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alp

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Ooops! Buyer pulled out this morning and I was soooooooooooo haaaaaaaaaaaaaappy!

I just couldn't deal with the stress. Saw a footballer's wife's house - all fluffy and minimal garden. Put in an offer and came home bursting into tears as I would never be happy there and the posh neighbours would abhor at my Kusco crowing! Not that I care, but it's inhumane to lock the hens up in such a confined space. Then I put an offer on a detached house on a great location, but replacing everything would drain my possible proceeds. I need the money to live on; and my estate agent didn't want me to buy it as they wanted me to buy the detached from them. This latter didn't seem to have gas central heating! I wouldn't mind if gas supply was already in situ. I had mine reconnected and it only cost me money to have the whole central heating installed. I remember I phoned National Grid to come and see if the supply could be reinstated. The young man sniffed and declared he smelt MONEY. I was jubilated. I got someone in to install the gas and after that, the kitchen was like a bomb site and it was like dealing with a void, I managed to get someone living nearby to install my kitchen.

I am not afraid of the work or renovation involved, but the cracks in the outside wall the strange facade did put me off. The "structural engineer" builder told me he would charge me £120 for the whole report. It's like being whacked before admitting guilty. Any way, I was travelling out of town every day to view 2 houses. The worst agency to deal with is Colourbricks. The man in my area ALWAYS rejected my requested viewing times. When I asked him to come and give me an estate, he said, "I live just up the road and I know the property value here, there is no way you can ask for that money!" That's it, I phoned up the central unit to make sure he would not come. That's the way estate agents sell your houses - name a low price and shift your property quickly. When I got an offer of £375K, the estate agent said I would never get an offer higher than that. I took the house back in and whilst everyone was celebrating Christmas, I was removing woodchips, and the dust of the rewiring went everywhere. I got £396k from the last buyer. The stress of having to move out quickly was impossible to describe. Just like the lovely couple who had 180 foot garden with an aviary, a huge upright hen coop, a ferret mansion. How do you expect them to move fast? I am going to find some more allotment plots to shift my plants a bit.

Now, I feel a void. Son and I agreed that we wouldn't put the house on the market until he has found a steady job. This job that he has now hasn't even paid him and he started the job 5 May. The petrol costs him a packet AND the hourly rate is mean! However, it's good that he has a job and through it, he learns a bit about work, his ability and real life such as pension, holiday pay, none of which he will be entitled to in this mean job.

The sun is out. Went to the allotment earlier and yet the lock to the shed jammed and to top it all, it rained. Richard told me to go to his shed whilst he was on his way out. But I decided to come home as I couldn't do anything without a fork and gloves. Got some pineapple bits, salad and even evil rhubarbs for my hens. Horrible tasting rhubarb! I mixed it with ice-cream, but no! Going to pick the small strawberries for me hens! So want to hold them, but at the moment, they are confined to my hen house and pet run. Goldie is not eating and is crowing like a hen! Some identity crisis!
 

alp

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There is a clump of very dark cloud in the sky east of us, but the sun is shining through. Would love to have another day of rain as the butts are not completely full.

It took me 3 years to see this Mr G F Hemerik
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A tearose

Ballerina French lavender
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Candytuft - loyal and trusted.
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These altroemerias are so happy in my garden. No watering needed.

Knautia bought for bees!
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I ate one of these Borage flowers and the fishy, oily taste made me sick. Never again. Remember that girl who ate it raw in front of the camera!

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55086


I'm rain poor whilst others are screaming for it to stop! Was watching Botany last night and forgot about GW! Love that programme!

Article on Giant Hogweed

55087
 
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alp

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55146


Translated into English - no rain today! Last night, I thought it was pouring down. No, it was the dishwasher!

My pink alstroemeria is blooming

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penstemons are out, but the Mother of Pearl and Sour Grapes are all nowhere to be found. :banghead: :cry::inpain:
 

alp

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Biggie! Biggest so far - 83g!
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alp

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Hens have been having sweet corns, stirfry salad, melon strips for meals!

Got it all wrong! Caught several times by the flash rains! Went to see a house with a huge garden, big kitchen and yet it's 10 feet from a very busy road. The blessed dog made me want to puke! Poor thing! 15 years' old! I should have shown my clemency! But the smell was so upsetting and the owner was using a fume/perfume exhaling device!

Went to my fab gc and bought a lupin for £1, a peony Butterfly, Coral Sunset, Coral Fay. £3 each in a 2L and one with a 5L pot. How could I say no?

Just watched quite a few videos about how to make leaf mould, how to plant clematis. Ooops! I did it all wrong!

Lovely Begonia from last year!

