Awful weather - typical Brits talk

-taff

2p, glad you found your persian jewels again congratulations on your bay pucharse too, and your much improved garden! Your bird wildlife puts mine to shame...I have the odd one now but nothing is big enough to hide them and the cats are profcient at chasing the pigeons and just as proficient at running away from the baby foxes...

Farway, it was a secret nasty grin in my head about the plsitting of the bill for the trees...be careful what you wish for indeed..Like your clematis pic too, it's a really neon nightclub shot.

PP, I did laugh at your rude mushrooms..

ybe that's a lovely dewdop picture you've taken. Also nice to see your archeological digs are yielding results which tell us all about carpentry or car maintenance..

Dusty, I like that in gfs picture, there are actual flagstones, not tarmas pavements...I still get annoyed when I remember the council taking ours away and replacing with tarmac. Although my father, being my father, performed a magic trick and 'disappeared' the ones from outside ours and they are adorning my sisters out the back still. Well done for  traispsing round the countryside despite imaginary obstacles and lovely wisteria, worthy of  a mouth hanging open moment.

GF, at least your rocket did germinate. Mine didn't, nor the parsely, so they both have to be done again..shame about the raspberry though!

green bee, good luck with that little lot!

arb, I'm looking forward to your potato experiment conclusion. Interesting so far too. Good luck with the cats leaving you alone. I seem to be umbilically attached ot mine and I don't paticularly want to be..

No gardening news except I did pick some stuff up off a fellow gardner, but a serious one, who does it for a job and everything and knows lots. I have some wild scabious, no idea where I'm putting that yet and two other things I have forgotten along with some promised Babington Leek, for which I will donate bronze fennel and some bits. {had to write a list to remember]. I also picked up a hardy fuchsia for a friend , it is a white or very pale pink one instead of the usual red and purple so I've taken a small cutting off it to see if I can persuade it to live. FB local gardening groups rule! This means a rethink of the front bit under the window nees to happen but for now, the angelica is groaning under the weight of blackfly, but I am also experimenting by seeing how long it takes predators to notice. Plus I want the seeds so it's staying for the moment. All change when it's done and the nigella have flowered.

-taff

lovely lovely blacklfly on the angelica [heaving noises....]

Dustyevsky

greenbee said:

Of the shrubs I've left, there is a skimmia planted far to close to a camellia, and several hydrangeas in the wrong places and too close together. Given how soggy it is at the moment do you think I'd get away with moving them. If I do it quickly maybe they won't notice?

I wouldn't. The garden owner where we were yesterday was thinking of the same for a badly sited Wollemi pine, but it's only 5 months till it would be a suitable time. She has a huge job ahead of her, improving and maintaining, although all the 'bones' are there, and a lot more besides!

Bluey, the wisteria has a problem; it's growing over a pole barn that's collapsing, so restoring both will be 'interesting!' Everything's relative, though. Put that wisteria into many gardens and it would be too much.

Sunny start here today and more sharp showers possible after overnight rain. No top lawn mowing for now! Having a huge digger, dumper and a road roller on site is a bonus for entertaining the GCs! When they wear out we have a good playground a mile away, and a river that's low enough not to drown them.

As we were on Erigeron karvinskianus recently, I thought you might like to see these spotted yesterday. I just want the pond!

Smashing birds in your garden, 2p. We are being plagued by crows whose baby (full size) got stuck in our back porch a few days ago. Mrs Dusty captured it, and it flew away fine, heading for the village, but the adult crows still think it's inside and keep attacking the door! It's like a scene out of The Birds!

Far too many clematis for me to ID Farway, but I've one rescued from Morries overwatering programme which is doing OK for £1. Mrs Dusty's £13 specimen is Norway bound, I fear.

YoungBlueEyes

Get your bins sorted Arb, get off yer erse and do it now, g'wan g'wan g'wan g'wan g'wan! I can't be slack with my bins cos if I leave it and miss a collection they'd be too heavy for the binmen environmental hygienists to carry push and they'll just put a mean-spirited warning sticker on it and leave it. True story. 

