It was some very welcome rain today, I'm so glad I pulled the potatoes up yesterday! We got the strimming done at the allotments today, but my plan to spend some time in the greenhouse has been thwarted by a broody hen that needs to be dealt with, so instead of repotting stuff , i have had to put the broody cage together so she's already in it when the heatwave arrives.
The upside is that I get to spend lots of time outside this week
Hope you had a good potato harvest, Fruitcake. mine are still in the ground and this week sometime I hope to plant some more to get new potatoes later. i did get a good two hours of weeding done in between the showers so had very wet trouser bottoms. But all the plants look refreshed so did not water anything. Great big bowl of strawberries waiting for me to do something with them again and loads of broad beans.
Hi Flumpy and Marion, it's 7.40am here, so not long woken up. Yes Flumpy, the little bags have my lavender in them and they do have a really good scent. I envy you all getting rain - we haven't had any for weeks. We are lucky that we had a bore put down years ago, so we pump from that to a large tank which I can use in the garden. For the house, we collect rain water and store in 5 large tanks, which is just as well because we often go for long periods without rain.
One of the other things we did about 20 years ago was to plant 1000 Pinus pinea (pines that produce edible pine nuts). Our idea was that it would be a sort in retirement income for when we retired. The main problem with that idea, was that we didn't anticipate how much the Black Cockatoos love opening pine cones with their huge beaks, and devouring the nuts inside. oh well, you live and learn with gardening.
Fruitcake, do you raise your own chickens or beat your hen to it and eat the egg? We have thought about putting a hen pen on wheels in the orchard as a sort if fertiliser producer plus pest control, but most neighbour's have a feast or famine situation with eggs, so we can get eggs when the season is plentiful or do without when not.
10.20 a.m. now and another lovely foggy day. I went out to open the greenhouse and had to brush ice off the handle - great!
The new season of The Voice started last night, and we've got Jessie J. this year as well as Ricky Martin, Delta Goodrum, and the twins from Good Charlotte - not bad for a first heat. I wish we could have your Rita and Sir Tom.
The Tour de France program we watched last night was basically a re-run of highlights which we saw last year, however, I assume they are trying to get us revved up for the new race which is getting closer.
2pm now. We were out in the back 80 acres cutting wood for our daughter's birthday BBQ, when I noticed some of the silver wattle (A dealbata) bravely trying to flower. I've picked a small sprig for the vase to see if it can finish opening in the house warmth. Our native plants don't make good vase plants, but thought I'd give it a try anyway.
Amazing, the sun just came out - a miracle! ( climate change in one day).
Another lovely day forecast for us here in Bristol and most of the UK but warnings aplenty about the heatwave due tomorrow. I plan on doing as much as I cam outside today. Your wattle looks like it will soon be a good splash of yellow. Those pine nuts you are growing are used in making pesto here with basil and olive oil for pasta as the Mediterranean diet is recommended for fighting against killers like heart disease. Those cats look quite at home and loving the warmth of the wood burner. Wimbledon starts today and I shall watch the English girl Heather Watson play her first match this evening on the TV after a long day's work in the garden. I must plant up the lovely cleomes and cosmos plants my friend brought me last week first.
It was a fab harvest of spuds, I'm very pleased with them. Last nights roast potatoes were the best I've had for a long time Got lots to do today and I'm not sure I'll get any useful garden time, but i will try and get something done
Yes, I'll keep an eye on the wattle. It coppices everywhere and is just as big a fire threat as the old dead timber laying all over the place. I dread the fire season starting again - not only for our own property, but for hubby and his fellow volunteer firefighters.
When the wattle is fully in flower, I'll take another photo. Our son's cats are inside cats in Canberra, but love coming down here for a visit. They perch on the window sills and watch the birds, hares, and kangaroos and enjoy our different house. They are very vocal and always say hello when we walk into a room.
I have six neighbours down one side of my garden and one the other and between them they have seven cats who all visit my garden and mostly get on well together - three pure black, one black and white, one marmalade, one tricoloured, and Smokey who is grey. Some do greet me and one does tricks to order. they all like to sit on a path and watch me work.
We do not have extreme weather like you . All of the UK is temperate but the south is about one month ahead in plant growth than Scotland. Bristol is not as hot as London in the summer and gets more rain usually off the Atlantic. Biggest mammal i have is a dark brown friendly town fox though i once had a stray deer from the local golf course come over my six foot fence and nibble the tops off my roses. But I have squirrels,hegdehogs, dormice and field mice and lots of birds from tiny wrens and finches to wood pigeons and seagulls.
I have put my friend's plants into nice big pots, one each side of my potting shed (garage) door so i will see them frequently and water as needed.
