Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

Even though I fell asleep watching reality crime drama, I can still sleep very well after 11pm. The real crimes are so gripping, riveting and horrific and depraved that I get very tense and occasional drift into oblivion. CBS Reality series on the BDSM murder of Elaine O'Hara was so psychologically twisted that I just sat there, jaw dropped and eyes wide! Some people just have a morbid desire to kill, see blood and they egg people on to take their lives and abuse them because of their vulnerability. Elaine, karma has come and your arrogant master is now incarcerated by your turning up your grave! So sad!

See that blue edge at the bottom? Another nuisance pop up! They just wouldn't leave you alone when you browse!

Wonder when this 4c is coming or has gone! It's very dark outside. News from Australia is like pure hell! People can't even breathe! I know how they feel, probably not so bad! But not being able to breathe properly is pure hell! Very, very sad! People must act now for the environment. Global warming is very real. Cold and hot spells can be cyclical, but the melting of icebergs just can't be ignored.

Removed the empty coop which was used by the chicks and now there are only 2 chickens left. We removed it and I'm going to use it for planting hellebores. To deter foxes, I scattered chilli powder and then I coughed, and welled up and vice versa, which ended the 2 hours of work in the garden after our shopping.

Going to take photos of the black/dark mauve double today for you to tell me what colour it is. To tell the truth, on photos, even the black petunias look mauvish red/black. Hopefully, some of my snowdrops are open as well!

 

[alp]

Raining

My chickens have now come out of the restrictive coop and all the garden has been fenced off?! But now the foxes have moved to my front garden and my Cornus Satomi had been dug up and there were 2 big holes IN THE FRONT! Very annoyed. As yesterday was supposed to be bin day, a lot of black bags had been torn open by the foxes. Apparently, they wanted more fun digging up holes in my front garden. And it will be worse today as the binmen were not around yesterday.

Watch my rooster make music here

Mr Grumpy?

Stained glass

Yesterday's weather has been glorious. There was a bit of warmth in the air and it was sunny before 2pm. Dug up some area and planted the Harvington yellow freckled. Just hope my new ones is flowering and stays away from the spots. The virus has marred 3 buds! Funny thing is that that was the only plant worth buying there. All the others are boring pinkish cream.

 

[alp]

Forgot to add

This is coming on very beautifully - the red collar (???) is becoming redder and more outstanding!

 

[alp]

Well, I don't think that galanthus is Mr Grumpy, probably a SnowFox. I keep thinking of people's comment that all galanthus are just too similar! Yea! Quite right. Now that I have lost all forms of labels, they are now headaches to pin a name to!

Going to get the car today. Getting a bit nervous.

Lovely violas

Daphne Bholua

This could be Galanthus Elwesii Godfrey Owen???

What a horror I have bought!?

Now this is a NEW stunner!

 

[alp]

This video made me laugh! I really need a laugh now!

 

[alp]

went to test drive the car and this time it was unlocked and we saw quite a few scratches on the car - exposing the plastic front bumper. Then we saw some holes on the back of the driver's seat and there was even one on the seat near the head-rest and we changed our mind. So we got our deposit and left and the search continues. Very tiresome as everything is so expensive and the cars on 1.0 are pretty a struggle. The one that we saw was 1.25 zetec and fits the bill. Having said that our 1.4 auto didn't have much power either and that cost £220 for road tax (roughly). Wanted so much to get a Mazda opposite, but someone said that he needed to wait for some parts to come from Japan to have his car repaired. Ah, nightmare!

The more I read about car owners' reviews, the more I am convinced a magic broom would be the best alternative!

Same spotty double as seen before, but a different plant

From now on, I would avoid spotty double. Not particularly attractive!

Pretty sure this is Godfrey Owen - 5 petals or tepals instead of 6, same as that advertised in Ashwood nurseries

 

[alp]

Looks like a decent day today

Yesterday, it was bright and windy and I wonder what havoc the wind had wreaked up north or near the SW. The lid of an plastic ottoman got blown off and the cone shaped box fell sideway.

Got the chickens out and Blackie now would approach me for a hug, but would flee if I caught him. I held him and let the sunshine kiss him a bit and blow some warm air into his feather. He certainly love it and would make a din when he saw me. I had to hush him quite a few times. The hen seems to be not doing so well. At 2pm, the sky darkened, I took them into the coop without causing too much trauma as I knew how to fiddle with the top now. Right on cue, half an hour later, heavens opened. Glad that we had a bit of serious rain as we hadn't had that for a while; only spits into between.