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Who's been having a feast at my expense?! :banghead: :inpain: That's my iris seedhead!
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Lovely Petunia Pirouette!
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alp

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Good morning to a fine and dry day

55195


And I have my first home grown Stipa Gigantea seed harvest. Just sterilised some compost and then will trial them.

Watched a lot of gardening video snippets last night. When I replant my clematises, I will put the "knowledge"into practice. Goldie is rasping :cry: :eek::inpain: and possibly heading south!
 

alp

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Watched this video.

Glad that the laptop doesn't have an olfactory function, so it all looks romantic and impossibly sweet on screen. But no thanks, no pets or paws in my house!

Handsome, statuesque Acanthus Mollis, out to conquer and annexe my front border!

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Demure and heady agastache and the apricot one is still fighting for its place in the border!
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@DrCase - can't do close up like yours or @Zenj 's, but it's a START! Can't wait for my Martagon lilies to flower, hopefully, this year!
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alp

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Wow! You've orchids growing in your garden? Amazing!

I was hot and bothered as my ISP said I would have to stay with them until 2021 January and is charging me £30 per month. I phoned up and argued my case.

Now that I have seen these flowers and stunning photos with exquisite details, I forgot my annoyance. Such a tonic! Lovely stunning details. I think I won't post any pics today so that others can relish your artistry, Zenj !;):joyful:
 

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Ah, any phone call the a staff member said someone made a mistake and that I didn't need to pay £200 plus for fine if I left early. The date should have read January 2020, not 2021! Some sick joke!

Thank you for the lovely photos. I looked at them again and again! Orchids in your garden? Wow! Just caught up with Escape to the country. Lovely Yorkshire - vales and dales and water .. I wish I had the guts to leave the 3 bedroom semi mould and break out of the cage and conventional thinking ...
 

alp

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Nice flowers and stunning photos to all! Lovely clarity, @DrCase !

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How do they justify their £1m bonus, the Met Office? Doctors, teachers, nurses don't get bonuses! I watched the weather reports and they said tonight it was going to rain heavily, not it's all changed. Perhaps, no need to watch the weather reports at all!

You know that I like a bit of genetic modification. Yesterday, I was forced to do a bit of behaviour modification, the Pavlov way. When things are free, they are for a reason and the lovely Silkie called Kusco was a free gift, and yesterday I found out why.

IT CROWED NON-STOP! IT CROWED NON-STOP! IT CROWED NON-STOP! IT CROWED NON-STOP!

AND I SAW RED!

Was out trying to remove honeysuckle and a bit of hypericum as the fences were groaning under their weight. The last storm didn't help and the old metal poles snapped at the concrete base. I saw £££!

Kusco was crowing non-stop, as if declaring he were the only male in town as Goldie's voice had now gone raspy and ga-tock, rather than cro-ca-do-du-doo!

I was really embarrassed as this is Greater London and even though my neighbours hadn't complained, it's not nice. So every time Kusco crowed, I used a stick to hit the cage, near where he was declaring supreme. After doing it about 10 times, he got the gist! I've found out that if I stood near him, he would stop the non-stop screeching. I think a cutout of me might be useful! LOL!

I was stung by a wasp whilst clearing the hypericum. It left me with the sting and I squeezed and squeezed out the substance after removing the pin. The smelling and tingling sensation are gone now. I saw several of them hovering round the base of the hypericum, immediately I vacated the spot and that spelt the end of the clearing.

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There was a velvety sheen in the Jackmanii and the pirouette, but my attempts to capture have fallen flat! Ah, it's seared in my memory!
 

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alp

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Let go of 4 butts as I was expecting thunder and lightning and downpour. It was a trickle! :banghead: :unsure:

All very dark and miserable! Just watched Escape to the country and the man is buying a house facing a decommissioned reservoir where you can fish trouts. Gosh! Such a wonderful property and I said to myself - If I had a property like that, all I needed to do is just to keep alive. Wonderfully quiet and no neighbours!

Heavens are displeased with my moan and the trickle has stopped!

Steady rain, but not heavy now.

2nd Waterlily
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Allium Gigantea at its best, I think!
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Alstroemeria blooming in the heat earlier. It was so humid and sunny and rain was the last thing I believed would happen!
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Another reduced delphinium - I wonder if I could keep this alive for next year! They all died on me! And I did have some stunners!
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Manhatten Lights Lupin £1
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See the metal pole! The concrete fell out and the fence is going to collapse. Behind was the stems of the hypericum where I was stung by a wasp.

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My first Trollius Chinensis of the year and I have only 2 more buds! Ouch! Shame there wasn't much light late morning when I snapped these!

Hope there will be more rain tonight as my soil is so dry still.
 
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