Late Winter Bits and Bobs.

[Westi]

Drizzle today but persistent, but couldn't go down to the plot as waiting parts to come in to replace the wing mirror that got trashed by some git in the forest going too fast & actually undertook us! It is single lanes on the shortcuts, but with no holiday makers folk seem to forget the 20mph is to protect the horses, donkeys, pigs & deer, not for them to speed. Kismet intervened & they also had damage but obvs sped off.

We've got 1st appointment tomorrow & they think it will only take 1/2hr or so to fix. Then I will go to the plot to do some sowing as temp is holding in double figures & dependant on soil condition might even dig & feed the 2nd brassica bed; interspersed with the mandatory ball throwing for the dog!

[oldherbaceous]

Thought I was going to get sunburnt today….what a beautiful day, after yesterday.

That’s very annoying, Westi!

[Clive.]

Not so sunny out east here...but it was there at times. Certainly warm, with dry roads tonight.
Potting shed floor very damp from flooding on Sunday morning.

It was repotting day for the regal pelargoniums today..

..and the forecast for overnight....includes 8 hrs of rain...at 80 to 95% chance..

Fish and chips for tea....and no queue at the fish shop...straight up to the counter....
....half term week, everyone must have gone to Disneyworld, except me

C.

[Westi]

Absolutely lovely day even though it was a bit cloudy on & off it was very mild. In & out getting the replacement wing mirror fitted in 30mins but had visitors this afternoon so didn't stay down long. Sowed a few things in the tunnel & got a bit more digging done on the brassica beds.

Tomorrow is looking even better & I should be able to stay down longer. I want to get all the black plastic rolled off the beds if I can, & to give them a little twizzle as although they have been covered they are too damp & compacted a bit from the dog taking shortcuts around the plot. Will see how I progress as my '2 Do' List is quite long & you can bet something else will be found to take priority.

[robo]

Warmish here but wet and windy at times supposed to be out on the boat fishing on Monday but no chance looking at the forecast

[Primrose]

An anybody explain why this happens

My husband bought me several bunches of daffodils in tight buds earlier in the week . They were all in full bloom the following day in all their glory and then all dead already with browning flowers by the following day..

Normally daffodils have several days of flowering life before dying.
Is there something about commercial daffodils, sold in the bud like this that causes such a short life?
.
Is there anything's that can be done to prolong their life?

[oldherbaceous]

Probably something to do with the big variating temperatures they have to go through, Primrose!
Not sure how you can stop this though…..

[Geoff]

Clive shouldn’t have mentioned Skoda, brought back the horror month I’ve just had. The day my wife had a doctors’ appointment I went to the car and found the clutch pedal of my beloved Skoda flat on the floor. Thought it something simple so got it taken to an outfit that do clutches and brakes and the like. They gave up and said it as too technical for them so after a few days I paid to move it to a Skoda dealer. They took another few days to decide the clutch had disintegrated and destroyed the gearbox, quoted a huge repair cost and suggested I scrap it (11 years old admittedly but only 42,000 miles). Talked to another garage who said surely it is repairable so paid for another move, another few days delay before being given the same conclusion. While all this was going on relied on friends and family to take my wife for three scans and two consultant visits to confirm she had womb cancer (she is a breast cancer survivor from 2008). Did you know by the way it is difficult get courtesy or hire cars over 75. Eventually cracked and selected a second hand Golf and arranged scrappage for a silly price. Last couple of days things looked up. Cancer is small and contained and should be cleared by keyhole hysterectomy and no chemo or radio and today I finally took possession of the Golf. Moaned about the timescale and was told I’d done well to complete the transaction inside two weeks, where does all the time go?
Celebrated in the only way possible. Started up the propagator and sowed sweet peas, mangetout, peppers, tomatoes, basil, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower and calabrese. Faith in the future after everything that had happened!

[oldherbaceous]

Gosh Geoff, you both have had the most awful time….just can’t start to imagine how tough things must have been!
But the news on your Wife, sounds very promising and I wish her all the best.
Really good to hear you have fired the propagator up, too….

[Primrose]

Geoff - what an unbelievably stressful time you've both had! Troubles never come-singly do they and the older we become the less resilient we often are. Good news on your wife's diagnose. Wishing you both good health and better luck in the times ahead.

[Westi]

Anything to do with cars turns out to be a pain in both cost & inconvenience. It has been a multitude of issues for you to deal with, but at least you had more positive news regarding your wife. Wishing you both the best & that the Golf serves you well for many years.

[oldherbaceous]

We certainly have had a lot more rain, last night and this morning….been running down our little lane for about two months now!
This would have only happened, for a couple of days, every few years, up until about five years ago!
Been sowing a few more seeds in the glasshouse, a little too early really, but wanted to cheer myself up…..

[Primrose]

Frogspawn.

Anybody got any yeti.?
I can't get easily get out into the garden to check now but we've had none in our tiny pond for two Springs. Can,t help wondering if the reluctant grassing over of our vegetable patch has some connection here?

[Geoff]

No spawn yet but water "boils" with frogs when you walk past the pond (but no sign of a yeti).

[oldherbaceous]

I think Herons are responsible for the lack of Frogs around here….