Monday 11 May 2020

Monday

Good morning.  It's cold but nice and sunny this morning after a very dull and gloomy afternoon and evening yesterday.  There's a brisk breeze so it's going to feel colder than it really is, I think.

Yesterday turned out to be pretty quiet.  I did pretty much what I had planned really except for planting on the baby tomatoes so I'll do that today.  Oh, and I forgot the washing in the machine so it needs a short wash before I peg it out to dry, just to freshen it.

There's lots of lovely, promising things going on in the back garden but one real disappointment - last year I had eight or nine beautiful iris flowers but this year only one has come up.  Do irises die of old age, I wonder?  Or do the corms (I think they are corms) get scoffed by bugs?  Anyway, this is a sadness - I know they don't last for long and when they go over they are positively ugly but they've been a part of my May garden for so long . . .

But apart from that: (photo overload alert)

 Geranium,
lavender,
 lupin
 fuchsia,
 Japanese anemone
 and clematis all doing well.


















The fruit looks OK too.


Tayberry, strawberry, blueberry and autumn raspberry.

Not too shabby for a very small garden.

Back to yesterday.  I spent some time down the allotment.  There was a bit of weeding to do (isn't there always!) and I started cutting back the tree as the back as it was threatening to put one's eye out as one walked past.  It's a bit better now but I'll need to get the steps to saw some off above the shed and out of arm's reach.
I also weeded around the broad beans, popped three seeds in where the first ones hadn't germinated and took off the netting.

Today is very much more of the same although I don't intend to go to the allotment today as there's no pressing reason why I should.  I will use the time to pot on the tomatoes, maybe inside in the kitchen if it's too chilly.
And my fridge needs a food sort out again.

Later on, my techy friend, Eddie, is coming online to see if he can work out why I can't get video clips off my camera and phone.  Indeed, they are not even showing as there.  A puzzle indeed.

That's about it really.  Have a good day and stay safe, please do stay safe while these changes impact.  xx

14 comments:

  1. Your plants looking good - everything is starting to take off now - just in time to hit this wall of cold weather! I am hoping there will be little damage but I daresay my peonies are not impressed as they liked the warmth of last week better.
    Hope you sort the phone - not sure about the Irises - which kind are they the bulb or the rhizome? x

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    1. Sorry, Viv, I don't have a clue. Ignorant? Moi? WHat's the difference (apart from the obvious, I mean)? Can I tell by looking?
      I'm sure they are shivering in their little shoes right now. Come to that, so am I when I go out to the shed!
      xx

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  2. Good luck with the techy issue. I hope your friend can sort it out for you.

    It's definitely colder today, currently only 15° in my living room so I may have to find a snuggle blanket to keep warm.

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    1. My heating is on and so was my electric blanket when I decided to have a read in bet earlier.
      The sun is lovely though!
      xx

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    2. I've just switched the heating back on so I am toasty warm now. It's too windy to want to be outside anyway.

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    3. It is. I went out to hang up the washing and nearly froze! I'm glad you're staying warm.
      xx

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  3. After a cold day yesterday the sun came out in a blaze of glory here after teatime here, much too late to be of any use other than lighting up the hills and trees all around us. Today it is much colder, but nice and blowy so the washing is filling up the line nicely.

    I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that washing should be freshened up with a quick wash or at the very least another rinse with fabric conditioner after it has been forgotten about in the machine. Alan says I'm too fussy and should just peg it out .... no, I like it to be fresh!!

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    1. I really don't like that vaguely musty smell that you get when it's been wet in the machine overnight. I can still smell it, even after a blow outside. Much better to give it another short wash, I think.
      xx

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  4. Your blog is a breath of fresh air, Joy, after all the confusing political C-19 stuff. I know it's affecting all of us, some tragically, but it's nice to get away from it for a while. It does feel sometimes like there's nothing else going on in our lives. Your plants all look lovely and healthy, I do like lupins especially. xx

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    1. THank you, Sooze. I do make the occasional political comment and was very tempted today to say 'not much style and even less substance' (I'm sure you recognise what that would relate to) but I'd rather stay positive as much as I can.
      I love lupins too - a shame that the bugs do too, isn't it? :-)
      xx

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  5. Enjoyed seeing your garden plants. My seedlings are still flourishing in the dining room and I will plant them outside on May 15th, which is the date here when hard freezes should be over with. We shall see. I am curious about the term "allotment" that you talk about. Is that a designated area in your community that is set aside for you to garden in? Is each house in your area assigned a space? Just curious as it is a term we don't use here in the US. Have a wonderful day!

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    1. Here's a link to copy and paste which might clarify things a bit. https://www.nsalg.org.uk/allotment-info/brief-history-of-allotments/
      xx

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    2. Thank you,Joy, this was an interesting read!

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  6. Your strawberries are looking promising. We've lots of flowers on ours at the moment, so I'm hoping for a decent crop this year. X

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