Archive for May, 2009

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Weeding the drive and border

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

This is a job long overdue. I spent many days last year removing all the Ground-elder from the border under the hedge, dug out all the soil and replaced with new. You wouldn’t think so this year, the Ground-elder is back, but I think this time it’s worse because of the new soil in the border. I like to garden organically, so no weed killer, just hoe, trowel and spade to dig it out by hand. While I’m attending to the border under the hawthorn hedge, I think it’s time to attend to the gravel drive, well most of the pea size gravel has gone, and I’m left with a green drive. In the future, it needs a weed membrane and new gravel or larger pebbles to stop the weeds taking over, so this is my Bank Holiday project!

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The elusive Matilda!

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
The elusive Matilda!

The elusive Matilda!

This is our cat Tilly! She doesn’t like me very much, so it’s unusual she stayed still long enough for me to get this picture!

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BBC – Dig In – Grow your own grub with Dig In

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Have you got your seeds yet?

I think it might be too late to apply online,

But See when it’s visiting a town near you?

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I do like a cold beer!

Monday, May 18th, 2009
Kingfisher Red

Kingfisher Red

Just found these beer bottle labels from our holiday in India. Good Memories! I’ve not seen Kingfisher Red in the UK, but believe me when I tell your it’s stronger than the white label! We also flew from Delhi to Chennai with Kingfisher Airlines, and they were fantastic. We were met by a porter in a red uniform at Dehli Airport, who put our bags onto a trolley, and then helped us onto a bus, and then we were met by another porter at another terminal, that carried out bags to checkin. Excellent Customer Service. I would fly Kingfisher Airlines again, I understand that Kingfisher Airlines may becoming to the UK, to fly direct to India in the future.

Kingfisher Boarding Card and Menu

Kingfisher Boarding Card and Menu

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Gravel Pit Allotments Association

Sunday, May 17th, 2009
Gravel Pit Allotments Association Home Page

Gravel Pit Allotments Association Home Page

I’ve been a bit busy recently with the development of a new website for the newly formed Allotment Association in my parish. The allotment association calls itself Gravel Pit Allotments Association because it’s hoped the site will be developed on a field called Gravel Pit field. You can read what we’ve all been up to here on the website Gravel Pit Allotments Association.

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Time to fertilise the Blueberry Bushes

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

It’s that time of year to feed my Blueberry Bushes, they will also need feeding again in early July, (do not feed well rotted manure). I’ve never fed them before, blueberry bushes must be given a ericaceous, fertiliser (rhododendron / azalea fertiliser). It’s taken me a few years to research what to feed them with. They are plenty of commerical dry and liquid feeds available for acid loving plants e.g. Miracle Gro Ericaceous Plant or pelleted chicken manure but both of these contain the incorrect balance of Nitrogen (N), Phosphates (P) and Potassium (K) for use with Blueberry Bushes. So I’m going to use Vitax Conifer & Shrub fertiliser at 1/2 recommended dose.  This recommendation came from David Trehane, The Dorset Blueberry Company   which is where my bushes came from five years ago.  It’s not that easy to find Vitax Conifer & Shrub fertiliser in the garden centres, most seem to favour other brands of  ericaceous plant fertiliser, although I have seen garden centres selling other products by Vitax , so you may be able to raise a special order for some.

So this is what the pack looks like should you need to find it.

Vitax Conifer & Shrub fertiliser

Vitax Conifer & Shrub fertiliser

 

For my size plants, that are in 18″ pots, I’m using about two teaspoons around the plant base. Vitax Conifer & Shrub fertiliser is organic but not certificated! It comes in pelleted form, so I’m going to measure out the 12 teaspoons,  because I have 6 plants, and then using a pestal and mortor, crush the pellets into a powder and sprinkle around the plant base.

 I had a teacher at schools who’s nickname was FERTILISER, I never found out why! But’ that’s another story…

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Esther pokes her tongue out!

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Lindsey says, there’s not enough pictures of Esther and Tilly, our other two cats. So this ones’ dedicated to you Esther…

Esther pokes her tongue out

Esther pokes her tongue out

 and that’s what she thinks of me!

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Impatiens ‘Blue Sky’™ Busy Lizzie

Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Cold Frame full of Busy Lizzie 'Blue Sky'™

Cold Frame full of Busy Lizzie 'Blue Sky'™

 Impatiens ‘Blue Sky’™ is the world’s first multi-flowering, blue Busy Lizzie. Here are some pictures of them in the cold frame before I put them out after the threat of frost has past.

Busy Lizzie 'Blue Sky'™

Busy Lizzie 'Blue Sky'™

I need to pinch out the flower buds before they flower, but missed this one.

Close-Up of Busy Lizzie 'Blue Sky'™

Close-Up of Busy Lizzie 'Blue Sky'™

These are still available as young plants from Thompson & Morgan click here. (I don’t work for them or have any association with the company, I just think they sell great value plants!). Because Thompson & Morgan have applied for a PBR on this plant, I don’t think it’s available from any other source. Plant breeders’ rights (PBR), also known as plant variety rights (PVR), are intellectual property rights granted to the breeder of a new variety of plant (or to another person or entity that can claim title in the new plant variety by, for example, agreement with the breeder or inheritance from a deceased breeder).

I’ve always liked Busy Lizzies, especially this variety with blue flowers.

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Fire Update!

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Fire update, the two fire engines continued working on the fire for a total of an hour. It would appear that there was no barn or house on fire.

The Fire Hydrant by Night

The Fire Hydrant by Night

A large pile of super-heated cow/horse manure Spontaneously combusted! (a bit like pistachio nuts are prone to self-heating and spontaneous combustion in very large quantities!). Yes it’s true! Believe me, I’m not talking cow manure here.

That’s about as much excitement, as we get around here…If I get time tomorrow and the weather is good, forecast is cloudy, I’ll get a picture of the burnt out cow/horse manure. May come in handy for the Countryfile Photographic Landscape Competition.

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Do you know where you nearest fire hydrant is?

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Excitement in the hamlet this evening, busy watching the world go by, out in the garden painting the newly repaired Bird Table (post coming soon!). Two John Dennis Fire Engines hurtled past towards the next village (this happened last year when someone’s grain dryer burnt down). Ten minutes later one of the engines returned to my hamlet because they couldn’t find the fire hydrant in the nearby village, and someone told them there was on in my hamlet, it’s just been painted by the Council bright yellow, and is just opposite my house. Do you know where you nearest fire hydrant is?

This is the first picture I snapped of the fire engine from my bedroom window.

I think they’ve spotted me there’ off

another one returns…

and then there was two, both came back to fill up.

As I type, one has just returned, that’s four trips….while the house or barn burns down! I can tell because the blue flashing lights are reflecting on my monitor.

I think they must have done, there’s no urgency anymore, and the fire officers are talking to the neighbours, while they look at me, typing!

Fire hydrant still in use, must get a photo!

Repoting to you as it happens…..

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