Welcome to the no corona zona

[YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet]

Have you aged ten years overnight on a supermarket website?
Are you sticking to the 'two sheets' rule?
Have you had it with singing celebrities?
Are you yearning for what we will now call The Before Times?

If you've answered yes to any of the above, here's where you come to post threads about Naice Things - like ham and cats. Where The Virus That Must Not Be Named (TVTMNBM) is off-limits.

We'll do our best to keep the corona-free zone moderated - you do your best to chill out and gather strength.

Keep using the normal boards for normal stuff, but here's where to come if you need a break. We're hoping everyone will see the value of having somewhere to get away from it all.

Thanks,
MNHQ

Love the lawn ornament , Errol !

Errol, what is little lawn ornament's name?

The blue is just self-seeded forget me nots. The other side border is covered with them at the moment.

Thanks, Errol...I was hoping you were going to say that they were forget-me-nots. I bought a 4 inch one in a pot for the first time and I am glad to hear that they self seed!

Mine started from one or two bought plants. When I pull them out after they've gone over I just shake them around where I want them.

[adds forget-me-nots to list. Whistles innocently when DH asks why his compost patch is full of flowers]

There are a few in the lawn now. Usually DH does a weed and feed treatment but he decided to skip it as he doesn't want the grass growing too fast.

Here's the other side ...not much except forget-me-nots at the moment.

Errol, thank you for the photos.
Looks like your lawn ornament has had enough of smiling for the camera

Please, does anyone know of a way to discourage gigantic crows from coming around? They are so irritating with their "caw, caw,caw" ALL day long...I think I'm going to go cuckoo pretty soon if they keep it up....I can even hear them with the windows closed.They chase away all the other birds, even the hawks. They also love to get in the bin and throw garbage all over the street. Help! My DH suggested a scarecrow 😂...it will make my garden look like a scene from THE WIZARD OF OZ

Well, the most obvious thing is to secure your bin so they can't get in it. That may be what they're coming for.

But corvids are amazingly intelligent birds. They may become less irritating if you can spend some time watching them, perhaps?

Set them up a test Sissymate2!

I've put some bluebell and violet photos on the Nature Notes thread, since we can't have too many blues and purples.

The big patch of clematis Montana is fully out and smelling gorgeously vanilla-y - I think it benefitted from the couple of days of rain last week

That's beautiful @ErrolTheDragon.

The slugs have eaten the tomato and sweetcorn seedlings that I put out to early, so I'm going to plant asparagus next year instead. May as well fail at something that's supposed to be tricky

I hear you @MinnieMountain!
My beautiful heirloom tomatoes have been eaten down to nubbins....so disappointed! slugs and snails here, too. I tried the old beer in a flat pan trick and captured a few slugs....now, I've taken to going out at night with a torch and digging around under the leaves on a snail hunt. NDN probably thinks isolation has finally done my head in. I try to hide behind a bush if I see car lights approaching.....well worth it though as one night I found 30 snails .They've started in on my concord grapes, also, the little buggers.

@DanglyTasselsOfThigh
I was looking back through this thread out of boredom and discovered your posts of your beautiful flowers. Thank you for sharing your colourful gardens with us ...I missed your posts the first time so I'm glad I scrolled back through...you have such a lovely variety.. are those viola? And is that a gardenia I see?

Hello Sissy

Yes viola and the white flower is a lovely camellia.

I have some more flowers happening now and although the nasturtiums are not yet in bloom they look nearly ready to me!

The first rose and the other lovely clematis

We have many arguments about whether this bush is blue or purple, but it does make me happy to see it.

That's gorgeous Chemenger ! 😍

I think purple! I like a bluey purple!

My second favourite part of the garden at this time of year. Strictly speaking these are wildflowers but who cares.

Chemenger, that bush is fabulous!
What is it? Lilac?

It’s a ceanothus, I think. A colleague at work gave me a cutting about 10 years ago. It obviously appreciates total neglect. Behind the wall is a very steep bank down to the road about 10 feet below. A week ago we heard some noise coming from Ofer the wall and it turned out to be people climbing the bank to take selfies with the bush.

The bank is covered with the daisies like the other picture, which DH hates because they look untidy. His perfect garden would have grass, trees, perfectly shaped bushes and bare earth.

I've been waiting for these