Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Good afternoon all. I am another who remembers, as a child, coalmen delivering when we lived in County Durham and when I moved into this house I had a solid fuel back boiler that heated the house and the smokeless fuel was stored in a bunker down the garden. I did not keep that for very long as it was hard work so I soon converted to gas CH.
I tackled the hedge in the front garden today. It was really too hot for that sort of work so I stopped when the green bin was full and I still have a bit to do. I got fed up being stabbed by hawthorn and berberis and those sticking by their thorns into my gardening Crocs. I was lathered when I came inside so had to get back into the shower again. I managed to capture a little vole in one of my humane traps using a white chocolate button as bait. It has been running around in my living room for a day. Successfully released down the garden. That is the second release within the last seven days. Cricket is good at bringing them back alive.
I am quizzing tonight so I'll sign out now wishing you all peaceful evenings.

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Afternoon folks.

Warm but cloudy here. I’ve been in air-con all day, as teaching on a course, so it was a surprise to go outside in the muggy air afterwards. I’m starving now as only had a banana for lunch!

My bag always has a selection of medications (pain killers, immodium, antacids, antihistamines etc). You never know! I also carry a selection of teabags (decaf, mint etc) and cereal bars. It’s like Bear Grylls meets Mary Poppins.

I hope Monday has been kind to all. Enjoy the evening.

 

I never set foot out of the house without Imodium ( actually supermarket own brand version) plus hay fever tablets, paracetamol and Zovirax in case I get a cold sore starting. I also have hand wipes and hand rub.
I usually have a supply of safety pins too, but I’ve changed handbags recently and I didn’t seem to have any with me today. I wore a button through dress, and a couple kept coming undone, would have pinned the edges together but couldn’t. I must get my sewing machine out and just stitch the whole length of the button hole edge. The dress is roomy enough to just pull on over my head, but the buttons seem to be too small. I can add the new pocket liners I bought while I’m at it!
Your poor feet, @Ladybird4! I always wear sturdy footwear in the garden, mainly to reduce the chance of me falling over, but even my walking boots weren’t immune to the pyracantha prunings! I’m very careful with this now, after having a big spike going through into my foot.

I think I read that voles, or is it shrews, are often spared by cats as they taste awful? I don’t know if that’s true, our previous cats never mentioned it. Or maybe it’s their bad tempers! I once found a shrew curled up and sleeping in the middle of the garden path. While I was trying to carefully move it to safety, it woke up and had a really good swear at me, before curling up to continue its snooze. I did manage to move it, but it wasn’t at all grateful.

 

I think it's moles that taste horrid @Ergates. They get killed and dumped whereas small rodents get well and truly chewed.

Hot here so I've finished my new frock and altered one for Possum.

Much watering needed this evening.

I remember coalmen too and bunkers. Our house in Harrow had an open fire in the living room so we had coal deliveries there till we left in 1991. Cleaner coal and lorries by then tho and no black faces.

 

Good evening!

Back from our Scottish week late yesterday, so today was spent doing lots of washing (which unexpectedly dried in the garden, when the wind got up a bit and it became less humid), shopping, surveying the garden and doing the most urgent jobs, including picking lots of blackberries from the hedge. They are big and juicy this year. I've frozen 500g to make into blackberry ice cream (grandsons' favourite!), and cooked the rest with a few of our early cooking apples. Lovely with vanilla ice cream on a hot day...

We had a coke-fired boiler in my childhood, but I don't remember a coal hole - I wonder where the fuel was kept... must ask my sister. I do remember following the coal wagon up the lane in winter 1963, when the cold was intense and prolonged for months, with my mother and sister, picking up lumps of coal which had (literally!) fallen off the back of the lorry, and taking them to our elderly neighbour. That was the winter when I was cross because the snow was too deep (in Hertfordshire) for me to go out into the garden, aged 10, in my wellies.

The number and variety of insects in the garden this year is phenomenal. Today I was watching a couple of dozen damsel flies circling the "meadow", presumably hunting the bugs and insects which have proliferated around the wild flowers - wild carrot in particular. Still plenty of butterflies, too, some of which were enjoying sunning themselves on the washing. Some of the cabbage white caterpillars which have been feasting on kohl rabi leaves while we've been away (bother!) have been attacked by parasitic wasps, and are climbing the walls of the bungalow where the wasp larvae emerge as little yellow cocoons... gruesome but interesting!

 

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Good morning everyone. I hope you all managed some sleep last night, despite the crazy weather. When I got back from the quiz last night (don't ask - but we did win the beer round!) it was 25°C in my bedroom. I didn't think I would need to put my fan on again but it stayed on all night.
My poor Katsura tree is almost totally defoliated now and looks very sad as a result of being too dry.
@Ergates, its shrews that cats may avoid eating as they are supposed to taste unpleasant and have a smell that cats do not like, but voles and field mice quite often get munched, though the stomach is often left. Sorry if you are just about to eat your breakfast!

 

Yes, shrews are disliked by cats even though they still catch and kill them. Poppy always left them intact for me to dispose of. I thought it was the texture of their coats, like dense velvet, cats disliked.Not pleasant to eat. I am fearing for Poppy, she has almost stopped eating, drinking quite a lot of water, sleeping almost all day.

