11°C, heavy rain and strong wind.
Warm and wet. Strange, this winter. Storm after storm but mostly warm.
Daffodils given as a house-plant last Christmas. They’ve done well outside.
January in bloom.
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Category Archives: Garden
Unseasonable.
14°C, brisk SW and more rain to come.
Warm! Too warm to wear a winter coat. The garden is confused too.
Passiflora
This plant doesn’t seem to suffer from the morning coffee grounds, the pot doesn’t receive rainwater naturally.
Charmed visitor.
Foggy morning, and warm sun later.
This gave me a start this morning.
It was there, on my sleeve as I started to pull my jersey on. I was immediately enchanted. What a wonderful thing to see, it made my day. He’s outside now, birds and bats permitting.
Jess, a friend tells me it’s a Scoliopteryx libatrix (The Herald). They can live in ivy (which does indeed grow by my bedroom window). Possibly, it was looking for somewhere to hibernate, though it seems a bit early for that.
Tight nest.
16°C, very windy. Dry after morning rain.
Today, the foliage spiders are nesting in two tight bunches. In close-up there are fine threads of silk holding the soft feathery tips of the fennel they have as a nursery.
I am fascinated by this. It looks like a good survival method. Good thinking mum! I expect that small birds would be a threat to these little babies. But I can’t see how a bird could stand on such a soft plant to pick off this protein rich meal.
I hope they do well, the adults are certainly attractive looking creatures.
200th mile.
11°C, light wind but dull grey.
I rode Cyclocross Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 14.59mi, time: 01:22:24, pace: 5:39min/mi, speed: 10.62mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/996576491
Actually, it’s my 195th mile of the week, but so what?
I have that empty feeling that comes after a week’s high milage. My tanks are empty. The ride this morning was nice enough, start at 6.50 and get home just after 8am. Surfaces are quite firm now as we get towards the end of May.
My Ceanothus in full bloom. I worry that its weight may topple the non-too strong trunk. If so, it would fall into the pond. It needs a stake.
Brown-field site.
12°C, dry with white cloud and weak easterly.
I love this time of year. My fascination for the inner city wasteland is greatest now until June.
Here is the first shoots of artimesia absinthium, (or is it vulgaris). This plant still holds its spell, not just because Chernobyl day is soon. The photo was taken in Walsall on the site of a demolished factory near work. They like sandy, slightly acidic soil and are most easily found on brown-field sites.
If only they would grow in my garden. The soil is too rich after all my efforts to feed it with compost.
The continuing recession should give these plants a chance to flower and set seed. That patch of land is for sale but there are no indications of a buyer yet. I expect it will be bought by a developer who builds tiny flats as “affordable homes”.
For me, there is always a little disappointment when these plots are dug up.
Cherry.
7C, hail showers, sun too.
Started cutting the cherry tree. It’s sad to do this to a beautiful tree but it’s growing into telephone wires and I don’t want to be liable.
Since its quite a big job, I have only cut the branches that affect the wires today If there’s time tomorrow, I will finish the rest. My main hope is that it doesn’t kill the tree.
My camellia appears to be using last year’s calendar.
Single camellia in February.
It’s a buzz to work in the garden all day. Dodging the hail showers was not troublesome and I got a good workout chopping logs.
Rainday.
16C, rain most of the day. NW3,
Rain all day again. Summer rain isn’t so bad, though nice days are forecast for next week when we’re back in work.
Gardening- moved a bay tree and planted magnolia in its place. A satisfying, mucky job.
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Posted from a mobile.
Not the same this year.
15C, sunny, wind has dropped.
Rode: 36 miles today. Things have changed this year. I ride more on work nights, but the usual surge of energy and enthusiasm has not taken over this time. Something has changed and I am feeling for what it may be.
Rosie leaving still seems the most likely reason. Annoyingly, I can’t be sure. The house feels wrong without a dog. There is no curious wet nose pressing at the gap as I open the door to come in. No-one to think of as I potter about the house, no daily visit to the local field. I don’t know how the juvenile oak tree getting on in the spring light.
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Posted from a mobile.
No Sunday ride.
9C,hail, sun and showers.
No ride today- so I filled in a job application, chopped wood and fixed up the summer racing bike.
It’s not right though, the local bike shop put new bearings and free-hub, but it feels wrong. The axle is this enough but there is free play in the wheel when fitted into the drop-outs. I suspect that the free-hub is not the right one. The gear change seems okay, though I have wet to ride it.
The garden is coming to life. After this coming week of frosts, I can plant all the bulbs. Tomorrow is said to be the coldest this year- and we’re out of winter now.
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Posted from a mobile.
Micycle 