Posts
It was some very welcome rain today, I'm so glad I pulled the potatoes up yesterday! We got the strimming done at the allotments today, but my plan to spend some time in the greenhouse has been thwarted by a broody hen that needs to be dealt with, so instead of repotting stuff , i have had to put the broody cage together so she's already in it when the heatwave arrives.
The upside is that I get to spend lots of time outside this week
Hope you had a good potato harvest, Fruitcake. mine are still in the ground and this week sometime I hope to plant some more to get new potatoes later. i did get a good two hours of weeding done in between the showers so had very wet trouser bottoms. But all the plants look refreshed so did not water anything. Great big bowl of strawberries waiting for me to do something with them again and loads of broad beans.
Hi Flumpy and Marion, it's 7.40am here, so not long woken up. Yes Flumpy, the little bags have my lavender in them and they do have a really good scent. I envy you all getting rain - we haven't had any for weeks. We are lucky that we had a bore put down years ago, so we pump from that to a large tank which I can use in the garden. For the house, we collect rain water and store in 5 large tanks, which is just as well because we often go for long periods without rain.
One of the other things we did about 20 years ago was to plant 1000 Pinus pinea (pines that produce edible pine nuts). Our idea was that it would be a sort in retirement income for when we retired. The main problem with that idea, was that we didn't anticipate how much the Black Cockatoos love opening pine cones with their huge beaks, and devouring the nuts inside. oh well, you live and learn with gardening.
Fruitcake, do you raise your own chickens or beat your hen to it and eat the egg? We have thought about putting a hen pen on wheels in the orchard as a sort if fertiliser producer plus pest control, but most neighbour's have a feast or famine situation with eggs, so we can get eggs when the season is plentiful or do without when not.
10.20 a.m. now and another lovely foggy day. I went out to open the greenhouse and had to brush ice off the handle - great!
The new season of The Voice started last night, and we've got Jessie J. this year as well as Ricky Martin, Delta Goodrum, and the twins from Good Charlotte - not bad for a first heat. I wish we could have your Rita and Sir Tom.
The Tour de France program we watched last night was basically a re-run of highlights which we saw last year, however, I assume they are trying to get us revved up for the new race which is getting closer.
2pm now. We were out in the back 80 acres cutting wood for our daughter's birthday BBQ, when I noticed some of the silver wattle (A dealbata) bravely trying to flower. I've picked a small sprig for the vase to see if it can finish opening in the house warmth. Our native plants don't make good vase plants, but thought I'd give it a try anyway.
Amazing, the sun just came out - a miracle! ( climate change in one day).
Photos of wattle today
I've also attached a photo of our son's visiting cats enjoying the warmth from the fire - mother in front of fire, daughter on dog bed.
Another lovely day forecast for us here in Bristol and most of the UK but warnings aplenty about the heatwave due tomorrow. I plan on doing as much as I cam outside today. Your wattle looks like it will soon be a good splash of yellow. Those pine nuts you are growing are used in making pesto here with basil and olive oil for pasta as the Mediterranean diet is recommended for fighting against killers like heart disease. Those cats look quite at home and loving the warmth of the wood burner. Wimbledon starts today and I shall watch the English girl Heather Watson play her first match this evening on the TV after a long day's work in the garden. I must plant up the lovely cleomes and cosmos plants my friend brought me last week first.
It was a fab harvest of spuds, I'm very pleased with them. Last nights roast potatoes were the best I've had for a long time
Got lots to do today and I'm not sure I'll get any useful garden time, but i will try and get something done 
Marion
Yes, I'll keep an eye on the wattle. It coppices everywhere and is just as big a fire threat as the old dead timber laying all over the place. I dread the fire season starting again - not only for our own property, but for hubby and his fellow volunteer firefighters.
When the wattle is fully in flower, I'll take another photo. Our son's cats are inside cats in Canberra, but love coming down here for a visit. They perch on the window sills and watch the birds, hares, and kangaroos and enjoy our different house. They are very vocal and always say hello when we walk into a room.
I have six neighbours down one side of my garden and one the other and between them they have seven cats who all visit my garden and mostly get on well together - three pure black, one black and white, one marmalade, one tricoloured, and Smokey who is grey. Some do greet me and one does tricks to order. they all like to sit on a path and watch me work.
We do not have extreme weather like you . All of the UK is temperate but the south is about one month ahead in plant growth than Scotland. Bristol is not as hot as London in the summer and gets more rain usually off the Atlantic. Biggest mammal i have is a dark brown friendly town fox though i once had a stray deer from the local golf course come over my six foot fence and nibble the tops off my roses. But I have squirrels,hegdehogs, dormice and field mice and lots of birds from tiny wrens and finches to wood pigeons and seagulls.
I have put my friend's plants into nice big pots, one each side of my potting shed (garage) door so i will see them frequently and water as needed.