Mid Summer Bits and Bobs.

A place to chat about anything you like, including non-gardening related subjects. Just keep it clean, please!

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Primrose
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We had a huge swarm of flying ants invade the garden this afternoon - thousands of them. Interestingly they didn,t seem to be hanging around for long though. The air was thick with them for about 15 minutes and then they all disappeared. I don't know how high they normally fly but hopefully our village swifts will have had a tasty snack or two
Westi
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I can see a hose fight coming on at lottie with the expected temps - not pretty to begin with but finally every one susses the distance from the tap says who's next, not the colour of their hose! I'm confident lessons learnt from 2 out of 3 neighbours will play by the rules & appreciate I have some more watering to do then them with 2 plots! The odd one out will hopefully not be down as I am loosing patience with their strange idea of distracting me & I know they have cans so like me start with them until tap is free! And don't give me your watering instructions when on holiday & enter my shed to write it down! I spray the neighbours plots as far as the hose will reach as a gesture of goodwill. (OK I like playing with the noozle). Not my fault I found the plot(s) first & I never got a ruddy free shed or greenhouse! Soz I'm ranting, but some folk who spent nought seem to think this is a part time hobby but it is a commitment to me & I've spent loads both in £'s & time!
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robo
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We got back from Wales dinner time yesterday went to our allotment A.G.M find myself the chairman this morning I went to the plot been there five minutes when my phone rang it was the caravan ranger our awning is on the point of becoming a kite so tomorrow first thing it's off to Wales then home again
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oldherbaceous
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There is Stephen but, it's not where the work needs doing.....think I will end up finishing early for the next 3 days.... :)
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
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retropants
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we are still waiting to have the aircon connected at work, it was already 30 degrees in the office when I arrived this morning!!!
Elmigo
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I don't think it has ever been this hot in my life before. Coming thursday we are facing temperatures of 40°C in some areas of the country (including mine), the same temperatures I had on a holiday to the mediterranean Crete, Greece. Something is really wrong with the climate but at least the peppers do really well, and so does the watermelon. I'm having a hard time protecting the crops from the heat, especially on this balcony for as long as we're still here. It may even hit the 43°C on the balcony if predictions are right, with a little bad luck, or good luck, depending on which crops' perspective it is.
Last edited by Elmigo on Wed Jul 24, 2019 9:52 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Primrose
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Elmigo. I know its extra work and you already have loads of watering to do but have you tried pouring water all over the floor of your balcony? It may help to cool the temperature just a little as it evaporates. I hosed down our patio late afternoon before we sat down to eat a late under under our sun awning and it did get the feeling that the evaporation helped to drop the immediate surrounding heat just a little. It only now as the sun is going down and we can open all the windows to get a through breeze drifting through the house that the temperature is even starting to become vaguely bearable.

Sleep, I think, will be difficult tonight. Lying naked on the bed on a big towel after a cool shower and letting the moisture evaporate just before bed time may help a little. A bottle of frozen water in an plastic milk bottle stuffed into a thin sock to prevent freezer burn is also a useful cooling device to be hugged briefly to cool down and then stored on the bedside table.

I'm sure everybody has their own techniques. Alas our heatwaves are too irregular for most homes to have air conditioning installed. Maybe as global temperatures gradually increase as a result of climate change, this may change. Sleeping in one's car with the air conditioning on would doubtless annoy the neighbours, not to mention the waste of fuel!
Westi
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I'm amazed that I never ever considered the Netherlands getting the temps you are experiencing Elmigo. I'll hide behind my Aussie heritage to explain this phenomenon & ignorance! Agree with Primrose with a bit of water on the patio but I think maybe at those temps that would just create steam & cook your leaves. Maybe create a shade cloth screen across the patio by some removable clip on structure? It does make a difference but not loads to stop your tropical plants from thriving, in my mind I am thinking of those clips that expand to take tools on the shed wall. But you could make a frame with the shade cloth stappled on & slot that into the clips! Yeah I appreciate the project is a bit of a task, but just wait until you try to unravel the secrets real soil & not compost!

How long before you have your hands in real soil?
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Elmigo
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Thank you for the great advice! I'm already watering the entire floor just now, just to clean the surface. Never thought of it as a way to cool down. When I'm standing on the balcony at these temps I feel like I'm boiling on the inside! Luckily we do have an airconditioning system. I try not to use it unless I absolutely need it, because it uses a lot of power. Every morning the doors are open to allow fresh air in the house. During daytime we keep them closed to keep the heat outside. It also sort of helps. We got about 3 months left before we are moving to the soil, then we need to create the entire garden from scratch.
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alan refail
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A very pleasant day here in North-west Wales. No sun, cloudy and a refreshing cool breeze from the south.
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
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retropants
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It's like a furnace here in Middlesex. My work building has no aircon, with a huge east facing glass foyer, warming up the building to over 30 deg C before we even start. Home is not much better, upstairs was 30 overnight, even with careful closed curtain management! I am managing to keep the basket tomatoes alive however, and most things in the greenhouse were Ok at over 40 yesterday (it's probably the same today) I did remove the little cuttings, as I thought they'd do better on the shady side, outside on the floor.
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oldherbaceous
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I had to empty the greenhouse of over 100 plants last night, as the were getting the leaves and blooms scorched....Pelagoniums, Zinnias and Osteospermums.....It makes ones hair, rustle like pea straw, today..... :)
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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robo
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Tomorrow night 8pm BEECHWOOD
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Monika
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Last night's rain (12mm) was very welcome indeed although by the morning everything looked as if it never rained a drop - a scorcher to come tomorrow.
Westi
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Circumstances out of my control meant I could not get down to water lottie yesterday, but the gods were on my side & we got rain overnight across Dorset & Hants complete with thunder & lightening (some areas even got Hail). Now I might be being foolish as it potentially could be the hottest day on record, but I'm planning to go down tomorrow as rain would not have reached right into the tunnel, just the edges & need to check that the ceramic drip things I bought & placed along the path side have worked. And it will all need a water to survive the potential hottest day & also thinking not many will be down during the morning so I can give it a proper good soak & my Job's 2 Do list is focused on things under the shade of the fruit trees. Factor 50 packed, frozen & just cold water prepped, dog not coming & planning to be out of there by 12 o'clock as currently our max temp peaks about 4pm so will be back at home by then in front of the fan! Or laying on the prostrate on the path! :)
Westi
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