Kitchen Garden Forum

Dementia, Alzheimer's, whatever the label, they are absolute bar stewards.

My Dad though that my mother and I were his twin siblings, my Auntie Joan and Uncle Robert.
He also thought, my childhood dog who passed when I was nineteen was his childhood dog, "Chum", so guess what I called the dog I got when I was twenty.
The saddest bit was by the time the puppy could respond to his name, Dad while able to use his vocal chords,, couldn't really say anything coherent.

Went to have "bloods" taken after first dose of chemicals for my cancer.
The machine where you have to pay for parking ther takes cards,notes,and coins.Card reader not working,wouldn't accept creased notes but did accept coins.And who had coins-us older ones.The youngsters seemed out of their depth with the situation.
Technology is good but it can be a pain in the backside!!!Good old Cash still alive!!!

Hope it goes well, Snooky!

Oldies rule….

Snooky. Me also.

All the best Snooky. Hard frost here today, garden pond is frozen.

Everything is dull and dark here….apart from me, that is….

With this predicted cold snap, I picked the last of the Runner beans, lettuce, tomatoes and courgettes….that’s the first time i’ve done that in December!

Nothing for me to harvest apart from carrots and parsnips, I have some pollarding to do and in the spring some more pruning, but for now, gardening is going to be an indoor hobby, I shall be getting out the propagator and sowing my onion seeds in the next couple of weeks, will be interesting to see how the new digital read out on the new electrickery meter gets on with that!

Kept myself warm today emptying the oldest compost bin on what beds I had prepared. I only have about 1/3rd of it left now which should do the last few beds that still need prepping & weeding. (Except I won't use the corner near the hedge as I won't touch that as that's where the Adder lays her eggs). As I was digging I noted so much plastic & bits which confused me as I am pretty meticulous in keeping that stuff out, although I was pleased to find the long handled little fork. (Oops)! During the dig I found at least 8 rat nests all lined with loads off chewed plastic, feathers, plastic coated wire & even plant labels. No wonder I have so many rats, they are all migrating to my plot for the preloved runs & nests & joining the condo. No wonder the Adder lays her eggs there as the condo has an onsite restaurant for her hatchlings!

Westi, Adders don't lay eggs they retain them and give birth to live young, hence the term viviparous birth, it is the reason why they exist in the north of Scotland and the other snakes we have don't as the eggs perish.

TBH Tiger I never got close enough to see any eggs just an assumption. When I found this but there were about 1/2 dozen angry little adders. My neighbour was helping me clear this last bit as he wanted some of the compost as it was about 6/7 yrs old, dark & lovely - never seen an 80yr old run so fast! Operation was & still is postponed as neither of us want to investigate that any further.

Adders give birth in the autumn and the young, whose venom is just as powerful as their parents, go straight into hibernation and live off the egg sac inside them, they then emerge with the adults in the Spring.

Thanks Tiger!

I'm pretty sure that area would have been used by them again for sure it is just perfect for them & also the farmer has grown nothing in the field for the past 3 yrs while the railway was having some pretty big work on it to secure up the tunnels underneath that are the farmers access into their fields. Work is now completed but I think I will just leave that corner alone, they don't wander down the plot at all so must go back across the field as they are known to sun bath on the gravel on the embankments. Unlike the cheeky big female that used to live on the plot but she was collected by the rangers & re-homed when she decided to extend her range.

Must admit. I didn't know they were born alive.

Nature is a mysterious thing, Shallot Man, always full of wonderful surprises and the odd nasty one too….