Search found 40 matches

by judyk
Tue Dec 22, 2020 10:29 am
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Early Winter Bits and Bobs.
Replies: 123
Views: 18718

Re: Early Winter Bits and Bobs.

Something to look forward to... apparently today is the winter solstice so the days should be getting longer from now on. Or maybe it'll just seem that way. It's been very dreich here but at least not as cold as one might expect for the time of year. ...it's dreich here too (north-west Devon), and ...
by judyk
Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:58 am
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Early Winter Bits and Bobs.
Replies: 123
Views: 18718

Re: Early Winter Bits and Bobs.

I knew I had this picture somewhere... this was Essex in the freeze of '62 / '63. The kids are my younger brother and me (and the dog). At the time we lived in a 3-up, 3-down workers' cottage inside an MOD establishment, which accounts for the row of storage buildings stretching away in the backgrou...
by judyk
Thu Dec 03, 2020 8:16 pm
Forum: Ask the team
Topic: Victoria plum - worth keeping?
Replies: 2
Views: 1383

Re: Victoria plum - worth keeping?

Hi Snooky, thanks for the reply. OK, you've persuaded me to give it a reprieve... and I'll move it way from the compost heap, which is just out of the shot to the right, just in case it thinks that I might have that in mind for its final destination. I'll also tell it that it's got you to thank. :D
by judyk
Mon Nov 30, 2020 10:37 am
Forum: Ask the team
Topic: Victoria plum - worth keeping?
Replies: 2
Views: 1383

Victoria plum - worth keeping?

Three years ago I bought a Victoria plum from a website that normally supplies very good quality trees. As we didn't have room to put it in the soil, I planted it in a very large pot (about 180 litres) and used good quality soil-based compost mixed with some bone meal. It was planted in the autumn, ...
by judyk
Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:07 am
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Do oven cleaners bring their own cleaning tools
Replies: 2
Views: 1294

Re: Do oven cleaners bring their own cleaning tools

Hi, I only just spotted this, so you've probably booked your oven clean anyway and you know the answer by now! But just in case you don't, the answer is yes, they do bring their own materials, and I would not recommend anyone who doesn't come fully prepared. I've used 3 different oven cleaning firms...
by judyk
Tue Nov 10, 2020 9:30 am
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Fox and cat
Replies: 4
Views: 1464

Re: Fox and cat

At least the cat could escape up a tree with the fox unable to follow! I agree with Monika - if the cat was scared it would have gone up - tree, shed, fence, whatever was available. I think cats and foxes are pretty well matched opponents, and animals having much more sense than human beings, they ...
by judyk
Tue Nov 03, 2020 9:17 am
Forum: Harvesting Q&A
Topic: Apple i d please
Replies: 9
Views: 6317

Re: Apple i d please

Yes, very true. We are likely to have been responsible for quite a few seedlings when stopping for lunch on our country walks, some of which would have been in your neck of the woods, as I lived in High Wycombe for a while. Having said that, the only provable success I've had with apple pips was a c...
by judyk
Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:41 am
Forum: Tools and Machinery
Topic: Garden glove recommendations?
Replies: 10
Views: 6933

Re: Garden glove recommendations?

Thanks Sally! I am a southpaw, so I have duly transposed. You'll be pleased to know that I've ordered a pair of the dangerous dog handling gauntlets from Amazon. They look to be exactly what I'm after for the berberis and in particular the bramble thorns. I've received my usual amount of perforation...
by judyk
Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:05 am
Forum: Harvesting Q&A
Topic: Apple i d please
Replies: 9
Views: 6317

Re: Apple i d please

Hi Judy, they aren’t too sharp but make a lovely crumble, I will definately be back next year for more lol! Good stuff! I lived in Basingstoke (in Hampshire) for a few years, and I discovered a secret little stand of apple trees in the middle of a bit of public land that was mainly used for dog wal...
by judyk
Fri Oct 30, 2020 5:32 pm
Forum: Readers Recipes
Topic: Anyone interested in these recipes?
Replies: 5
Views: 5391

Re: Anyone interested in these recipes?

Woo-hoo! Fame at last! Thanks for the feedback, Westi. But as the chilli has given it an extra appeal, I think it would only be fair to have it called Westi & Judy's recipe when the posh London place puts it on the menu! Seriously, I'm well pleased to know that it worked well for you and that it...
by judyk
Sun Oct 18, 2020 3:50 pm
Forum: Harvesting Q&A
Topic: Apple i d please
Replies: 9
Views: 6317

Re: Apple i d please

Hi All , hope your well? Been out foraging Apples on a old Golf course ( as you do) & found two really old Trees laden with these? 967B7201-04E4-4851-BE9B-F84E1EB0C888.jpeg Looks very much like Cox's Orange Pippin... exactly like the fruit we used to get off two old gnarly trees we inherited wi...
by judyk
Sun Oct 18, 2020 9:17 am
Forum: Seasonal tips
Topic: Worth the chance?
Replies: 6
Views: 5696

Re: Worth the chance?

I'm a bit late spotting this, but if you still have any green peppers left and you have a polytunnel, or a shed that doesn't get too cold, try uprooting a couple of the plants and hanging them upside down from as high up as you can to get them into the warmest bit of air. This works well for ripenin...
by judyk
Mon Oct 05, 2020 5:42 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Blue Moon
Replies: 6
Views: 1900

Re: Blue Moon

For those who don't mind staying up, don't forget the Orionid meteor showers, which started on 2nd October and will peak at around 20th October. They start a little after midnight, and appear from the region of the constellation of Orion in the southeast of the sky. The moon will be setting early ov...
by judyk
Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:07 am
Forum: Tools and Machinery
Topic: Garden glove recommendations?
Replies: 10
Views: 6933

Re: Garden glove recommendations?

I just use basic gloves like these m with fingerless mitts outside them for padding. Good for weeding and general jobs but I use leather gauntlets for thorny tasks. If I'm doing anything cold and wet I put cheap surgical type gloves on first, makes an amazing difference to keeping your hands warm. ...
by judyk
Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:19 am
Forum: Tools and Machinery
Topic: Garden glove recommendations?
Replies: 10
Views: 6933

Re: Garden glove recommendations?

My OH is a retired dry stone waller and always wore heavy duty red rubber gloves for his work, unlined, but in winter he would carry several thin woolly gloves and exchange them when they got sweaty during the day. Unfortunately, although thick, they would be no match for brambles or berberis! Than...