Drip drip drip little (October) ‘downpours’

Crikey ! What a day. Waterproof clothing tested to the limit – and still found wanting. Supplier informed…

Left the house 8.30am bound for Snowshill, it’s raining. Get to Snowshill – it’s raining. It’s raining all day, harder later in the morning, then again during the afternoon. Get home rather wet – just round the neck and tops of shoulders. And yes, it’s still raining. Worse day for wet weather all year – so can’t really complain.

Realising that my contract ends early December leaves just about 5 more weeks work with the NT. Time has really flown – but really enjoyable and pleased to have made so much difference in all 5 gardens I’m looking after.

Paid a visit to the allotment this week – all looking a little bedraggled, but made some good progress with an addition of a leaf ‘basket’. Decided to put in the effort to collect up as many leaves as possible this year to start making leaf mould. So if you have a source of fallen leaves that you’d want shot of, then let me know, as I might be able to ‘relieve you’ of your problem….

Heard on the radio today that Christmas is only 59 days away. Ummm.

It's been a while ..

It’s been a while since the last entry..

Not too much to blog this time, as I’ve just been so very busy every week – and the work continues (which is good). Also, most days presents different work and challenges which is also good as doing the same activity could get tedious and lead to some repetitive strain injuries. Some people have asked what I’m going to do in the winter.. gardening of course – weather permitting. The winter months actually lend themselves to doing garden border work, sorting out some shrubs and preparing borders for next year. Also, there is trellis, fencing etc maintenance and even the occasional lawn mow if needs be. Obviously I’m expecting things to quieten down, but I’m intending to concentrate on the gardening business first. There is loads of home (work) to do, such as decorating [3 rooms], patio fixing, garage sorting for starters.

The weather has been kind most days; though one day after 2.5 hours in the pouring rain even the waterproof jacket gave in. (note to self, must get a more suitable model..). It’s just getting a little cooler first thing in the mornings, but some times during the day, in a sheltered corner, the sunshine can still be very warm and pleasant. Trying to fend off my first cold of the year; typical sore throat, cough and start of a runny nose. Annoying..

Lynne and I spent most of today (24-Sep) at the Autumn Show at the Malvern 3 Counties Showground. A very enjoyable occasion, plenty to see, lots of interesting plants and a chance to ‘relax’ a bit.

Allotment wise, things are beginning to quieten down with outdoor tomatoes ripening and needing picking, and 20 or so winter squash to harvest and store. The plot(s) will need a bit of a dig over and tidy-up, and some overwintering onions will go in shortly. During the winter months there is plenty to do with fence repairs and securing the espalier apples supports.

That’s about it..

Experiment 2011 - update

Back in June I constructed a wind break on the allotment to protect my outdoor tomatoes and recorded the experiment.

Now, just over 2 months later I have some success to report. A few ripe toms have been harvested, but I get the distinct feeling a tomato overload is just over the horizon! Overall though, the protection seems to have been successful as the plants are free from blight and all are in pretty good condition with deep green foliage and no apparent signs of pest and/or disease.

Tomatoes - ripening

Dear Diary..

Been away on holiday to Guernsey in the Channel Islands for 10 days and normally on return forget some of the things we did, or places we visited. So this time I made some brief notes and took a few pictures in an effort to help remember a good time away.

Mon 8-Aug:

Arrived early afternoon. After booking into the Blue Horizon hotel, took a short cliff path stroll to Moulin Huet bay & tea for 2, + scone & jam.

Moulin Huet bay

Walked back to BH via the water lanes. Weather very blowy from North West, sea was quite active, but fine afternoon.

Tues 9-Aug:

Set out early – walk via the waterlanes and cliff path to Saints Bay. Stopped off enroute at Bon Port Hotel for morning coffee. Weather – bright, sunny and hot in sheltered spots – especially in Saints Bay.

Saints Bay

Briefly paddled, water temperature ‘fresh’! Both caught the sun, pink in places. Enjoyed first Guernsey ice-cream. Drove to St. Peter Port after dinner; strolled around harbour and Castle Cornet. Watched ferry arrive from Jersey.

Weds 10-Aug:

Drove to Port Soif Bay. Walked around Port Soif nature trail.

Coffees at the Port Soif kiosk. Walked across the bay, tide was out. Continued around Le Port Aux Malades & back to the car.

Drove on to L’Ancresse Bay; observed Pembroke Bay (sheltered from the strong N.West wind, but was very busy with families.

Returned to Le Grand Havre, Rousse headland and kiosk. Had lunch & read on beach. Moved on mid afternoon to Icart Point; pot of tea and cake, noting the increased small seating areas that have appeared since our last visit 2 years previously.

Icart Point kiosk gardens

Weather was very blowy, but clear and sunny. Drove past Sunnydene Hotel (where we took our honeymoon and another holiday years ago), on return to the Blue Horizon.

Thurs 11-Aug:

Visited Candie Gardens & museum during the morning. Enjoyed morning coffee/tea in the museum café. Walked around St Peter Port town centre, browsed some shops & had lunch at Creaseys store.