Yep it's a bit exciting seeing what comes up with the digging taff, it's all so random. I'm not asking for a Roman Villa but a handful of tesserae would be nice or a lovely wee gold ring. Odds of that aren't too bad actually, they're forever finding stuff round here   I echo your heaving/shuddering for the blackfly, I'd have to be squirting them off. If they were going to be eaten they would have been by now :bleurgh: 

Ooh lurvely pond Dusty and not a single bite taken out of those irises. I'm not a bit jealous, really I'm not. Pole barn restoration sounds interesting.

Farway

Just a quick pop in before I trot off to DS's for a birthday gathering. 

Apart from the obvious attractions, like cake, I will be able to slip in a few tuts regarding the plants I donated to his Boot Hill last time I went. 

Actually the weather has been OK so they should have survived for once. Plants in Boot Hill need to be of non-Nordic variety to fight the mares tail.

Rain is trying hard to get going, probably manage it later once I'm over DS's sitting outside with a cuppa

Could be noisy because he's near Southampton and I expect they're still cheering, with some relief having avoided Pompey being in their league next year.

That is a spectacular wisteria Dusty, once we get the parkland sorted, post PB win, I'll have one near my sweeping crescent shaped drive, maybe draped over the Rollers garage?

Ta Da, toot toot, my broad beans on damp kitchen roll have germinated, white root shoot is out . I'll leave it a few more days, then pot them up and grow on a bit before final move out to meet any leftover blackflies from Taff's angelica.

Dustyevsky said:

 No top lawn mowing for now! Having a huge digger, dumper and a road roller on site is a bonus for entertaining the GCs! When they wear out we have a good playground a mile away, and a river that's low enough not to drown them.

As we were on Erigeron karvinskianus recently, I thought you might like to see these spotted yesterday. I just want the pond!

Far too many clematis for me to ID Farway, but I've one rescued from Morries overwatering programme which is doing OK for £1. Mrs Dusty's £13 specimen is Norway bound, I fear.

The thoughts of diggers, rollers etc to play on does bring back memories, way back. 

With real steam rollers and huge brass wheels to steer with once the navvies had parked up for the night, and we kids descended like locusts to play on them.
I do like the Erigeron karvinskianu, I keep seeing it around, so obviously a Message.

Always seems the way, with expensive items being drawn Northwards, while that don't care if it dies, just thrive.

Dustyevsky

-taff said:

 Well done for  traispsing round the countryside despite imaginary obstacles and lovely wisteria, worthy of  a mouth hanging open moment.

The obstacle wasn't that imaginary! When we parked out front, still unaware of the event, Lady Thing herself came along to enquire what we thought we were doing. We thought we were being very discreet, having just worked out what was going on! Anyway, I know the place well, so it was possible to be even more discreet.

Contrast that with yesterday, where both relatively new owners (4 years) engaged us in long conversations. And as you'll see, their 7 acres ain't so shabby. Refugees from the Metropolis liberated by working from home, and never going back.

Edit: Here's the gaff, with all the pensioners drinking tea and scoffing cakes! Thank God I'm only 75!

Eurgh!  Just seen your Angelica experiment. Getting Angelica to germinate is a triumph in itself !

twopenny

Lovely sunny morning and watched the baby birds, a bit more skilled now, trying to land on the feeders and on top of each other while I was getting breakfast

No ants so far Bluey, the birds have snaffled them all. Even one baby blackie coming down the side alley to clear it of ants and spiders.

Now I can't go in the back garden or the side!

I want them to see it as a good quiet feeding spot and come back.

(I took up the carpets and re caulked around the patio doors. Fingers striped with cuts from the carpet gripper, but the guys who put the door in didn't make good the damage to the floor. I'd tear them off a strip but they've gone bust)

Mum and Dad Blackie are feeding like mad and mums looking scrawney so I'm thinking they are nesting again for a second brood.

Relaxing here, it's rained again. I've a good book and good coffee and it's dead quiet - apart from wasterel son next door moved in with his mum and can't walk 5mins but has to take his massive Range Rover to get a loaf of bread or go the 10min walk to work.

She's looking tired and stressed. Is it me or does he need a kick up the backside?

Arbs, happy tidying. Not a fun job but once you've hacked away at it it's nice to go back and gaze at the space

Dust, that's magnificient! Does it have scent?

