, like Geranium phaeum and others that don't die back completely in winter. It's a very tough environment in summer, so only drought-resistant plants will make it there.

It's quite a cheerful morning here, after the wind and rain 2p mentioned. The ground is very squishy and there's about half a dozen blackies having a great time hunting my worms! No snow here tomorrow: 11c or 12c, with a very wet start and finish, according to the losers in the boozer. I think that means I'll be concreting today, once we've dried-out a little. Blooming mud-fest right now!

EDIT:

I've just looked at one of those 'news' items about the 'disruptive snow,' but I can find no evidence of it being predicted, having checked forecasts in Wales and the Scottish Borders. Even the Cairngorm summit, where it may go down to -9c  doesn't have snow forecast!

I know the MSM are losing audiences fast, as people wise-up and turn to alternative channels, like Mayar Tousi's for news deliberately not being covered fully, but do they also now make stuff like this up? Answers on the back of a journalist's P45.