Monthly Archives: August 2020

Getting your fork on

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We’ve been furloughed again for two weeks so it’s back out in the garden for some sanity! It’s never ending this gardening lark and if you want something to do you’ll soon find that “something”.

Whilst working as a council gardener years ago I was told that one of my fellow co-workers was watched by the boss (and “Dave the driver”) from a hidden council truck and was seen staring into space for nearly an hour, smoking a roll up with one foot on the garden fork. I mean an hour just staring into space is some feat (never mind with one foot balanced on a gardening fork!), he should’ve got a medal!

It’s a shame said worker didn’t say to the boss he was “practising mindfulness” as when he was finally caught his excuse to the gaffer was “I’ve ran out of things to do”. Never EVER say you’ve nothing to do at work especially in the councils of yesteryear. The next day he was handed a four sheets of typed A4 of jobs that had to be done by the weekend and was told there was more of the same to do when he’d finished. They got rid of the bloke in the end, I wonder why?

This morning’s jobs from the A4 sheets was to clear out the side bed but keeping the gardening anarchy of courgettes, carrots, dahlias and whathaveyou. And what’s wrong with some gardening anarchy?

We’re now running for the shade!

Are we seeing things?

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It doesn’t take long for seeds to germinate in this weather. The above are from the mixed herb seed pack we bought from ebay and sowed on August 2nd, that’s been just a week! We kept the pots well misted/watered constantly especially in this heat. More on the seeds we bought here.

And this very odd photo above was taken about 11am this morning just after we watered a patch of grass that was looking well thirsty up near the house. If you look closely there are four cabbage white butterflies (we think, but we don’t know much about butterflies so it could have been any butterfly) who were in the process of jumping up and down and having a bit of a dance.

Or are they the Cottingley Fairies visiting London on the way down to the coast to have a break, who knows? #hallucinatinginlockdown #Isthelockdownoveryet?

Red beans and Eisenia fetida in the (compost) area

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We sowed some mixed climbing beans quite late on in the season as seeds were really hard to get as you can remember. We honestly thought we’d missed the boat with any form of beans as we didn’t have much success with any we planted prior to these.

The other week we noticed some lovely purple flowers on the plant which is not in the best place in the garden, up near the house. The seeds were from a “Climbing Bean Mixed Colours” pack we got mail order from Thompson & Morgan (have a butchers at their great gardening blog here) which contained: “‘Carminat’ – Fleshy purple pods with beige seeds, ‘Monte Cristo’ – Tender, bright green pods with white seeds and ‘Monte Gusto’ – Waxy, pale yellow pods with brown seeds.” It must be the Carminat and they are looking great. As long as we keep up the watering over the next few days and snip off any leaves from the Hydrangea which tend to hide any plants beside it we should be okay. We’ll keep you updated!

We’re on furlough again as from Monday for two weeks (at home) then a week’s holiday (at home) so expect more regular posts including (possibly): an hour by hour compost heap commentary and a live webcam on bin night plus other fascinating items. And talking of bins here’s a few brandling worms (aka Eisenia fetida) from a day or so ago in that alternative universe at the bottom of our garden. We looked in again today and there were loads more. The daily turning with a garden fork regime (and the daily scraping of the knuckles on the inside of the bin) plus the regular trips with the used teabags are working!

And as the weather is going to be very extreme tomorrow (There’s a load of Lidl’s finest economy ice lollies in the fridge as essential backup) here’s a very nice chilled tune from sir Was & Casper Clausen called Flyder on the No Label. Let’s say it’s “infectious, very infectious”! #lockdowngardening  #gardeningasahelptosanityinlockdown

This post was written while listening to the excellent Rupie Edwards selection here:

A shortwave radio weekend

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It’s a double dose of DJ Frederick‘s radio projects over the shortwaves this weekend. This Saturday 8th of August 2020 there’s the 2019 remix broadcast of Free Radio Skybird via Radio Onda in Europe on 5940 kHz at 1800 UTC (1900 UK time.) Listen out for One Deck Pete’s Sounds of the shortwave at 24.50 minutes in. If you haven’t a shortwave radio set tune in here to experience the sound of shortwave on an online software defined radio or listen in studio quality audio via Radio Onda‘s website here. 

On Sunday 9th August 2020 (and repeated the week after) at 2200 UTC (11pm UK time) on 3955 kHz via Channel 292 is Radio Lavalamp. The transmission will feature in One Deck Pete with a mix at 23 minutes in called The Purple Nucleus of Creation 002 featuring some great tunes from Drowsii, Nayl, Tabitha Project, Seventh Soul & Homayoun Shajarian and Camille Murray. Tune in to “Your ethereal shortwave music station” on 3955 kHz or this link here when the time is right! #Freeradioskybird #radiolavalamp #shortwavesnotdead

Oi! Get off me stamen!

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Here’s a pic of one of the courgette/zucchinni flowers yesterday. We’re keeping the plants well watered, feeding them weekly and finding anything that resembles finished compost at the bottom of the dalek bin and sticking it around the plant as mulch. We’ve just found out this tip online as well: “Don’t use a fertilizer too high in nitrogen; it will diminish your yield.” We didn’t know that! Know any more good tips?

More on growing them here. #zucchinniinlockdown

We love the Gang of Four (herbs)

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Gardening is a funny old game, you could be doing it for a fair few years but that don’t stop you from messing up and/or not getting things right. We have our moments with peas and never get much joy growing coriander as it always bolts, never mind what variety.

We’re giving it another chance after having to succumb to buying (with heads hung down in shame) some coriander leaves from the local shop the other day. Straight after, we looked on ebay and got one of those mixed herb packs for a couple of quid, which had small amounts of parsley, basil, chives and coriander seeds. We received them through the post yesterday so in the afternoon some potting compost was procured, a few old pots which once had some stuff that failed were washed out, and seeds sown. The pots are now on the kitchen windowsill, finger’s crossed!

And do know what? We’ve actually found a cabbage in the garden that may be fit for eating (in a month or two). Now there’s a result!

This post was written whilst listening to:

#saveonthewire #athomehesagardener #lockdowngardening