Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Dustyevsky

I'm ashamed to admit, we had the central heating on yesterday. This global boiling climate change thing is really getting to me, especially when the inclement weather forces one to sit down and do paperwork stuff in temperatures not experienced since the '70s, in 'temporary' classrooms. Daughter reported the car showing 8c when she returned home from work at 18.00! It didn't rain that much either; under shrubs the soil was still dry.

I don't think we should try to respond to every post when this thread gets busy, gf, though I love that foxglove photo. They certainly do respond to good soil, but the shelter of trees is important too if they're to stay upright when buffeted by the sort of winds we're having. Some of ours collapsed on the path yesterday.

As promised, here is the mother and (male) baby woodpecker photo. It's reasonable considering the amount of glass I'd to shoot through. Mum isn't bothered by our watching her now, but baby is new to visiting us. At present, Mum collects chewed-up peanuts on her beak and baby eats that.

From this angle, baby on the picture's left looks a similar size to Mum, but he isn't!

YoungBlueEyes

bridie925 said:

My plants were thriving indoors when they were young plants and seedlings and as the weather got warmer in May i put them outside in a raised covered bed and in the greenhouse. They aren't really growing as we have had no sun. Looking into getting some indoor heatlamps to grow things inside. Does anyone have any recommendations or tips? 

@bridie925 I can't recommend a lamp but I do think your plants will be fine, once the summer gets going. I think a lot of people are in the same boat, waiting on the good weather coming so their plants/gardens can get a spurt on I agree about starting your own thread about it - more people will see it and give helpful advice, not everyone comes on this thread. 

YoungBlueEyes

Anyway. Right. It's a wonder you get any housework/jobs/hobbies done at all 2p, if I lived down there I'd never be in! Your seals pic is one of the best we've had on here - the colour of that sea I actually did say 'holy ship' (or something) when I saw it. I suppose you forget what's on your doorstep when you're among it all the time. So my rose is a Peace rose? That'll do me rightly  pp's spot on, your churchyard is reminiscent of St Mary's - in my previous life we were stationed up near Scarborough and I spent a lot of time in it, in all weathers  

Your strawb looks like a belter Farway, and it's actually the size of all mine combined. My ones are properly diddy but I don't know why. It was about the only thing that was in this garden when we moved here but I had no idea what it was when I was getting going with myself last feb/march so I dug it up and stuck it in a pot and this year it's fruited. Well as long as you're leprechaun sized...  I know you only got the one Persian Jewel but isn't it lovely. Mine aren't doing a thing this year and I think it might be too late now. Maybe if the weather improves :fingerscrossed: Same for my cosmos.

Dusty and wort were bang on with the weather, it persisted it down late aft. I'd got a good whack done by the time it arrived (1700 ish). Weeded all the way round, grass cut, bulbs out of pots into the ground, put all the ones back in again that I turned up while planting them, tried to do something with the climbing rose - it's branches aren't strong enough to support all the flowers it's producing , I've got a queer something with unusual buds reaching for the sky so that got some bamboo cane supports, and I've started Operation Plum Crazy. The results will be a while but I've the patience of Job so it's fine.

Very belated happy birthday wort :clinkingglasses: :presentwithabigbow: Did you do something lovely to celebrate?  

That's good info about the compost Farway, good to get it delivered too. Speaking of poo pellets I'm sure I saw a tub of them in Aldi not so long back but I can't comment further than that for I didn't buy any.

Gawd look at the foxgloves gf, such a beautiful colour too. I wish I'd staked mine, a f3ckin squirrel landed on one of mine and it snapped so I've only the one now  

Shows what I know about birds, I guessed them the wrong way round ha haa! I would've said the baby was on the right as that's the one with the glob of 'peanut mush' on it's face  

Cool and cloudy and damp here this morning. It's rained plenty overnight cos both my water butts are full to bursting. Sunshine and showers for the foreseeable. They say. If the heat could hurry itself up and get here that'd be great, cos my toms are about to give up the gig entirely. And I've still got lemming apples. I'll have none left to get to full size at this rate  

twopenny

Such lovely foxgloves Goldie! I've tried many times to photograph them when they're looking gorgeous and not been able to capture it but you have

Dusty that is a wonderful picture too. I've never seen a baby woodpecker before. They are usually 'somewhere' in the woods calling or tap tap tapping but seldom seen. Aren't you lucky

What a nice start to a not great day.

The rose I posted a photo of back along with all the blooms - the whole lot have been blown off, just snapped with about an inch of stem and the ground is sodden with petals.

