Well, I did the standard "manly" thing, when tired and in a bad mood. I selected a very overgrown contorted Hazel, and I attacked it with a vengeance. It is a lot smaller, and I am knackered.
So now you do what folk over 27 are supposed to do on a Sunday afternoon .... you sit on the sofa and watch Calamity Jane (it's on this afternoon ... again). I'm going to watch it for probably the 100th time.
Poor @WonkyWomble watched it over and over again when she had glandular fever .... she knows all the words ... she fell in love with Wild Bill Hickok and it can't be any coincidence that her married name is now almost Katy Brown. Absolutely superb film. Watch the 'Windy City' routine in the bar room ... done in a single take ... Doris Day was amazing.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
She was. I've recently bough a triple CD pack of her hits.
Been busy this morning. Collected another batch of tomatoes to process but am making soup with this lot - tomato, orange and ginger which is light and fresh and no fat so almost no calories. All the pumpkins are now on an airy display stand against the house wall so they can finish ripening in the sun and I've finally got around to fixing the long garden bench that was damaged in the tornado a year ago as well as weeding beneath it. Rose garden has been watered so I can get bulbs in this pm.
The chooks have been having fun re-arranging the wildflower meadow hay OH has piled up in the potager. It's full of insects and spiders and they're having a great time. OH has also moved pots about, taking spent lilies and some divisions down to be sheltered on the south facing side of the polytunnel and bringing fuchsias from the back terrace to the front.
More path weeding and terrace sweeping for me then and then bulbs.
Two hours seems fine to me @punkdoc and certainly better than none at all. Just work on two hours a day while you can and don't forget to say a few kind words to that twisted hazel to encourage it.
Hope you're doing OK @Pat E and feeling sadly fond rather than overwhelmingly sad.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I'd better get a move on and plant the last 3 fuchsias and the honeysuckle Belgica, just haven't felt like kneeling the last couple of days, old skiing injury to right knee has been playing up. Maybe I overdid it with my new flowerbed.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I have had the best day, had a rare day off work, planted 100 spring bulbs, cooked a lovely roast dinner, drank way too much wine. Did the Telegraph cryptic....then had a crisis about my wisteria...it's in it's first year...so do I do the February prune? I am worried about her...she is just reaching for the wires that we have put up, I don't want to discourage her, but I know she needs to put down roots
Sympathy @Busy-Lizzie. Funnily enough it's not the old riding injury knee that has the worst arthritic bits but the other that took the strain while I was in an ankle to hip plaster cast to immobilise a cracked kneecap.
I planted a new wisteria years ago @odetobillyjoe - before I knew about the 2 and 7 pruning régime so it didn't get a prune till it was well up the initial support trellis and needing guiding. It flowered just fine once it got going. I'm inclined to let the roots do their thing underground in winter and then let as many leaves as they can support thru spring and summer help feed and nurture the roots till it's a strong plant.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
That’s what I’d do with a new wisteria too - give it a chance to get its roots down properly before starting a pruning regime.
Just in from a good garden tidy up. Veg beds now all emptied and weeded and ready for a good helping of muck. Pots all emptied and ready for bulbs. Forecast is for lots of rain, so everything is ready for a greenhouse bulb planting session if needs be.
Butternut squash soup for lunch - home grown and quite successful. Definitely one to try again next year.
Its my birthday week too @AuntyRach ….maybe we’re twins 👯♀️
Commiserations to @Punkdoc, I know the feeling, I've just spent two hours digging out a very congested clump of bearded irises - with a small mattock. Really surprised at just how much hard work was involved. Think my right shoulder will be complaining later.
@didyw, that women sounds a real pain in the neck. I suggest you tell her to find another volunteer next time.
I've finished planting, next job is to weed everything and then clean the house before I go to join OH.
Here is my new bed and one of the newly pointed walls. The gaps have bulbs in them or are waiting for early summer plants to arrive in the GCs in spring.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Posts
Poor @WonkyWomble watched it over and over again when she had glandular fever .... she knows all the words ... she fell in love with Wild Bill Hickok and it can't be any coincidence that her married name is now almost Katy Brown. Absolutely superb film. Watch the 'Windy City' routine in the bar room ... done in a single take ... Doris Day was amazing.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Been busy this morning. Collected another batch of tomatoes to process but am making soup with this lot - tomato, orange and ginger which is light and fresh and no fat so almost no calories. All the pumpkins are now on an airy display stand against the house wall so they can finish ripening in the sun and I've finally got around to fixing the long garden bench that was damaged in the tornado a year ago as well as weeding beneath it. Rose garden has been watered so I can get bulbs in this pm.
The chooks have been having fun re-arranging the wildflower meadow hay OH has piled up in the potager. It's full of insects and spiders and they're having a great time. OH has also moved pots about, taking spent lilies and some divisions down to be sheltered on the south facing side of the polytunnel and bringing fuchsias from the back terrace to the front.
More path weeding and terrace sweeping for me then and then bulbs.
Two hours seems fine to me @punkdoc and certainly better than none at all. Just work on two hours a day while you can and don't forget to say a few kind words to that twisted hazel to encourage it.
Hope you're doing OK @Pat E and feeling sadly fond rather than overwhelmingly sad.
What an irritating, thoughtless woman she sounds @didyw, sending sympathy.
Well done @punkdoc, something that shows your hard work, sofa time.
Hugs to @Pat E.
I'd better get a move on and plant the last 3 fuchsias and the honeysuckle Belgica, just haven't felt like kneeling the last couple of days, old skiing injury to right knee has been playing up. Maybe I overdid it with my new flowerbed.
I planted a new wisteria years ago @odetobillyjoe - before I knew about the 2 and 7 pruning régime so it didn't get a prune till it was well up the initial support trellis and needing guiding. It flowered just fine once it got going. I'm inclined to let the roots do their thing underground in winter and then let as many leaves as they can support thru spring and summer help feed and nurture the roots till it's a strong plant.
Just in from a good garden tidy up. Veg beds now all emptied and weeded and ready for a good helping of muck. Pots all emptied and ready for bulbs. Forecast is for lots of rain, so everything is ready for a greenhouse bulb planting session if needs be.
Butternut squash soup for lunch - home grown and quite successful. Definitely one to try again next year.
Its my birthday week too @AuntyRach ….maybe we’re twins 👯♀️
Birthday wishes for next week to @AuntyRach and @chicky.
Commiserations to @Punkdoc, I know the feeling, I've just spent two hours digging out a very congested clump of bearded irises - with a small mattock. Really surprised at just how much hard work was involved. Think my right shoulder will be complaining later.
@didyw, that women sounds a real pain in the neck. I suggest you tell her to find another volunteer next time.
Ouch @Busy-Lizzie and @Obelixx, I feel for you both.
Here is my new bed and one of the newly pointed walls. The gaps have bulbs in them or are waiting for early summer plants to arrive in the GCs in spring.
I managed 3 hours of grass cutting this afternoon