Autumn Bits and Bobs

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

Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter, Chief Spud

User avatar
oldherbaceous
KG Regular
Posts: 13822
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
Has thanked: 254 times
Been thanked: 295 times

Just been and picked the last lot of usable runner beans...still a lot on there but, they have all been bruised by the strong winds blowing them about....they haven't done bad though.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
Monika
KG Regular
Posts: 4546
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2006 8:13 pm
Location: Yorkshire Dales

Interesting to hear that most Ukrainians don't speak Ukrainian but Russian, Stravaig. I started learning Russian at school when I was 8 years old and I still love it. Ukrainian appears very similar to me, I can certainly get the gist of it, written down. Spoken Ukrainian would presumably be very difficult for me. Good luck to you with learning it or Russian!
Stephen
KG Regular
Posts: 1869
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:03 pm
Location: Butts Meadow, Berkhamsted
Been thanked: 2 times

On languages: When I was working, there was an occasional when I was working alongside a Japanese crew and we communicated with a mixture of smiles, gestures and the Google translate! Extraordinary and wonderful. made easier because we all knew what the technology was and what it ought to do and lots of goodwill and willingness to cooperate on both sides.
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
robo
KG Regular
Posts: 2808
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:22 pm
Location: st.helens
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 56 times

When I started work at the old age of 15 I started on a building site I had only been there a month when a team of German kiln specialist came over ,I was the can lad which entailed going the shops when asked and going the chippy at lunch time with the Germans and the English brickies and labourers as well as the rest joiners sparkies the full works there was about eighty on site I was busy most of the time but nobody spoke German and none of the Germans spoke English it was interesting to say the least this was in the early sixties
vivienz
KG Regular
Posts: 515
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:55 pm
Location: Very north Dorset
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 8 times

My #1 greenhouse tomatoes have finally succumbed to blight, so I may well be picking the last of them over the next week. There are still some whoppers in #2 greenhouse so I may not be bereft of them for a little while.
The thing I seem to have been picking most of is caterpillars. My brassicas are absolutely full of the little blighters and even after two frosty nights last week, they're still munching their way around the plants. Is it possible to have zombie caterpillars? I pull of and squish loads each day, but there are still more the next.
Pumpkin Hill died down with the frost last week. The final count was 12 decent sized, ripe pumpkins from 2 plants and about 18 butternut squashes from 2 plants. The butternuts were prolific - plenty of fruits ripened early and I picked them as soon as they were ready but the plants seemed unstoppable and were putting out fruits right to the very end. I called it a couple of weeks ago and picked a load that were slightly unripe, figuring that they would do better off the plant in a warm greenhouse, and these are the bonus ones.
I planted a load of chicory - verona and treviso in early October and they are glorious. I'm very much looking forward to those. They're starting to head up nicely and are stunningly beautiful.
Once the toms in #1 greenhouse are done, I will give the inside a thorough clean with a dilute bleach solution as I don't want any blight spores hanging on to ruin next year's plants.
Stravaig
KG Regular
Posts: 862
Joined: Thu Jul 18, 2019 8:59 am
Location: Kent, UK
Has thanked: 156 times
Been thanked: 104 times

Monika, I apologise. It was probably incorrect to say that "most Ukrainians don't speak Ukrainian". Many of them do, of course. But it varies from area to area. In the west you'll hear a lot of Ukrainian but, as you go east, Russian is more the norm. And even in the capital, ie Kyiv where I live, most people default to Russian rather than Ukrainian. But they can probably speak both - just as I'm a native Doric speaker (North East Scotland) but invariably default to English. I think you're from eastern Europe so you probably know much more about it than I do.

I'm sure there are many similarities between the two languages, but even a simple "thank you" is quite different. Please excuse my lack of talent but "thank you" sounds like "djacku-you" in Ukrainian and "spasseba" in Russian. So it can get quite difficult for a non-linguist. Mostly it doesn't matter as most Ukrainians under the age of 45 speak pretty good English. It just happened that the young guy in the butcher shop didn't seem to understand even though at first it appeared that he did. That's how I ended up with this piece of meat which will be a new learning experience for me. No worries, I enjoy a challenge. :lol:

My "helper" (one morning a week cleaner/gofur) is Ukrainian, but speaks Russian and not Ukrainian, and her English is excellent. Maybe I was thinking she's the norm.

