Late Winter Bits and Bobs.

[Clive.]

This evenings planned new curtain hanging has been postponed...I'm sure I saw a bag full of curtain hooks...can I find them now.!!

I can find every sort of Swish glider types, in the box found on the box room top shelf, but can't find the old fashioned hooks...for this curtain track that isn't Swish....it's more Screeech.

I've clicked online to buy a load more...a sure guarantee that I'll instantly now find the ones I thought I had got...but it hasn't worked yet...

C.

[oldherbaceous]

I have had the same sort of problem, Clive, replaced the petrol pipe on the wheelhorse ride on mower last Summer and had about a foot over….went to replace the petrol pipe on Big Bertha, as either a Rat, or Squirrel had chewed all the way along it…..but do you think I can find where I have put it….

[Westi]

Amazed at the max temp in the tunnel lately, thermometer showing around 30C for a while. (I hope the vent is opening). It is taking a toll on the lettuce & stuff in there & with it being so damp & humid & I had other little jobs like potting on so put other things on hold to give it a sort out & create more air circulation around things. Since I was harvesting I thought I may as well take other crops from outside as well as they will soon need to be out anyway. I could have some interesting soups in the freezer while trying to use them all up! Had some time left so got the pea beds prepped & frames up as a bonus.

Weather holding tomorrow so I will go down & get the shelving up on the back of the shed to store the black plastic & with luck even get some of the covers off the beds to test the strength & fit in the shelving.

[Westi]

All good plans etc. etc.! Heavy frost then rain all morning. Looks like I may have a chance to go down early tomorrow, but it looks a short window, but I'm sure I can do a few things at least, if this prediction is right of course!

[oldherbaceous]

Another sharp frost here again this morning…..made my fingers tingle, picking Purple Sprouting Broccoli for the Sunday feast!

When you see the price of Broccoli spears, Tender stem and PSB, they are certainly good money savers….the Tender stem I grew last year, just cropped on and on, so really pleased.

[Clive.]

I certainly miss PSB it was a staple via a few varieties but not at the moment due to reality of trying to keep things muddling along best I can. Yours will have rather less air miles than that on the shop shelf...which I look at but won't buy..

Got a few little jobs done in the big garden this, and yesterday, morning...
No progress on the curtain hanging front, no sign of the hooks...must have mistaken what I saw in a bag in the curtain spares box...I'm sure my mum would have kept good stock of such fittings but if so I can't find them... did find a length of plastic fuel pipe in a box of bits in the front room though...

In a burst of, I suspect, further retail therapy I clicked to buy a couple of Hornby Dublo steam locomotives...in need of some slight, I hope, repair/service but otherwise looked rather nice..

...and then order the March copy of another Classic Magazines title that has an article about Radio Caroline..

Did spend a bit of time cutting some errant Phygelius, in my front shrubbery, right to the floor...it had been busy extending right up one holly tree..made for a different pink flowered holly....

Third day of sunshine in a row....cold white frosty start....hopefully we may soon reclaim our local title as being..the drier side of England..that hasn't been the case since about St Swithun's day.!!

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Forgot to say, I found the petrol pipe, so now fitted…..although Big Bertha took some starting, fired but wouldn’t pick up, then flooded…. It often does this when the weather is damp, maybe could do with a new set of leads and caps!
Clive, would I be right in thinking, they need to be none resistor caps, since it has a magneto?

[oldherbaceous]

Forgot to say, glad you still have your Hornby Dublo collection, Clive…

[Clive.]

Suspect not resistor type, thinking of how it might have been generally at that time when Big Bertha was a young-un... it's not though a device i had any dealings with back in the day.

There is a sort of distant dream to make one bedroom a hobby room...then some Hornby Dublo with its three rail tinplate based track can come out for a run..
But today it is but a dream...whilst a few more leap frog brambles are now in the green bin from within the front garden shrubs.. them thin brambles that delight in finding ankles..

C.

[Westi]

Managed to get down this morning as the anticipated break in the rain actually happened! It was very pleasant & for once things went to plan. I bought a very reduced price plastic shelving unit for behind the shed to store the black plastic I am lifting off the beds. After a wee panic when I found no instructions in the box I told myself off & it went together like a dream, but missing 4 caps so the water doesn't run down through the brackets. That I can sort as it doesn't need to be pretty. Only 3 small lots of black plastic to get up now & will even have some shelf space left for some of the netting.

Even better news is there appears to be at least 3 days of no rain from tomorrow so I can rearrange & prep the beds to match this years planting plan & with a bit of luck & time I might even get to lift up the membrane on some of the paths & fill in the dips that are creating puddles & I'm sick of wet feet; my waterproof trainers are definitely not 100% waterproof & keep thinking trench foot.

[oldherbaceous]

Make the dream happen, Clive.

Sounds like you have had a busy day, Westi….I don’t think we will be getting on our allotments for several weeks, with the predicted rain…..then of course, we have all the snow coming near the end of March….

[retropants]

You are a busy bee Westi! I managed to pot up some bare root Cornus, did a bit of garden tidying and cut some huge stems off the spiny stemmed palm that overhangs the path to the garage, my DH keeps suggesting we get rid of it!

[Westi]

Well I risked the gales as for once it was not raining as well. Made really good progress despite the wind but I did not have to net anything. Got a bit hairy in the afternoon when the galvanised sheeting on the neighbours chicken shed blew off. The first sheet just flipped over the fence but luckily I had dog proofed the to be brassica beds which captured the 2nd sheet that was heading for the tunnel.

Alls well that ends well as they say & while randomly weeding while waiting for Mr to pick me up I spotted these peeking out in the Asparagus bed. This is the bed I grew from plants not crowns to knock off a year of waiting & looks like they are ready to oblige me for my patience!

K5aAt1naRoSrNj%yUHAjrA.jpg (3 MiB) Viewed 333 times

[Primrose]

Recent heavy winds have dried out our lawns enough to permit a cut. Shockedat how much moss was lurking on the surface but should provide plenty of good nesting material for all the bids in the area !

[oldherbaceous]

Looks like we are going to get some much needed rain tomorrow….