Summer's over

[alan refail]

Now that the bad weather has reached southern England, I note that the papers today are announcing the end of summer.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weath ... ember.html

As some of you may have noticed from my recent posts, the summer ended in North-west Wales on the first day of July

In Welsh July is Gorffenaf, which translates as Summer's end. Those old Celts certainly knew something

Having said that, there has been some fine sunny and warm weather since last weekend. From the forecast it looks as though Scotland and Northern Ireland are enjoying some fine weather at the moment; though I wonder whether our forum members in Scotland would say that the summer has even begun yet

[Nature's Babe]

Yes, and the blackberries are ripening too, they used to ripen in september.
All it needs now is for me to see the great flocks of geese flying overhead on their way back to canada from romney marsh, they are a pretty good indicator that summers at an end.

[alan refail]

Yes, and the blackberries are ripening too

Not here they're not

[Clive.]

..and the rats and mice are coming back into the gardens.....

.....and an interested observer pointed out to me queen bumble bees out foraging and thus he said getting ready to hibernate.............

Clive.

[oldherbaceous]

Well, i predict a heatwave still to come!

[alan refail]

Well, i predict a heatwave still to come!

We're promised one for tomorrow

[Nature's Babe]

Blackberry and apple crumble on the menu here tonight, first pickings.
Also my purple grapes almost that deep plum colour, last year I was picking ripe grapes outside in november, so hopefully I fed a vine into the greenhouse and its paid off, laden now, the outdoor vines are way behind.

[Mike Vogel]

A few years ago an American historian called Fujiyama announced that the end of communist Russia spelled the end of History. So I don't believe in the end of summer either.

On the other hand, given that I bought a Whale Gusher Titan water pump last week, I should have known what would happen. I hang my head in shame; I should have bought it in June.

[glallotments]

Summer ended here in July too but it hasn't stopped our blackberries ripening although someone seems to be helping themselves to them.

[Geoff]

Had my first Blackberry and Apple yesterday - Blueberry cheesecake today, eaten outside. Just come in after a beautiful evening with wine on the patio after mowing lush grass for 4½ hours.

[Monika]

Summer MUST be over because I did the first autumn digging today! No, actually, now that the pea plants have dropped their nitrogen nodules back into the soil, we burned them today, together with their buddleia pea sticks, then I dug the ground and sowed it with phacelia, grazing rye and winter vetch for green manure.
I have found that the earlier it gets into ground, the thicker it grows and will allow a mowing or scything before re-growth and then digging it in early next year.

[Bren]

We had our first good days rain yesterday and today here in B'rum, for the past weeks we had decent weather just the odd 5 minute showers maybe not quiet summer, warm enough to go out in a t. shirt, with the results that the soil is like dust on the allotment. No need for the watering can for the next few days.
Bren