Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

Morning all! I've survived the visit with just a bit of fettling and not too many black marks Thursday night she decided that while they were over here we should go down and visit Ever So Swish cousin in Royal Town because it'd be easier from here than from over home. So Friday morning, in all that heat and bu99ered aircon, we drove 200 miles down so Cissie can give him a going over too. God love her. She loves Ever So Swish cousin and his 3 sons (his mother and Cissie were really close sisters) so they'll be there a good while. He won't need much I don't think, for one thing they are married and they drink plenty. I have been firmly instructed to organise my wedding because "I don't know how much better you think you can do, you're not 21 any more" and there's "a sore lack of drink in this house" which she doesn't understand. "You weren't raised far from the drink so you need a good drink in the evenings, it ''gives you a happy heart and a deep sleep". This is only lifestyle advice etc

I've had a catchup, and even though it's Domestic Nonsense day I thought there was already a distinct lack of Dust... *ahem* Trust me to miss the good stuff ha haa. Good to hear it's only flappy gob related and not chainsaw related though.

It's nice to read everyone's on good form Beautiful sitooteries and flowers and swimming and everyone’s gardens doing well. Mine has a love/hate relationship with the heat - the roses loved it and all came out while we were away, but lots of things have drooped and sagged. The grass was looking lush and thick and green, but on closer inspection it turned out to be eleventy squillion mare's tails  And I've got toms (yay!) but they might be blighty (booo!)  So they're in hospital corner away from everything else while it's making it's mind up.

Right I need to make a start so that'll do.

Farway

Dull & “moist” air, not raining but just damp

No gardening planned for the day, just inspect a bit. I did manage to tidy up the foliage on the tomatoes, removed the lower leaves and looking quite tidy & horticultural.

This weather is doing my sweetcorn wonders, they are about waist high now, still no signs of cobs or tassels but quite happy they've got this far without getting chomped.

wort said:

Saw something on a gardeners world saying about carrot so far from ground in pots avoid carrot fly, no idea if it’s true ! 

Hope so, mine seem to be OK so far, photo from yesterday, now getting the feathery leaves

twopenny

You have your own carrot fly barrier there Farway Perhaps it's a good way to go if you only want a small amount of carrots - which I do.

I remember that carrot fly only go so far off the ground and in a bed you put a fleece barrier around. GW circa eons ago.

"I don't know how much better you think you can do, you're not 21 any more"  

Ah but you're fine as you are? Perhaps that's not an option in Cissies world.

I went through the stages of I must be a loose woman because I wasn't married at 30, I must be gay because I wasn't married by 40...........the whole lot.

Car in garage to find out why it won't start intermitently so could be an hour, could be all day so can't go and do something like catch the bus to go and get some Jersey milk and eggs.

I got to with the front garden late yesterday, cleaned/weeded the steps, front door and shifted pots then neighbour came and talked about her health for ages and the standing did for me so have to let my bits recover before starting again.

Good news is while doing that I saw my Rosemary cuttings have roots growing out of the bottom of the pot! These are two I took from the 'good' bush, the only one that seems to survive in the place I wanted 2 - yipee!

Cloudy and cool again. Brief shower overnight.

The back garden looks disasterous with everything drying out but the fruit and veg are ok so far. There may have to be some replacements come autumn .

Also may have to persue third sitooerie to the shady corner. But I need it to be damp so I can remove turf and move hydrangas.

My neighbour likes to leave the garage door open and swinging ditto the shed which are right by my bench. Why she lets them bang I don't know but I have the favour of the sons car not waking me so one step at a time.

Speaking of Hydrangas there are some smashers about. I must get some photos for ideas like the ones growing up through a hedge. Seems to have been a good year for them

YoungBlueEyes

Cloudy and (relatively) cool at 16'c this morning, so I've the windows all open and a little breeze scooting through the house. Cloudy and sunny today, they say, high of 21'c. I need it more cloudy than sunny so I can get out and sort the garden. I've some proper weeding and clipping to do!

Gawd that's some difference in your carrots Farway, will it be long 'til you harvest them? That was a cracking lily picture too btw, very striking colours  

Aye we're fine as we are 2p. Do need to get on and get wed though really, that's the next thing. I know what you mean about people talking, my sister's the same. She's a couple of years younger than me but not married and no children. She's had boyfriends but nothing worth sticking with so she didn't, she just gets on with her life herself *shrug* Did they fix your fickle car? Hurray for Rosemary roots :clapping: I'll do a rain dance so you can get your new sitooterie done. Your neighbours sound so ignorant - how far did we get with the Orient Express plan... Or maybe we need to get a shift on with Rottery Acres. I'm glad I'm not the only one that likes hydrangeas so will we have a big patch of them?  

