France

[Jardiniere]

Pi**ing down here...no gardening today!

[TonyF]

Meteo good for today so after a couple of indoor things, cutting grass this morning and then more planting I hope - the nursery visit was excellent, brilliant place and soooooooooo much cheaper than the fairs and the plants were so diverse and looked good. I was very restrained and only bought a little few.

[Rodley]

Sunday - planted out parsip seedlings grown in loo rolls. Misty mornings so far this week, but yesterday turned out well - except the steering column on my new tondeuse (bought last July) broke. Husqvana are coming out to replace free of charge (or suffer the wrath of my OH). Planting out climbing beans germinated on wet kitchen paper today and various flowering plants bought last week.

Just seen the time you posted your message Tony - don't you sleep?

[TonyF]

It';s ok Rodley, it was 6.32 French, the system seems to run on BST and recently, since I came off the chemo, I've been waking up at all sorts of silly hours and not been able to get back to sleep.

Great weather today and the meteo looks set fair for the next few days - garden, garden, garden

[TonyF]

Brilliant day today, in the garden all afternoon and I've decided that the garden is starting to look like MY garden and, after 4 years here, not the previous owners.

Even decided today where the new greenhouse is going in the autumn - bliss

And the meteo is set fair for the next few days, even better.

[Rodley]

Glad it's just the computer clock that is early Tony! Nothing worse than waking in the early hours of the morning knowing it's only an hour or so before you have to get up.

Weather has been great. Planted out geraniums OH bought the other day, weeded some beds, rotavated a new area for veg in the "paddock" (actually adjacent to fruit area in garden) ready for planting courgette, melons etc. All the seedlings in the cold frame are coming on very well - will probably plant out cabbages, brussels, caulis this weekend as we are promised rain for the next few days.

I know what you mean Tony when you say that the changes in the garden result in it becoming YOUR garden rather than previous the owners. We have changed quite a bit, but I know that our previous owner would recognise the garden (especially the main area rather than where I have the veg garden). We'll get there after the extension is finished - that has resulted in the biggest landscape changes so far!

[TonyF]

Spent the whole day in the garden, drunk a whole 6 pack of baby bottles of water plus other drinks. J was off to Albi with chums for a day trip so I got on with all the little jobs that get forgotten, had a GREAT day, excellent.

And sooooooooo hot

[TonyF]

It's been widdling down for most of the night and it's grey and overcast across the valley and still raining.

Just been out to open up the cold frames, helps the babies harden off but no gardening today for sure

[Jardiniere]

meteo says thunder and lightning this afternoon.....which means we lose the telly/radio and its saturday afternoon.......................

[TonyF]

Meteo for the next few days in Sud Ouest is miserable tho Fr.3 last night said Monday should be brighter and dry.

Went to check out chum's garden where I'm installing the potager. Loads of spuddies coming through, beans starting to romp away. But sooooooooooooo much left to plant now and they've just had their soft fruit bushes delivered so got to get those in too

[Jardiniere]

at least we didnt get the thunder and lightning (very very frightening)

[TonyF]

Started piddling again so we're off out to the plant fair at Le Bugue and to have lunch with chum's at Chai Monique.

[TonyF]

Meteo for the whole week is merde!

Managed a day at chum's today but couldn't get on the potager, far too wet so bashed a hedge the local Mairie has been complaining about. Ronce almost 10 meters long reaching up into lilacs and every other hedge bush imaginable.

Showery this morning but cleared until about 4.30 which gave me enough time to chainsaw the box and lilacs - box was 10 meters high, right round the phone cables.

And came home to find our maison secondaire Parisian neighbours installed and cutting their box fron hedge which is equally high but the good thing is it will open up the front of our garden too

[Rodley]

Managed a good day's work yesterday sowing seeds, transplanting in to the potager and potting on seedlings. Only the occasional shower forced me to stop. However, no chance today to do much out there as the showers are just too heavy and frequent! Just lit the fire and decided not to visit the Foire-Expo at Marmande as it's just too miserable!

[TonyF]

Same down here. Weather showery, the ground is sodden underfoot and almost dangerous because of the slope of the garden.

Managed to get out and refit a recuperateur this morning, had a down-pipe problem. Ane dodging the showers, I managed to finally organise the inherited pond rocks, hard work but very satisfying - then got rained off totally, too wet to finish the job and too wet even to stand outside and do some pricking out/plant dividing.