General Chat

Just out of interest I would like to know what compost you are all buying. I have bought Westaways but am finding it drys out so quickly and seems to be a lot of composted grass cutting but does have some Jon Innes in it too. I always add J I's to compost anyway to give it a bit more body but I have tried Waitrose and lLidl's and they are all different to what we used to get but I suppose we don't get the peat content now.

Forgot to say I am pleased vera enjoyed the BBQ and did'nt have to go home early because of rain.

Island I have a couple of willow trees out the front but hav'nt looked after them for a few years now. I did make a few thing in the willow from them though.

Evening all,

It's been bright and breezy here all day the poor plants in the garden are taking a battering with the wind .

Veg trough all done ,i planted the cabbage plants and added some lettuce in between ,might have gone over board with the lettuce but there's so many little lettuce seeds come up i didn't want to waste them .

I wonder where Jane went to for the picnic ,hope she had a lovely time and we get to hear how it went .

Hope Frank and Ros had a safe journey to Devon ,that was good he felt better so was able to go , just hope the weather stays dry for them this next week ,he might get to have a stroll down to the beach .

AnnG what a devil the ankle and foot playing you up again ,it didn't like the walking out again after all the stopping in .
The Goosegogs and Rhubarb look good .

Island sorry to hear you've had a RA flare up and it's stopped you doing things ,i had to smile though at the "Room for a pony " :-D :-D

Gill it sounds as if the washing line next door put up might be helping to keep your fence up.
That was handy OH getting a free hair cut ,we have our hair cut this Wednesday and i can't wait i even tried to clip to slides in my hair today just to hold it back going out in the wind i end up looking like my mop head :-D :-D or like iv'e had an electric shock with it sticking out every where .

Mel i have no idea what the makers name of compost was ,we just had the one the garden centre had .

Ann i'd like to see the little mouse when it's done ,i never looked to see if the lady was doing any thing this week .

Vera sounds as if you enjoyed the BBQ shame it was so cloudy but at least it wasn't cold so you could all sit out .

Shopping day tomorrow and wiping down again ,ive lost count of the wipe down weeks now it's just become a routine thing .

Evening All,

What a windy night and day! I lay in bed and have never heard the roof tiles clinking with the wind before. The poor Pansy pots were flattened but have picked up since they had a drink of water. It dries everything out this wind. Luckily my sticks I put round the courgettes stopped them being blown to bits as well.

Gill I shall have a look for those planets tonight if it isn't too cloudy. I have an astronomy book somewhere, just a basic one that tells you about the planets and where they are. I think it puts things and our lives in perspective when you realise how small and insignificant we are. I hope your fence post holds up but your neighbour is a bit naughty tying things to it without asking you first. At my old house we put up a really strong high fence at the bottom, with metal posts and struts concreted into the ground, as it backed onto football pitches. The neighbour one side had a ricketty, low fence and soon decided to lash his end post to our stronger one. He used to get people climbing over his lower fence to get balls that had gone over and we didn't want our fence being pulled down with his so I used to undo his ties till he got the message and stopped.

Oh Vera that must have been a bit of a shock to see how many were at the barbecue, but it turned out alright in the end. I had visions of you being like the lady played by Julie Walters in Stepping Out if you saw it, going around with a cloth in hand! We won't be visiting any eateries for some time yet either. I said to OH that it could be the death of the carveries we go out for mostly with having to have table service. I suspect they won't start those up again for ages if at all. :-( The only blueberry I ever tried to grow was in a big pot and it died.

It's a nuisance your ankle is playing up AnnG. If you keep doing a bit of walking it may be just what it needs as you say. I had drifted into not using my exercise bike with doing other things, but noticed I was getting stiffer so I did a little yesterday to get me started again. I did laugh at the thought of your OH with his 70s hairstyle! I told OH the other day that I was beginning to look like Shirley Temple with my hair.

Thank goodness all is wiped and put away. They were a quarter of an hour early so it was a good job OH had put the baskets outside in good time. It took us and hour and a quarter to wipe and put away and there were a few substitutions but nothing we couldn't eat. The best bit was sitting out after with a COT and egg custard!

RA is no fun Island and I have a friend who gets flare ups and her mother had it too. I hope the tablets help. Yes HW does get in the way of enjoying yourself!

Glad you feel better Frank and hope you have a more enjoyable trip than the last! It looks like the weather won't be too bad after all which means you can potter around.

Mandy I didn't see you there as I didn't send my post for ages as OH keeps coming in and telling me how much his old records are worth! That's great your planter is done and planted. I think you will be able to use some lettuces first which will make room for the others to get bigger. My hair looks as if I've been sleeping in a hedge every morning now! I tried to find some hairgrips for when the delivery came to stop it falling in my eyes, but realised I had thrown them all away. I found an elasticated headband in the end and wore that which helped, even though it wasn't a good look!

