Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Good morning all,

It’s trying to brighten up now, but we still have an annoying breeze. I’ve got some plants to go in the borders, but if this breeze doesn’t ease off, I’ll do the job tomorrow as I don’t want to get backache from a cold breeze blowing on it.

I hope you enjoy Finland @Liriodendron. I’ve never been there, but imagine it’s as beautiful as Sweden, which I have been to. I hope you don’t get pestered by the midges.

I like lobster, too, but it’s a rare treat. I’ve never had it in bread, but as you can have crab in a bread sandwich, I imagine lobster would be nice, too.

Would you like to send some of your warm weather here, @Busy-Lizzie. Perhaps not 30 degrees, that’s a bit too hot, but low to mid twenties would do .

Have a good day.

 

Obelisk-Vendee, I hope you have more success than I have had with my bearded iris. I love them, especially the scented ones. Last week I noticed some lemon yellow ones opening, a couple of days later every single one had disappeared, eaten by slugs.

My daughter and I enjoyed some mother/daughter time together. She brought me some lovely tomato plants she has grown, with a small posy of sweetpeas. I gave her a pot of runner bean plants and one of my paeonies to put in a vase. We had lunch in an almost empty pub overlooking a deserted Porth Kerris Bay after stopping off in Par for me to unload my surplus chilli plants. She posted me a pic. when she got home of a hedgehog visiting her garden, lucky thing.
It is very blustery and overcast with a heavy mizzle so not much going on outside so far.

 

Irises do well here @Goldenlily26 as they get a good baking. We have snails more than slugs but I do find them in there occasionally and lob them over the road into the hedgerow. I have mostly purples and lilacs but also some peachy, apricot and bronze forms. Needless to say the purple ones are the most vigorous and in need of dividing. That's OK as one end of the new bed is purples and oranges.

Love peonies too but have yet to get mine to flower so I'll be checking planting depth when I weed their bed and then applying a nourishing mulch all round. Not today tho as planting new stuff takes priority.

It's still 2 hours till the sun hits its zenith and another 3 hours after that to get to the hottest part of the day but I've already come in to cool down as I'm dripping and need a top up of sunscreen.

 

Good morning to you all!

Had a lovely weekend with my friend from Montpellier. As you know, it was a long weekend. The weather was clement, sunny and not too hot but today is a Bobby Dazzler with 32°C expected this afternoon. Fizz and I have been out first thing and then I planted some very crowded basil plants that I bought in Lidl last week for 1euro 79. Green basil and really vigorous!! Hope they grow.

I woke up on Sunday morning with my left inner arm, covered in hives. Itchy. Itchy. Itchy!!! Out comes the Tiger Balm and vinegar!! A bit better this morning. We had a seafood platter with friends on Saturday night, so I wonder if the shellfish gave me the reaction. Never happened before. My arm is all lumpy like Babar's grandma!!

As @Busy-Lizzie says lobster and crayfish are very expensive here and unless fresh, are tasteless. May as well eat a king prawn. We used to fish them off the boat in Auckland - well, the guys did. We just boiled the water!!

A restful afternoon - probably start storing the winter clothes and bring out the summer winning gear!!!

A gentle and pleasant afternoon and evening to you all. Oh yes @Ladybird4 I saw the strawberry moon last night - only a light pink at about 10pm.

 

Afternoon all. Day off today.
I’ve been to a new home ware shop near me and spent ££s! I bought: a Dahlia (Starburst), toiletries, cleaning bits and numeral stickers for my new garden bin! I only went in for cotton wool… I forgot to buy that!

Have a smashing day everyone.

 

Afternoon all. Just back from an unexpectedly lovely walk, because the promised rain held off until we were practically back at the hotel. It was warm and sunny, so we explored the old part of town, then climbed the "harju", or sand bar, a relic of the Ice Age. The scent was amazing, with the woodland floor carpeted with lily-of-the-valley. ​

 

Good afternoon everyone. Despite the poor start to the day, I managed to get a load of washing done and dried outside as it brightened up considerably in the afternoon. I got the last of my sweetpeas [planted out and tended the things in the GH. Pleased with what I managed to get done today. Disturbed twice - once by a courier wanting to know if I would take in a package for next door and another a chap who wanted to know if I had any trees or hedges I would like to get a quote for tidying up. Hmmm.
@Obelix-Vendée I think I have mentioned before that I have had paeonies in my garden for tens of years, all planted correctly with them only just under the soil and I've never had a flower. Plenty leaves though. Might be an idea not to mulch over the crown of the plant just in case.
@AuntyRach, I love your shopping model. Sounds a bit like mine - especially forgetting the thing I went in for. @Liriodendron, your walk with that scent sounds wonderful. @Tui34 the strawberry moon is supposed to be at its best tonight and I will be looking out for it.
I am signing out for tonight so I wish you all pleasant evenings and I'll meet up with you all tomorrow.