Looked for cars yesterday and of course, they cost £9k. When we were out, we saw a Ford Ka+ which was very narrow and I asked the salesperson if we could test drive that. As soon as the car was parked, a couple of women turned up and looked at it. Salesperson Lee said that that Ka had been sold. Then son said that they wanted to add front sensors. I ask you, the millennials are just so spoilt. That's a tiny Ka+ and yet the daughter needed front sensors. Soon, they will need side sensors... I asked him if we could get a 17 reg Ka+ for 7K as I had seen several on the internet. He said no. They would cost 9K. Those lovely prices were seen with cars from the north of the country. I was so frustrated. In the end, we were shown one with 9K. I think I have been spoiling my millenial. He was so taken with that car that he offered me £20 as contribution. But we wanted to pay 8.5K and even that was excessive. Then I googled Nissan Note again, the reviews were just so bad, but for 7.5k, it had everything, reverse parking camera, satnav, electric windows. Someone did mention that the newer ones took lessons from Ford and had wind down windows. I so want to buy the Mazda up the road, but the prospect of moving away and had to wait for the parts to come from Japan is no laughing matter. I feel so tired scanning all these figures and depressed over the terrible hiked up prices.

Luckily, I got the cheque from my insurance company yesterday, so that helps a bit. Initially, this man from the wrong option told me that they wouldn't pay out because of mechanical failure.

All my Madelaine, Wendy's Gold or Inge Blond have failed to come up with flowers because they have been in pots. Very annoyed with myself. All the hellebores are punny and spotty .. Some from ebay are so pretty and they keep staring at me, "Take me home!" I can literally hear them begging! LOL!

 

[alp]

Woke up very late because of all the trouble caused by the laptop shut down. I changed my ISP and for some reason, my laptop refused to play. After a whole day of restoring back to a working point, I did nothing else. Chickens refused to come and eat their feed first thing in the morning. So I didn't need to catch them to put them back. They did eat their food, but weren't so forthcoming as before. Can tell it was the hen who's more dominant. Just like what's playing out in our aristocratic malarkey. Cakeism is very much alive in this whole family.

Sorry for the north that it would be torrential rain again. No wonder people like to go on holidays. Why not? The weather can be so miserable up north! I stumbled upon Susan Calman's Secret Scotland and Scottish on a summer day is really beautiful, untainted, indefinite stretch of golden sand and interesting geological features.. and it was pitched against Julie Bradbury's Greek trips. I must catch up with both.

My snowdrops are giving me headache.

This bloom has got 5 tepals

If it was 6, things would have been easier, Had the feeling that it was Godfrey Owen as in Ashwood, they named one as such with 5 tepals as well.

2 rounds of whorls

Really like like a Godfrey Owen and I have 3 of these!

Or E A Bowls?? Or??? Shame it's not a Diggory!

 

[alp]

Whoa! Am I seeing money???? Serious??

No, the whorls are very different! LOL!

 

[Perki]

I washed the GH glass the other day makes a big difference . My seeds turned up today from plant world seeds I sow some tomorrow and a few others , my pelargoniums seeds have already germinated .

Snowdrops aren't even out of the ground yet or I haven't noticed , ,y hellebore just coming back into growing so should have some flowers in 3-4weeks maybe earlier if this mild weather continues .

You could be looking for ages for a car , unless is brand new they be faults with it the seller doesn't want to mention , they are not the most trustworthy in society.

£50 is that for one plant/bulb ?

 

[alp]

Well done for cleaning the greenhouse and the germinating seeds. I'm still in 2 minds about erecting the 2 greenhouses as I really don't think my property here needs a greenhouse. Hot, sunny and baking most of the time.

We're raining here and I hope I can shift some of the rain for the north! And I'm so fed up with hunting for a new car. The end of the day, I wouldn't want to use and 9K car to lug horse manure .. there you see my obsession!? Any way, son is not earning enough. Although he's my "little emperor" (a pejorative term for an only son amongst the Chinese in Mainland China where you're only allowed one child), I don't want to spoil him. I'm even more determined every time I think about ferrying horse manure. He's very crafty, telling me that I need a bigger car as I need to put my fruit trees in. He has a point, but too late as I have already bought all the trees that I want to buy!

Yes, the weather has been incredibly mild.

Sadly, hellebores are not doing very well.

