Awful weather - typical Brits talk

Farway · 12 October 2022 at 1:36PM

Can't compete with today's photos or news, except to share a tear with Woolsery about yet another wrongly named apples tree, maybe it will turn into something splendid?

YB Eyes, sounds like a good council, round here first whiff of developer's cash & old buildings are torn down before the ink's dry on the brown envelope cheque.

The only one caught out was where they pulled down ancient pub PDQ and then found water company objected to any new building due to water table & springs rising nearby, a wiser developer would've "improved" the old pub or converted to alternative use, but I suppose the siren call of retirement / commuter flats gold lured them off a sensible course

Only garden related is next door building work, they're barrowing topsoil round for the back garden cover up redesign

goldfinches · 12 October 2022 at 10:10PM

Lovely photos from all, here's my contribution to the mental shopping list.

Image: https://us-noi.v-cdn.net/6031891/uploads/editor/q2/jf7diw0z56no.jpg

And yes, they really are that colour when ripe, they progress from the green through purple to bright blue. Do you think there would be a market for blue wine and could one charge a higher price for the novelty value?

Woolsery · 13 October 2022 at 6:40AM

Farway said:

Can't compete with today's photos or news, except to share a tear with Woolsery about yet another wrongly named apples tree, maybe it will turn into something splendid?

Only garden related is next door building work, they're barrowing topsoil round for the back garden cover up redesign

I'm not too concerned about the apple tree, Farway, as its main function was to provide more shade for the chooks. It's not like we're short of apple trees here and this has been a bumper year.

It's more plums we're missing now. Two trees succumbed to silver leaf and general disgust at our climate here and the reliable damson was a casualty of Eunice. I shall try some new damsons and maybe a tough plum, because Victoria's all on her ownsome now.

Don't give up on your neighbours yet. If they're investing in top soil, that's surely a good sign? I have a feeling good top soil will become a strong asset and I'd expect seeds and productive plants to see another upturn in public interest before too long, this time with more sustained attention than created during lockdowns.

I discovered recently our distant neighbours have been watching developments here with distrust, although we've always been up-front about going a little beyond painting our front wall a darker shade of cream. On Sunday I was told our summer's preparatory work in moving the polytunnel to make room for a new track to the fields "Ain't gonna happen, 'cos everyone's against it." That was a surprise and I wish the person concerned had told me sooner, especially as we went to the trouble of burying the poly in the hillside, rather than have it stick up like an eyesore above the hedge. I suppose reducing its size by almost half was another of our dastardly plans, carried out without consultation? I jest, but it's becoming obvious people are very uptight at present. SPI-B have done a great job.

Yesterday turned wet later, just at the point when we returned from the builders' merchant with enough wood to finish the tunnel frame work, so here's a wet fuchsia we love, named after a village on the Mendips, though it's just a tad droopy and needs a better location to droop from. Moving it may be easier than shifting a polytunnel, but I won't dare touch it until I've gone through the full planning process with DB.

Image: https://us-noi.v-cdn.net/6031891/uploads/editor/3h/twticemdnnqx.jpg

Woolsery · 13 October 2022 at 7:02AM

goldfinches said:

Lovely photos from all, here's my contribution to the mental shopping list.

And yes, they really are that colour when ripe, they progress from the green through purple to bright blue. Do you think there would be a market for blue wine and could one charge a higher price for the novelty value?

Lovely berries, but I see there's a hint they don't always happen in the UK, although it's very hardy. Seems nurseries mainly go for the variegated ones, but I prefer 'yours.' The wine might have more than a novelty effect, judging by comments on edibility!

YoungBlueEyes · 13 October 2022 at 8:54AM

Your brown envelope cheque comment made me laugh Farway! It does seem like our council is filled with grumpy grandmas - "No you're not tearing down that school, you can jiggle it about inside and have flats. Mind you put the bathrooms + obscured glass on the outside too, proper folks want privacy." "No you're not squeezing another coffee shop in there, we've 3 already!"

I think the ethos is - when you're Young and Beautiful you live in that town (about 5 miles up the road), and when you've finished being Young and Beautiful you move to this village where you can have doctors and dentists that you actually can get an appointment with, and knowledgable butchers/greengrocers/jewellers, a well stocked library (other than The Devil's Dictionary grrrr!) and can get a proper hair cut for less than £50.

Oh and yes I want blue grapes now that I know they exist!

I'm away out this morning but I'll take some photos later of stuff that's growing in my garden, if folks wouldn't mind helping me with ID'ing em?

Farway · 13 October 2022 at 9:46AM

Looks like it rained overnight, which was needed, if only to make sure my last lot of outside cherry toms split nicely

. They are still ripening next to the path, not sure if I have honest or unknowledgable neighbours, but so far they've not been picked except by me. Could help they are yellow and not red of course and no one recognising them for what they are

Nothing scheduled gardening today, but I'm off to AGM at volunteer place this afternoon, so the camera will be along in case there's something there, fungi pop up at times

Nice fuchsia photo Woolsery, I keep trying but can't get bendy enough to get the shot I want, your pic has spurred me on to give it another go before they finish this year

These are my pyracantha, waiting for the blackbirds to arrive. I don't mind, the plants are good value with blossom for insects and prickly shelter for the smaller birds.

I managed to get the out of focus look again

Image: https://us-noi.v-cdn.net/6031891/uploads/editor/xz/zpj9d3erxcfp.jpg

goldfinches · 13 October 2022 at 8:08PM

@Woolsery - do you think I'd get away with calling blue wine Caveat Emptor?

A lovely golden day here which I spent admiring lots of leaves and fruit at the Botanic Garden. Here is their non-glasshouse orange tree.

Image: https://us-noi.v-cdn.net/6031891/uploads/editor/s2/havo7bpc6ecb.jpg

And I managed to take this photo which shows the whole point of nasturtiums in my opinion.

Image: https://us-noi.v-cdn.net/6031891/uploads/editor/6r/ukx8icejsbd3.jpg

YoungBlueEyes · 14 October 2022 at 8:28AM

2 beautiful pics goldfinches. I love the bejewelled nasturtiums

Farway · 14 October 2022 at 8:49AM

GF, nice pics, I like the rainy nasturtiums, so much, so I have taken similar pictures in the past.

By coincidence, I noticed my nasturtium leaves are huge since recent rain, probably hold a gallon on each one

liberty_lily · 14 October 2022 at 6:03PM

Lovely blue grapes, fuchsia, pyracantha, orange tree and nasturtium pics folks 😊

We've had very mixed weather this week, but a fair amount of sunshine so I should have no excuses......but I had windows to paint (the insides of new(ish) accoya ones that had been painted the same colour inside as out by our joiner, as a result of which ive barely set foot in the garden again 🙄

I'd thought our four year old Vernonia Giganteas had breathed their last but to my surprise they put out one flower head this year. I'm impatient for it to fully open so here's an interim pic....

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