The lady that does the felting said she was going away on the last video but I hadn't realised it was this week. I'm going to look at her old video tutorials when I can. They are on Youtube as well as FB. I know she has done another mouse one as well as a seahorse and octopus! I will send a pic when he's finished.

Evening All
Welcome Island and Flappergirl :-) I met Island at a couple of London Meets some years ago now :-)
Just before I go to bed I thought I had better let you know about my day.It wasn’t a picnic as such though it was picnic food lunch.It was a day out on the Grand Union Canal .They hired a boat for the day! We all took turns at the helm although Gareth and James did most of the steering.What a fa fantastic day it has been and what a lovely surprise it was.I really had no idea.We moored up while we had our lunch.Hannah had even managed to put some bunting up before we got there.
I will send some pics either tonight or tomorrow.
Tomorrow Janice and Larry are coming up and H&G will be here too.So another full day.James is taking a half day so he can join us all for lunch and the afternoon.
I will have to leave them for a short while as I have to have my bloods done but that will take less than half an hour .
I think all that fresh air today has made us all so tired.Early night all round I think.
We were so lucky with the weather today as it was really quite sunny even if a bit on the windy side still.

I hope Frank and Ros has a good journey today and enjoy their few days away(without any mishaps!!! ). We all know what our dear Frank is like :-D

Oh my eyes! Mandy I read 'painted the cabbages' LOL. Did you raise them from seed or buy plants? I have an empty space (dwarf beans failed) so was wondering what I could put in for late autumn/winter harvesting.

I get away lightly with the RA compared to many. My medication was changed just after lockdown, so, expecting the new script with the next repeat I stopped taking the first. Boy did I pay for that! I've never hurt for so long, not even before diagnosis.

Mel, we tend to use what ever compost we can get. Tried 'Jacks Magic' a few years ago as everyone on the FB group was raving about it. Wouldn't use it again as it doesn't hold any water. Love goats though but not the smell of the Billy :-0

Jack’s magic we used a couple of years back and it was awful. Last year and this we have been very pleased with Go Sure container compost.

Jane what a fabulous day Hannah organised for you. I am so pleased the weather was kind as well.

Mandy, well done getting your plants all in. Hope they do well.

Ann yes annoying m ankle playing up hopefully it will improve soon, I will keep it strapped for a while.

Island my billy did'nt ssmell as I had him done as I took the two from someone who was going to put them in their freezer. They were born the day I had them on 2nd June. Took them steaight to the vets who told me I would'nt raise them as they ahd'nt had enough colostrom, I proved him wrong. Took them to work with me everyday as I had a pet shop at the time, in a box in the back of my Atra. When they were too big for the box they lay on the back seat. You should have seen the looks I got driving to Colchester with two goats looking out the windows. Ist hubby built them a goat house outside the shop in the end so they stayed there. They were funny though and would follow me everywhere. When I got to the shop and let them out of the car they would run across the carpark and then into the garden center where I had the shop. Once in the shop they would climb all over the stacks of sack of animal feed and then I woud either tether them outside on the frass bit up the end of the shop or go in the rabbit pens till they got too big. I used to milk Katie inthe shop just once a day and got a gallon out of her each time. She was a maiden milker and her milk was lovely. I used to sell it int he shop as you can freeze goats milk.

I have had "Jack's Magic" and found the same too much sand in it.

Its not too late to sow early carrots.

Jane pics are wonderful and I am sure she really enjoyed her day out and the weather was quite kind also if a bit windy. <3

Happy birthday Jane. hope all goes well this week <3 <3 <3 <3

Morning AnnG ,morning all,

<3 <3 <3 <3 Happy Birthday Jane <3 <3 <3 <3

What a lovely birthday treat they planned for you yesterday, lovely photos and a nice picnic too,I hope you have a lovely day with the family today and get spoilt.

Soon off shopping while it's quiet and then the wipe down .

BBL

Morning all

<3 <3 <3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE <3 <3 <3

Lovely pictures of your canal boat surprise. What a nice family you have :-)

Happy birthday as well to my daughter, 55 today.

Well, my head and my purse are both considerably lighter now. I was quite impressed with the care taken at the hairdressers. Customers have to knock at the door and wait to be let in and if you aren't masked you don’t get in. Plenty of sanitizer and you are directed to use it. My hairdresser and the one employee she had in wore masks and visors and I was directed to the sanitizer again before I left. I felt very safe.

I went out without breakfast this morning so am going to get something now and then get some washing on. BBL.