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We are sitting outside, chilling (literally)
It's not balmy, but maybe we're barmy!
Lovely evening with the kids.
I sent them out to pick roses, then arrange them.

 

A carpet of lily-of-the-valley sounds dreamy! How lovely @Liriodendron.

I’ve been hours pottering about in poly greenhouse too @Ladybird4. Used another whole bag of compost just potting-on and replanting a lame patio rose as the pot it was in was too good for the poor specimen. New Dahlia is now proudly in the ‘good’ pot, and the rose is in ‘intensive care’. I don’t think my Myrtle cuttings have survived their spell in the plant hospital, unfortunately (I have the mother plant and two decent plants from cuttings so that’s plenty).

We should be outside in the evenings in June @Penny_Forthem! I love to do gardening on warm Summer evenings so I do hope we have some warmth soon. Sounds like you are having exactly that @Tui34 , @Obelix-Vendée and @Busy-Lizzie.

I hope everyone is ok. Enjoy spotting the Strawberry moon the next couple of nights if it’s clear.

 

Love the sound of your scented walk @Liriodendron. I hope the rest of your holiday is equally enjoyable.

Nice posy @Penny_Forthem. Not sitting out here either @AuntyRach cos by the toime we'e had dinner it's a bit cool but I did go out to see the Starwberry Moon this evening.

I grew peonies with no bovver in our Belgian garden and, before that, in, Harrow so I have no idea why these are so reluctant @Ladybird4.

I too set off a wash today and it dried very quickly outside. Oiled the garden table then did some weed spraying in places we can't get to with hoes and strimmers then went back to planting in the new bed and watering. It is still looking very empty but I paced it out and it's roughly 9m long and sort of pear shaped and 4.5m at the widest point so will take some filling.

Then I had to go and get clean for an outing in the village earlier this evening. Possum has been doing zumba since September and the whole class is part of a street dance fête in La Roches -s -y on Saturday evening. Lots of groups from dance clubs all over the Vendée dancing thru the streets and ending at a huge stage for a final demo by each group.

The place will be rammed so parents and family were invited to the last rehearsal this evening to see the show. Possum told me to take ear plugs but the music wasn't too loud. It was better than I expected given the mix of ages from early teens to middle aged. They were mostly in sync and mostly knew their moves and the music was OK except for a jive number by Céline Dion.

However, they are an indisciplined lot who don't listen to insructions or requests to get in position ready to start. It's the same in our Tuesday ballroom dance class so I assume it's a French thing. The teacher didn't seem to be too bothered and the organiser was as bad as everyone else. I find it rude as well as frustrating when we're keen to get on and learn the next figure but people aren't paying attention.

 

Just seen the Strawberry Moon - it's huge!

Unfortunately it doesn't appear on my phone camera for some reason.

A carpet of lily in the valley would be gorgeous - as long as it's not in my garden.

I've weedkilled the clematis then upended another which was also destined for the chop. My beautiful 'Blue Ice or 'Ice Blue' one - I never remember which way round it is. It's now over 15 years old so has had it's day. Totally potbound and very, very dry which surprised me as I've chucking grey water over it for the last few weeks.

We've had the quote from the builders for the exploratory work on the terrace and another if it has to be rebuilt - yikes, over 5 figures! Trying to decide whether to claim on the insurance (it's likely to be classed as subsidence ) or pay for it ourselves.

We've given up on veg I think for this year @Busy-Lizzie, it's only the broad beans romping away at the moment, the runner beans are just pathetic. The raspberries have however gone bonkers so looking forward to some fruit at least. We're picking strawberries now.

 

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Good morning all.

I just missed seeing the moon @lizzie27. It had gone behind the trees when I went to the loo at 3am. I often don't sleep well just before a full moon but this time hasn't been too bad.

@Obelix-Vendée I think the lack of discipline is a French thing. When my children were at school they did a "spectacle" at the end of term. The parents used to chatter all the way through. I used to find it very irritating. When I went to an adults' riding course at the riding school it was the same. We did mostly dressage which needs focus but they looked on it as a social event.

It will be very hot today, forecast says 36C. I must finish the watering this morning.

 

Hello @Songbird. If you want to delete your post there is a "delete" at the bottom. Easier than the old GW.

 

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The Strawberry Moon as seen over my garden last night. Unfortunately I don't have a posh camera so that was taken on my mobile. Picture actually doesn't really do justice to the moon. It was glorious.
@Penny_Forthem those flowers picked for you are stunning. I love those colours. I smiled at your description of the dancers @Obelix-Vendée and, as you say, that must be the 'French way'. Hopefully all will be right on Saturday night. Yikes indeed @lizzie27 - scary amounts! @Songbird has been typing in invisble ink I think.