Farway you'd be welcome to the runners but don't think they'd take well to the post I'll take surplus beans to folks and get some brownie points. My friend used to salt hers. May try that.

The blue Clematis is like the one who's head I accidentally lopped off. I've a pink but it's keeping low hoping to keep safe I guess.

Anyhoo waiting to see what the weather does. Hope there's a break this afternoon so I can do some potting and planting, try a walk.

PS long posts because I can't nip in and out so have to catch up on all the previous

greenbee

I had a similar day yesterday @ArbitraryRandom. Didn't seem to get much done, and cats were whining round my feet all day asking for the rain to be switched off. When it finally was, one of them caught a baby bird and then had no idea what to do with it... although she wasn't best pleased when I removed it. The birds need to wise up - there are lots of cats around, not just mine!

On Dusty's advice I've refrained from moving shrubs. Apart from one which either had to be moved or binned. The soil it has gone into seems pretty good (not as many worms as I'd like, but that can be fixed over time), and is fairly damp, and it has been watered, along with the replanted hellebores. Lots of crocus bulbs have been shoved back in, and two long-suffering wild honeysuckle I bought months ago have also been planted. 

Other than that, I have mowed and turned the compost as I've been adding the grass clippings. Next job (after checking whether anything has defrosted enough to lob in the SC for later) is to liberate some plants from the greenhouse into the borders and hope they're tough enough to survive. 

Dustyevsky

YoungBlueEyes said:

Yep it's a bit exciting seeing what comes up with the digging taff, it's all so random. I'm not asking for a Roman Villa but a handful of tesserae would be nice or a lovely wee gold ring. Odds of that aren't too bad actually, they're forever finding stuff round here   I echo your heaving/shuddering for the blackfly, I'd have to be squirting them off. If they were going to be eaten they would have been by now :bleurgh: 

Ooh lurvely pond Dusty and not a single bite taken out of those irises. I'm not a bit jealous, really I'm not. Pole barn restoration sounds interesting.

Back in the day, we used to metal detect. We found some good stuff in places where the public would congregate outdoors, and in places where they'd dump rubbish, like in the filled-in pond in our last garden. That was just digging, because the better things were glassware and pottery, like old ink bottles and pot lids.

Here, the soil's so acid and aggressive, even decimal coins are almost impossible to ID. I'd guess real silver & gold would be OK though!

twopenny said:

Relaxing here, it's rained again. I've a good book and good coffee and it's dead quiet - apart from wasterel son next door moved in with his mum and can't walk 5mins but has to take his massive Range Rover to get a loaf of bread or go the 10min walk to work.

She's looking tired and stressed. Is it me or does he need a kick up the backside?

Dust, that's magnificient! Does it have scent?

Don't worry, wastrel son will soon be conscripted into Wishi-Washi's army and fighting hand to hand with Input!

The wisteria did have some scent; not overpowering, but there. I'll show you the one at Rosemoor next.

Just relaxing after GC duty, having also made 2x Spag Bol for tonight; one with lamb and one beef. Two of us are Hindu.  It's not been bad at all so far, and the weather's played ball. I think both kids are rather afraid of Grandma.... Well, I am, so...err....

pink_poppy

Loved the dewy drops on your rose, YBE.

twopenny, glad you're able to pop back every now and then. I've got to use the laptop now because my phone just stopped working for MSE.

I'm finding it difficult to keep up with everyone's posts, but some lovely pics, especially the white wisteria.

I've been out and about these last couple of days (& I have the midge bites to prove it - who needs lip filler when you can get the same pouty effect with a well placed midge bite haha ). The weather has been changeable, but at the moment it's lovely and sunny - raining when we were out earlier though - typical.

Some pics from me...

My lovely 'hanging handbags' plant which is looking amazing this year after a duff year last year.


My favourite bluey pink rhododendron (not in my garden - there are absolutely loads in the surrounding area)


A rather large insect hitching a lift on my DH's hairy arm...


The weather was changeable yesterday too - one bit of sky lovely and blue - the other looking ominous...


Just had a very cute baby bunny in the back garden eating my dandelions