Autumn Bits and Bobs.

[oldherbaceous]

When you see the crazy cheap price of carrots, it makes you wonder how the growers make any money at all!
Hope your beetroot were very enjoyable, Clive!

[Westi]

Spent a quiet afternoon reading reviews on the garden shears. Typically some good some bad but most agreed on the weight being very easy to manage, quite negative for trimming branches but I don't intend to use them for cutting branches, got expandable shears for that & I do it over several weeks & then cut them up so my neighbour can take them down to the tip. I decided to give them a go & bough it.

Fingers crossed the one I receive is not the last one off the production line as a bank holiday the next day! (Do they get B/H's in China) I'll let my neighbour give them a trial run first! If he finds a flaw he will fix/adjust it as required; just his way, things have to be perfect & his tweaking & thinking outside the box has saved a lot of my tools! I'll let you know how it fares! Thanks again Geoff!

[retropants]

my mum has been puling the late sown chantenay carrots from a raised planter. Yesterday, one weighed in at 5 1/2 oz!

[oldherbaceous]

What a whopper….

Westi, did you see the reply on the previous page, that I sent you about finer grass and other alternatives?

[Westi]

Hi OH! I did see your post & was pleased I did as you identified the pros & cons which I would have be oblivious of. On this subject I had a chat to my neighbour who thought the committee might go for astro turf as the space has not been used for growing at any time & I allow the folk around me park on there whenever they want or it is available. It can accommodate 2 cars if parked facing in. It is not going to used any time soon & my neighbour has even made a little raised bed & built a little shrub bed along his side which he looks after. I will corner the committee guy for a wee chat, mind in saying that I expect my neighbour will just start looking for bargains & possibly even lay it without discussion being made. He is a bit impulsive but they will forgive him quicker than me!

[Westi]

It's all gone quiet again, is every one still busy getting prepped for autumn/winter?

I would have liked to be a bit more ahead but got involved in digging out ground elder when I was planning on shutting down the Rhubarb. It's not as much fun chasing ground elder as it is the bind weed! I got it done as not a big space but nearly missed the bus getting carried away. Still loads of weeding to do, this mild weather has kept them really happy & I swear the git's were popping up again as I walked away! Asparagus is finally yellowing so that is a sure sign weather is changing!

[oldherbaceous]

I dug some Charlotte potatoes, that had died off in the Summer heat, and was quite disappointed, as they have started shooting……not sure what has caused that, this early in the year!

[Clive.]

I was following behind a lawnmower for a while today, amongst a myriad of other here and there jobs...grass seems to be making up for lost time...
Day got off on a wrong foot..lost a set of keys...and had to do a lot of step retracing...of course they were right back at the beginning of all that pacing about...seems that they leapt out my pocket with another set first thing....

Really gorgeous sunny day...some mist in the forecast overnight. I see that into next week it just gives grey cloud...

C.

[Geoff]

My Charlotte in store are shooting already too, usually reckon they are OK to Christmas at least. Also been mowing today and got as much as in the Summer, admittedly two weeks and a day of often wet. Been a very pleasant afternoon with brew outside and a hot air balloon to watch late on.

[Geoff]

Thoroughly miserable day today after yesterday's sunshine. In the clouds all day, barely able to see the greenhouse never mind across the valley. Intended to start a sort out of the flower garden but hardly ventured outside.

[Clive.]

Grey foggy misty lot this morning, 5.5C driving along past the river on the way to work. Must have been about lunch time when it cleared and then thoroughly sunny and gorgeous

This weeks forecast as far as is shown, is just grey cloud....

Don't ask why I have just bought another spade for refurbish and another turfing iron to shine and re shaft...........

C.

[Westi]

Mainly cloudy down here until late afternoon but weak sun eventually comes through & looking the same for tomorrow when I go down. Got some more weeding to do; I'd like to skip it but it's enjoying this longer warmth & getting a bit out of hand. I am thinking I will take all the stones out of the edges of those couple of beds that flooded as well as it's a pain weeding. We have had some heavy rain on & off & no flooding so thinking; (& hoping), it was just all that big machinery squeezing the water down from their side. I had a peek through the hedge row & their sides soil was really deeply cracked open & dry. I can't really just throw the stones away so they will be available if needed again, just not in the way!

[retropants]

We've had a bit of a year to be honest, so not many posts from me, apologies. My BIL sadly took his own life in the spring, we have only recently been able to get access to his house (6 hours away in Northumberland) to sort through everything and bought a huge van load back with us. The house has been cleared and professionally cleaned (he was a bit of a hoarder and reclusive) and is now on the market. The logistics were/are challenging. In the meantime, my dad has had some alarming reactions to his immunotherapy treatment, meaning running backwards and forwards to Southampton hospital and to his home near Axminster, as he needed taking to and from for various hospital stays to get him back on track again (mum only drives locally). We have a lot of stuff still to sort through, whilst both working and I have my busy season of craft fairs coming up very quickly. I am no where near as organised as I should be, but there we have it. Life happens. We did manage to clear the tools and other nonsense yesterday at a car boot sale. Still some larger bits and gym equipment to put on ebay. We have the plumber coming tomorrow to put in new radiators and hot water tank. I need a month off!! The garden is massively overgrown, the shrubs are taking over!

[oldherbaceous]

So sorry to read you having such a tough year Retropants….you never know what life has waiting for us….and probably just as well. I hope you get on top of things, as quickly as possible. xx

[Westi]

Sorry it has been such a tough year Retropants. Bad things never happen singularly do they? It's quite weird really how these things just multiply just when you're thinking I can deal with this, another thing turns up. But it appears things are settling for you finally & I sincerely hope this continues so you can take a big breath & move on confidently back to being you doing your things. Best wishes for better times soon.