Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

I direct sowed a lot of cosmos and they are now a bit late. I have only one of this pink double cupcake.

Ace of hearts is supposed to look like this

My Ace of Hearts has lost its heart!

Rose is so happy

Clematis Josephine with my gala apples

My first and foremost favorite dahlia Myrtle's Folly!

Coreopsis

Salvia Nachtvlinder

Salvia Patens

 

[alp]

hdclump.com

This is Powerscourt, County Wicklow!

 

[alp]

My newish camera has arrived and it was wrapped up about 5 layers. The outer one is black box wrapped up all around and I thought it was a bomb. After removing 3 different steps of bubble wraps, it revealed a box.
It's chucking down and hence the light level is a bit poor.

\

This one is taken with the small Samsung PL221.

This bigger camera cost me £34.10. Light and comes with 2 extra batteries. So lovely. But photo quality wise, 221 is better.

Under £55 for 2 cameras! Well chuffed.

 

[Perki]

Evening wet day again . Took my motorbike for a service / MOT today hopefully its ready tomorrow or before weekend . I haven't really done anything in the garden I ma just watching it look more tired by the day , going to have hell of list of jobs to do though when we have a proper frost.

Thinking of getting rid of my large standard white Buddleia , its nice when it flowers all of two weeks give or take and that's it, I have tried growing a clematis through it to extend the season but its so dense you can't even see it. I've got my eye on a Parrotia another plant I've hand a crush on for a while a four season delight . I probably will order tomorrow just got to ask one of my clients if they what to add a Viburnum plicatum shasta or shoishi to the order. The original viburnum I were getting for this client were V.P. kiliamanjo but its crazy money for any substantial plant , it probably cause it got Chelsea Plant of the year 5-6years ago.

 

[alp]

Good morning to all:

A total wet day here as well. Rain from 6am onward and wouldn't stop until 2pm and then just spitting. The ground was wet and slippery.

I never really liked buddleia, but I saw one with dark purple flowers with glowing pink centre and I just couldn't help myself. So I bought it from Springtime in Enfield. Black Knight

If it's a standard, it would allow under-planting, which I like very much. I trimmed all my roses to be a false standards and now I have 2 fake and 2 genuine. Yes, unless I had an acre, I would make sure my plants work hard. But even my irises only flower for a short while and the heat turns them into a mess in no time. Very pleased that I have 2 rebloomers.

I have got a Kilimanjaro and it was voted best plant of 2015. I think I paid £3 to 7. That's was when Wyevale was getting rid of their plants. Some even £1, but I let some die because of neglect, heat and poor soil bound. I have quite a few Viburnum p Mariesiis as they were going for £1. I even have a Perfume Princess Daphne for £2 this year. Perki, you need to move. Now is a good time to go round to get what you can get for cheap. One well established clematis went for £1. Mind you, you have to negotiate amidst the Xmas shoppers (could be Zenj with his grandkids) .. When we were in Tesco, some tod called me grandmummy. I wish I were. I would do all sorts with her!

Son organised the cameras for me. If you have nothing to do or if it rains, I highly recommend hdclump.com Beautifully shot gardens, exquisite music ...

Not such a bad day!

 

[alp]

A very busy day from 1pm onwards to 5.45pm. Lugging sand, pebbles, nearly 20 times back and forth to the new greenhouse. The base, if the concrete holds, is finished. Missed a day for laundry as the weather has been gorgeous.

Testing out my bigger camera!

Salvia Ignition Purple

Dahlia Colour Spectacle

Could be Special X Factor!

Totally Tangerine

Rudbackia Laciniata

Prolific Josephine which I will award AlpAward!

I am dead - this should have been red and now it looks pink! Ummm....

#

All is not lost.

 

[Perki]

More rain again today like yesterday and more rain forecast for tomorrow . I would of thought the large camera would take a better picture I would image its has a larger sensor. Not sure what to do with myself today not working due to the weather like most of the week . Got my bike back yesterday from its service / Mot another £180 gone its not a bad price really just don't like forking out for it, especially now I'll be putting the bike away for winter at the end of the month.