That wind was something else! Everything in full bloom and leaf I was scared for my 7ft fence covered in rose or the elder trees behind slinging branches down.

Lots of slugs and snails around so I made more room for the hedgehogs to get in. Difficult because the gate had been ripped from the rocks holding it open and it had crunched the anti cat trellis that was across it. Not that I expected any cats to be out.

Had the fire on last night too

I'm out till this afternoon. Not sure if it's worth tidying up yet. Wait for the debris to die.

Still light rain, real April showers but some of the soil looks wetish.

Here's a photo from the ponds just to brighten the day, big bushes of wild roses, just lovely

wort

@Farway and Goldfinches, the watering is awkward because of my stitches and not being able to lift, but appreciate your work around, a mobile water butt is a fab idea.
@Dustyevsky thanks for the bday wishes, The place does Gfree fish which is one of very few so enjoyed very muchly.
2p I would definitely not find recuperating and being idle if I could sit and watch that sea and seal 🦭 views. I often think I was a sailor in another life as I absolutely love the sea and would love one of those cute cottages in Mousehole or similar.

Today is looking dull  wet and miserable like yesterday ended up. I’m due back for another dressing change. Just been out to stand the dianthus pot back up and a slug was sat in the middle 😩🐌
Keep posting all your fabulous photos.

twopenny

Sorry for missing the birthday! I would wish you ;many happy returns' but seems that may include your health issue so I'll wish you a happy healthy birthday year

Ah the gorgeous seaside there  is not on my doorstep exactly, it's an hour+ drive but a beautiful one over the moors and north devon hills. Worth it every time for whisking the blues away.

I have a really great seal shot from last year but can't find it. Maybe tonight.

Have you given that slug a name Wort? It might help you feel fonder towards it

My friend used to do that with spiders that live in the kitchen. 'Don't touch that, it's Kevin'

Farway

It rained at last, I knew me watering would soon sort it out. Very damp, dull, cold & windy right now, probably a record heat wave after Flaming May.

Gawd, it's just started hammering down!

YBE, your Lemming apples, my guess is June Drop, natural but infuriating. Growing fruit requires a cold heart at times. Mine have yet to drop

Cosmos, mine are also dead loss, I have hopes but not many germinated, a bit like my Persian Jewels, maybe the few that make it will be worth it?

2p, love that dog rose pic, and complete with wildlife. And I can't hope to get anything like the Dusty bird pics, never seen them close up like that.

goldfinches said:

I took a group to our local arboretum yesterday and we were all amazed by the height of their foxgloves some of which were 10 feet tall.

Re the daisy swathe my theory is that when the warm weather happened at the beginning on May some things were just at the right stage to develop loads of buds and now they're just coming into flower. I've noticed that some of the brambles around here are simply covered in blooms so I'm hoping for a bumper blackberry harvest.
Farway - great strawberry, mine are still stubbornly green.

I've also noticed foxgloves seem to being doing well this year, weather I guess.

The strawberry was going to adorn breakfast, but the rain stopped that idea, hope the slugs missed it

I think you are right about the delayed flowering of things, the pansies, plants from Morries, at the volunteer plot I planted in Autumn for a Spring display have just come right now, should've been an April show. 

By now I had hoped to have them gone & begonias in there for summer, but I'm not going to pull these up.

pink_poppy

Lovely pic of the woody woodpeckers, Dusty. I wondered what the stuff was on the adult's beak - now I know. Btw, we had the fire on last night (no central heating here) lovely and toasty

twopenny, the seals get disturbed here too I watched two kayakers paddling over to 'seal island' and of course the seals all scattered because the kayakers got far too close.

YBE, you've got me wondering what your previous life was now   

Belated happy birthday from me, wort   I love the sea too and miss the huge crashing waves we used to get from the North Sea.

Farway, those pansies are gorgeous. I was tempted by begonias in Aldi on Monday, but resisted because I'm still not ready to do any planting up just yet.

What's the wee beastie in the dog rose, twopenny??

It was hammering down here at 4am this morning (when I was up having a cup of coffee) but it's actually not bad now. I'll be watching the fitba later - when in Scotland...

Talking of birds in stoves... luckily it was only a sparrow and not a pigeon haha - it was safely escorted out of the window   

twopenny

No idea what the beastie is.

Something good though.

wort

Thank you all. 

If the slug had a name it would probably be Houdini as I knocked it off the plant moved the pot to higher ground when I got back the slug had disappeared! 

I must have missed the bird pic 🥴