What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2020

No gardening, two trips to the recycling centre again with more garden waste and other stuff (another trip tomorrow too ). Visit to hardware store and bought new pair of garden shears, a hand fork, two pairs of gardening gloves and two pots of Aubretia.

Caught a on the wildlife camera last night, mum to my little one perhaps.

 

Didn't do anything today, but yesterday I had another good tidy up. Weeded over most of the sunny back bed. Then emptied 4 more troughs of old compost and dug that over the beds to continue to help improve the clay soil. It looks much neater. The garden waste wheelie bin is full and collection starts again this week - pleased about that as I've got plenty more ready to fill it.

This morning I did the RSPB bird count 2020 - got to submit my results. Was a nice hour spent looking at the wildlife in the front garden. Main highlights were the greater spotted woodpeckers, the sparrow hawk and the pair of chaffinches.

 

Potted up the fuchsias / salvia / pelargoniums I've been rotting in water since autumn. It been a wet day and noticeably colder.

They don't start emptying the garden waste bins here until March probably mid march for my street.

 

Started scraping the moss from the drive this morning. Its a horrible job but the drive looks much better once its done. Managed to clear around the garage and then started on the worst part of the drive which also collects a lot of dead leaves. Got about 15 feet down and @Retired sent his best mates over and the heavens opened. It dried out later but my enthusiasm had gone by then so its a job for another day.

Once the bulk of the moss has gone I will spray soda crystal solution on to kill the remaining moss

 

Its heavy stuff when its wet. I managed 4 wheelbarrows worth before rain stopped play. The first barrow was lifted up and tipped on the edge of the skip, only for half of it to fall back out

 

Me! Nice to see I haven't been missed. Did manage to get to GH and immediatly have to run back to the loo. Damn & blast this IBS.

Then did a bit of shopping with Amanda. I enjoyed getting out, and being able to help her out by picking up the tab.
My saved e-mails had mounted up. These consisting of scientific info etc. As usual. Computers and me do not mix. Following hours of online work. Dr. Mike obviously clicked the wrong key and lost the bloody lot. Sorry for the expletive. My apologies. I must be sounding like the grumpy old man image. I really do love life, but have to admit. Sometimes I wish I could go to sleep and Amen.

Now back to GC. All those photos of your gardens. You lucky so and so's. Here am I. A kind of gardener, tree expert. My garden is about the size of a postage stamp. GGGGRRRRR!

Seriously friends. I have been down in the dumps. My garden. I fear is doomed. YES Doomed. All the local cats using my space as a crapping and spraying area. Believe me. Even long established shrubs are dying.

I watched BBC two. Michaels Portillo's Alaskan rail journey. Hey, Steve. Even with bottom heat. Can you produce cabbages weighing in at over a hundred pounds.

Enough is enough. Friends. Please forgive me. Mike is often in a world of his own.

 

@Mike Allen it has been a dreary damp day here and that caused me to do a bit of running too. I think Mother Nature finds ways to make us exercise whether we want to or not. Similar to going into a room to get something. What was it? Forgot. Leave room and then remember. Go back and there and we are. 20 more steps were added to our activity today

All I did outside today was grease the bird feeder pole to make life difficult for rodents trying to pilfer the bird seed.

Over here in my village (pop. 170k really a village? , eat my hat) cats are not allowed to roam. Big fines involved. I'd rather see them about than rats or other intruders. I'm allergic to cat hair but I really miss the little fellows visiting and keeping the vole population shaking.

Always balances being messed with.

If you are well enough to get up in the night and not pee the bed, things are bright!

Hugs from me

 

@Mike Allen so sorry to read you being so down. I wish I could do something to help, if only pop round for a cuppa, and let my dog mooch round your garden, to scare the cats...

Today I finished hand-cutting the laurel hedge between us and our elderly neighbours. It can’t really be properly done with the hedge cutters, as there is a wire fence on our side of the hedge, to prevent Izzy going to visit the neighbours. So it’s done at least every two years with secateurs... Afterwards, I ran the mower over the cuttings, the quickest and most efficient way to shred them, before carrying down to the compost.

One of those cuppas is called for, I think!

 

No work in the garden today, have just replaced some of the bark on the roof of my solitary bee home and treated it with walnut oil. Bought it a couple of years ago and thought I would finally hang it from my outhouse this March. Knowing what I know now, its design isn't very good: no overhanging roof, holes are not quite deep enough and some are just too large. Oh well, it's just a little experiment and I will buy or make a more appropriate one in a couple of years. Plan to make one for bees that nest in holes in wood next month.



@Mike Allen Sorry to hear you've been down in the dumps mate, hope you feel better soon!

Nick

 

Mike xx