Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2025

Good morning all.

I got up earlier than usual to do some gardening before it got hot, but it wasn't early enough. I finished the round rose bed, weeded, edged and severely dead headed, geraniums cut down. I've pulled up the broad beans and planted more leeks and I've weeded and edged the patio bed. I watered the veg garden gate beds and filled up the water butts x 3 in the veg garden in case Chris needs them. Then I came in as it was approaching midday and I was feeling overheated, hope I haven't overdone it.

 

Wow, @Busy-Lizzie, you have been busy. I find this heat too energy sapping to do very much, I’m afraid, so admire your ability to do so. I think you deserve a well earned rest now.

 

Afternoon folks,

Agree with you @Blue arbour, we cancelled a lunch date with friends today in a pub about an hour away. Couldn't contemplate sitting in traffic queues at all the traffic lights between here and there.

Then of course, it clouded over, got a bit cooler and we actually had a few drops of rain, can't win, can you!

Glad your OH is better this morning @Penny_Forthem.

Do hope @Goldenlily26 is ok after her x-ray this morning, wonder if they've kept her in?

@Busy-Lizzie, that is quite a lot of gardening, I admire your get and go attitude but don't go and overdo it. (I must remember to take my own advice!)

I did do a spot of rose deadheading this morning in thee back garden just before lunch but it's much hotter now so the front garden will have to wait.

Enjoy the rest of the day everyone. Hope @Obelix-Vendée has got back safely from her garden coach trip.

 

Back from seeing my Sister and niece. We’ve booked an overnight trip to Bath next month so we excited for that.

I’ve potted-up some Cosmos and Strawflowers but too hot to do other jobs so I’ll “have to” break for an icecream now.

 

We had a quick trip to lidl this afternoon to pick up some more delicious French cheeses.
I'd spied some 'bee lavender' on Thursday, but only as we were on our way out.
I picked the kast 2 up today @£4.98 each. I just love them.
No sign of the anticipated thunder, but North Wales storm watch is confident! It's very hot and sticky, even though we've had heavy rain.

 

@Busy-Lizzie I hope you have had a restful afternoon after all that garden activity. Pace yourself for tomorrow's journey. @AuntyRach it is always lovely having something to look forward too. I am signing out for today. See you all tomorrow. Got an Ocado delivery between 06:00 and 07:00 so I'll have to be up sharpish. Tea/Coffee morning at Church too.

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Good morning everyone and it is a good one so far. Delivery arrived and is all stashed away. Checking off my lists for stuff to take to Church for the tea/coffee morning and I don't think I've forgotten anything. My little scally, Cricket, found the door to the larder open some time in the night (mea culpa!) and proceeded to help himself to three pouches of his food out of the box I keep in there on the floor. He then shredded the pouches and consumed the contents. Note to self - make sure larder door is always kept shut! I may be wrong that it was him as we had a 'visitor' this morning - another black and white cat but Cricket is still my number one suspect.

 

Good morning all.

Naughty Cricket! I hope he hasn't got a tummy ache.

Cloudy here.
I slept badly, didn't get to sleep until after 3am.
Long drive to the ferry today.

I have a bit more watering to do and I must take the bin bags to the village bins.

 

Good morning. We got back on Friday pm, happy but exhausted after our trip and a bit frazzled by the heat. It was wonderful with a good variety of locations, history, styles and gardeners eliciting lots of "Wow"s. Most of my gardening friends here know botanical names, leaf shapes, flowers, bark, perfumes especially of trees and shrubs and choose plants for their own sake but don't do borders like we Brits do so for them to see proper mass plantings in mixed borders or vistas associating plants for form, colour and texture in astonishing variety was literally an eye opener.

I did not sleep at all on the ferry to Portsmouth - very noisy engines - and then it was full on garden visits for 3 days with me interpreting as needed at the start of each visit and at meals. It was a lot like herding kittens at times but they all enjoyed it. Exhausted by the time I got home so all I did yesterday was check OH had done enough watering to keep my treasures and veggies alive in the high 30s we've had here all week.

Still tired today but it's going to be cooler so I might get some hoeing done in my new bed as the soil disturbance and watering have woken up some weed seeds and then I can carry on planting.

I hope veryone is well and enjoying their gardening/holidays/visits etc.

Have a good drive to the ferry @Busy-Lizzie.

