An optimistic, (Very Early Spring), Bits and bobs.

[oldherbaceous]

Did anyone watch Countryfile tonight, if so did you enjoy it as much as i did?

[peter]

He left in '52 for Hertfordshire, grandfather was a lay preacher and District Education Officer in Giggleswick, they lived at Rallyen Brow backing onto the river
Connections across Yorkshire, Pateley Bridge/Wath/Middle Moor a favourite area.

[Geoff]

I recorded it and speeded through to the weather forecast, didn't enjoy that much though we are due to be better off than some. Can't stand PC (though he does make me feel like I'm keeping young) so won't be watching the rest.

[Parsons Jack]

A miserable drizzly morning here today.

Went to the allotment site and spent a couple of hours in the polytunnel and the seed store. Priced up some more stock and tidied up the seed display.
Checked the kettle still worked

[Monika]

I pricked out the sweet peppers, chilli peppers and celeriac today and sowed the tomatoes, all still indoors, though the greenhouse does get so lovely and warm when the sun shines!

Next job will be to plant the early potatoes in bags in the greenhouse and crossing my fingers that it doesn't get too cold for them. Luckily, it can be heated if at all necessary, but I always hope to avoid it until April.

Snow or sleet forecast for tonight!

[oldherbaceous]

The 16th of March and still no sign of the weather improving, seems quite strange not being able to proceed with all the jobs that are normally done by now. I was looking round yesterday, and there were very few buds even looking like bursting open, so things will be exceptionally late this year.

It's very windy, wet and cold here this morning, so i'll be in the greenhouse sowing seeds. I think i will sow more things than normal, just to keep one step ahead of Mother Nature.

[Parsons Jack]

Good morning OH,

Wet and windy here as well.

Definitely a good idea to sow more than needed. Always handy to have some back-up if needed

[Clive.]

We did a few jobs on the Lime avenue yesterday....it hadn't had the sucker growth removed for 2 years....pleased to get it done it does look so much better...even though the grass of the drive side looks very cold wet and frightened and not moving at all.

Later I was up on the Hall roof assisting with a tour and looking across to the Lime trees it was possible to see that the buds were starting to swell...as they make for a hazy redness across the trees.

We have set up extra bit of staging in one of the front greenhouses as we have a log jam of plants in the back greenhouse that are in there to try to help them forward as if they were outside they would go backwards and rot.

Some of the seeds that I sowed last weekend are coming up...but where they need to stand next on the gravel tray with the warming wire there were pots of scented pelargoniums. Hence the "new" staging is now full of potted up Pelargoniums...and the space is free to hopefully keep the seedlings moving forward.

Also sat on the warm wire were some pots of Amaryllis...they only moved forward a bit when we had a bit of sunshine the other week.

We have some snowdrops that are still in good order nearly a month on from our snowdrop day after which they are often soon over...


Clive.

[Ricard with an H]

It often amazes me the things that are growing in these low temperatures and whilst our west coast temperatures are higher than inland it's still very cold.

All-sorts of perennial wildflower and invasive growth is sprouting, the daisy ground cover plant for which I advertised seed in the seed-swop has flower buds some of which are opening when the sun shines and my garlic is happy-happy-happy having grown two inches in the last few weeks.

Masses of bright yellow gorse flowers when mostly nothing else is growing is one of the many joys of coast living.

[Colin Miles]

On our early signs of Spring walk in Feb, when the only things that we found were Elf Cups, and looked at the Gorse we were reminded that

‘When the gorse is out of bloom, young ladies,’ quoth Sir Giles,‘then is kissing out of fashion!’‥There is no day in the year when the blossom is off the gorse.

On the slopes around the Great Glasshouse in the National Botanic Garden of Wales there have been masses of white crocuses for at least a couple of weeks now. Mind you, in a more normal year they would have come and gone pretty quickly. And talking of the Garden, we are starting wildlife walks there, mainly for members and volunteers, but if anyone visits and cares to join in, I am sure that you will have a warm welcome. See http://www.gardenofwales.org.uk/news/otter-prints-and-otter-poo/

[Ricard with an H]

There is no day in the year when the blossom is off the gorse.

I wonder if thats a regional or a rotation thing, our gorse drops it's blossom and is bare for parts of the year. Presumably then, other gorse will be in blossom.

Overgrown gorse that was cut back by the farmer burned nicely after it had dried. It reminded me of olive wood in it's density if it hasn't gone rotten. Right now there is a large pile waiting to be collected but I would need a quad and trailer to pick it up.

Our local farmer has just bought land from one of the local fat-cats, this is land that surrounds us and had barley most every year. That ground had been covered in various chemicals as long as we've lived here but this year our local bloke was out scattering the cow-poo/straw that they get from the cattle barns, then the plow dug it in. Nice to see some organic methods being used.

[Westi]

Thunder, Lightning, Monster showers & hail around here - hoping for better tomorrow - so much to get done! However even if pants weather need to clear shed - little mice make a considerable mess!! Got so many shredded carry bags, not to mention my fertilizers being nibbled and spilling out all over floor & dread to look at my netting, which is neatly stacked but found little bald babies in there last year. Yep I left them - hence this year's bigger mess I suppose!

Westi

[oldherbaceous]

Not a very bright start here, rain, sleet and snow, yuk....

We also must have had a lot of rain in the night, as the puddles are right across the the road just opposite the Church.

I would think nature is having a job containing herself at the moment, with everything just waiting to burst forth at the first sign of good weather.

[alan refail]

Dear OH

Didn't I warn you what would happen when you unwisely started this thread?

[Clive.]

Dry and bright here..so far... 2.8 C

Sleet and snow is talked of for later..

..and I see the snow symbols are back on the weather forecast on both Tuesday and Thursday.....

Clive.