WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

Moved the big daff-and-tulips containers behind the garage and pulled Alliums and a rose containers in the front. It is possible that this time I didn't do my back nor elbows in- we'll see. I will also have a summer container with Cosmos and Bacopa, but the plantlets are still too small to be thrown to slugs. Spring is slow!

Poundland discount Fresias are up A passing cat has kindly been fertilising them all spring until I covered the pot with a mesh, hoping that the cat hadn't disturbed the corms. Swapped the mesh for a support ring and criss cross sticks to fend off any plans for toilet matters amongst the young growth

Watered containers and newly planted sweet peas. Peat free compost is tricky and I still haven't mastered watering it well. Trusted finger method has to be modified (Two joints instead of one, scientifically speaking ), peat free seems to go bone dry on top and remain wet further down.

Toms have survived in the blowaway greenhouse and Sweet Olive is flowering

 

Took tall straggly stems off the Coleus and repotted at base. Took some trailing Geranium cuttingss and replanted in another pot. Cut off the long trailing stems of Callissa fragrans and repotted. Not much to do here except admire!

 

For the first time in a few days I've been able to do something outside on the balcony - in fact I wished I had more to do as the warm sunshine was so nice on my back!

The warm sunshine made my trays of Calendulas all wilt today so I'm glad I did go out even if it meant having to return inside after a few minutes to get another 4 bottles of water several times! (I have to do my watering using recycled 2lt water bottles, some of which are 20 years old!). I also watered most of the other pots on the balcony. I've now got to refill at least 8 or 9 bottles for tomorrow!

When I finished that I decided I wouldn't wait till tomorrow (Bank Holiday Monday), in case the day isn't as enjoyable as today, & put 2 stakes in the standard Fuchsia 'Garden News'. I bought them on Saturday & was going to wait till Monday. I bought a packet of 3 green plastic covered metal stakes in Wilcos 1.20cm high. At first I only put 1 in the pot & tied the Fuchsia to it but it's not stable enough as the compost is still quite loose & the pot is not very deep, (I will change it to a bigger pot the next bank holiday, at the end of May), so I decided to put in another stake. After tying the 2nd stake to the first one it seems a bit more stable but will still need a bigger, deeper pot.

 

Last year I sowed some Comfrey seeds and one germinated. I planted it in the front border. Today I noticed a strange flower and it turned out to be the sole Comfrey. The border, as are all the borders at the moment, is choked with weeds so I thought I had better clear around it in case I accidentally weed it out when I finally get warm and dry weather to make a start. I weeded a 2ft square patch around it, filling a bucket with weeds, but the ground is soaking wet and not friable at all. Any bits I missed picking up will be rooted again by tomorrow. What a miserable Spring.

 

Busy day today its been nice and warm . First thing this morning was sorting out next door lawn - raking / levelling and seeding , and I dug a drainage trench for her .

Back home mowed the lawn messed around with the mower re adjusting the cylinder and groom and mowed lawn again . Emptied compost bin and turned last years into the empty one , was a bit of a challenge the new bin is much bigger than my old one so it where stacked up like a mountain by the end.

Dug up part of eupatorium which is huge its trying to invade next doors garden . And planted out a few plants bought yesterday .

 

The wife mowed the lawn. The eldest son watered all his new plants around the new pond. But I worked hardest, watching and supervising. At one point I picked up my hoe and chopped a weed out of the patio because the wife was taking a long time pulling it out.

 

Hi,

WOW I'm having a day off from heavy work; I've already done the shopping and I'm making dinner today to give my wonderful wife a rest; it's cottage pie; here's the recipe;



I've been working since I was 11 years old and I think I deserve one day off.

My plan today is to do a violin recording then export it to a music forum I'm a member of; members on the forum are kindly and generously helping me learn to play a violin and after 18 months since my wife generously bought me my first violin I've no heavy work hanging over me so I'm delighted to now get serious with the violin; I'm also sight reading from violin music scores because my short term memory is poor but if I can read music scores then poor memory doesn't matter much.

It's just starting to rain and quite dark so normal Yorkshire weather.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Nothing outside today because it's raining. So started cutting up the toilet roll tubes to sow the wallflower seeds in.

 

Been in my usual place in the greenhouse ,watering and tending to the seedlings and overwintered plants.

Thought I would make the most of all this rain and started giving all our patios a spruce up.
Hubs said he would get the pressure washer out but I said no as I prefer to use the wire brush. For me I find it looks a tad unnatural having the patios so sparkling clean and bright. I prefer a bit more of a weathered look to them personally.
As we have rain for the next two weeks I can take my time.

 

Hi,

It's raining here too Logan but good for the weeds so not all bad news.

After so much heavy hard work I've finally had the gardens surgically removed and it didn't hurt a bit.

Since my wonderful wife bought me my first violin about 18 months ago it's been a nightmare getting free time to play it; last March I felled and disposed of 18 huge trees then in August our bungalow suffered subsidence damage which I repaired possibly in quicker time than LV insurance could answer the phone; very recently I've dug up 8 of the huge tree stumps together with roots allowing the creation of our third meadow; in-between I've been kept busy.

Yesterday I thought WOW at last a full day in the studio but the full day turned out to be a few minutes at 7pm where I did a violin short recording. I hit the ground running again this morning and after shopping managed to get into the studio by 8:30 for a very very rare play with my violins and recording gear.

I'm on a number of assorted forums one being a music forum where members (two in particular) have kindly and generously taken me under their wings encouraging me to keep playing and improving; explanations are difficult regarding music so I was asked if I could post a sample of my playing in particular the notes C-D-E-F-E-D-C these I recorded very quickly last night also I used all four fingers to run up and down notes on all four strings and I recorded both these short pieces but ran out of studio time.

This morning at 8:30 I spent about five minutes playing Amazing Grace again recording on my Tascam pocket studio; the rest of the morning I had to relearn how to use "Audacity" a totally free music editing program.

Four hours later I was finally posting on the music forum and now await members comments; I've a great deal yet to learn.

I love a challenge and violins are regarded as the most difficult stringed instrument to play.

I've enjoyed myself this morning away from farm and hydraulic jacks also I don't think I'll lose any sleep to have the trees and stumps with their roots now history.

Kind regards, Colin.