Most online shopping sites here offer Ukrainian or Russian options and - joy! - a few offer English too. Sometimes it's hard to understand their translations though. It took us ages to figure out what "typewriter for hair" was.

My husband has learned some Ukrainian because he's good at languages and can even understand many that aren't commonly spoken. But, having taken advice, I've focused on the Russian language, just as one would focus on English regardless of where one lives in the UK. It's perhaps a bit sad but it's a fact that Russian is more useful. That said, if you say "thank you" in Ukrainian, you'll usually get a big smile. Either that or they're just being kind because they think I'm not the full shilling.
Westi
KG Regular
Posts: 5910
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:46 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset
Has thanked: 674 times
Been thanked: 238 times

I didn't expect to be picking off cabbage white caterpillars on the brassica's today. We had 2 small frosts & I haven't seen a cabbage white on the wing. Basically stripped the foliage off the swedes, found the kohl rabi & got through the netting on the Collards I am trying this year.
Westi
User avatar
retropants
KG Regular
Posts: 2055
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Middlesex
Has thanked: 106 times
Been thanked: 108 times

Well, we got all of the Hard standing dug up, and the skip full was collected on Thursday. I now have a 6ftx15ft rectangle of growing space! I'm going to order some composted manure and put a thick layer over the surface. There's already worms hanging around, so hopefully they will do their thing, and I can start planting in the new year. So very pleased to have got it done. It was a gargantuan task, which seemed impossible, but it is done, it nearly killed us, and I am happy!
User avatar
oldherbaceous
KG Regular
Posts: 13822
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
Has thanked: 254 times
Been thanked: 295 times

Well done Retropants, what an achievement...you will be amazed what work the worms will do for you, when you add the composted manure, it will be like Christmas come early for them. It's amazing what jobs we can do, once we put our minds to it, so i hope you get the pleasure from it, that you have earnt and truly deserve.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
User avatar
retropants
KG Regular
Posts: 2055
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Middlesex
Has thanked: 106 times
Been thanked: 108 times

than you OH, that's kind of you. My shoulders are complaining a bit this morning, but all the hard work will be a distant memory soon!
Monika
KG Regular
Posts: 4546
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2006 8:13 pm
Location: Yorkshire Dales

That sounds great, retropants. If you could cover the whole area with black plastic or similar, the worms might do their job even more efficiently, especially when the sun shines and and cover warms up.
User avatar
retropants
KG Regular
Posts: 2055
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Middlesex
Has thanked: 106 times
Been thanked: 108 times

thanks Monika, I'll see if I can source some to recycle from work!
robo
KG Regular
Posts: 2808
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:22 pm
Location: st.helens
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 56 times

Had my delivery today ,30 bags of farmyard manure 50 ltr bags delivered to my plot all for £50 ,I know it’s good sh**e as I’ve used it for two years ,now all I have to do is spread it
User avatar
Primrose
KG Regular
Posts: 8054
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:50 pm
Location: Bucks.
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 281 times

Well done Retropants. At least your muscles has the winter months to recover and after such a long wait ai,m sure yiur spring planting will be all the more enthusiastic when it happens. It,s surprising how much one can in a relatively small plot with a little careful planning. We have ,t heard much from Elmigo on that topic recently and hope he will share the results of his first gardening season's labours.

Be sure to share a photo in due course!
User avatar
Primrose
KG Regular
Posts: 8054
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:50 pm
Location: Bucks.
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 281 times

Another reason for growing your own?

Interested in an item in today's Telegraph that a third of all purchased fresh fruit and veg we buy contains harmful pesticide chemicals and many items from abroad contain pesticide residues which are banned In the UK.
The worst culprits containing multiple pesticides:

Strawberries :89.9%
Lemons. 83.7%
Prepackaged salads 81%
Grapes 77%
Peaches & nectarines 67%
Apples 66%
Spinach 61%
Tomatoes 48%
lettuce 46%
Peppers 41%
Beans 30%

Apparently many areas of land are now sprayed with pesticide far more times in a year than they used to be. In 1990 only 30% of cereals were treate d more than 4 times in a season. By 2016 that figure had virtually doubled.
Makes me very thoughtful about all the increased number of cancer and other diseases being uncovered. Better diagnosis or conditions being triggered by increased pesticide use?
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic