Chatback number 22

[Bren In Pots]

Morning its sunny here as well MrBones and hopefully my Grory hop won't take up to much time. The rest of the day in mine

enjoy your day.

[Jay22]

Morning, sunny here too…yay! Slept like the proverbial log last night, no idea why but I’ll take it!
Have a great day everyone. x

[Snadger]

Morning all

Looks to be a nice day out!

After getting washing hung out and dog walking I am off to Aldi. I don't need any groceries but today Aldi supposedly have their soft fruit bushes in stock at a resonable price, so with what seems a good selection I think it may be time to buy a few more! Particularily interested in Tayberry, Loganberry and red goosegog!

In there leaflet they supposedly have:-

Blackcurrant
Green Gooseberry
Red gooseberry
Blueberry
Summer Raspberry
Autumn Raspberry
Blackberry
Tayberry
Redcurrant or Loganberry

At £1.79 each get em quick as Aldi never water there plants and they will be dried up sticks in no time!

TTFN

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

Good luck at Aldi, Snadger. And good luck with your assorted grory hops, guys. Off on another one tomorrow. After that, with any luck, we won't need to do another for a bit.

Rained a bit in the night, not much but enough to bring out the snails and slugs and for me not to need to water this morning. What the weather takes with one hand it gives with the other, I suppose. That said, I actually stood and looked at the plot as a whole this morning. Overall, it doesn't look bad. Get close up and it's another matter, but there's plenty of different shades of green to draw the eye, especially eyes not wearing glasses!

Right, busy day again today. Better step on it. I've shooed the smiles out in a bit of a hurry. They were a bit surprised but then glad to get out into the sunshine. With any luck, they might even catch some of you in the shops as you find just the thing you were after. Especially you, Snadger. Soft fruit, what a joy.

Anyway, enough rambling. Have a great day, everyone.

[greenishfing]

I thought it was just our local Aldi that didn't water, Snadger. Obviously not! We are getting haircuts in a couple of hours and then, hopefully a few hours at the allotment. I got lots done yesterday, and picked lots of peas and beans. I picked a sweetcorn which was the second on a plant (because it looked the ripest) and it was absolutely perfect. Normally I find second ones are a bit hit and miss with quite a lot of the kernels, sometimes most) missing. I hope that this is a sign of things to come and not a one off. The weather looks gorgeous. Washing going out to dry in a few minutes when I've finished this coffee.
I love the idea of doing a mosaic with tiles. I used to really enjoy tiling anyway. I might investigate further. Any tips for not too naturally artistic beginners?

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

We’ve got sunshine too!

I had just planned what I’m doing in the garden today when OH announced we should go out in the camper
No contest seeing the weather is so lovely.

I’ve never done mosaics but had a couple of friends who did them.
One used smashed up floor and wall tiles and the other smashed up China plates.
Much more artistic than me !
Love the idea of Spanish tiles Bramble - I was looking into getting some for the camper as a splash back….but ended up going with green and turquoise glass instead.

Good luck at Aldi Snadge - let us know how you get on!

And for those of you doing a grory hop ….. don’t forget that impulse purchase you accidentally pick up!…. My impulse purchase of the blueberry and raspberry tart yesterday is very much not regretted!

Have a great day peeps- see ya later…

[Nicos]

Camper packed….sun shining…. Off we go!

Your smiles are whizzing around here Snoop !

[Snoop Puss]

Jujol, the guy who did most of the fancy mosaics that Gaudí is credited with (Park Güell, for example), was a master of trencadís, mosaics made from bits of broken ceramic and glass. Great for less than perfectly flat or for rounded surfaces. Wikipedia has an entry for it and gives its name in France, pique-assiette. Friends here have used the technique in their less than flat-floored farmhouses. Works well. If they can do it, I reckon anyone can. Imperfection is probably an essential factor. Otherwise you might as well use complete (and possibly expensive) tiles. All you need is an eye for colour, a vague colour design, lots of broken materials and perhaps time to ensure the edges of the pieces aren't too sharp.

https://fanningsparks.com/gaudis-trencadis-mosaics/

[Snadger]

Anyway, back home, got the plants I wanted from Aldi. Autum fruiting raspberry,spring fruiting raspberry, a red gooseberry, a blueberry and a Tayberry. I did want a Loganberry but couldn't find any?

Another pleasant surprise when I got home was I took delivery of some onion sets I purchased from Simply Seeds! Consisted of a pack of Autumn Champion,Senshyu and Radar. I'll try the three and see which performs the best. I've grown them all in the past but can't remember which turned out the best?
They were nicely packed in a box with individual labelled mesh bags for each and they all appear to be healthy sets. I'm impressed up til now but the deciding factor is how well they grow.

TTFN

Oh, forget to mention I called in and did a bit of work on the plot harvesting some onions and preparing the bed for the next crop. Lots of weeding and brought home a single courgette and a couple of handfuls of French beans.

[mothhawk]

Morning all.

Cool and clear here with a pink flush to the sky. So rain later? Grory hop a bit later, then weeding the flower beds if it stays dry.

[Snadger]

Morning all

Just debating whether to stick the washing on the line as it looks a bit overcast. Nothing planned for today so I'll just blag it.

TTFN

[Mr Bones]

Morning all

Snadger we normally grow Autumn Champion but haven't found any in the garden centres yet. They grow well for us and being globe shaped are easier to use in the kitchen.

Lovely morning again - light cloud with big blue patches. Probably go for a walk today.

Happy Fridays

[Nicos]

Morning n’alln’all

Hazy sky again so it looks like a nice day ahead.
Quick grory hop later as the pharmacist didn’t have one of our repeat prescriptions so might as well stock up on a few extras whilst I’m in that village.

Go on Snadge- get that washing out You need some rain for planting out those new fruit bushes - or have you already done that?

Nice link there Snoop. I’ve always admired Roman mosaic flooring - particularly the picture ones rather than the symmetrical designs - but even those are amazingly clever .
The nearest thing to mosaic work I have ever done is glue a ring of small mosaic bathroom tiles in a ring under the lip of a terracotta tile. OUr uk neighbours had a few left over after they’d redone their shower room ( so no sharp edges with those!) Looked very pretty in the garden.

Yesterday was lovely - we pulled up next to a river and just sat and read, had a picnic lunch then much later on heated through a cassoulet I’d defrosted….then read until it got dark.
Workwise it was a waste of time but mentally it did us both a lot of good.

We managed to pick up some litter there and OH waded into the river to drag out a new finger post which had been thrown into it , then phoned the local Marie ( town hall) to say where he’d left it.. Very sad to see vandalism, particularly as it’s a very rural place.

Have a great day peeps - remember to get some photos taken and entered into the competition ( even if you doubt it’ll win )
Only a couple of weeks left now!

[Bren In Pots]

Morning a misty start here but its starting to clear and it looks like being a good day.

To me that sounds the perfect outing Nicos, when we go camping our favourite spots are always those next to a river.

enjoy your day.

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

Trouble is, Nicos, I like my plants when they're growing. Especially cabbage for some reason. They're so expansive. Not sure if that's the right word, but a savoy cabbage at full spread is an impressive beast. They're never quite as nice when harvested to my eyes. But, I shall do my best.

Haven't gone on a grory shop as intended. Work has taken over (again, already...). Monday it is, apparently. Suits the food stores better too.

Bright out there today but it was a chilly night. Due to be around 6 ºC tonight. Is it worth covering up my squash and melons with fleece, or will they cope, do you think? I've got about 15 butternuts that should do well if the frosts hold off.

Right, on with the show. The smiles are rushing off even as I write. Largely because Mr Snoop is telling me off for not taking the medication I need to be using for my nose... Oh dear... Anyway, the smiles are heading your way.

Have a great day, guys.