Single creamy dashed hellebores

Cream / white Anemone Hellebore

Double freckled pinky

Another creamy/white Anemone hellebore

Newly bought Spring Promise Anja Oudolf

Black/maroon double. Supposed to be black, I think, but the colour always come out deep red maroon.

Magical Stained Glass - Such a beauty!

Have been looking for a camera, but this reliable Samsung lets in a lot of light. Even though I'm in the south, it was very miserably dark when I took the photos. Saw an affordable Nikon and my heart rate was nearly going up the roof until I saw 2 AA batteries! And I thought the Japanese were proactive and come with all the bells and whistles!

£50 isn't the most expensive. Probably one blub or one pot with a pack. I don't really know. But they don't come cheap and to tell the truth, E A Bowles is not that spectacular. Wish RHS would give us another detailed analysis of galanthus. All these identifications are just impossible.

 

[alp]

Went to see a place in far flung Rainham Marsh or near there. Saw 9am and thought these people were hard working. Took 2 bus and nearly an hour to get there, only to find it was closed. On the way back, the owner phoned and said he would deliver the car for us to test drive. Need to see if my ex is available tomorrow. What an eejit I was!

For once, I could see a rainbow yesterday morning

Lady Beatrix Stanley

I have the feeling this is not the black double that I was thinking about. More like the one with dark red edges! Lordy! Hopeless with labelling!

These were flowers from the town centre, by the council,

This is a very long WASP!

Have a nice and drier day!

 

[alp]

Going up to Enfield to see a car and hopefully buy it. I hope Perki is not exposed to too much wind! Storm is said to get worse today.

1. I potted with some daintier version of Poker and I think it's called Lemonade if it is greenish yellow. I also replanted a clump somewhere else.
2. Plonked some potted irises along some slabs and hopefully the heat from the slabs will spur them on.
3. Also took some cuttings from my dahlias 2 for Franz Kafka (a most beautiful lilac and quite a few for Myrtle or Rajman Firecracker
4. Collected more Yew seeds from friend's one up the road. Shame I didn't take up the offer when she said I could dig up her little self-seeded plants near the parent plants.
5. Moved a clump of grass to the front garden
6. Moved a fushsia white to the front to free up a hole at the back. I WAS that desperate for space.

I really love my little Samsung as it functions very well in low light. The day before esterday, in the town centre, I took pics of the hellebores when it was 4pm and it was soooo dark; and yet the photos were full of details.

I saw a label on the ground tied to this plant - DB BK. I have a double black after all!

This little perfection gives me perennial joy!

Going to be whacked by insurance and road tax today, hopefully. Without this magic broom, son comes home 8.15pm!

 

[Perki]

It lashed it down hard about tea time and were blowning a hooley all for about 30 mins and that was it. Supposed to be heavy rain again today with wind , I am not going out so I am not really bothered.

Your double black Hellebore is grand, I sent an email yesterday to Hazel something ( national collection ) regarding that double picotee I am after.

I got a cold again it never really went away from the last cold I had bloody nuisance.

I sowing seeds on Sunday including the new unusual ones - Verbena ( bedding ) - bulbinella Cauda felis - Crassula .C - Salvia Hastata - Tacca.C - veronicastrum album and Cobaea alba / purple.

Best of luck with the car alp don't let them pull the wool over your eyes

 

[alp]

Very windy! I am sure things were flying your way, Perki! My plastic ottoman was on its side. Yes, you're right. dark purple bluish blob your way and I won't be spared either.

Finally got a lovely car. Ex said I should have set a limit like £6k and got an automatic. I am glad that son is now driving a manual. It's just blood letting buying an automatic. Anyway, All sorted and I told my son that if anything happened to this car, his next one would be a Robin Reliant.

1. Culled some wishy washy hellebores and some hopeless cuttings which I had forgotten to water.
2. The hydrangea cuttings are doing rather well even though there has been very little watering.
3. Took cuttings of the Salvia Uliginosa.
4. Washed quite a few pots.
5. Must sow some patens as last year I had to buy the plant.

It's incredibly warm and spitty.

If that was a black double hellebore, I had one the year before. The one with a black edge. I actually like this more than pure black or is there such a thing?

I think the double white hellebores with reddish edges are for sale on ebay. I'm dithering as I can't keep buying, especially after forking out such a lot of money for a car! Then there is the insurance. My previous insurer quoted me £2k plus. Basically, they want my cheque back. LOL!