Early Summer Bits and Bobs.

[Geoff]

Haven't had any thunder, lightning or rain and it seems to keep disappearing off the forecast before it gets here.

[retropants]

Currently thundering and raining here. Don’t think it will go far though.

[Westi]

Got lucky & had some rain, quite continuous & just light but perfect with my soil being so capped. Started about 2am - 7am then a wee break & we got a little bit more heavier rain for an hour or so. On a yellow warning for thunder & lightening & heavy rain around midnight tonight but that's coming across from the east so likely to miss us, but last night was more southerly which is why I got lucky.

No watering tomorrow then so that's 1 1/2hrs saved to sort the little jobs. With the rain I might also see how many of the no shows now decide to come up! Carrots have been really bad this year. Just got a few showing from my last sow a week or so ago, which was my 4th in that pot, nothing up at all in my main structure.

[Clive.]

The heat out East here is a bit testing...we got no run up to it, only a few days ago I was wearing a woolly hat on an evening visit back to work. We still have the NE breeze which is now nice and refreshing.

Carrots also not best good, neither is beetroot at home here whilst at work with the earlier shelter of the big wall its moving well.

I'm eating those potatoes, that I wasn't going to grow, still on the Rocket, Jazzy has a couple of weeks to go.
...and today some Invicta gooseberries have made their way into the freezer...and one pint pot of they into the microwave.

The late sown barley in the back field has really flown and is in full ear.

C.

[oldherbaceous]

I’ve got one of those really bad Summer colds at the moment, so everything seems hard work, even trying to sleep at night….

[Geoff]

Thunder rumbled round and deposited 4.6mm of rain, as they say, every little helps.

As you say OH, it would be nice to breathe and sleep properly and have some energy.

[retropants]

get well soon OH

[Westi]

I hope all you that need rain get some soon. It made me very happy as you can imagine & I deffo enjoyed the extra 1hr+ not watering & getting cracking on chores. I finally have carrot seedlings up but some gaps so re-sowed them as those up have proper leaves so any that do come up will be quite a bit behind. Really easy to pull the weeds so did quite a bit of that as although I hoe a lot, the weeds just come back. So satisfying & quick to clear & fingers crossed will remain clear a bit longer!

Lots of bees enjoying the blackberry flowers but seeing them made me realise I have not seen many butterflies. A couple of cabbage whites but that's about it & I have loads of flowers out suitable for them. Worrying!

[Primrose]

A stiff noggin (or lemon, honey & fresh ginger) OH and an early night. Always feels out of place to go down with a cold in summer. Surprising how they can knock iut all yiur energy.

We had a hour of thunderstorm and torrential rain late afternoon whixh has saved a watering task. We just managed to collect all the dry washing in before the heavens opened .!

[retropants]

We got a thorough drenching with hail stones the size of chickpeas. I didn’t manage to get the greenhouse door shut, so lots of stuff that doesn’t want to be wet, is. Tomato ‘blow away’ collected about 50L on its roof, which I had trouble shifting off! It was a proper monsoon, sideways too!

[Colin2016]

Rain missed us in sunny North Norfolk coast , at least started to get the sun tan going at last.

[Stravaig]

OH, get well soon.

I find that a whisky with ginger cordial helps make one feel better whatever the ailment.

[oldherbaceous]

I’m now nursing an awful hangover….only joking…..
I think it is on the move….fingers crossed.

[Westi]

Well despite saying no watering needed I did mull it over & took advantage of no hose queue & emptied & cleaned out all the trugs I bought to store more water & topped them up taking advantage to move some as in direct sunlight. All nice & fresh water in the trugs; (dog taste tested every one) & the water that was in them was distributed among the plants so they got a nice top up on top of their already damp soil so probably saved another couple of days watering as a result.

[oldherbaceous]

Another scorcher here today, the seedlings that have emerged are having a real battle getting going.
And the Deer has jumped the fencing I have put round one of my allotments, where I have a lot of broad beans and have eaten every single pod…..saves worrying about having to pick them I suppose….