Fungi Foraging Again

Wednesday 31st August 2011

Another grim day weather wise yesterday with fairly steady rain setting in mid-afternoon, despite the fact that it was supposed to be grey but dry all week. In consequence I don't have that much to blog about, don't worry though, as of next week I'll be so busy again you wont be able to shut me up! Chaos still reigns at home with the teenagers stuff all over the house, but at least the end is in sight with the bed and carpet arriving next Mon/Tues and I have finished the painting thank goodness.

Another good day for fungi foraging though,

Pics-stump bell caps, a lovely speckled quince, crested coral fungus.

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain"

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Autumnal Feel

Tuesday 30th August 2011

I've known much nicer weather in October than the last few days of our supposedly glorious British summer. When I got up first thing yesterday morning the Internet was down, so abandoning any attempts at blogging I stole an hour in the garden before the rest of the household were up. I soon retreated back inside for a body-warmer as the wind was really chilly, but quickly forgot about it when I started to pot up my foxglove seedlings, I will not be short of them next year and am still hoping for some self sown ones too. Next I planted the sweet Williams in two large pots with allium bulbs underneath, I think it will make a good arrangement. The wallflowers are not ready yet and look like they have been nibbled by slugs, but they may well improve as I've moved them somewhere more sheltered. The garden is looking and feeling distinctly autumnal already but I'm hoping we may get an Indian summer as soon as the kids go back, until then I'll just have to content myself with looking at these sunny rudbekias.

"When summer gathers up her robes of glory and like a dream glides away"

Sarah Helen Whitman

Animated Teenager

Monday 29th August 2011

The word holiday seems to have two different meanings in this household. For the children for example, it means six long weeks of eating more than usual, wearing more clothes than usual and demanding more money than usual, all in return for doing basically nothing, and in the sons case bringing hoards of friends round so I have to act as doorman all day! On the other hand for any adult stupid enough not to be elsewhere it means triple housework duties and redecoration of the teenagers bedroom, (I confess it was my idea!). To give the teenager some due however she has helped with the painting and done a good job, showing more animation in the last two days than the whole of the prevoius six months! We are now on the countdown to the return to school and normality for the next three months, until Christmas rears its ugly head again!

No time for much gardening obviously but saw this strawberry tree yesterday and also these oak apples.

"Adolescence is a period of rapid changes. Between the ages of 12 and 17, for example, a parent ages as much as 20 years"

Anon

Other Side Of The Fence

Friday 26th August 2011

Not a lots been happening today so I'll just ramble on about a few things I've noticed this week. I'm particularly pleased with the appearance of these self sown lobelia in my wall garden, I just know that I couldn't grow these from seed if I tried so it's a good job they are happy to do it themselves. Anything that seeds itself for free is welcome in my garden even some of the weeds! Finally for today, it is a source of great irritation that out of all the plants I've grown from seed this year the ones that have done the best are always the ones I've given away. I know that my growing conditions are not ideal and I intend to remedy that by putting raised beds in for next year, and I acknowledge that my gifted seedlings have been housed in richer more spacious ground, but it still smarts when everyone else is groaning under copious amounts of squash and courgettes when mine seem able only to produce male flowers! Another good case in point is the chilli plant I gave to Diana, it is now sitting smugly in her greenhouse producing amazing looking fruit, whilst mine languish outside looking miserable. I never thought I would desire a greenhouse over a downstairs loo! Oh well they say we shall get our rewards in heaven!

"Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower"

Anon

A Fruity Sort Of Day

Thursday 25th August 2011

Diana takes her role of unofficial horticulture tutor very seriously I'm glad to say, as when I stepped foot into the garden for the first time in three weeks she was ready with a real hands on lesson. As promised we spent the next four hours "budding", that is carefully cutting a bud from a budstick of the tree you wish to reproduce. In this case we worked with two cherries, Summer Sun and Stella. Then we made a t-cut on the bark of the root stocks Gisela 5 and Colt carefully peeling back the rind to reveal the cambrian layer and gently eased the bud into the incision . Next we taped around the bud so it was secure and finally finished with a good coating of grafting wax, this stops the moisture from evaporating from the wound so aiding the bud to take. All we have to do now is wait for spring to see if it has worked! After a break for lunch at which we ate fresh figs from the greenhouse (delicious), we set to and summer pruned the cordoned apples and pears. All in all a most productive, informative and enjoyable day.

Pics-grafting tools, a closer look and the finished product.

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree"

Martin Luther

Typical Family Morning

Wednesday 24th August 2011

Sometimes I wish I didn't have so many people to be responsible for, take Tuesday morning for instance, I'm sat at the kitchen table in my dressing gown having just completed the morning blog, and tidying up a few bills and e-mails. The son appears

"Can Mat come round"

"No it's only 8.30 and the teenager is still in bed and I'm not dressed yet"

"Can he come round at 9.00?"

"N0, we've already discussed having Bilton youth club in the house when Dave is trying to work"

"Oh yeah"

Two nano seconds later he's dressed and out of the door, no breakfast and probably no underwear either knowing him! Bliss think I, a chance to have a shower in peace, no matter how I time it the son always has urgent business with me the moment I get wet. Ten minutes later and I've just emerged and am wrapping a towel around me when Dave hands me the phone,

"Hello"

"Sniff sniff"

"Is that you George?"

"I've cut my hand"

"Sigh, come straight home then"(oh god please let it not be another trip to A&E)

Hurriedly threw some clothes on and went downstairs to find the son sitting in the kitchen dripping blood and tears. Luckily it wasn't bad enough for hospital so a patch up with the first aid kit did the job. I looked at the clock, it was only 9.00am. Set off with Chum for our walk, who as soon as possible found the smelliest pile of fox pooh for miles around and enthusiastically rolled in it-great. Homeward bound stinky dog in tow I was startled by the sudden appearance of Peter the famous Bilton peacock, there really is never a dull moment around here! By the time I got home it was 11.00am,where does the day go? On the plus side I did see some great fungi again, they are a lovely shade of blue that doesn't really show up very clearly on the photo, they are called aniseed funnel caps.

"It's easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities"

Josiah Charles Stamp

All Hands On Deck

Tuesday 23rd August 2011

Back at Tate house yesterday after what seemed like ages and actually was when you take into account the holiday and the car breaking down etc. Anyway it was good to be back and plunged headlong into preparations for the official opening of the sensory courtyard by the mayor of Harrogate on September 3rd. Nick and I got stuck into the veg patch, weeding and clearing out anything that had gone to seed, we also got rid of most of the cauliflowers which are perhaps the only things that have failed to grow well. Next we potted up all the strawberry runners, we may not have had an abundance of fruit this year, but as you can see there is plenty of potential for next years crop! Meanwhile Lynne, Madhu and Stewart concentrated on perking up the courtyard, removing the alyssum and replacing it with more houseleeks and some pretty violas. Even the residents are hard at work making this beautiful sunshine mosaic which will be the centrepiece of the sensory courtyard, Margery and Dorothy are making good progress, keep it up ladies! Fingers crossed everything will be ready in time.

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit"

Nelson Henderson