Kitchen Garden Forum

Plot 18
Some butternut and vegetable spaghetti on plot 17 planted later, some nothing set are flowering now.

Dear Shallot Man, nothing surprises me anymore…..

I was sort of surprised how quiet the streets were in and around me in Scotland, more supporters of the Queen than I thought obviously.

Eerily quiet down here yesterday too. Unfortunately there was a bit of a glitch with the placement of the big screens around the area as there was so many people they blocked the roads & completely stopped the traffic flow. After ages waiting for a bus to go home one turned up to say he was told to stop there until advised. He was the 11.15am bus that turned up at 12.45! It seemed an extremely long walk home lugging the pumpkin! Obvs a considerable amount of under my breath cussing to bide the time at the multiple rest stops!

Primrose, like you our butternut squash are a shaddow of our usual crop. I think we have four small ones.

Shallot Man - Our village British Legion requested the minute's silence at our war memorial at exactly at the time the televised Royal Funeral service was scheduled to end. With so many people watching the service on TV I doubt whether anybody turned up for it.

Proper start to autumn today, notice to geese have been arriving for past week not sure if that is a good or bad sign.

Those V shaped geese flights are so iconic arn,t they?

I don,t know when the swifts and swallows departed but they obviously disappeared as rapidly and unceremoniously as they arrived. At least that will leave a few more insects for the local bats who start venturing out earlier now the nights are drawing in.

I always used to look forward to Johnboy’s write ups, on the birds he had seen arriving, leaving and that were with us all year…

Had a flock of Starlings turning over my back lawn early on Monday making a right mess.Then the mixed flock of Tits,Robins and Nuthatch following behind the Starlings picking up anything they missed.Thrushes in the Yew tree and for some reason the pigeons stayed away.Unusual for because they use the birdbath for drinking and bathing.

Rain had been falling steadily all night, waking us up! The water butts are overflowing, the wildlife pond is filled to the brim, and I'm sure I can hear the grass sprouting, which is a big respite after the hills and moors were tinder dry, hopefully preventing any fires.

We too have wall to wall wet stuff, much needed it is too, as an indicator the ground is still soaking up the rain as the local rivers have not risen much in our area, though I note Stonehaven is on flood alert again, even after £millions spent on defences.
We get the Pink Footed Geese in our area, over 80000 most years, just hope the bird flu doesn't strike them.
On a different slant, there was an explosion and a huge fire at a local farm yesterday, I hope no-one was hurt.