 

Just home from having the Xray done. I have to wait 1-2 weeks for the result to come through.
There have been rolls of thunder and mini downpours since I went out. Still overcast and close.
I have felt awful all day. Queasy and in a lot of pain.
At first the GP thought my problem was sciatica, then she decided it was coming from my hip. I am not sure if the feeling sick is the heat or the new medication I have been put on.

I managed to get down to the greenhouse when I came home, lots of side shoots to remove from the tomatoes. I had to come indoors then, the temperature in the greenhouse was unbearable.
I spent the rest of the day in my chair and on the sofa.
I checked online to see how to care for the Ladies Fingers plants I have managed to get going. They can grow to about 4ft tall, much bigger than I was expecting! I will have to move them into bigger pots. The same for the loofahs but not until I have my leg pain sorted out.
Grumph!

 

Good morning

Sorry to hear you have pain @Goldenlily26 and I do hope you feel better very soon.

It’s a bit fresher here this morning with lower temperatures and a breeze. More comfortable than the humidity and heat of yesterday.

It sounds as if you had a very enjoyable trip @Obelix-Vendée. We’ve enjoyed looking around various gardens too, this week, having had a few days away in North Yorkshire. I always come away inspired by what I see.

Church shortly, then maybe some time in the garden.

I hope everyone has a good day.

 

How can 2 days be so different?
Went to sleep in summer, woke in autumn!
Although we'd opened all the windows and deployed blinds and fly screens, there was an annoying fly. How did it get in?
Quite glad to be going home.
Impressed with the ladies fingers @Goldenlily26 .
Not everyone's cup of tea, but I like them properly done in a curry.
Naughty cricket @Ladybird4
Glad everyone enjoyed our weather and gardens @Obelix-Vendée
You picked a good week for it.

 

Well that’s the hot spell over. Agree @Penny_Forthem - the weather changed quite quickly overnight.

Just pottering this morning. Shall I vacuum now it’s cooler?… no let’s not be silly!

Have a lovely Sunday folks.

 

Glad everyone enjoyed your garden trip @Obelix-Vendée, which was the favourite? I am never able to sleep on ferries either and agree about their noisy engines. I think it would take me a week to recover from a strenuous holiday like that.

It's cooler today thank goodness so I've started digging out the soil from a stone trough on the terrace. Fished all the bulbs out first then filled up 1 plastic sack and 1 old garden cart. Fortunately I'd covered these both with plastic when I came in for lunch because it tipped down half an hour ago.

I'm sorry your leg is so painful and you don't feel very well @Goldenlily26. Hope you feel better and get the Xray results soon.

I'm trying to force myself to do the ironing @AuntyRach and now it's cooler I've lost my excuse not to do any! Doing half hour stints every now and then.

Haven't a clue what 'ladies fingers' are @Penny_Forthem . What I do need to know is how best to cook broad beans please? They are growing so fast, I'll need to start picking them soon. Can I also open freeze them?

 

The first garden was Knoll garden, planted by Neil Lucas, a specialist in ornamental grasses. He's mixed them with trees, shrubs, perennials to show off everything at its best. Some fabulous trees with shape and bark to extend their season of interest and some fabulous carpets of hakonechloa but I'm still not convinced about grasses. That was a huge hit.

Then Abbotsbury with its huge subtropical trees and foliage plants, water features and a Mediterranean garden on the drier slopes. Lots of oohs and aahs. East Lambrook scored points because we were welcomed by the new owners who've only been there a month and she showed us plants such as astrantia Shaggy which Margery Fish developed. Lovely combinations of plants in a 2 acre garden divided into sections so do-able at home.

Cannington Walled Garden next with a fabulous hot border we can easily emulate in the Vendée, a blue garden with the most amazing electric blue eryngiums and a French head gardener. Then Hestercoombe where people who hadn't read my wee resumé haired off into the woods to try and see the park but the cleverer ones realised we were there for Gertrude Jekyll's planting of Edwin Lutyens sunken garden and terraces. Fabulous.

Last day was Lady Farm Garden and that was the best in terms of initial impact when they walked thru the entrance, the variety of colour and form in the formal beds and the gradual loosening as the garden headed down the hill into the water gardens and ravine. Lots of golden and purple foliage making a rhythm, judicious use of ornamental grasses in the perennials, stands of white stemmed birches with wildflowers below and sitting well in the landscape.

We finished with Harold Hillier on the way back to Portsmouth and there are some amazing trees and shrubs in there plus some long herbaceous borders which blew their socks. the café with tea and cake scored heavily too.

The only problem was not being able to bring back plants but they all have lists of goodies they'll try and find in France, Belgium or the Netherlands.