Chatback number 22

[Snoop Puss]

Glad you've managed to arrive at agreement over your mum's flat, Nicos. We have to deal with my mum's house now to sell it to pay for her care. I don't think there will be any argument over who has what so much as what happens with what's left. All the photos my dad took, all their holiday diaries, none of us kids has any room for it all but my mum won't want it disposing of. Very sad.

Forgot to congratulate you on the prize and the grapes, GF. Photos for the Vine shows?

Glad the smiles reached you, Bramble. Hope they reach Rary from time to time. After all, they were originally his.

[Snoop Puss]

Thats a lot of snails Snoop - (might your neighbours want them if they are edible?)

I've offered them to friends and neighbours. But when I turn up with the snails, they don't actually want them, can't remember what to do with them re purging and all the rest of the malarkey, don't really like them or someone in the family doesn't. All in all, it's a waste of time, especially as the snails treat any containment vessel as Colditz Castle and find all kinds of ingenious ways to co-operate to escape so they can head back to where I first collected them.

[Nicos]

Smiles got to me this morning - thanks Snoop - looks like an agreement has been reached with 99% of the contents of my moms flat, so I’m feeling utterly relieved.
Not easy trying to sort this out at a distance

Thats a lot of snails Snoop - (might your neighbours want them if they are edible?)

Ta muchly for the sun bramble…I’ll send it back later if that’s OK?

Right - back to the garden….see ya later folks!

[greenishfing]

Good morning all, dull and humid here so you can have the sun today Nicos.
We have decided to go shopping.

Snoop, the smiles reached us yesterday evening and everybody had a happy evening

Congratulations on your win gf, what variety of grapes do you grow?
Have a good day all,

I grow Black Hamburgh grapes. I bought the original from the garden centre a year or so after I got my first greenhouse. A "stick" which my husband insisted was dead. My other vine is a cutting off the first one. I usually take cuttings when I give it it's winter prune in the depths of Winter.

[bramble]

Good morning all, dull and humid here so you can have the sun today Nicos.
We have decided to go shopping.

Snoop, the smiles reached us yesterday evening and everybody had a happy evening

Congratulations on your win gf, what variety of grapes do you grow?
Have a good day all,

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

Good session in the garden this morning. Plants are going a bit bonkers. The days are getting much shorter and there's a really heavy dew every morning. But the temperatures are still warm, so it's all go. Maybe they think it's spring. Anyway, I've chopped the toms back a fair bit to get rid of old leaves and the like. They've put on loads of new growth in the last couple of weeks or so even though I thought they were on their last legs. Discovered yet more snails clinging to tomatoes and poles, so good to get rid of them. Did a good round of watering. And hand pollinated ten more butternut squash females! Got a few new melons that have emerged from the foliage too thanks to insect pollination. Five weeks or so to our usual first frost. Maybe the plants think it's going to be a long late summer. Fingers crossed.

Got to do something about the snails. I don't think the yogurt pot and beer business is enough. The numbers have diminished but not by much. I have dispatched thousands in the last week or so. Nearly all of them large too. Mr Snoop told me yesterday not to upset the balance of nature. But I don't think so many is balanced. I'm guessing the birds didn't take that many this spring because they were feasting on millipedes and centipedes. What is normal for snails? I did three rounds a couple of nights ago. This after regular outings for days now. On my second round, I picked 80 off a row of about 70 leeks. I didn't count on the first and third rounds but more than that on the first time round, not as many on the third. So, around 250 snails on 70 leeks plus all the ones I didn't spot or that turned up later. All the other plants are the same or worse. The cabbages and caulis are covered not only snails but also slugs. And up till this year we've had next to no slugs whatsoever.

Busyish day ahead plus hospital appointment this afternoon. Yet another follow-up on my nasal polyp op last year. Never had three follow-up appointments before.

Smiles enjoyed the morning in the garden. A bit easier today as not as hot. They floated off after I finished pollinating the squash, so should be with you soon.

Have a great day, everyone.

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

Bright sunshine here at the moment with just a light , high cloud cover.

We’ve decided to attack one flower bed today - cutting back, shredding, mulching, pulling up valerian from the drive where it’s spread to and just a darned good clear up.

When we moved here we created loads of new flower beds to add colour to the garden but it’s getting hard work keeping on top of it ( mostly this year as the weeds have gone bonkers)so we’re now reviewing perennials etc

[Bren In Pots]

Morning its raining here as well, only been as far as the GH and gate for milk up to yet.

Congrats on your wins FG

We've lost a lot of small shops, the last greengrocers closed earlier this year, family butcher a couple of years ago, we're left with plenty of places to eat, have your nail done or get a tattoo.

enjoy our day.

[greenishfing]

Not raining here yet but according to the "forecast" it should be. According to the weather radar I can't see how we're going to avoid it. I agree about local shops Snadger. Our local town centres have so many "To Let" signs. They are just full of bars and cafes and takeaways. I sometimes wonder if many people actually cook food any more. Part of the problem here is parking in the town centres. One small town/large village nearby actually has free parking and has far more people around than the others. Our local market kept getting redone and then eventually just disappeared.

[Mr Bones]

Morning all

Congratulations GF

House guest of a few days has gone.. lovely to see them but nice to have the place to ourselves once more.

Drizzly Monday.. it often rains on a Monday
Enjoy your day

[Snadger]

Morning all

Early start this morning as I heard Kato pitter pattering on the laminate floor downstairs. Oh no thinks , is he needing to go out to do his business. Put his collar and leader on and took him to the top of the garden where he looked at me as if I was daft!!!! No idea why he was pitter pattwring but he is snuggled up on the rug now.
I was glad I had some cash on me when I took him for a walk yesterday as got some nice eggs from a farm near by, (couple of blue eggs included) putting money in their honesty box. Wherever possible I am trying to shop local now as the high streets are dying because of big out-of-town hypermarkets. I now realise quality produce can be bought at a reasonable price locally, backed up of course, by allotment produce!

TTFN

[Florence Fennel]

Good Morning All Drop of rain but still warm. Have a good day

[Nicos]

^^^^ well done gf…that’s put a big grin on my face

[greenishfing]

My VERY competitive youngest sister won lots of prizes at the agricultural fair yesterday but amazingly our pears won a 1st prize and the awful looking (but amazing tasting) grapes won a second prize. Last year the grapes seemed to get sunburned and I thought maybe I had chopped the greenery back too much. This year I have gone to the other extreme maybe. I frequently have to prune my way into the greenhouses but I must say that I have so many bunches of gorgeous sweet grapes. Next year ....a happy medium maybe??

[Snoop Puss]

Afternoon all.

Hope you're doing OK, Snadger. And good luck at the hospital, GF.

Bit hot here today. Brought up water from the well and ran around frantically trying to water everything before the barrels filled up. Got a bit overheated...

The smiles also got a bit frazzled, but they're back on form as it's nice and cool in the basement with me and the dogs. So they say they'll head off this afternoon when it's due to get a bit cloudy. Oh, I've just checked the weather forecast. We're actually due thunderstorms all afternoon, so maybe they'll decide to stay in. I can't. Off out for lunch, literally out as we've booked a table outdoors. Fingers crossed it doesn't hail.

Right, better go and get tidied up.

Have a lovely rest of Sunday, guys.