5 Gardening Dairy: Happy gardening and happy snapping ..

[alp]

Ah the apple and orange brought back happy memories you didn’t get a lot but you were very happy ,now they get too much and its not appreciated my grand children on Christmas and birthdays get money off family who cannot be bothered looking for presents they end up sometimes with over £200 pounds each.which sorry to say to me it is far too much for young children I started work at 15 as an apprenticeship and got £3.2/6 per week and most of that was given to my mother. But I keep my lip buttoned .

Ah, you're such a gentleman, as always! If I had grandchildren, I would give them a packet of seeds, easiest to see result. Chris Beardshaw started his passion after his grandmother gave him a packet of cress seeds and he thought he was very good with growing things! LOL! £200 was a lot of money. When we went back to school after new year, teacher would ask us what we got for new year. People usually said new clothes, (not shoes though as it rhymes with moaning or clock as it rhymes with death or finality!) and some would have $50 or $200 and that was a lot of money half a century ago and ours was a village school. We didn't celebrate Christmas at all. But our new year was big deal. The whole world stops for that day. A lot of reunions. As we were 7 and I had never had a birthday card at all. Here, if I didn't send a card, people would classify you as bad. What's wrong with people's card mentality? It's a piece of paper to be recycled a few days later!

 

[Logan]

We never had a Christmas or birthday card when we were growing up. Moms in those days had to stay at home with the children until they were older. For a while dad had 2 jobs one in the day and one at night. Then he got a better job just working nights in a foundry doing metal castings.

 

[Logan]

Good morning all, Christmas decorations today so i'll be busy all day, have a good one.

 

[alp]

Good morning! Terrible night with the smoke alarm beeping sporadically. Feel sorry for son as he was home 12.30am and with this smoke alarm beeping like this, difficult for him to get a decent night's sleep. Also, there is a lot of standing on his feet and he's saying that his feet are aching.

Been raining last night and I could still hear the remnants of the dripping from the roof.

Going to clear more of the dead dahlias. Yes, I do have a lot of them. Might grow some in the big propagator.

 

[alp]

Watched Mrs Wilson episode 1 yesterday and really liked it.

For more info

Not so much for Death and Nightingale. Finished watching Cut flower The British Garden Revival. Funny how I have come to know Salvia this time round for the cottage garden, but not last time I watched it. Watched a bit of Grand Designs and those soulless designs drive me mad. £15,000 for a motif to put on the front of a house is sheer waste. I'd would get the tiles and slap them on the front. In fact, the neighbour's house is so much more prettier! Robust, traditional and full of elegance. See neighbour's lovely arch! Workmanship is plain to see.

 

[Zenj]

Morning all cold and wet a good day for putting up the tree and plenty of tea drinking.

 

[alp]

Morning all cold and wet a good day for putting up the tree and plenty of tea drinking.

Good morning!

it's raining here, again! Not so cold. Hope to go to Iceland to get some 2.2kg frozen ducks at £3.50 each. A nice day for decorating Christmas tree indoors. Hope you involve the grandkids in decorating part of the tree! Might fire up their artistic talent!

 

[Zenj]

No chance of getting the grandkids in volved they get withdrawal symptoms if they are not next to an Xbox .

 

[alp]

No chance of getting the grandkids in volved they get withdrawal symptoms if they are not next to an Xbox .

!

Hope it's just a phase. Just so wet. Don't really feel like going to the garden. Going to the tip instead now.

 

[Perki]

Morning all , wet day here as well.

Doing a job yesterday reminded me of that garden you put on the other day with all the topiary, trimming mostly conifers yesterday they are everywhere think it were the time when conifers were fashionable, still need to go back and trim some giant cherry laurel balls / others, to wet today for that risk of slipping on laurel leaves on a banking is to great, especially swing a hedge trimmer around.

I don't bother with christmas trees anymore or any decorations because basically I can't be arsed. I am going to side with your grandchildren Zenji I rather play on my PS4 .

Could do to start thinking about seeds for next year, going to get some more petunia wave seeds from dobies they were excellent this year, keep waiting for a special offer to come round on seeds. Got my dalhias buried the other day and brought in the bench and pots of agapanthus into the greenhouse. My apple tree got a lean on it so could do to take some weight off and push it back over because its rubbing on the pergola.

 

[alp]

Sounds like an interesting job. Think of the age of the trees. Sometimes, that makes my heart tinkle and I would think of the ghosts witnessing their growth...

Ah, that reminds me to tie my apple to a frame. I need to take some cuttings off some very tall bare roots which I bought earlier.

Been out to the tip! What else can one do? Rushed to Iceland to search for that £3.50 2.2kg duck. No, too good to be true. £8 and we had to park the car, and do a quickie within 30 minutes for free parking. Then another 30 minute of bad rush to get my organic white flour. The out dated Rustic flour is bad news, causing the bread not to rise properly. Too much worry as I added a lot of grind lynseeds and some lovely stuff. Surely don't want to throw the whole bowl of dough into the bin. We have done that 3 times.

Got some willow cuttings from the road. I just stuck the cuttings along the end to hide the mass left over the year. Also had cuttings from a red berry bearing holly and an orange berry pyracanthus. So now I have 2 pots of cuttings more. I am just hopeless. Still raining here but wonderfully mild.

 

[Perki]

Been out and cut a couple of branches off the apple tree, didn't make much difference to the lean so manged to get 4x4 block under it to help take the weight. The apple tree is mine I got it when I was 6-7 from mum and dad, I used to grow apple pips when I was younger.

Had a look on ebay for some seeds, oh the choices well priced compared to t&m etc.

 

[alp]

I wouldn't buy from T&M. Even though they said they were exclusive seller of cosmos cupcake seeds, my seeds turned out to be ordinary white cosmos. It was only when I went to Hyde Hall Cottage Garden that I found out cupcakes were really with round up cup rims and were much smaller than my cosmos. I had sown about 20 seeds and couldn't believe my eyes.

I am going to train my apple to an espalier and will tie my topiary branches again to turn them into clouds. I have also done some box cuttings. I really love the green berry like flower / fruit / berry. Was really inspired by the couple who had tons of trees in their garden and their trick was to trim them and keep them low. Very interesting and lovely garden. Saw the cut flower revival and was very inspired by it. Can't believe Rachel de Thame's daughter has got married. Rachel looks so young. Hope the weather turns a bit drier tomorrow.

 

[Logan]

Evening all, nearly finished doing the decorations, took me 5 hours to do the tree. Didn't have enough decs so hubby went out to get some more. Tomorrow going to do the garland, had it free with the tree.

I've watched the second episode of Mrs Wilson, it's a true story.
I like Death and Nightingales, don't like The Sinner.
Still got to watch Dynasties, hubby found out that it wasn't in 4k on Iplayer only in some regions, got to wait.
Been raining all day, had trouble getting berry out, got him into the porch he looks out and he won't move. Takes him back in, i wait a minute then i try again and he goes straight out. But couldn't get him to go up the road, so i took him round the other way, it's so strange doing it.

 

[alp]

5 hours to do a tree. I'm not sure if we are going to have the tree as the lounge is only 15', with the tree, the whole lounge seems so small.

Very tiring to watch an hour wildlife docu. Mr Wilson was really a fantasist .. Hard work training my son, not to say a dog!