Visited Castle Cornet for most of the afternoon; v.good historical display of the Castle’s past. Also very good maritime museum with many ship models and paraphernalia. Took tea in C. Cornet café.

Weather – strong and cool NW wind with some sea mist. Fog horns sounding! Food at the Blue Horizon hotel continues good quality & varied choices – both probably putting on weight.

Fri 12-Aug:

Awoke to a damp & misty day. Overcast grey skies. Drove to St. Peter Port & the library. Lynne looking at local history resources; Nigel attempts restart reading of Mary Moody’s “Au Revoir” whilst battling with falling eye lids!

Coffees at Candie Gardens Museum Café.

Visited Saumarez Manor & Sculpture trail.

Returned to Blue Horizon hotel, walked to Calais area & down various cliff paths to Bec du Nez moorings – some new locations we’d not seen before.

Bec Du Nez

  

Sat 13-Aug:

Went to Le Friquet centre; undercover garden & home store. Morning coffee consumed. Damp and drizzle today (had been raining hard in the early morning).

Moved on to N.East; Bordeaux Harbour area. Walked to Vale Castle – took in the views; very clear skies to Herm, Jethou and Sark. Alderney clearly visible as was the French coastline.

Walked back across Bordeaux Harbour; low tide. Climbed various rocks and had lunch sat within them. Drove and parked at St. Sampson Harbour; took afternoon tea. Drove to St Peter Port to watch the boats; started to rain heavily so quit for the day – back to Blue Horizon.

Sun 14-Aug:

Slow start to the day today.

Very cloudy first thing with strong, cool westerly breeze.

Decided on coastal walk to Fermain Bay via Jerbourg point. Dropped in to the Jerbourg Hotel for morning coffee.

Continued after, taking in Divette (small bay / inlet exposed at low tide, close to Marble Bay).

Decided to take the lower sea (rock) way to Marble Bay – closest we’re likely to experience ‘coasteering’. Tricky descent from rocks to Marble Bay. Explored some of both hidden caves as tide was out.

Followed cliff path to Fermain Bay. Sun now out, mainly blue skies – excellent visibility to Herm and Sark.

Fermain Bay

Leisurely afternoon, reading, snoozing; bite to eat and tea for 2.

Fairly easy walk back to Blue Horizon via cliff path and Calais area.

After evening dinner, drove to Portelet Harbour & Bay, and Pleinmont Tower; watching and taking pictures of setting sun over the sea.

Mon 15-Aug:

Drove to and parked at Icart Point.

Walked via cliff path to Petit Bot Bay – quite challenging with steep steps, both up & down en-route.

Cliff path steps - steep!

Tide on way out reveals ladder at Le Jaonnet Bay – Lynne declines the opportunity to explore!

If you look closely, you can follow the steps down and find the ladder to the beach:

Jaonet Bay with steps and ladder to beach

Enjoyed morning coffee at café at Petit Bot. Settled down to reading on beech; accused of being bored as I apparently and routinely interrupt Lynne’s reading. Mild hysterical laughter breaks out as I realise the impact that my inactivity can have!

Walked back to Icart Point for lunch and spent some time in the Kiosk gardens; reading/dozing. Took afternoon tea for 2 then returned to Blue Horizon late afternoon. Weather improved as day passed; warm, sunny, very pleasant temperature.

Tues 16-Aug:

Cloudy start to the day.

Decided to visit Saumarez Park and took detour via St. Saviours Reservoir. Walked across the top of the dam; good views and fairly high up!

Arrived at Saumarez Park, plenty of families and children. Took evasive action! and got coffees!

Walked around the park and spent some time in the Victorian kitchen garden – currently undergoing restoration.

Saumarez Park Kitchen Garden

Drove on to Moulin Huet for cream tea and pot of tea for 2. Stayed at Moulin Huet for most of the afternoon. Reading, snoozing and some exploration of rocks and caves as tide was fully out.

Weds 17-Aug:

Slightly overcast start to the day. Decided on a coastal walk – strangely avoiding the West Show!

Drove to St Peter Port; parked at Havelet Bay. Two large cruise ships anchored off shore – disgorging day trippers – probably visiting the usual island haunts. Walked up to Fort George, round Soldiers Bay. Descend Ozanne Steps, then on to Fermain Bay for late morning coffee.

Stayed at the beach for a while, reading and snoozing. Had small lunch at Fermain Bay; met up with fellow guests from Blue Horizon.

Walked back along the cliff path to the car at St Peter Port. Easterly winds now picking up. Watched largest of the cruise ships leave its anchorage. Returned to Blue Horizon to enjoy our last evening and a final cliff path walk to Moulin Huet before we leave; homeward bound tomorrow ..

It's been a while

It’s been a while since my last entry – largely due to having little time to think about doing a posting.

