Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

Gosh! That's a big and beautiful bird! Big enough for me to see if I did see a real one! My eyesight is so poor, not to mention the newly disagnosed Glaucoma, I always lament the fact that I can't see birds and yet they tease me with very unusual singing, not like those of a tits! Cornell U is the one with the programme and youtube videos on Birds of paradise. I just love watching those exotic birds. In fact, I like both bird of paradise, birds as well as plants!

 

[alp]

Talking about wildlife: This video makes me chuckle. In the home front, squirells might have chewed up a thick black cord which I used to act as a support for my apple tree to grow on. Very annoyed. They also walked back and forth on the fence, causing quite a bit of damage, not to mention the ubiquitous peanuts.

This video also makes me laugh. Well, yes, NHS is what US needs! The UK is so humane as a country, even giving £££ as aid to China! Ooops!

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Trump is bidding goodbye. What a saga!

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Filled another planter with a freegled yucca. Helper had seen plants in a skip and told the owner to leave them out for me and we went along and rescued a dressmaking mannequin and some scafford boards as well. It was very fruitful. I gave away the dressmaking tool which was ideal as a sewing aid as it came with numerous adjustable buttons. 2 people asked for it. Very good that it didn't go to the tip and jam up the environment. I had to trim the Yucca root ball to size and it went in the 2nd planter with Comic pear tree, Some bulb planters of which I have about 7 or 8. At this rate, I will need more planters spanning the entire 40 foot long front paved area.

Also removed plants from one greenhouse to the newly erected and insulated one. The evening sun shines right into this one, making it warm and toasty. I emailed to thank my helper as it felt like a luxury. To rebuild a greenhouse is no easy task.

I erected a washing line pole with a bit of cement and ballast. Hope it stands up-right for a long time. Cooked a lot of carrots, butternut squash and kale leaves for the hens. Also fed them watermelon. They turned up their nose at the latter. All very sad. I wish they would eat something other than pellets. I might sprout some alfafa seeds for them to eat or even wheat and corn.

Daphne is in flower, but I couldn't smell any scent and the flowers are tiny. Lucky that I bought them reduced to £1 to £5. No big loss. In between the blousy Clematis Josephine and daphne, I know which one I prefer, especially when land is at a premium!

 

[alp]

The weather yesterday was gorgeous. High visibility, enough wind to dry my gilets, and nice and dry to work in the garden.

Elieen's Dream ensata iris

A very nice freegler lady who kept giving me this beautiful mimulus cuttings (so many that I am embarrassed to say), but finally some have successfully rooted. I have now 2 pots of cuttings!

Daphne saying hello in November

Penstemon Arabesque Red F1

Trollius Chinensis budding

More or less completed greenhouse no 1

Salvia Guarantica Black on Blue

A very tentative Stained Glass bought from Hillcrest last year - cost me £13!

 

[alp]

My brother who must be 70 to 80 years old, has a grandson on 13 November. He was so happy that he went to our father's grave to ask him to protect the baby and told him that we now had someone to carry on the family tree. It was fantastic to be sent a video in which the baby turned his head and stared at the camera! Pure bliss! My brother had been salivating for a grandson for a long time, and I'm getting impatient for mine too. At the mo, the chickens will ease a bit of longing.. until they dug holes everywhere. Today, they will be confined to a smaller area. The nibbled my fennels and re-arranged my hellebores. I am not amused.

Ooops! Those cuttings were not from Mimulus! My friend told me. I need to try again. She sent me this marvellous orchid which is now bearing tons of flower and I reckon it will look like that for months to come. Orchids look so perfect for such a long time when they flower.

16 flowers/buds on one stem and there are some more on the other!

Eileen's Dream will be very pretty today as the weather is supposed to be sunnier than yesterday!

Cafe Au Lait still going strong!

So is cherry pie

alstroemeria just keep giving!

Helenium is a bit sad.

Coreopsis raised from seed

Lady in Red are very happy, being warmed by the traffic fumes.

One more planter to add to these two. I hope nobody is going to walk home with my plants. Helper took 3 watering cans from a household skip up the road and the red one is brand new! Amazing the things people throw away.

Have a nice day and keep safe!

 

[alp]

Thompson and Morgan has an offer on Nerine, very tempted.

Did a lot yesterday. Emptying the unwanted the raised be and tried to concentrate on a few. Whilst digging the soil, hens were hovering around and some ate about 20 worms. They are digging holes everywhere. I was supposed to restrict their movement, but they could fly. Before long, they were everywhere!

Gaura seems to be very happy here

Daphne bholua enjoys its spot.

This snapdragon is forever in flower, but the camera is useless capturing its details.

