Plot white

Considering how much I like white flowers there were surprisingly few on the plot this year. I had high hopes for my Iceberg rose but although it grew lots of foliage it failed to produce any flowers, which was most disappointing.

There were only a few Mallow and some Love-a-mist

Looking at this list of White Annual Flowers there’s plenty to chose from including Candytuft Snowflake and Poppy White Cloud.

I bought two packets of the  Sweet Pea Swan Lake recently for just 30p each. Posie over on the Allotments 4 All forum says that she grew this one this year, it’s gorgeous and can definitely recommend it!

Among the various vegetable seeds that I bought recently is the white flowering Runner Bean White Emergo.

Of course I could be lazy and just buy a packet of white flowering annual seeds! Whatever I do it I’m sure that the plot will be a lot whiter next summer than it was this year.

Yesterday morning I was reading the online Guardian where the gardening section had an article by Carol Klein on  white hydrangeas which got me thinking, and wishing, again!

Briefly

I wrote too soon that I’d finished at the bookshop as I was there again this morning covering for someone who was off sick.

Anyway it does close on Saturday but that’s not quite the end of the story but you’ll have to wait a week or two for details.

My thanks to all who commented on yesterday’s entry, your kind remarks are much appreciated.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends, and especially Nikki, Beginninghere,  Olivia and Maureen.

Have a good weekend!

A man of leisure…

is what I’ve nearly become!

As many of you know I’ve been working part-time, about 15 hours a week, in a traditional independent bookshop for the past two and half years. However the lease expired at the end of September and the shop owner was not prepared to pay the new rent which meant that the shop would be closing.

The date for that has kept being put back but it seems that it will be closing this coming weekend. That  means that I worked my final day there on Monday.

I enjoyed working there, with good colleagues, although I certainly didn’t get on with the owner who thankfully only very rarely came into the shop.

I still work just a few hours a week at the old-fashioned hardware store doing local deliveries if there any to be done. I’ve been there over eight years and will continue as long as the owner wants me to. I enjoy doing it and deliver to mostly long standing customers who I now know well.

I have no need to work at present, and have no real incentive to either. I’m more than happy to slip even further into semi-retirement to spend more time lawn lounging and sofa flying

In good weather I shall certainly be plotting, otherwise I’ll be blogging and reading  so I won’t get bored and end up watching day-time TV!

Talking of TV there’s no new wildlife programmes next week, or anything else worth mentioning so if I do an entry tomorrow it’ll probably be a plotting one.

Mostly trees

Next Wednesday sees the start of National Tree Week, through to Sunday 7th December.

In celebration of that here are my three plot trees.

(1) (2) and  (3)

They are a Hawthorn (1), Common Oak (2) and Common Ash (3). All are no more than a foot high so not very impressive yet.

Far more impressive is this willow tree that is to the left of the allotment gates.

Last Sunday I noticed a couple of broken branches on the ground under the canopy so on Wednesday I took a saw with me and the log pile has now grown somewhat! I also gathered some of the leaves from under there and added them to one of the compost heaps.

A good site for identifying trees is British Trees, and another good tree site is Trees for Cities.

On Thursday morning I spent a couple of hours doing some general plotting when I took these photos

and

The latter I should be able to find in British Bugs, which is an online identification guide to UK Hemiptera!

Mostly wonderful wildlife

Yesterday morning I was working on the plot when I stopped to watch a parakeet on the nut bird feeder for at least several minutes. My hands were dirty and the camera was in the shed so I just stood and watched it peck at the nuts then look round, which it keep doing upright, sideways and even upside down. I was no more than 15 feet away and this colourful bird stayed on the feeder for far longer than any other bird I’ve seen previously. Also whilst plotting a young fox, not this one, sauntered across the plot even pausing to stop and exchange looks with me!

After Saturday it was good to see that Daffy had a really good Sunday morning watching the wonderful wildlife in her garden.

Thanks to NiC, over on his ever excellent London Daily Nature Photo, for the link to Nature Blog Network. I’ve only has a quick look at this but there appears to be lots of wonderful wildlife blogs listed.

