Sad news I'm afraid -Had kitten put down yesterday. Came back from Uk and still unhappy about it's breathing and only wanting really pappy food -Thought it might have throat obstruction, although drinking and using litter tray fine plus still happy in itself and coat nice and shiny. To my horror, vet Xrayed it and told me it had been kicked as opposed to car accident and had a split diaphragm so intestines in chest cavity and lungs compressed against spine -hence the reason it was a bit hunched. Major op required and consensus was that he probably would not survive the anaesthetic -So I made the decision to put him down. -I know I was right and I felt awful. Stayed with him as he passed away and wished him luck in pet heaven. Cried all the way home (Lucky I was on my own !) - Anyway Pushkin has been told not to bring anyone else home -I would not like to go through this again. On a brighter note, still munching our way through Winter Salads and greenhouse 12 degrees so plants doing well in there including Broccoli which I am over wintering inside in pots.
Here is the Lunar Calender 20-27th December
20 -22nd Dec. Full Moon 5.48pm on 22nd. Moon ascending in Tauuis so Root Days.Sow radishes under cover and continue making plans plus starting to order seeds for 2019.
23/24th Dec. Flower Days. When the Moon descends after 11.49am on 23rd turn your attention to planting up Amaryllis indoors. No gardening on 24th Moon perigee and Noeud descending -put your feet up and wait for Father Christmas!
25th December -HAPPY CHRISTMAS! If you feel the urge -This is a Leaf Day Salads over the Xmas period will keep really well if cut and placed in bowl or jug of water today.
26/27th Dec - Moon descending in Leo so Fruit Days. Plant Bare Root Fruit Bushes.
So, nearly the end of another Year. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and God Bless.
So sorry to hear about the kitten but you did the best thing. The time you have looked after it, it has had love, warmth and food rather than dying on its own somewhere. Don't blame you for the tears as I have been through the same many times the last one being a cat who had lived in a cardboard box behind a pub and I had so wanted him to get better but sadly he didn't. Used to sleep in the same bed as the Labrador.
Thanks for update but no more gardening/allotment until new year O/H is going to plot tomorrow to harvest parsnips , leeks, Jureslum Artichoke, red cabbage & sprouts while I go and watch Football ⚽️ We get an Organic Turkey 🦃 from a friend of o/h who has a sheep farm but does turkeys has a small side line Weather has been reasonably mild so far
Oh Fran you've set me off again!!! -Still stiff upper lip and all that -I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Despite living over 25yrs in France we still have our Boxing Day so nice break this week and isn't it mild?! -Too wet to do much constructive but I have stomped round the garden and made mental plans for next year, -as usual no pen and paper to hand when you want them, so as soon as I get back into kitchen -all is forgotten. I have lost count of the numbers of envelopes I write on and then lose -Am I alone??
Received 50 packets of seeds from my French gardening magazine for Xmas as a 'thank you' for subscribing for five years. Some quite interesting things to try. Will do a seperate Thread about this as interested in people's comments who may not read this Thread. We've become quite a Club haven't we? -So good to bounce off alternative ideas from one another. Bought 2019 BioD Weather Diary yesterday so will let you know about January beginning of next week -I haven't looked yet -hope it's not a shock! Things are budding up already which is always a mistake. Birds look as though they are planning to start nesting -Another shock (for them!) I have a pair of beautiful bullfinches which have settled in the conifers next to the kitchen. They were picking off the wild cherry buds this morning -So pretty.
Anyway here is the Lunar Calender for what's left of 2019.
28/29/30th Dec - Moon descending in Virgo so Root Days. If you are in a mild enough region or want to take a gamble start off some garlic (The white one not rose) and some long as opposed to short shallots. Do not water either as enough humidity in the air to keep them happy. Cover the soil lightly with twigs (Silver Birch is ideal) to stop birds pulling the cloves and sets up.
31st -Take a break and enjoy the day and lots of Fizz!
Hi @biofreak Hope your Christmas went down well and you enjoyed the holiday. You are not alone in writing things down and then losing them. If I don't write things down I completely forget and if I do manage to make a note "where is it?". I suppose everything gets done in the end regardless. 50 packets of seeds is rather a lot to contend with so your new thread will no doubt give other posters ideas for you. As you say everything seems to be ahead of time this year.
