what are you doing ?

[IslandPink]

Yesterday I assembled an Alphason HiFi rack that I was given second-hand. I couldn't find an easy way to use it in the front room HiFi set-up at present, so it's in the bedroom now, organising my camera bags and lens boxes in a much neater way than just piling them on the floor.

[pre65]

I've cut the grass this afternoon, and now I'm going to scarify the better part of my grass, can't call it lawn.

Dressed only in shorts, hat and short socks/shoes so as to absorb some vitamins from the sun.

[IslandPink]

You're setting a fine example.
I just put on my shorts for the first time this year.

[pre65]

You're setting a fine example.
I just put on my shorts for the first time this year.

I had been wearing my shorts all year for bowling (indoor and out) and walking.

[Ant]

More cutting back of shrubs, had to have a good go at an enormous fuschia, something unpronounceable, and something g with large yellow leaves.
Used the petrol hedge trimmers this time, which amazingly pulled straight up with abit of choke. The fuel has been sat since last July so I wasn't expecting much.
Bit of a shake of the can and machine to get the blue smoke oil mixed back in (necessary? Dunno, I've just always done it), good check around it before attempting to start, couple of test pulls with no ignition on to make sure there's compression, and it went on the third pull with abit of choke added.
I'd given it a once over before it got put away, it pays to treat em properly.
The fuschia gets massive every year, its right next to the compost bin so all the nutrients leech into the soil there and it hides the bin when it hangs down.
Best get in with shredding the clippings......
Was also told by swmbo to fix the raised veg bed, nothing doing, haven't got any screws or nails long enough. Oh well.

[steve s]

I've cut the grass this afternoon, and now I'm going to scarify the better part of my grass, can't call it lawn.

Dressed only in shorts, hat and short socks/shoes so as to absorb some vitamins from the sun.

I did the same Phil.
After runñing the scarifier over the grass there's mostly just soil now. I had not realised how much of the lawns was moss.. we need some grass seed now.

[simon]

Interesting plant Ray, very showy. Wonder what it is? Stephen's our resident antipodean, maybe he knows? Aussie flora is probably quite different to Kiwi though.

Spent much of the day in the garden. A number of butterflies were out, and bumble bees. And a butterfly chased a bumble bee away at one point. Also saw two blue tits having a scrap. Really. Never seen that before. The crows were shooing the sparrow hawk on too.

Moved a philadelphus. It wasn't particularly large, maybe 4', and not in leaf yet. I'm a bit concerned that it will pull through though. We're clearing an area we've never been happy with. I've always fancied a Japanese garden area, very calming and ordered. Yesterday we agreed we'd try it and in my head I've already designed and built the tea room, gravel river and bridge. Today though, it turns out that we're thinking essence of Japan rather than full on Japanese temple garden. My mistake.

[Dave the bass]

Ponds. Phwwwwwwwwwooooooooooooooooaaaaaarrrrrrrr. I built a pond in our garden ~19 years ago to make better use of the previous owners BBQ/socialising area seeing as we do we do neither of these things.

When I finished building it we filled it with rainwater from a huge butt (stoppit already) and just let it be. Put nothing in it except a load of peebles in the shallow end, a Marshmarigold (I think its called), some floating up and downy mossy looking plant that a mate recommended to aerate the water (no pumps or nowt here for low maintenance/laziness) and a flag Iris. I didn't want to add any fish or anything like that because I personally didn't want to put a living creature into a confined space, if it/they arrive of their own accord thats OK with me. It was a case of Wayne's World Waynestock, "build it and they shall come".....

It took about 5 years before we noticed a frog in the garden, it was exciting. Now we've got a gorgeous pond and millyunz of Frogs and learner frogs too that have made it their home and we spend ages look at them and them at us. They boing and gribbit all over the garden round here, like



Apprentice Frogs...




Millyunz of 'em...


And they grow into these fine looking fellas...


"Hello"!

[simon]

Very nice Dave

[Dave the bass]

Very nice Dave

Thank you, I think you're very nice too.

[simon]

Cheers sweetie

[izzy wizzy]

Head Gardener is a big fan of fuschia but we lost all of them to fuschia gall mite so HG says.

I know nothing about plants and stuff and HG doesn't know that Aussie flowering beauty. If it's indentifying English plants, then HG is yer woman. We've been away too long to know that dahn under stuff. NZ and Aussie flora and fauna are very different due to NZ's extreme isolation over millions of years.

And love that pond Dave. Frogs are a bit special. We encourage them to live in the green house to keep the slugs at bay. Had an old bath tub to sink in the garden for that kind of action but it didn't happen and is now not in the plan.

After 7 days of digging, 3 yards of soil removal to a skip, we finally got the 48 bare root plants in today so we now have a 1.5m high, 13m long beech hedge ready to go. HG is super happy so we've cracked open the champagne to celebrate Woohoo! So looking forward to a day off tomorrow to enjoy some music and mess about with stereo stuff.

[Ray P]

I think the purple shrub in the picture was one of these;

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=959

Seems we were lucky that it lasted for about 5yrs planted out in a raised bed, though the location is pretty sheltered and south facing. It didn't die as a result of a winter though, it just died back one summer so I guess something else got it.

[Ray P]

I built a pond in our garden...

Great pond Dave and I love the wildlife. We've not been adopted by any frogs but at our old house we had newts and frogs, which were great to watch.

In our current pont we seem to have some promiscuous fish as we've acquired a lot more that are breaking cover in the sunshine! They're small at the moment but they'll be far too many to be able to keep them all so I'll have to work out what to do with them.

[simon]

You did well to keep that alive outside for 5 years Ray. Must be mild your way. The raised bed no doubt helped.