snefnug

A coolish overcast day today. Wooly cardigan on…..

All subjective but, No. It’s been a reasonable summer. Like summers used to be. Rain, sun, rain, sun. Been good for gardeners and farmers, maybe not so for sun seekers and HSM’s, , but thank the weather gods, no extreme heat or wildfires.

And I am looking out now, onto verdant green, apart from the dying wychelms, struck by elm disease. The trees are not as stressed as they were last year, although it is interesting to note that the holly trees were producing berry buds in huge numbers a few months back.

Interesting you should say that. My memories of summers in 70s and 80s were hot, cool, rain. I remember at the end of my school year in ‘79, some hot days and a lot of thunderstorms but on the whole a mix of sunshine and showers. That’s why, I thought , most people went on holiday to Europe, for the heat and sunshine ie to escape the rain. Having been brought up in equatorial Africa, the constant rain then sun then rain, , apart from the ‘phew what a scorcher’ year was bliss and proper British like. Everything was so Green!

I’m in the alternating rainfall and sunshine days. With slightly below or about average temps camp. Although my solar array and battery would like wall to wall sunshine but not too hot please.

Summer Madmod lamenting lack of foreseeable uk Cerberus. I would take current weather any day, apart from slug damage to my plants after rain. Three courgette plants eaten. Grrrr. However not too hot and rain in forecast with sunny spells I can handle. Boiling hot and constant watering does not float my boat, and I suspect will not theirs when they see food prices rocket in supermarkets due to outrageous heat in southern Europe and US.

It certainly feels autumnal. My gardening neighbour and I chatting about 5pm and it seemed so, although sunshine it had that spidery late evening haze. Most of our perennials have flowered but the rain has allowed us to cut foliage for a second flush. Currently, it’s cloudy, feels like dusk, which isnt for another hour or so. Friday night, after all that rain, we put the logburner on.

How refreshing to see rain, and enough to soak the soil.

Well we had some spectacular lightning and window shaking thunder and one or two sharp down pours and short power cuts, but nowhere near 100mm, just E ought to water garden. This morning a hazy humid 16c at 5am.

Oh craparoonies! Adore the dry sunny weather, but need to now water some of the beds that I’ve never had to water….. time to dust off the old Spear of Destiny classic…..

As long as you’ve not had too much Sangria! bathroom pump and waterbutt pump have made early morning watering so much easier! have a great weekend.

Cooler feel today than yesterday. But sunny in a brisk breeze. Have examined water buts. The weekend watering has all but emptied them so have dug out the electric bath pump. Seems that time of year is earlier this year, if that makes sense……

Nope! Carry on the good work!

Oak flower wine? I’m intrigued. Tell us more?

Aaaaaaannnnd it’s Bank Holiday Monday with usual weather of heavy rain. No matter, a fab day yesterday, loads done in garden so not to worry.

No, CR, no smugcowness coming your way, I’m sure, soon, the weather will turn to the better. I saw my first swallows last Wednesday , and my heart went out to them as they sat shivering on the wires in a briskly cold wind. We’ve had peacock butterflies when we’ve had the sun and in between the rain bursts the dumbledores and bees were on the comfrey and honeysuckle. It’s just the sheer miserable relentlessness of grey and rain at the end of April. Anyway rant over and I am very glad your little corner of Wales was warm and sunny and so productive.

Sheer miserable wet wet wet dreck. And no, we don’t need it to fill the Ceiriog River, it’s full enough thank you!

After a not so bad day yesterday - very cold morning but brightened up with fresh winds, today is utterly blergh. A cool 7c at the moment, no sun, chill wind.

Just had mine, somewhat loud!

Don’t think in this case it’s in the name of conservation, more mammon.

After a fairly dreich day with a keen easterly wind, sun has finally come out. Heigh ho! However , happier now that my Sussex red Vine, two chokeberries and sundry herbs (including two foxtail rosemary) and pollinator friendly plants have made their way up tortuously from the saaaarf. Just shown a local beekeeper round me little garden and she is delighted by the comfrey hedge, the masses of dandelion and the pulmonaria, the fruit trees and. the herb and pollinator beds. She is less delighted (as am I) that across the river the new peeps have installed simply loads of hives, of a bee not native to Wales and with no respect to the delicate balance of imported commercial hives and the local solitary, bumble, and native honeybee population. So yet again a change of plant focus to concentrate more on solitary and dumbledores and hover flies.

I lost all my rosemaries, the lavenders and sage just survived, all my perennial kale, succulents, two young clematis and all my South African bulbs - nerines and agapanthus. Big gaps in garden and concentrating more now on as native as possible hardy species - native to uk/north Europe, so those should be able to survive sudden bursts of cold.

Strewth! Whose nicked the sunshine? It’s like Brigadoon out there, all swathed in swirling mists.

After a lovely sunny-with-some-cloud day yesterday, mostly spent weeding zillions of sycamore seedlings and gazing happily on bees buzzing around the dandelions, this morning is a bit of a damp squib. It’s raining again, although not according to the METO symbol forecast, where it’s just cloudy. Will have to meander out between clouddrips and haul the cloud soaked washing off the line.

Dusting of snow on tops this morning and it is snowing now, but not settling at our valley level. Think I’ll be going the low long route round to Llangollen today rather than the quick very high and probably windy route. Lots of wildly waving trees in the winds last night but none down to my knowledge.