Madame Julie Correvon is having the last flush of the year. It hasn't been happy this year.

Primula auricula

Self seeded nicotiana enjoying the heat from the low wall. The fenceman said I needed to remove all this low wall if I want to have fences erected. Too much for me to do.

This year, Dhalia Teesbrooke Audrey has given me a lot of seeds. Even Rejman's Firecracker has given me seeds. I'm not sure they are viable. I will test them.

Very serene and charming!

Gee! Wish we had waited!

Rejoin today and save 25% on membership, plus receive a £15 RHS Garden Centre voucher

 

[alp]

What a cold day it was yesterday! Bet it must be like snowfall day for the north. We were clothed in grey the whole day.

Well, free range chickens are happy chickens, but the same can't be said for the owner. They poo ed everywhere, even in the motorway and then they took a fancy to my Brussel Sprouts. I don't particularly like Sprouts, but as the seed packet was reduced to 50p, I bought one Marte F1. Whilst reducing the number of seed beds, I removed some kale which had been sampled by SS. I took the perfectly looking top leaves and some sprouts and cooked them. They turned out to be delicious! I replanted the uprooted sprout, but yesterday the chickens broke free of the dam and they sauntered into the garden. One greedy gut pecked at the sprouts and I was so annoyed. To stop them digging for worms in my other raised beds, I fenced some off with a 3 inch fence. They breached it and even jumped up to the higher raised dwarf wall where they ate other leaves, as if sticking up 2 fingers at me! LOL!

Cold it might be, fuchsias are still going strong!

See the snowflakes - the photo was taken 3pm and the plant is near the busy main road, and yet you can see hold cold it was!

I will order one more planter to reduce the pollution.

 

[Zenj]

Morning all
Heavy frost last night very cold this morning ...

 

[alp]

Morning all
Heavy frost last night very cold this morning ...

Just fed the chickens and I had to boil the water and mix it with feed (carrots and potatoes all meshed in). Nice and warm for them. We're lucky, it's quite mild today. I'm need to use the nematodes, One received 21st whilst the expiry date was 17th. Geeeeeeee! Shouldn't have bought them as it suddenly had turned cold. Had to use them (another replacement lot came and these are in date). Need to use them or it will be freezing again. This cold temperature really has ruined my plan.

Keep warm and have a nice day, Zenj! You'll have a bright day, I think!

 

[Perki]

Hi I hope all are well , sorry to hear you've got glaucoma alp .

Haven't really had a hard frost yet had a light frost the other day, seem to get fog when frost is forecast.

I haven't really done anything in the garden for the past two week , just didn't feel like doing anything at all . I did cut some heleniums back yesterday thinking about it and moved some pots into their winter home.

 

[alp]

Perki: Eat well to look after your body. It's not nice to have glaucoma. The optician said it had to be with UV level. We had severe frost and fog. The frost was so hard even that gathered on the chrysan next to the busy road was hard to shift. At this time of the year, cutting less might protect your plants more. How are all your family and friends, @DrCase, @Zenj and @Perki? I haven't known another person having this Covid? How's your sis's test and how is she? so far, I have only known one case and heard about 1 death in Queen. Don't know the person.

Bumped into a former surgery receptionist. She told me that the people living in the affluent areas of this borough, such as Gidea Park, thought they were untouchable and that's why the rate was so high. This borough is well off (not me!) compared with Redbridge, but we have now rate higher than Redbridge where lived a lot SE Asians who have big extended families and might go to mosques. It was probably because some cases of deaths were recorded in the infamous Queen's Hospital.

The dreaded queues were sprining up everywhere. We didn't even go to Springtime where I got my lovely dahlia tubers. People drove into the overflow car park and I had headache seeing how jam-packed the original car park was and swerved to Enfield GC and the lovely Wolden gc.

Don't worry! He knew I was filming him. Quite funky!

Wolden was very well presented, as usual and the flowers looked so fresh, not a hint of dying season!

Obviously, the season is too early for these hellebores, but they were in flowers, albeit not very well developed.

a lovely pink camelia

All hellebores

It's a lovely place to go into, much better than Enfield British GC

Enfield British GC had a lot of perfect orchids on sale! So perfect!

Part of Enfield all for Xmas trees!

Lily. part of Spring Promise series in Enfield British GC. Bought a £5 12kg seeds for wildbirds, and 3 helenium Auttumnal Gold £1 each. I'm going to split thm into probably 10 pots. Love all helemiums!

Last night, I was so thirsty that I drank half a bottle of milk. Some foods just make you angry, thirsty. Processed foods were the worst. I was still thirsty after that milk and a glass of water and you can imagine why people say foods for children should ban additives which modify their behaviours. I can imagine some children angry, and yet not knowing why they are because of hidden additive in their foods.