It’s been a busy few weeks, also quite stressful due to very hot and humid working conditions. A varied few weeks though which continues to keep the interest up. I’ve had a few expressions of interest/extra work which has resulted in two new clients. So my working diary is really full now, with just an odd space to have a breather and fit in other one off jobs. It’s been a fantastic experience so far, and considering I started from scratch in March has really exceeded any expectations I might have had.

A sad occasion last week, with the death of Lynne’s father. Although he had not enjoyed good health for some time, his passing was unexpected. We will all miss him.

With Lynne also leaving her employment of the last 10 years it has been a very mixed week of emotions. So another period of change has started where we will both be working for ourselves, running our own businesses. Exciting times…

A pain in the back…..

Well, I guess it had to happen eventually.

Just over a week ago, sciatica ‘kicked-in’. Not sure what the cause was, though likely to be a 3 hour session of digging/weeding/soil preparation. Quite nasty pain down the whole of the left leg seemingly made worse by sitting down, or lying in bed. Pain killers didn’t really touch the pain either, so I endured a week of work being very careful not to over do things. Checking out Wikipedia for information on sciatica was never going to be a smart move; but all sorts of back issues can contribute to what is known as sciatica. Doesn’t make for pretty reading :-0

Strangely, as quick as it arrived the sciatica seems to have left. Just about a week after it happened I was doing some hedge/shrub trimming with my powered hedge trimmer and with all the stretching and flexing whilst holding the trimmer (weighs about 5.7kilos fully fuelled) the pain literally disappeared! Very relieved !

The car accident saga continues into another phase with a scheduled medical check next week to assess damage (my physical and mental state!) in order to assess for the personal injury claim. Things do seem to take their time.

As Richard and I are well into watching the Tour de France, I thought I would enter the world of Twitter so that I can keep up with various strands of conversation from commentators and some cyclists themselves. So I have a Twitter account now – not really sure what I’m going to do with it. It’s unlikely to conjure up much interest if my daily entry reads: doing gardening… ;-) Mind you, I did experience a first today [holds breath..] a very large bee swarm very close and not that high above me while gardening at Snowshill. I heard the commotion which was quite loud and characteristic and was thankful the prevailing wind seemed to influence the direction the bees took away from me!

A bit of seasonal guidance

July - and another month starts:

Yes I know it’s been said before, but crikey! where is the time going? This year is just flying by. Though largely due to being particularly active I suspect.

Now I’ve got time to reflect on the past 4 months I’m seeing a few classic or common gardening ‘mistakes’ if you like. So if you are thinking about making some plant purchases in the future here are some things to think about.

In no particular order:

• Many plants; more likely the shrub varieties – typically the forsythia, kerria, roses, deutzia, weigela, hardy fuchsia, winter flowering jasmine, etc suffer from incorrect pruning techniques. The typical result being lots of whippy top/side growth and little flowering wood lower down; also, lots of dead material deep within the core of the plants. So, if you are thinking about buying a shrub in the future, make sure you have plenty of room for it to grow, and you learn how to prune it correctly – you’ll definitely be rewarded for your efforts.
• A common mistake I see quite often is planting shrubs too close to bordering fences/walls and other established plants. Plants need space all round them to grow, mature and to get the best results. Also, planting away from a fence or wall will enable easier maintenance in the future (for both plant and fence).
• Leaving weeds or self-sown plants to establish. I’m seeing instances of self sown holly, elder, sycamore, hawthorn and others, that if caught early enough when very young, plants should easily be removed (pulling out or small amount of digging). Some specimens I’ve had to deal with have been substantial saplings and take a disproportionate amount of effort to remove. In some cases, the ‘sapling’ had been cut to ground level by some well meaning individual, only for the sapling to grow back twice as vigorously! So, my advice is keep your eyes peeled and pull out any invader in your garden before it is established.
• Plants in wrong places; similar in many ways to putting plants too close to fences, but examples also include not considering eventual height or spread of shrubs or trees. The typical result is large shade areas where other plants cannot thrive, or light deprivation impacting on house windows and access to driveways / pathways. Also, plants with potential invasive natures such as Ivy need careful thought before planting. I’ve seen various damage done to old Cotswold stone houses (crumbling stone/bricks), garden walls that are bulging or have collapsed due to expanding roots/stems.

The 'experiment' continues successfully. The tomatoes appear to be gaining benefit from the screening and don't appear to be suffering from any reduction in light levels created by the screen.

We have enjoyed some lovely strawberries. I grew 4 varieties and the best/sweetest is Sonata.

I've noted that some 2nd early potatoes are looking really sick - not sure whether I've imported some bad 'manure' left at the allotments. Last year in the gardening press it was widely reported that weed killer used on grazing land had traversed horses/cows and had appeared in stable manure; this weed killer had survived and was present in the resultant manure. Consequently if used on gardens it had devastating effects. Advice at the time seemed to be to compost reasonably new manure for at least a year to allow the weedkiller potency to diminish. Not sure whether I've got this - but I'm going to leave the area uncultivated for the rest of the season once I've removed the potatoes. There's always something...