A brief one

I’m sorry if you’re expecting to read one of my usual Thursday Tea time entries as I’m only doing a brief one this week.

There’s nothing on terrestrial TV worth mentioning apart from the two excellent programmes that I wrote about last week.

Reading American expat Maureen’s blog  A View from England earlier in the week I learnt that it’s National Parks Week (UK) 28 July to 3 August.  If you live near one and looking for something to do then have a look at the link.

Have a good weekend!

Plot plants ~ Linaria maroccana

This is intended to be a series of occasional entries on plants that I’ve grown and photographed on the plot.

Linaria maroccana 'Fairy Bouquet'

This is a  dwarf plant with spikes of dainty Snapdragon like flowers from June to September. It is an easy to grow sow and forget annual that is good for cutting.  Photo was taken on Thursday 24 July.

Two to view

It’s good to do a Thursday entry about two worthwhile TV programmes that are being shown next week.

Both are on Wednesday starting on BBC2 at 7.00pm with a repeat of the series Grow Your Own Veg presented by the ever enthusiastic Carol Klein. Now that I’m growing vegetables I shall watch these with great interest.

On BBC1 at 8.00pm is Lost Land of the Jaguar the first of three new programmes in which an international team of explorers, scientists and film makers discover the animals and plants that inhabit Guyana’s spectacular landscape of virtually unknown, and untouched, rainforests.

Have a good weekend!

Plot hotspots

I took these photos this morning

1) 2) and 3)

1) is Chrysanthemum carinatum, 2) is a California Poppy and 3) a (French) Marigold. They certainly provide hotspots around the plot.

The other plot hotspot is the compost heap! It’s hidden away behind the shed and is only about four by two by one feet. I add any household waste, such as banana skins, potato peelings and tea bags, to it every week or so. This morning I completely uncovered it to find that it’s now nearly all good usable compost. I cut all the comfrey back to ground level and added it to the heap, chopping it up with the spade. I added a watering can’s worth of water, forked it over to aerate it then recovered it.

A couple of hours

on the plot was the perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday morning. Mind you most of it was spent doing some much needed weeding!

I concentrated on the soft fruit area. I also cut the original raspberry canes back to the ground whilst leaving the new growth alone. Rach over on The Big Sofa had been seeking advice on this during last week, and I could understand her hesitation when I did mine.

The strawberries are putting out lots of runners, and there is plenty of fruit forming on the blackberries.

I’ve had several lots of onions, beetroot and lettuce

I feel a bit guilty about the beetroot as the seed came from Mildew who sadly has had problems with hers!

The bees love my Poached Egg Plants

The Valentine Heart rose has masses of buds on it , whilst the Pretty Lady continues to produce some lovely looking blooms

It’s pleasing to see butterflies fluttering around the plot even if they are just white ones as I photographed last week, and especially as Louise mentions, over on her gardening blog, that it’s Save Our Butterflies Week.

A touch of nostalgia

Nikki said in her nostalgia meme entry that she’d be particularly interested in hearing how I started blogging.

After years of not working with computers and not having one at home I finally bought one back in May 2004.

It sure was a steep learning curve but after a few months when I found that I hadn’t got fed up with it, or frustrated enough to call it a day, I bought a book about the internet which included a few pages about blogging which caught my eye. I started looking at blogs and found a few that I liked on 20six and regularly read them.

No one that I knew either blogged or knew anything about it but over the Christmas/New Year holiday I thought that I’d start one.  As a lifelong aviation enthusiast I thought that was what I’d blog about and wondered about a name. I really did have a eureka moment when I googled FlightBuff to see that it came up with no results!

And so here I am over three years on, via various blogs, doing a touch of nostalgia meme…

1. Can you remember without looking what your first post was about?

That first post, done in February 2005, has long gone but I’m sure that it was a short one about me and aeroplanes.

2. Where did you write it?

I probably spent several days beforehand writing out drafts either sitting on the sofa, with a cup of tea and some biscuits, or at work lunch times before doing it on my PC on the living room table.

3. Which was the first blog that you read?

I honestly don’t remember! I looked at lots from which a handful became my first blog friends.

4. Who did/do you tell about your blogs, if anyone.

Some family, friends and work colleagues. One or two either look at, or ask about, them.

5. Have your blogs ever caused a scandal?

I shouldn’t think so, and I not aware that they ever have. I like to think that they have given others as much pleasure to look at as I have had doing them.

6. Tell us something random which happened as a result of blogging?

I firmly believe that it has enriched my life in many ways which has surprised me, and has been most welcome.

7. Snog, marry or avoid – pick another blogger for each.

Now you know that I’m not going to answer this one don’t you. What I will say is that I’ve certainly had lots of blog kisses which have all been nice, I’d really be spoilt for choice if I did have to choose a blog bride and there was one blogger who did strike me as being rather unsavory at times, but who thankfully no longer blogs as far as I know.

