Magazine style - all inclusive

[alp]

Got the greenhouse with a lot of broken glass panes. Such a lot of hard work. Thank heavens a friend with experience of dismantling and putting up 3 greenhouses came along and help, or we wouldn't even know how to remove the clips! Such a nice real friend!

And now more junk in the house to be viewed 1pm.

Parted company with my Bird of paradise and I keep the little non-flowering one. I have immortalised its last look here

The hen coop was snapped up by another discerning bidder! The other one that I want is now rising in price in steadily, helped by bidder ***205 3 times. I don't think I will bid for it as the price
will go through the roof. Got to tidy up the house for the viewing. Yesterday, it rained heavily for 20 minutes and basically drought is in sight.

Indian Chiefs are singing, despite the freezing cold and bracing wind!

 

[Zenj]

Morning to all a cold night forecast was real feel -5c so covered a few tender plants we have had a couple of minute drops of rain but no down pours for quite a while breezy and cold today.

 

[alp]

No downpour for quite a while in NE! !I feel your pain.

I hope the last photo is that of Lobelia Tupa and wonder if Perki can confirm please. If so, this will make my day, apart from the new light blue iris and the roasted lunch/dinner!

 

[Perki]

Your Iris are looking good alp , they look like Lobelia tupa underside of the leaf are reddish colour.

I've had enough rain here make it stop wrap up the wisteria again forecast was 0'C last night not sure if it froze though and 1'C tonight .

 

[alp]

Lucky you, Perki ! I wish I could say the same. I'm out with my BEGGING bowl for rain!

Had a viewing and the man just barged in and left his mum, wife and daughter behind. Before I could finish talking about the security offered by having 2 doors to the front, the man had already darted to the garden and they conversed in their own language. He needed another WC on the ground floor. Then he asked me how much my asking price for. Before I knew, he left and his family just hurried along.

Glad that I have the light blue iris and it had a slight fragrance. Whilst watching 100K house, I found out that there was squally shower outside. Quickly rescued my hens and chicks and I was literally drenched. Then came back all wet and after I changed, the blessed rain stopped.

Later, I twisted nasty neighbour's downpipe so that the rain could water the irises that you saw along the wall. One of the twins did ask me if I wanted the rain water, but I disliked them so much that I said no. Any way, renters not home, so I just removed the last screw and removed the bricks they had to build in after I said no.

This morning, I had secured the hen cage and later whilst I was walking near the bamboos, I heard some gentle croaking. No prize for guessing, Baldie had escaped, AGAIN, and was resting there. I had a look after she left and saw THREE EGGS there. Lordy, I wonder if she's broody. I put them indoors and weighed all of them 64 to 69g. A bit on the small size. But hey, suddenly manna from heavens in the shape of 3 eggs. Not bad.

All my cistuses are in bloom, though only one flower for the small white one and one for the one with spot.

I guess my rain spell is over!

 

[Perki]

Its not lucky if you don't want the rain

 

[alp]

Its not lucky if you don't want the rain

Now, now, now. Don't be churlish! I'm crying for it. OK! I know what you mean. I don't think I can live your way. It will depress me no ends. The only upside is that the grass is always greener and air probably fresher! AND you have views! Watched a couple escaping to the country in Monmouthshire! River Rye is just gorgeous and the views so uplifting. Saw a farm (4 acres) on sale for £350k in Spalding 6 greenhouse, several polytunnels and even reservoirs. Holy smoly (is there such a phrase? Now, there is!) I so want to buy it.

I did detect a slight red hint on the underside of the leaves. A lot way to go. But hey, there is hope. I really love your tupa! Like Lupin tree, only more interesting. There is a terrible chill in the air and I had sown some sweetcorn and colourful carrots last time we went. Oh, dear! The weather here is just so temperamental. Must be freezing zenj's way!

 

[Perki]

Yes everything green, first time I've ever seen lawns dry out last year but the lobelia Tupa loved the warm dry weather best its ever done, its a 2-3inch tall at the moment and you've got to keep an eye on slugs they don't always go for it but nibble at it .

 

[alp]

Thank you for the advice, Perki! I bought 2 trays of delphiniums and I added coffee grinds to the plants right after planting. I won't plant the Tupa out in a hurry. I will feed them and will plant them out when they are tall and big enough. I always planted my young plants too early and SS had them.