Food shopping then gardening today. Please don’t be too hot and sunny thankyouplease. 

Oh and Cissie said I’m diabetic. She used an old school method to discern that, but I daren’t tell you what it was for fear of being banned! 

wort

Oh dear Dusty, I thought you had mended your wayward ways 😉 hope the ban isn’t too long we will miss you ! 

2 p that’s a great little flowering corner. Hope your walk goes well.

I won’t be doing much as going in work must have been too much and my stitches have opened slightly, 🥲 so my days off are to be relaxing with a couple of small walks.

wort

YBE glad you enjoyed your time with Cissie, she sounds a blast. Maybe she just likes a party that’s why she is on at you to marry, Hubby and I only got married after 16 years of living together😉 case of once bitten twice shy in our case. 

No rain dancing today I’ve a wash on, and hoping to visit the cemetery, looking bright and sunnier than late .🫶🏻

YoungBlueEyes

Oh wort, hopefully you've not damaged yourself too badly with the stitches popping out? Is your work good about sick leave etc...? 
Ok I'll do a dahn sarf/bottom left corner only rain dance, how's that  

Cissie is one in a million, definitely one of the "they don't make 'em like that any more" brigade. She just wants me to be alright financially/officially if anything should happen to himself, which would be prudent really. We're 10 years in so I may as well keep him now  

ArbitraryRandom

Hi all, hope you're doing well. I see more lovely pictures in the pages  

Parental visit went well and they went home yesterday (I immediately went to bed to 'recover' ). Mum has itchy feet so I've been out and about all over (we made it as far as Bangor for a car boot sale on Sunday!) lots of fresh air and exercise. 

I have a few lovely pictures to share, but rather than bombard the thread, I'll drop them in over the next few days as I remember  

First one is the haul I sent mum home with from the garden. There's about 6 large courgettes and a bag of peas/beans now shown. Onions about baseball size and beetroot the size of a good coffee mug. Lesson to be had is that I didn't bury my leeks deep enough/didn't collar them. Not sure if it's now too late as I've about 8 left in the garden. At least we're a household that's always eaten the greens, so they're not completely wasted  


The second is the product of my first potato tub (35L tub with two seed pots - Charlottes). Didn't weigh them, but fed three adults two meals more than comfortably. Delicious with just a bit of salted butter. 



And a bonus bee bum  

Farway

Dull but OK, a bit of a gentle breeze so all's well.

YoungBlueEyes said:

Gawd that's some difference in your carrots Farway, will it be long 'til you harvest them? That was a cracking lily picture too btw, very striking colours  

Or maybe we need to get a shift on with Rottery Acres. I'm glad I'm not the only one that likes hydrangeas so will we have a big patch of them?  

Oh and Cissie said I’m diabetic. She used an old school method to discern that, but I daren’t tell you what it was for fear of being banned! 

My carrots, supposed to be a quick maturing variety, so thinking a couple of months, but as I only want a taste, and not loads to store, I expect I'll use as and when available. A couple here & there will be fine for me.
Yes please to hydrangeas, can I bag some of those big droopy ones? Limelight?

The old diabetes test method worked fine for years, maybe not as measurable results as today's chemical methods, but still valid I imagine. But enough of that before I veer into forbidden territory.

Take it easy Wort, busted stitches indeed, tut tut.

2P, car OK or was it sharp intake of breath at the garage?

Another idle gardening day, watering etc not needed, perhaps try a grow glare  at my sweetcorn?

The glare seems to have worked with my climbing bean, only one pod so far, but my will it taste good

twopenny

Just off to pick up the car. They didn't charge for testing it on their machine then I said - anyone looked at the plugs as I spilled oil on one. No!! So someone did and said 'too much oil and you've a leak from the coolant' which is what I suggested when I took it in  

For goodness sake! Old school is better than diagnosis machines which is what I thought.

So off to get it and see what they've done. Was a bit quick so I'm not holding out any hopes.

Cool and grey cloud today with the odd wink of sunshine just to fool you.

I may get out and hack away the mud path round the badger pipe as the gate won't open properly and tough gettting ladders and tubs round there.

Great haul Abs and if that's the first it's going to be even better next year  

Farway as usual you do wonders with your plot. I look on in awe and hope I can get my backside into gear and improve my yields.

Wort, that's Bad! I know how tricky it is to pace yourself when you're used to being up and about, but persever with the taking it easy. Hard to do at work. Hopefully you'll heal well now you've had a misstep.

Bluey, I had a Great Aunt like that. Said about a man that was not what he should be 'don't you go cooking for him'