As you will have guessed there’s nothing new of note on TV next week except Natural World’s Clever Monkeys on BBC2 Tuesday at 8.00pm in which David Attenborough narrates an entertaining romp through the world of monkeys.

A comment appeared on my blog yesterday from Meeeeeeeeeee who some of you will remember as Fraggle from elsewhere but stopped blogging for a while. It’s good to see her back, and  why not stop by her blog to say hello!

Over on Looking skyward I’m continuing to do a post a day all this month.

Have a good weekend!

A bit like the weather

I have to say that my mood this morning whilst walking to the hut was a bit like the weather, namely rather sombre.

I was wondering why morons do things like this, details which you can read about on Daffy’s entry Why? Why? Why?

My thoughts are also with Beginninghere, Nikki and the cats, and hoping that they are all okay.

At the hut I had my usual chat, a cup of tea, bought some bird food and Christmas Draw raffle tickets before heading to the plot.

I was pleased to see 1), although it’s not a good photo, and they were very vocal and flying round, (see also below).  Last week I took 2) which was one of a bunch squabbling away as usual.

1)  2)  3) 

This rye grass 3) caught my eye as did the still flowering mallow 4). Look at the roses Valentine Heart 5) and Pretty Lady 6)

4)  5)  6) 

All over the plot the past couple of weeks have been lots of 7) and which is not surprising given the relatively mild and very damp conditions.

Back at the end of October Frog SoCal 9) was noted on the end of the log pile enjoying the sunshine!

7)  8)  9)

On the way home I passed the entrance to the adjacent ecology park and heard a now familiar sound. Just through the gate to the left are some trees in which were

It looks like I’m going to see lots of these from now on, so let’s hope I get a good photo or two!

Three for a change!

Although the regular Gardeners’ World programmes finished last week until the new year it does continue on BBC2 Fridays at 8.30pm with four compilations then a few specials.  This week Carol Klein reviews the past years’s activities in her Devon garden.

I forgot to mention last week that Natural World is back on BBC2 Tuesdays at 8.00pm. Next weeks is on the Whale shark which is the world’s largest fish.

Wild About Your Garden is a new series of six programmes starting on BBC1 Wednesday at 8.30pm. I shall be watching these with interest to see if there’s anything I can do on the plot!

Don’t forget that over on my Flighty blog Looking skyward I’m continuing to do a post a day!

Have a good weekend!

Remembrance Day

Busy for a change!

Despite the weather being overcast, breezy and trying to drizzle on both Wednesday and Thursday I went plotting and was actually busy for a change!

On Wednesday I cut down the Comfrey, chopped it up and added it to both compost heaps where it will gradually work it’s magic. The plants will soon start to grow back and next year the flowers will again provide a feast for the bees, and other insects, before I start the cycle all over again.

A week or two back Joe’s brother-in-law, who has a half plot like me, kindly gave me a lot of Crocosmia that he’d dug up at home. I divided it up and planted it in a couple of places. I still know it by the old name Montbresia, which is what mum used to call it.

Last Sunday plot neighbour Graham mentioned that he was digging up a lot of well established Daffodils on his plot and to help myself if I wanted any. I forgot on Wednesday but John reminded me as I was packing up so that’s what I did on Thursday. I dug up five large clumps that I replanted around the plot. They, along with the ones already there, should provide some much welcome colour in the spring.  I also planted a packet of  that I’d been given. These are mini ones that only grow about 8″ tall.

I’ve been pondering on what vegetables to grow next year. On Thursday evening I placed an on-line order with MoreVeg, which does realistic quantities at affordable prices, and was recommended to me. I received an email on Friday that my order was in the post!  I’ll do an entry on what I’ve bought another time.

Happy gardening!

Oceans, Flighty & Samantha

Oceans is a major new eight part TV documentary series exploring the secrets of our underwater world. It starts next Wednesday at 8.00pm on BBC2 with 1/8. Sea of Cortez.

Don’t forget that I’m doing a post every day this month over on my Flighty blog, starting last Saturday with Looking skyward.

My new PC background picture is Nikki’s new kitten Samantha

I’m smitten with that look, and those hairy ears! I better not mention that I find myself talking to her.

Have a good weekend!