A strange day. The telephone rang, man from the odd call on Friday. No explanation or apology for not turning up. Could he come round immediately, lunchtime. I said yes. He turned up with his handicapped grandson. He took one look at the steps and no way would he do them. Yes, he would strim the bank, he could clear the whole of the garden if I wanted. No thank you very much, just the bank. I asked him about the bramble control mentioned in his advert. OOOOH, yes, he sprays. using extra strong glyphosate. No point in cutting them down, they come back. I pointed out there was no point in spraying now as the brambles were shutting down for the winter, best to spray in early summer when in coming into full growth. Then he began admiring a lovely ***** growing in the garden. I cannot remember which flower he referred to but his garden knowledge showed he did not recognise a gladioli which is what he was looking at.
I have agreed to him coming later in the week to strim the bank, 3 hrs work, £100.00. I assume cash in hand. My gut feeling tells me I need to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't cut down my shrubs. He kept on saying he would need to clear a path for himself.
I have a feeling he could be a slash and burn merchant as he explained he uses 2 blades on his strimmer, a cutter and a metal bladed mulcher.
I wait in trepidation, not sure when or if I will see him again.

Yesterday was a washout. overcast, chilly, mizzle all day. Very windy today but wall to wall blue sky, predicted to be hot, hot, hot! I am off to water the greenhouse before it gets too hot. I was forced to dry my washing indoors yesterday, should have waited another 24 hrs.

Have a good day everyone.

 

Hello everyone, I have been reading your posts but was feeling “quiet” this weekend. Now re-emerging. We haven’t been up to much so no news to report. Forecast to be hot today so might sit under the walnut tree fettling my rickety cold frames.

We have a bumper crop of peaches, picked yesterday, and OH fancies some jam but I always find it a little bland. Any tips on how I can intensify the peachiness? A lot of recipes seem to add other flavours such as vanilla but it’s the peach flavour I want to strengthen if possible. I wondered if roasting them first would help?

I have a lot of peaches to do something with. Usually we harvest over a couple of weeks but they were all beginning to drop, probably due to the dry weather. I only had to touch them for them to come off. Not exactly the weather for jam making or baking

 

Morning all. Very overcast and muggy here at the moment. It isn’t supposed to rain, but the sky looks very heavy.

It was very uncomfortable for sleeping last night, so muggy and sticky, even with the fan running.

Your gardener chap doesn’t sound very experienced @Goldenlily26. I’m suspicious by nature, so would be a bit wary. I don’t know what the going hourly rate for a gardener is, but £100 for 3 hours just to strim seems quite a lot of money? Is it a big bank he has to do?

 

@Goldenlily26, my first inclination would be to put the gardening man off, at least until you can get some more quotes? £100 for three hours sounds like a lot, especially if it’s not what you actually want done? I’d be wanting him to at least make an attempt to pull the roots of the brambles out. Strimming is quick, cheap, but not a long term solution, as you know. I’m sure you could do better, although you may have to wait for a while. You’ll be no worse off, and still have the £100 to play with.

 

Morning; for the second day, we have no sun.
The house at the back is having an extension built, where the old conservatory was. The pneumatic drill started up at 7.45 this morning to break up the old footings. After a poor night's 'sleep', it wasn't what we wanted!
We are going tomorrow for our short break, but BiL's back has 'gone', so they've cancelled.
As we have a room with a patio overlooking the lake, I have bought some Jungle formula and Anthisan (won't I smell nice for our evening meal?). They can't provide a fan in our room, but have suggested we bring one (we will!)
I have bought him a trail cam for his birthday.
Here comes the sun (cue the Beatles)

 

My gardening lady charges £16 per hour but that is mainly for cutting hedges. Last time she was here, she dug up some unwanted perennials, dug in manure and replanted new plants in approx 1 sq m.

I think rebuilding steps would be more of a builder's or odd job man rather than a 'gardener'.
Do you have a 'Checkatrade' in your area? You can search for a trade, pick suitable ones, post details of the job and the chosen tradesmen will then quote for the job. Are your steps granite by the way?

We're forecast 32c today so I don't plan to do anything - inside or out! Might start composing my letter back to the Council's insurers.

 

Afternoon from tropical Wales. Just nipped to Diddly-Dee. Another secateurs landed in my basket! The clip is broken on my good pair, and the rubbish pair are…rubbish. The garden bins have just been emptied but not sure I’ll be doing much to re-fill them today. Maybe later this evening.

Have a good day everyone.

 

Best place to get recommendations is from locals. If using checkatrade or similar, worth asking them if they have done any work in your village or town, so you can wander past for a look, and maybe ask the owners.
It’s over 26C here, but OH has just strimmed the edge of our property along the roadside. Lots of shade there. I pulled out as many of the brambles as I could reach.
I’m now trying to relax in the shade with a cold drink, but an Aurigny plane seems to be doing training flights from Exeter airport. Going round in big loops, quite low and noisy. I suppose I can excuse them, as they do fly from Exeter to Guernsey. I do get frustrated when BA send their London City airport based planes to do their training circuits here. I used to use the Flybe flights from Exeter to London City, really convenient for visiting my family. Tempted to write to BA and ask them to take over the route, as a reward for us putting up with their noise!
Dont fancy housework this afternoon, so we are considering a trip to the garden centre. I could use a couple of lightweight planters for outside the front door.
We had just a little rain last night, including a heavy and noisy downpour which lasted all of one minute! There was also a single crash of thunder, but the storm otherwise missed us.

 

Good afternoon all, very hot and humid here, we actually had a sprinkling of rain last evening but it mostly made things more humid.
I was at dentist this am, the Openreach guys have been and gone so we are now full fibre and by tonight we will have a digital phone line (supposedly). The only gardening in the last few days has been watering dead heading and picking crops on the allotments.

Re: Glyphosate, actually spraying at this time of year is quite effective because as plants shut down for Autumn/ Winter they withdraw everything down to the roots so the Glyphosate will be drawn down even more than usual and should kill the roots.