No rain last night, and it's awfully chilly today. Had to go and get some top soil from a lady whose house we went yesterday. She had her kitchen done and I took loads of her cardboards to line the chicken cages (one for dog and one for chinchilla) The hens tend to kick over the water feeder and wetted the newspaper used to line the cage and it's not nice for them to pass the night on wet newspaper. I wish I could talk some sense into them.

The three eggs I found behind the bamboos next to the dwarf wall

The heaviest I have recorded is 79g!

This hardy orchid slipper is different from the yellow one.

Very pleased that they are different. There is NO flower in another pot. I bought 3 pots last year and they are supposed to grow next to stream and moist area. I saw Brian in The Beechgrove Garden planting them in one episode.

 

[alp]

It's so cold that I finally turned on the central heating. Did 4 solid hours of turning the soil in the allotment and planted out some hydrangeas, one black raspberry, one red gooseberry. There are tons of rhubarbs there, one clump of spinach and one green gooseberry in the allotment.

Amaryllis Sparticus is flowering, amazingly with all the neglect, it has 2 flowering stem!

A very confused looking self seeded wall flower!

Weigela

This flowering viburnum is actually from B&Q. Sorry BQ!

Some white allium

Canna from the greenhouse dismantled.

A hedychium

Clematis Josephine

Watched Out of Africa last night and it made me cry. Line of Duty, not so!

 

[alp]

Been out for 3 hours in the allotment. The lady next plot suggested me not turn all the soil around, but just planted on top. That might be a good idea. It's too slow and too painful.

Gillian Blades clematis with very strong frilly edges

This is so beautiful Argy is the name I'm going to call it. Ha!

This is a before photo as we left in a hurry and all these potted plants had already been planted when we left.

Tomorrow, I will plant some vine, some strawberries and some pak choi and salad leaves. The lady next plot told me that it is very sunny and hot where our plots are.

Came home with tons of spinach leaves and my Baldie snubbed the leaves. Now that they are cooked, I realise that they are Perpetua! Ooops .. Not the tastiest of Spinach! They will go to the compost bin tomorrow!

 

[alp]

Italian town puts 500 abandoned homes up for sale for €1 each - but the lucky buyers must renovate them within three years or hand them back

• Mussomeli in southern Sicily is putting the empty properties up for sale online after rural residents left for city
• Some of the homes are small, but offer stunning views across the countryside and have multiple bedrooms
• The catch is that buyers have to renovate the houses within three years or face losing their deposit of $8,000

Wish I were Italian now. I love the price and "stunning views across the countryside ..".

Have to say, those streets are giving me headache already.

 

[alp]

For once, I have won a proper bid! Glad that the whole thing has been dismantled as well, saving a lot of stress.

Red peony is in flower and now that my camera has got a date stamped on it, I am so much more conscious of the time of flowering of various plants.

My allium Gladiator is in flower, but it is very small. I can't believe it's a GLADIATOR! Even my purple sensation looks more assertive and proud!

Salvia greggii Mirage™ Cherry Red

Thousands of Montana Rubens

Lovely tiny geranium with so many details.

Lilac pink bluebells - so beautiful!

Gladiator is a bit emaciated.

The colour of Purple Sensation is simply stunning!

Tulip - such a wide variety of shapes and colour and still flowering!

 

[alp]

Supposed to go to the allotment, but can't find the bus pass, AGAIN!

Got the hen coop from a guy who used to live in the next busy main road. What a co-incidence.

The sky is overcast, but no rain and photos look very bad. My stipa gigantea is flowering! Hurrah! Baldie was removed from the chair after this photo! Cheeky! Thinks she's human!

First oriental poppy and sorry for the colour as it was so overcast and it's 6pm

First clematis Majorie. Shame it was so high and I had to use the flash and it took ages for to actually capture the flower which was high up.

Calibrachoa Can Can Pink and yet my label says Starlight Blue! I am soooooo hopeless! But by Jove, it is a pretty plant and no deadheading needed. Thank you to Mark56 for introducing this to me!

 

[alp]

Properly raining now. I think about an hour or 2 as the slim butt is not yet full. Thank heavens for wetting my garden a bit. I had been waiting and waiting and finally, heavens is opening, though a bit tentatively.

I will be very happy if it rains like this

Going to sow more seeds.

Just read that Liverpool is through. I hope they get something as they might not win the premiership! What a comeback!