Thank you @chicky and @Lizzie27. Lizzie, I did a pruning course at Peter Beales.
I spent about 3 hours outside this afternoon, pruning the New Dawn rose and cutting out all the dead bits that I could reach of the clematis montana that had suffered from the drought in 2022. It was huge, a lot less huge now. New leaves are starting to sprout so easier to tell which were the dead bits.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Good morning all 😊 ☕️ Well, the weather app says we have fog but I can see blue skies and sunshine from my window … with a bit of a frost on the roofs. How’s it been with you @Pat E?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Freezing here too with glacial strong winds swooping down off the mountain range. In fact @Pat E New Zealand has the cold as well - 14° - really weird for this time of year (end of summer)!! The French Alps had a big dump of snow - after the school holidays, although I think there is a week to go for the northern zone.
Going to get the seed bucket out today - and see what's what. Start capsicums, aubergine and tomatoes off anyway - maybe the butternut too.
Glad you are feeling "over" the weather @coccinella and could get out into the garden for a fresh air spell. Stay warm!!
3 hours is a good time with secateurs @Busy-Lizzie Lovely meadow photo. I expect the poppies will be out here in the next few weeks - a lovely show. When are you back to France?
Nice to see you back @Chicky - I didn't find the cross stitch patterns I wanted. Most were too big as I just wanted small portraits of Irish Setters to make a border on tea/hand towels. I'll keep looking!
We are home after a very full on but fun w/e. I found the drive up very uncomfortable, even with regular stops, so we won't be attempting that distance again for a while. There were 40 of us for MIL's 90th bash, including 4 generations of offspring, so it was lovely.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Sounds just the sort of thing you needed @punkdoc, even if it was uncomfortable at times. Some socialising and a bit of ‘normality’. Just what the doctor ordered 😉 Lofely to have such a family gathering for your MIL. 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
cloudy but not cold, I did spend more time in the garden this morning. One tree of the yew edge is showing signs of stress with browned branches. I watered a lot and gave some bone and fish meal, I also cut out some of the branches from the bottom which were dead. Last year our neighbour painted and creosoted his fence which sits just behind our edge. He must have spilled some stuff near the base, we have a very long edge and only the trees near his fence are affected. It should recover I think if I take some care with watering it, the fence also stops water from reaching the plant.
My DIL sent me a pic of her granny at 103! She looks fab, looks like an 80 years' old. Hope everybody had a nice weekend and an even better monday. I have an hairdresser appointment at 3, I haven't been since October.
Yesterday here was an exceptionally nice day. More or less unbroken sunshine, almost no wind, pleasantly warm outside. I fed all my bulbs with tomato feed (it is - allegedly - the best thing for them). Hung out the washing very early and for the first time since Autumn it got more than half dry. Not completely dry of course, but perhaps two-thirds dry, which is pretty good for early March.
Glad to hear that you seem fully recovered @Dovefromabove . I'm hoping for a speedy recovery for your Husband and Son now.
As always - best wishes to all.
"If you have a garden in your library, we will want for nothing" Marcus Tullius Cicero (in a letter to Marcus Terentius Varro, 46 B.C.)
Posts
I spent about 3 hours outside this afternoon, pruning the New Dawn rose and cutting out all the dead bits that I could reach of the clematis montana that had suffered from the drought in 2022. It was huge, a lot less huge now. New leaves are starting to sprout so easier to tell which were the dead bits.
Well, the weather app says we have fog but I can see blue skies and sunshine from my window … with a bit of a frost on the roofs. How’s it been with you @Pat E?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Freezing here too with glacial strong winds swooping down off the mountain range. In fact @Pat E New Zealand has the cold as well - 14° - really weird for this time of year (end of summer)!! The French Alps had a big dump of snow - after the school holidays, although I think there is a week to go for the northern zone.
Going to get the seed bucket out today - and see what's what. Start capsicums, aubergine and tomatoes off anyway - maybe the butternut too.
Glad you are feeling "over" the weather @coccinella and could get out into the garden for a fresh air spell. Stay warm!!
3 hours is a good time with secateurs @Busy-Lizzie Lovely meadow photo. I expect the poppies will be out here in the next few weeks - a lovely show. When are you back to France?
Nice to see you back @Chicky - I didn't find the cross stitch patterns I wanted. Most were too big as I just wanted small portraits of Irish Setters to make a border on tea/hand towels. I'll keep looking!
Have a lovely Monday folks!!
We are home after a very full on but fun w/e. I found the drive up very uncomfortable, even with regular stops, so we won't be attempting that distance again for a while.
There were 40 of us for MIL's 90th bash, including 4 generations of offspring, so it was lovely.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Lofely to have such a family gathering for your MIL. 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
@tui34 we go back to France next week, staying with friends in Wiltshire on the way.
We took OH's car to Norwich this morning to be serviced and MOTd. Now off to do some gardening, the sun is shining.
cloudy but not cold, I did spend more time in the garden this morning. One tree of the yew edge is showing signs of stress with browned branches. I watered a lot and gave some bone and fish meal, I also cut out some of the branches from the bottom which were dead. Last year our neighbour painted and creosoted his fence which sits just behind our edge. He must have spilled some stuff near the base, we have a very long edge and only the trees near his fence are affected. It should recover I think if I take some care with watering it, the fence also stops water from reaching the plant.
My DIL sent me a pic of her granny at 103! She looks fab, looks like an 80 years' old.
Hope everybody had a nice weekend and an even better monday. I have an hairdresser appointment at 3, I haven't been since October.
Luxembourg