Going to get more woodchips today and join the dreaded queue!

 

[DrCase]

Thanks for asking about my family alp.
So far everyone has avoided getting it, we’re all working and taking precautions.
we do know a few people that lost the battle to COVID-19

 

[alp]

Glad that you and your immediate family have kept safe. It's no laughing matter, DrCase!

My ex asked me if I knew anybody who had got Covid. At that point, we didn't know any case involving friends. It's difficult to gauge or justify the levels of fear and lockdown.

Everybody: Keep well, safe and be happy!

I'd be very happy. Got 5 packets of Raffaello for Christmas! I'm very happy. Some ribeye steaks in the freezer. Some chickens, ducks, pork, Sirloin and rump steaks .. All in the freezer. Just hope there is no power cut.

Got some woodchips and already dumped on the garden area. Today, helper might come (don't bank on it unless he's here to get some tools). Will move the hellebores to the raised bed. Too much to do and the weather is glorious! NOT!

What have you guys bought to make it a perfect Christmas for YOURSELF, I wonder?

 

[Perki]

Raining again today . I know quite a few who has had covid one of my friends has got it now , got it off his partner who works in a care home, one of the neighbours has had it and another one round the corner and some of my clients . My sister fine now , from what my friend said its like having a cold with a hangover .

I haven't done anything for Christmas don't really bother with it now , its not the same as when you are a kid .

 

[alp]

Hope your sister stays clear of your parents for a good while. It's a very nasty thing, Perki! Lose weight is another important thing.

Perki: You need to have children/dog/cat/or even tortoise to bring out the child in you! Haha! Only if you're in a stable relationship. I keep nagging my millennial to hurry up as you want to free up your life so that you can do your own thing when you're 60s, being able to move to where you want and not thinking about if move to Somerset/Devon, how does your son working in Essex go to work every day! Life's lessions aplenty!

Some miserable pics for a miserable day. The front was still glorious with lots of flowers. Read in the news that a child died from air pollution in London. How sad! I need to take out at least 5 plants with leaves to the front where vehicular fumes are killers.

A few poppies at the back. This is the third and not the prettiest. Had a hint of orange. Need to collect orange seeds, but these poppies are very hard to get rid of as their roots tap right to the core of the earth! LOL!

Bought these outdoor cyclamens last year and they have been flowering their socks off!

Well, I did try the nematodes way, but they arrived very late. I had waited one whole year to see these dainties, and so I had to take drastic measure as can be seen from the slug pellets. In the end, 2 packets came and I just watered everywhere.

This ensata is supposed to flower in Spring and is hardy and sun-resistant.

Penstemon is my trusted friend and has been flowering non-stop.

Sprouts = Christmas!

Festive season is upon us! Enjoy! Wonder if Thanksgiving is finished. Thank heavens we don't have it here. I like the idea, but the commercialisation is a stench in the shop! So many ways to tempt you to get into debts. Buy now and pay later. We the nice bankers are showing you how to use credit at ease! Money is the source of all troubles...

Barbara (named after my beautiful friend who lives in Canada), the pretty hen, was ruining my crop. Marte F1 a very good one! She sure is a connoisseur! At first, the holes put me off. I peeled and peeled and cooked the bigger ones. It's delicious and so were the strange, rubbery looking kales which I had killed as their leaves looked inedibly tough.

These sprouts have no bitterness at all. I would try to grow some more next year in the allotment with a net.

 

[alp]

December and Debenham is going bust! Just think of the job losses - so sad!

Don't know about you guys, it was freezing cold yesterday, despite the cheerful uplifting sunshine. My toes were frozen and I had to change shoes 3 times. I had already 2 pairs of trousers. It was simply biting cold.

Cleared one corner for my leaf mould, horse manure and chickens. For the last 4 days, they were inside the coop with a long run, but they were not allowed out as there are now holes and craters everywhere and some plants have been disturbed around the root balls.

Contacted a tree surgeon or garden landscaping business and he said he would dump a lorry load of woodchips to my garden for free. Let's hope it comes soon. I will give him a fiver for his petrol.

Someone had painstakingly removed moss from roof tiles and advertised on facebook to give his hard work away for composting. I jumped at the chance and we now have 6 bags to add to my composting. Would be very useful. The wacky idea people have and it was a really good idea. LOL!

Someone had come into my front garden and decapitated this Cafe Au Lait! Really nasty!

Red Lion alstroemeria just keeps on flowering!

Omega has taken on a fainter colour!

A new purple dahlia!