3: Gardening Diaries ...

[Perki]

Awful weather today torrential rain and hailstone, its starting to wash the soil on the back lawn down the path.

No damaged to the bank account yet alp just sent a email enquiring about plants in stock.

 

[alp]

Don’t think they can do that
Disabled and older people in England will continue to benefit from free off-peak bus travel for the foreseeable future, keeping them connected with their local towns and cities.

Bus passengers aged over 65 or with a disability have been entitled to travel free of charge on any off-peak local service in England since 2007, thanks to the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme.

The government has now amended legislation to protect the scheme in its current format, so that it can to continue for years to come.
The 65 is wrong as it goes on the women’s pension age weather your male or female I got mine aged 62 so have had it a few years now.

I paid £20 and get a freedom pass which will expire when I am 65. So after the initial £20, the travels on buses are free. I don't mind spending that £20.

 

[alp]

Awful weather today torrential rain and hailstone, its starting to wash the soil on the back lawn down the path.

No damaged to the bank account yet alp just sent a email enquiring about plants in stock.

I would be very depressed living where you are, @Perki ! I would go like this ! 3 days of raining is enough for me. But now I need rain badly whilst you have too much! How much did they ask for the Harvington please?

 

[alp]

Yes, but to be truthful I can't blame them. Our buses are full to overflowing with pensioners, so they must run at a loss. Wouldn't mind paying a reduce fare just to ensure they can continue.

It's a similar case to that of childcare providers. Parents now get so many hours free childcare per week ( think it's now 30hrs )but what the government pays the providers nowhere near covers the actual individual placement fee for a child. This is why so many private providers ( me included) and bigger nurseries have closed down , running costs can't be covered and we weren't allowed to ask parents to pay a small top up fee to make up the shortfall . Parents are now complaining that they are finding it harder to find places but they can't have it both ways!! However if parents were charged a small fee towards a placement more establishments would be able to stay in business.. Simple!!

When the government is cutting this and that, Starbucks are paying very little and Facebooks was given a slap on the wrist, fined only £500k. Amazon is even more ridiculous and then Apple said, we respect the spirit of the law and follow ... The law is outwitted by tax-avoidance companies .. When the French and the German fined these companies, they were talking about billions, not millions!

 

[johnny canoe]

Hello alp. Cold and rainy here but it will be warm next week. My sisters have been in the UK for the past two weeks. My one sister just called to tell me the other sister has food poisoning. Interesting that when we all were over there when I was a kid, the whole family got food poisoning. Anyways the girls will be flying back to Canada on Sunday.
I've been busy with customers, fall painting jobs and getting their gardens ready for winter. I ordered my flower seeds and they have arrived from N Carolina already despite their flooding. My Petunias over the past few years have been getting more and more faded and weird coloured so I needed to buy fresh again.

 

[Perki]

For the Hellebore H double apricot 2litre £12.50 , I am trying not to pay out multiple postage , I am looking at Beeches Nursery at the moment cause they have the one of the plants I am really after Echinops Tienschanicum, I've had a look through thier list of plants and picked out some more I fancy.

 

[alp]

Hello alp. Cold and rainy here but it will be warm next week. My sisters have been in the UK for the past two weeks. My one sister just called to tell me the other sister has food poisoning. Interesting that when we all were over there when I was a kid, the whole family got food poisoning. Anyways the girls will be flying back to Canada on Sunday.
I've been busy with customers, fall painting jobs and getting their gardens ready for winter. I ordered my flower seeds and they have arrived from N Carolina already despite their flooding. My Petunias over the past few years have been getting more and more faded and weird coloured so I needed to buy fresh again.

Oh, dear! Food poisoning! So dodgy eating abroad. Hope they have enjoyed their holiday. Seed quality does deteriorate over time and then you realise that you have to buy some new seeds.

Glad that you have probably no more forest fires. You can breathe with a sigh of relief!

 

[johnny canoe]

Thanks, yes the sky has cleared of smoke.

 

[alp]

Echinops Tienschanicum

is white? Cute! I have been after echinops for years. Finally, I got them and yet, I had to dig them all up as they took up most of my border! Too happy there. But only after I had had them did I realise that there were star shaped florets on the globes. Very nice. But only in pots!

 

[alp]

Thanks, yes the sky has cleared of smoke.

Gosh! I love fresh air! When I inhale in bed, I have to ask myself, is it safe tonight to inhale? After a lot of sagas, it has gone quiet, but now I am scared for our lives!

 

[alp]

I was harvesting some wormcasting this afternoon. Have to leave the tray open for 48 hours and hopefully the worms migrate to the tray below and and can then use the worm castings on the flower bed

Some giant toms - first time I have grown them. It's so cold and yet the predicted winds made son remove the plastic cover. It seems to be all quiet out there though! And now all the toms have to suffer the terrible cold weather.

 

[alp]

One of the quietest of nights. Strangely calm, so calm that I couldn't fall asleep for an hour. Going to trim off the bay branches I cut off from yesterday and continue with the worm casting harvest.

Oh, crumbs, expert-says again

Britain could be set for FOUR MONTHS of snow in 'coldest winter for a decade' following record-setting summer heatwave

• Experts say coming winter could bring ice blast chillier than Beast from the East
• Clash of Atlantic and ArCtic air could produce prolonged ice storms over Britain
• Long-range forecaster James Madden said there's a chance of a white Christmas

As they say, Keep your plants up or mulched, keep them close and keep them safe!

Glad that farmers in the east will have a bit of rain!

Captured with Opera Browser with emoji added! Terrible emoji! You can even take a selfie with it!

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Morning @alp.
These forecasts are mad ! A couple of weeks ago they predicted that we were going to have above average temperatures until Christmas........now it seems the opposite!! Who knows

 

[alp]

Morning @alp.
These forecasts are mad ! A couple of weeks ago they predicted that we were going to have above average temperatures until Christmas........now it seems the opposite!! Who knows

Your posts just invariably makes me giggle!

I remember that as well! Any way, they can be all correct, the cold applies to the north and the warmth to the south - this is a long island spanning a bit of latitudes.

Just come back from Bargain Hunts and got some dwarf anemones for £1, £1 for delphinium and £1 for tall anemones. Well, they are no Wild Swan, but at least I have some.

This just needs watering

2 salvias Hot pnk and cherry Red £1 each

Delphinium with probably some flower to show this year!

Yes, Perki is right - uglinosa is far too tall. I will dig them up when I move. Just love that pastely blue colour. Sorry for the blur! The rain has stopped. It went on for about half to one hour and the ground is wet!

Easter Star a bit on edge but very happy!

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Lovely pics of your garden @alp You've still got your E. Star I see...looking good Mine ended up looking so awful so has gone to the' compost heap in the sky'