Awful weather - typical Brits talk

ArbitraryRandom

How bad is it actually? 

I mean, could you put just a chair there for now and sit with a coffee on a few sunny days to see if you notice anything/if you like it... 

YoungBlueEyes

Your holey watering pipe Arb - my friend has a house in Spain and insists on having a proper English cottage garden. She did the punctured tube thing and then strung a piece of blue twine above the ground from one end of the bed to the other to remind her it was there. She has a frightening water bill (being on ferner rates ) but her garden is lovely. I saw water butts in Aldi the other day - 30 something quid for 200 (?) litres. And you can have any colour you like as long as it's black (not that wosname ever actually said that, he did loads of colours). 

Aye I'll be your neighbour wort   I've forgotten where you are -are you a oop norf one or a suvvener? Mind you could just next door to me, that would work. Apart from the fact that the really lovely decent quiet etc goddam animals next door took their house off the market Price was too toppy but they wouldn't lower it. So we're sort of generally keeping half an eye on the market with a mind to perhaps maybe moving on again.

I'm pleased I ramble on mentioned that montana now, seems like it's a winner. Score 1 for talking to auld fellahs in morries ha haa! Seriously though, if their bins won't go somewhere else can your sitooterie be moved round? Then you'd not have to talk to them at all. Or build it where you want it and invite them round for a go in it, then they'd smell the issue themselves... Or go mad and build a 3 sided jobber like in pp's pic so you're literally sheltered from the smell?

pink_poppy

My wee sitooterie-to-be...



I told you it was wee 😂 I can’t find my metal tape measure, but I’m guesstimating it’s about 8’ x 3 or 4’ (that’s possibly on the generous side).

The left side is where I would put boxes and fairy lights on the fence and the right side is where I would sit facing the fence (& hopefully the sun 😎) the middle low fence is where the problem lies - you can just see the bins - usually they’re right up against the fence. I want to put something there to block the bins but also to give some privacy. I know there’s not much room to play with, but I like the thought of having a wee reading nook. It would all be painted the same colour and I’d have pots with lavender etc.

This is one of the boxes - it’s only flimsy so would need a bit of work and it might actually be too big...



AR, as you can see, there’s no chance of sitting there enjoying a coffee at the moment 😂 the rocks and stones were mostly dug out of there and I’ll have to find a home for them before I do anything else. The rough plan is for weed suppressant and probably slate to go down, then build around that.

YoungBlueEyes

pp what about getting some of that fake trellis with plastic leaves and flowers on it, just for now while a real something grows up there? It would give you instant privacy... Although what's the big plant on the right at the back? Any chance that's big and fragrant?

Cool and breezy and sunny here. We're off to himself's least 'orrible sister's today to collect and walk her dogs  

Still not a lot of movement on my tom seeds...  

ArbitraryRandom

I was just thinking that - are you comfortable putting in some uprights? 

https://www.primrose.co.uk/product/_/extendable-artificial-laurel-leaf-fencing-screening-trellis-20m-x-10m--papillon/classid.5991/

https://www.diy.com/departments/wadan-1-5m-x-6m-natural-reed-screen-reed-fence-screening-roll-for-garden-privacy/5056734901385_BQ.prd 

The other option could be a more traditional trellis that has a bit more structural integrity (so could just attach to the lower fence), then something quick growing?

https://www.gardentrellis.co.uk/product/trellis-panels/diagonal-trellis-privacy-trellis-panel

Re the stones... I need some new ones for painting  

pink_poppy

Actually, that big plant on the right could be another problem   I don't know how fast growing it is, but when it gets a haircut, the trimmings fall into our garden and they are EXTREMELY spiky, as I kept finding to my cost when I was clearing the area... I did wonder about some trellis/artificial leaves - I'll have a look. Enjoy your walkies with the mutleys   

AR, come and visit me, I have hundreds of stones   Thanks for the links - I'll have a proper look at them later. I always delete cookies after looking at things online and I don't want to lose the 'magnificent' 2 score I got on Wordle this morning   

Lovely morning here after yesterday's deluge.

pink_poppy

I took a pic of my chitting potatoes yesterday... it’s been a couple of weeks since I started them off. The 3 green looking ones on the left are Aldi Maris Piper and the other 3 are, erm, I can’t remember. The ones on the right and the big one in the middle are Roosters, I think?? I’ve got the names written down somewhere 😂



I’m hoping Dusty can remind me what this plant is - it’s like a tall snowdrop with green dots on the petals. Only one flowered this year - rubbish pic taken on Tuesday when it was a bit breezy, hence the blurriness...

Dustyevsky

The plant is Leucojum or Snowflake, pp. I think ours are over now, but I'm not a big fan of them, so I may not be correct there.

Before putting anything on that fence, I'd want to be sure who owns it. It looks as if the lower board is retaining your land, but the way it's constructed suggests the neighbour installed it. No matter, if you provide two posts to span the 8' distance, and attach trellis or whatnot to those (assuming the lighter coloured fence is yours.) 8' is too big a stretch in one panel. Once you've a frame or trellis, the world's your lobster with regard to attaching material to it in summer months, keeping any smell from wafting straight through, and giving privacy.

Not much to report here, except that water is now available on tap in the polytunnel, and the delivery of our £2k gates could be held up by the lorry having its MoT. Hopefully, it'll pass!

I'm not sure who started the 'bum' theme, but it couldn't have been me. I'm of the 60s generation, when the focus was legs.  Nowadays, my focus is still more tightly focused, on knees.....mine!  Anyway, yesterday, when snapping pictures of the clean-up team under the front bird feeder, focusing mainly on Blackbird with well-advanced baby, they were photo-bombed by a Sparrow with fluffy bum. 

'Baby' is on the right and still being fed etc. Gen Z !

twopenny

Lol Dusty 
Fabulous photograph! That's a go on the wall one.

No heavy work here. A bit of fun exercise.
Lovely and sunny but cold with a north easterly or somesuch where it's cold.

Caught my blackie on the bird table this morning yipee, still around somewhere.
I miss all the action I used to get from them in the garden and not sure whats changed apart from the big drought.
I'm going to have to start reading bird websites on what to do.

Pigeons not content with eating the fat block on the bird table they've started knocking the feeders off the pole.
I'm all for sharing but enoughs enough hurrumph!

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Pigeons not content with eating the fat block on the bird table they've started knocking the feeders off the pole.
I'm all for sharing but enoughs enough hurrumph!

Badly brought up, urban pigeons, I'd say. Ours are content to just pick their way through the fallen seeds with the sparrows. Never a problem.

Someone was talking about rotting wood over on the Lawn Edging thread, which reminded me about my walk in Cornwall, where I came upon the demonstrable effects of having old wood lying around. I went a little 'off piste' to climb from the riverside into the higher woodland, ending-up on all fours, because the way was so steep. This brought me face to face with these guys at the top of the slope:

They were all intent on something....and soon I found out what it was!

I couldn't understand why there were at least 15 beetles in the same small area, when I'd seen none anywhere else. Then I spotted a rotten log, riddled with holes. There were no beetles in it, so they must all have emerged at exactly the same time. Isn't nature fascinating?