Cherry Blossom out this morning in the Town Park -Could not believe it! Two trees in full flower. Not a good idea with snow forecast this month. Um -Yes, I am sorry unless you love the stuff like me - we are in for a Roller Coaster of a Year according to my Lunar Weather Calender (Source: Jean Marais - Astro-Meteorologie) Due to several cosmic cycles it would seem that we must look out for some major storms/volcanic action (in particular end of Aug beginning of Sept) and some seismic shifts at the beginning of November heralding snow from the end of that month -a White Christmas and a bitter Winter. Summer will be warm and not excessively hot but stormy. Spring will be mild but a wet June is forecast with a colder and wetter Autumn than we are used to.
January may have started mild but cold and wet turning to snowy spells are set to come after the 6th. From 9-12th things warm up again with fog. 15-19th Drop in temperature with Snow and sleet forecast widely. 19-22nd Stormy seas and snowstorms forecast. End of the month slight improvement. -Well he is a cheerful soul, but I have to say that overall last year was pretty accurate. So I shall be interested to see what happens.
Am I alone in feeling a little smug that we ate our own vegetables and salads over the holiday period and watched other people shopping for fruit and veg?! -With the money that we saved, we were able to buy little extras and with continued 'swaps' at the Farmer's Market we've actually eaten far too much and I NEED to get out into the garden and move raised beds around, fix fencing, move pots from front of house (North/East) to back if the aforesaid snow arrives. Hopefully such works will shed a few pounds, and now I am on water and fruit juices for 'Dry' January (That won't last!!).
There is a Partial Eclipse of the Sun 6th January and an Eclipse of the Moon 21st January.
I would like to bring the subject of Planets and their effects in the Cosmos and on our lives into our discussions this year. Having now got to grips with Biodynamics -I think that I can explain things more clearly and thanks to attending my BioD Club Meetings, I can actually see through some of the gobbledy gook. I have found some of my Mothers BioD Diaries from the 1960's when she participated in the biodynamic movement and Weleda Centre in Sussex. I have also just met a student from there who has just moved to France and she has offered to help me explain things better. Shall we go for this and expand the Moon Thread further?? -I think that we have got to grips with the Lunar Cycle now and it is time to bring in additional info. Not only can we cover Beekeeping but Smallholding Management (Milking and Cheesemaking)according to the Cosmic Cycles. Let me have your thoughts.
Whilst I prefer to wait until Twelfth Night -It is recommended that you plant out your Christmas Trees tomorrow 4th January and if it is not too cold on the 5th which is a Fruit Day take your grafts from Fruit Trees and cutting off last year's growth pop them in a row against a North facing wall so that they do not set buds too early. Gardening is not recommended on the 6th or 7th due to the Eclipse and Noeud Descending.
Thanks BF. Our tree has no roots - non available here - so it has been posted out of the living room window to dry out before we chip it for compost.
Funnily enough I've been thinking about cheese making as I've found organic unpasteurised milk in one of the supermarkets I use. Might do a little experiment to see if I can produce ricotta as that's simple but will need some research and possibly some teaching before I go on to anything more interesting.
Happy New Year to all.
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)."
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Thanks for update but no more gardening/allotment until new year
O/H is going to plot tomorrow to harvest parsnips , leeks, Jureslum Artichoke, red cabbage & sprouts while I go and watch Football ⚽️
We get an Organic Turkey 🦃 from a friend of o/h who has a sheep farm but does turkeys has a small side line
Weather has been reasonably mild so far
Have a great Christmas 🎄 & Happy New Year 🥂
50 packets of seeds is rather a lot to contend with so your new thread will no doubt give other posters ideas for you.
As you say everything seems to be ahead of time this year.
Weather has been dry , mild and no frosts yet
Funnily enough I've been thinking about cheese making as I've found organic unpasteurised milk in one of the supermarkets I use. Might do a little experiment to see if I can produce ricotta as that's simple but will need some research and possibly some teaching before I go on to anything more interesting.
Happy New Year to all.