snowmash's cybergarden - spring edition

[madmouse]

hello

Hi TIANC, hope you've managed to recover, and not over-doing your painting just because the weather is good. I don't actually have anything to paint, having recently gone over to the UPVC side. Last year's "professional" painting job took most of the summer to organise and the cost was definitely top end, just because I was lacking energy to do it myself after so many years (another skill imparted by Mother; we didn't just keep the soft toys in order, and everyone's weekend was disrupted if she came across wallpaper that appealed.

You are so good at remembering all our names, (although I do wonder from time to to time how people are managing when we don't hear, and hope it's just being busy).
No eclipse here as no moon visible with our strange weather, and still waiting for more than a shower. I do feed some plants during the season, but of course it's not recommended until soil has been moistened and I'm really sick of hauling watering-cans. I shall come and sit in the cyber-garden to take my mind off the chores, once I've got food sorted and shopping in of course.

Evening , good people - didn't see eclipse here , either . Pah indeed at shodatin's rainless clouds .
Your Mother sounds magnificent , shodatin . Am still laughing at your kind answer about the bear noses , thank you .

Hope you've been having a better day physically , TIANC , and that your mood hasn't dipped too much alongwith your energy , as most people experience . You must feel almost alone sometimes with the intensity of the fatigue but I would think you have made some good friends among fellow travellers - if you were up to it , obviously . .
Am with you on bad Baron Freud - Britain 's been building up a real panto cast in recent years , with Bad Baron Mandelson , Bad Mayor Boris - urgh .... nothing like using your educational advantages to do good in the world

Hope snowmash has had some sunlight on her face today , and that all the friends of her thread are OK .

Very hard going to water with cans , shodatin - hope had a few showers and have been able to put your chores aside for some rest . If you watch TV , the last Springwatch of the series is on in a minute . ( Saw a bluetit fledgling high in hedge today - soo fat and fluffy ! )

Hello hob, and thanks for news of small bluetit - I'm sure there are some about in the cyber-garden too, and am keeping an eye out for small blackbirds in my RL garden.

Agree with you about the panto cast, but ashamed to say I have so little interest in any of them these days, I had to look up the Freud person, and now I think the less said the better.

Will say "goodnight" now, hope everyone has a peaceful night and thank you all for visiting.

So lovely to hear about your bluetit, hob.

Thank you for your good thoughts today - but please don't fret yourself over daft me! I can't do much, but actively uncomfortable days are now the exception rather than the norm. So I'm probably in better circs than others here. And not grumpy! Hurray!

Hope you're also doing OK today, recovering well from the week's exertions?

shodatin sorry even to have mentioned the panto people, if it made you look them up. Life happier without them, I think. (Unless like the brave hob one's prepared to go into battle - then it's worth knowing.)

Still no rain for you? Uff. I confess to attaching a hose to the water butt in the summer: easier than lugging 7kg water in a can, for me anyway. And if there's no hosepipe ban I even use it to top the butt up from the mains, so gravity's always on my side when I water.

Eyes closing here. Hope snowmash has had an OK day, and madmouse and friends. Sleep well all.

Hello TIANC and thanks for water-butt tip, but I don't have one here, or even a hosepipe.
When my shed's installed I might purchase butt No.7, if there's room, but have previously managed with mulches. An end-of-season-drought means roots have probably established of course, and can take their chances, but a dry planting season is unusual in this area (and have more interesting things to do).
What's really frustrating is rain forecast and grey clouds then nothing! Grrrr.
Am certain snowmash finds life frustrating too, so will cease complaining.

On subject of interesting things, very little happening here at present, so who has something wonderful planned for next week? I will most probably still be watering the garden (today's "rain" was just damp), a local friend will be away on an art course and my sister should be back from her break in Fiji via Australia so I shall be even duller than usual.

Today's good news: a female blackbird near the new birdbath I put out for the nearly-tame male - just possible they are a pair, tho I can't see a nest.

Ooh, blackbird romance! Does make the cunningly hidden nest seem quite likely, doesn't it?

That's jolly clever with the mulches. At the risk of turning this into Gardener's Question Time, can I ask what you use? [failed gardener emoticon]

Sorry next week is looking dull and lonely chez Sho. Just trying to think of next week here: I might treat myself to a trip to town, as I must buy a present and the internet is not inspiring me. 'Twill be nice to get out, but you can jolly well have my rain for that day! Sodden here.

snowmash, hope you're getting a bit of summer where you are.

hob bet we cross-post! Hope your day's been a good'un.

Evening everyone < sniffs at lovely posts > ... am even worse than usual at expressing myself tonight . Wanted to say goodnight & sweet dreams before you all go to sleep but will have missed you all now as had to go & sort something out mid -post .

How exciting about another blackbird shodatin, and no wonder , with a nice new birdbath - please don't even joke about being dull < stern >
What an amazing trip for your sister. Can't believe your drought - poured for hours here . I must learn more about establishing plants as am clueless about some of the things you've mentioned . Oh my , I forgot to thank you for your tip on preventing pussycats from rolling all over crops - dh is delighted !

Thank you TIANC , means a lot to me from someone I admire so much (sorry...). The battle for disability rights is a civil rights matter , I imagine we all agree..
Thanks for reassurance about health , so glad to hear it & am very dense about absorbing your reassurances . I was trying unsuccessfully to say I hope you don't feel foul emotionally on really bad day but knew it would come out wrong ! Ooooh yes , found some amazingly basic info today about close relatives today whilst dh was looking up censuses & thought of you & kizzie .

Hope kizzie and madmouse and pixie and friends of the thread are OK . We're all thinking of you , snowmash & sending thoughts & prayers .