8. What’s your most amusing blog memory?

There are so many! I’ve always had great fun blogging and still do which is undoubtably why I still do it. This Quagga entry I’m such a cheap date from April 2005 was probably the first time that I got called Flighty. Sadly all the comments are nameless but do read them as you’ll see I’m mentioned as FlightBuff then Flighty, it’s also great fun trying to work out who said what!

I’m not going to tag anyone to do this meme, which I actually enjoyed doing.

A sense of wonder

As usual I got up this morning and after making that all important first cup of tea turned on the PC.

I took a quick look at the news and weather then checked my emails. Among them is one from Glo telling me about her day yesterday including a couple of hours on the beach, as you can see, and hear, here.

On to the blogs and Daffy brings a smile to my face with her comment, and I’m sure that Glo’s comment makes her laugh.

I then chat for a while with my Japanese friend, for free thanks to Skype.

Today I’m not working but it’s overcast and drizzling so it doesn’t look I’ll be doing more than pondering on the plot later on today. I was there yesterday just for an hour or so when I took my new header picture. It’s Virginian Stock which my catalogue says is probably the easiest of all plants to grow.

It’s Farnborough Airshow week and, as always, there have been aircraft visiting Northolt in association with it, including several during this morning’s aerial rush hour. There was this smart looking Italian Air Force Falcon 900EX followed by a Spanish Air Force CASA C-295M which burst a tire on landing causing this nice Falcon 2000EX to overshot and do a long go-around!

As you’ve probably realised by now that, yet again, there’s no wildlife programmes on terrestrial TV next week. It’s the time of year when it seems to be all sport and repeats unfortunately!

I still marvel at a sense of wonder I get when I come here. Anyway I’m off to make a second cup of tea before having another quick look round starting with  Olivia’s terrific Manhattan Sunsets.

Have a good weekend!

Plenty of p’s!

I’ve been plotting, pottering (or puttering as Porcelain Rose calls it) and pondering this week.

Plotting is when I actually do some work on the plot such as digging, planting pruning and weeding. Pottering is when I just refill the bird feeders and top up the pond. Pondering is nothing more than strolling round taking photos.

I acquired a handful of logs, all about 3″ dia. and a couple of feet long, earlier in the week. On Thursday I carefully dismantled the log pile and then rebuilt it incorporating them The only sign of life were a few slugs and snails. I shall now leave it be so that any wildlife that wants to use it can do so undisturbed.

I dug up a few new potatoes and a couple of onions to have for lunch. I can’t believe that I’ve just cooked and eaten something I’ve grown!

There’s been no further sign of Frog but this morning these two appeared to be making whoopee in the pond. I left them to it and when I took a peek later on they were heading out onto the plot

It was just about perfect this morning being sunny and warm with a light breeze. The blue sky was filled with fluffy white clouds. The robin came to say hello and, at last,  a couple of butterflies stayed put long enough for me to take some pictures. These white ones are fairly common

and  this one was tucked away in the undergrowth, hence a not so good photo , which appears to be a Meadow Brown.

I’m sitting here writing this with the scent of the third lot of sweet peas that I’ve bought home wafting around the room, and they really do look nice in the vase on the window sill.

Now how about something a bit different! Join me on a Joy flight! over on Flighty’s fancies? I think that it’s the perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Frog ponderings (15)

Sorry but Frog has gone leapabout for a while!

He’s left a message to say have yourselves a good summer, and that if you want something to look at then he recommends his favourite blog Frog Matters!

Whatever the weather…

As there’s nothing on TV next week worth a mention here I thought that I’d do a round-up of some weather related blog entries that I’ve read recently.

Midwifemuse is right about it being A very English obsession and I commented that I thought that’s because we’re a nation of gardeners.

City Exile’s Contrary to Popular Belief mentions weather forecasts, and she wasn’t the only one who suffered from full-on drowned rat syndrome as EllieGant makes clear in two entries Wet, wet, wet and Rain, rain, go away.

Divastar just rather plaintively titled her entry Summertime? . I think that the dog looks as though it would prefer to be wet than dressed like that!

Mildew has recently started a daily photo blog SomePhotos and Day 5 saw a Red Sky at Night. LoisWakeman’s aptly titled Flaming July includes a very autumnal looking photo!

The Homely Year mentioned the rain but countered it with A ray of sunshine and Veg Plotting also cheered us up with ABC Wednesday – Y is for…

Pink Purl’s Oh To Be In England! has a rather different outlook on London’s recent weather which may come as a surprise to some of you.

Uphilldowndale’s Bears in the Belfry has nothing to do with the weather but is simply one of the most delightful entries that I have read in ages.

Whatever the weather have a good weekend!