Shopping this morning :-\ Mr Fg's turn today :-D He's just got back but is having a sit down before we sort out what's what!! That's that job done for a while !
Don't know if I said, but we've got a cellar (?) which runs under our flat. The steps go down to it from just inside our gate. We've dry lined the whole space, (what a job that was!!) and use part for storage and part for Mr Fg's workshop. The shopping, apart from perishables will kept down there for a while just to be on the safe side! What a performance its all being!! Best to be safe though!
What a lovely day you had Jane, I'm so glad the weather was reasonably kind. I hope you have a very happy birthday.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

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Morning All,

:-D <3 <3HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANE <3 <3 :-D

That was a great day you had yesterday with some lovely photos too. It looked like you had better weather than us as it didn't look so windy. I would do it again soon if I were you! :-) It's a great way to see some wild life. Another good day for you today with seeing Janice and Larry too. I think the weather should have more sunshine today.

OH is watching a webinar that is about businesses recovering from the coronavirus impact. He's interested to know about the impact even though he is lucky to be retired and not dependent on work. That said he is busier than ever.

I am going to pickle some cucumbers next so I hope they will be ok. I have read that the problem with ours (the latest baby cues are shrivelling and falling off) can be because they aren't pollinated, so I am going in the greenhouse with a paintbrush to do the job and see if it works and is that.

It's a good job we have enough as I forgot to add eggs to the order that came yesterday. I still have a packet of the beef strips that were chewy to use up and thought I might tenderise them in the pressure cooker to use them up this week. Any ideas would be welcome as all I can think of is some kind of stew??

You did a great job raising the baby goats Mel and how sweet they followed you around. You must have been quite sad to see them go. I must admit I don't like goat's cheese so have never been tempted to try their milk. It is supposed to be good for you though I think.

Hope the wiping down doesn't take too long Mandy!!

I see China has a case of bubonic plague in isolation now.

Better get the washer on and get pollinating now!! Gawd, then lunch to do......it never ends does it!

Morning all,

Was'nt that just the best surprise for our Jane, I am not sure if she has been on a narrow boat before. When we went after mum died we enjoyed it emensly that was back in 2010 and as it happens oh looked up where we went in Wales the other day and their prices have gone through the roof and they have many more boats now.

When I got up this morning and looked out the bedroom window there were two deer over the back field which were suddenly spooked by something then I saw two big rabbits by the chicken run and a magpie flew past very close. Walked into the kitchen and turned the kettle on looked out the window in the front and saw one large rabbit, two wood pigeons and baby Robin who was perched on oh's mower. Its all happening down here!

So did you all look at the moon last night? I did at 12'03am and for a little while after. The moon was just coming up over the back behind the trees. It was quite magical and I took some pics for Gill. Well thats if I can work out how to download my camera now the pc has updated itself and dos'nt seem to recognise anything now. I do wish they would'nt do that.

Ann you popped in while I was typing! How many cues on the plant thats losing the tiny ones? If you hav'nt cut them off it may be it can't support anymore. Try giving the plant a feed of tomato fertiliser. I found in the past this was happening when I grew cues inthe tunnel. I am amazed that my two tom plants in my SHED are getting pollinated. It must be flies and moths as I only have the half door open during the day. When they were small and I could move them easily I put then outside for a day inthe sunshine but now they would just be blown over. There's quite a lot of good sized toms on them though all be t green ones. No sharing for us yet. It always puts me in mind of one of the Goodlife progams where they were sitting outside I think and one of them said something about home raised chicken shall I carve or you and there on the plate in front of them was a hard boiled egg.

Morning All

Thank you all for all the lovely cards and Birthday wishes :-D
We all slept like logs last night after our day on the water. Today has been all cloudy so far but I can see some blue sky appearing so hopefuly the sun will come out and we shall all be able to stay outside for another picnic type lunch :-D. Janice and Larry should be here in the next half hour or so and then H&G will arrive.No doubt I will have more pics later :-D

Vera I bet you feel like a new woman now after your haircut :-D..... I am still waiting to see if mine all comes out.Apparently it will be after this next lot of Chemo.I just hope the cold cap might help but not holding my breath.

The blue sky has vanished :-S

It is all happening there Mel! Well when I went in the greenhouse and looked at the cues, there were no flowers open and all the baby cues right up to the top were shrivelled so I couldn't pollinate anything. I think you may have hit the nail on the head Mel. Because of the delivery coming and fridge space needed I hadn't picked any more for a while and there must be about 8 biggish cues now still on the 3 plants. I already had 7 in the fridge! After I've pickled some after lunch (I found about 5 jars to fill and may have more.) I will cut the rest of the cues that are ready off and give them some tomato feed. All 3 plants are in a big tub and all are the same, so it could be that they need feed as they have only had a little. Thanks for your tips and help, I shall certainly try that. :-) Our toms have plenty of golf ball sized toms on them now but they are all still green too. We need some sunshine now!