Hi TIANC, Blackbird romance is exactly what I thought, so we'll be having a look for a nest on Monday while tidying front shrubbery (where I think I heard nestlings, although both adults have only appeared at end of back garden).

The neighbours at a previous house told us to mulch, saying that watering their veg patch meant the roots didn't develop and extend as they should.
I've only ever used bark chippings, but others in same lane used peat, straw,black polythene, green mulch and strips of carpet as we all had same porous chalk and water simply drained through. (Must water before mulch goes on ).

I know I go boring on about gardening, but wanted to pass on that my new anti-slug system of left-over coffeegrounds scattered around area with pots seems to be working, and even the lupin's now got whole leaves!

Just seen the time, so will say "goodnight" and sleep well all.

News! It rained here overnight, and garden is well-soaked - have never been so happy to have rain but don't actually need any more this weekend. It's still overcast, so will get out now for errands and cancel plans for raindance.

Having had a moan about lack of interesting stuff due next week, I have to admit that I'd rather be here than in a beach hut in Fiji like sister and niece.

Have spent years avoiding beach holidays and resorts as an adult, and definitely prefer sand-free experiences, but the photos were lovely.

Is anyone planning to go away this summer? (Apart from TIANC's proposed shopping trip, and of course snowmash is a bit stuck at present).

Oh hurray for your rain!

Brain in neutral at the mo, but will read and post properly later.

Rain made such a difference, with both neighbours out most of afternoon, but I'd had to promise to delay pruning and weeding at front until Thai friend gets here to help on Monday, so my plot's still rather a mess, apart from the floral bit which has self-seeded California Poppies from last year plus orange coloured Pansies I added for the winter (and am hoping they will self-seed too).It's a happy accidental result for very little effort or expense, and no room for weeds.

Hi - just popping in to say hello .
My PC is playing up so access severely restricted at the mo.
Glad to see youve had some rain shodatin.
Hope you all have a good week - nothing exciting planned here !

Hi snowamash - still thinking of you x

Hi kizzie*, hope you're keeping well and coping well, apart from computer, and that must be a real nuisance. I have a couple of people I can ask for help if necessary, as I'm new to PCs, and wonder if you have similar assistance?

Rain was wonderful thanks kizzie, have never missed it before! Hope both your delicate plants are recovering well and the new flowers look good, and wishing you well with work.

Evening everyone - so good you got your rain , shodatin! I can picture your garden well now - I share your love of California poppies & pansies & have lots of the poppies from my neighbour . Very exciting that you may have heard nestlings .

Good to see you kizzie & hope you find a solution to PC problems soon. Nothing exciting indeed . (sorry if that comes out the wrong way , bt you are very self - deprecating )

Thanks for TIANC < slurps gratefully > and hope you had a pleasant day .

Hmm puzzling over how to answer shodatin's ( thoughtful & polite ) questions to us all in a secure fashion < self important > Have got some things planned the next few weeks but will need extra rest to manage them ... agree with you on beach holidays , prefer visiting Wales for a budget weekend . The union negotiations / coming industrial action will bring a lot of campaigning opportunities this next year so that's a source of excitement for me!

Hope snowmash isn't having a less easy time atm & sending positive thoughts .

Bedtime for me, sorry not posting properly today (fine but tired). Hope everyone's had an OK day, mud notwithstanding.

to lovely hob, shodatin, madmouse, snowmash, Pixie et al.

And kizzie. Oops.

hi, butterpie here. hAD enough drigs to fell a horse, but still here!

Hello to butterpie - lovely to hear from you and I do hope the drugs are helping, but it's so difficult to get them balanced in the beginning. At least you know things should gradually get better as your body adapts.(Am trying to increase one of mine, and it's difficult, so all best wishes to you.).

TIANC I hope you can use today to rest up a bit after a heavy week.

Evening everyone , and good to see you butterpie , though sorry you're having a hard time .

Hope you've had a good restful Sunday shodatin with some Skyping & email socialising . Your friend is coming round to visit & help with gardening tomorrow , I think ?

Hope you've had a good day ,TIANC- any more strawberries ripened lately ? Thought of our thread when found an entire mature courgette plant munched to a stub by slugs & snails ! Didn't know that was possible . Fortunately am greedy & planted lots of courgette seeds.

Had sleepy but pleasant day & visited ILs for Father's Day.

Hope snowmash has had a reasonable day with a chance to listen to some music if she wanted ( may be unrealistic , sorry ) and that madmouse , kizzie and pixie are OK

Hi hob, Glad you had a good relaxing day too, apart from the courgette plant, which is indeed a surprising amount of damage. I do hope the rest are surviving, and clever you to plant plenty. I have one....

Yes, am hoping rain holds off tomorrow as front patch is very jungly and has actually never needed watering anyway, just hacking back as planned.

Hope everyone had a good weekend, particularly snowmash who must be fed up and hoping to go home - best wishes.

Goodnight all, sleep well.

Just turned computer on for a quick goodnight - shodatin you're spot on, I've been resting up all day.

butterpie, so glad you could pop in! Did you see, there's romance in the garden with shodatin's blackbirds!

Hope everyone's had as good a day as possible. Sorry, will catch up properly with you all tomorrow, I hope.

to all.

Morning people - a lovely sunny one here and hope it's the start of a good week for us all - sorry to read elsewhere that madmouse was upset and hope rest of us are managing well after the rest.

Hope your restful days trying to recover were still pleasant and that you feel OK today.

Hope it didn't pour down today shodatin & you and your friend were able to tackle jugly bit or loaf about eating cake if it did rain . ( thanks for opinion on munched courgette & hope yours stays well and whole )

Yes indeed , thinking of you snowmash , hoping you can feel your sense of hope despite the stresses of ward life xx

Thinking of you also butterpie and madmouse , and hoping week going well for kizzie and pixie