 

[alp]

Small camera

The red is a mess!

I'm afraid there are various factors and these cameras are all very old. And yet the old one PL70 beat them on low light and details, but they all seem to have problems with red, magenta as they seem to have lost a lot of details when the flowers are red. As it has been windy, so I hope they will fare better when it's calmer. For £56 for 2 cameras, not bad. They are both 16mpx. In fact, one is 16.40mpx.

We have had a clear day. Cloudy, but no rain until a bit of spit around 5pm.

It's going to be rain for you again, Perki! I feel for you. Even Newcastle has some sunshine. Monty talked about peat and there are a lot of arguments about peat. Trouble is a lot of peat free compost contains human excrement as well. Unless you pay a lot of money, peat free compost is a hard one to sell. There isn't that water retentive element in peat free compost. Watched an episode of Gardens, here and far away in which a garden in Sweden add garden waste and animal organs to make good compost. Wonder what the vegtarians think about that?

Also remember a colour couple farming in Scotland and they don't use any thing related animals in their soil. Comfrey or nettle soup? No horse manure! I wish I lived near the sea. Very interesting. I really admire them.

Tomorrow, we'll going gallivanting!

 

[alp]

This crime has come to my attention because of the unbridled greed of the killer. And now this reactionary is accusing Pope Francis for daring to be inclusive. It's all very sad that some people are trapped in the wrong bodies. I read this news article and I wish I could hear what the penguins were saying and tell them where to get a fertilised egg!

Some more photos from Hyde Hall

Euonymus Red wine! Interesting.

Joe Swift in my neighbourhood Long House nursery in GW

Have a good day!

 

[Zenj]

Rain rain and more rain not gardening weather so baked a Dorset apple cake with own grown apples from the garden delicious.

 

[alp]

You meant your wife did it or was it you? That looks lovely. I have had a poor harvest. The best white from Lidl only left me with one apple. All the others went half mouldy and fell by the way side. Having said that, the lone one was delicious. One gala apple didn't seem to be ripe and Yesterday, I saw a hole along the stem. Tasted a bit powdery. So the hens and I shared chopped bits. One greedy one kept biting my finger! No reward for the wicked!

 

[Zenj]

All my own work I like to cook ....

 

[alp]

All my own work I like to cook ....

Your wife is one lucky lady! The only help I get from my Little Emperor is when I cooked spaghetti. He will autormatically go and get the spaghetti.

Do you look Indian or just English? I used to cook quite a bit of Indian. After having little emperor, I was not allowed gravy or sauce. Virgin rice was the only way forward.

 

[Zenj]

I do a decent balti , and Keralan curry from scratch and like to dabble with soups and broths now and again .

 

[alp]

I do a decent balti , and Keralan curry from scratch and like to dabble with soups and broths now and again .

I love balti. Went to Shropshire and there had the best Balti. Now and then would buy some ready made sauces, but they were rubbish. Just salt. I have 2 roast dinners every week. Mostly chickens, sometimes pork and last time we bought 6 ducks for £20 in Farmshop, but there was very little meat. I love chicken legs, son breasts, so we're all happy. Son would remove all the crispy skin whilst the chicken was still warm and lovely. Very happy to see a happy boy! And he said, nothing beats meat!

Also, I love medium cooked beef - with lots of marble in the meat and even fat. Very creamy and tasty. Last time, the steak for my son was so raw that he wouldn't eat it. Thank you very much, I said! LOL!

I'd love to make soup, but my Little Emperor would fake sick. No mushroom for me either as he would literally be SICK! Must google a proper recipe for Balti. I love Italian, especially with cheese. The peppadew chilli with cheese from Lidl is my favorite. I could lick the plate. I saw Yorkshire man James Martin cooked a risotto and he emptied a whole triangle of parmasen into the dish and then said, "In a posh restaurant, this could cost you £40! I believe him, with that much parmasen!

With Gordon Ramsey, all I can remember was that he used tons of butter! TONS!