Mancat Monday with George and "Sibling"
1 week ago
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Monday, 19 July 2010
Hosepipes and Water Meters
I've come home from work early - a trip to the vets needed to remove a tick from the guinea pig's ear. So while the kids are loading him into a box I stroll down to check on my patch of dirt.
"Strange," I think as I approach it. "Someone's watering it."
Then it dawns on me. The kids are behind me in the guinea- pig run. That's the hosepipe! Someone has left it on and the hose has split with the heat and the pressure and there's water spraying everywhere!
A mad sprint up the garden to turn off the tap and I return to survey the damage. The ground is soaking. Fortunately most of the water has gone onto my veg and my squash and sweetcorn are looking very happy.
But that's not the point.
We're on a water meter.
And I'm not looking forward to getting my next water bill.
The guinea pig's fine though and here he is, back in his run, minus tick :-)
"Strange," I think as I approach it. "Someone's watering it."
Then it dawns on me. The kids are behind me in the guinea- pig run. That's the hosepipe! Someone has left it on and the hose has split with the heat and the pressure and there's water spraying everywhere!
A mad sprint up the garden to turn off the tap and I return to survey the damage. The ground is soaking. Fortunately most of the water has gone onto my veg and my squash and sweetcorn are looking very happy.
But that's not the point.
We're on a water meter.
And I'm not looking forward to getting my next water bill.
The guinea pig's fine though and here he is, back in his run, minus tick :-)
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Peas - or not!
My first row of peas are almost finished. I've had a good crop and the few my daughter let me eat were really sweet and juicy.
So I'm inspecting my second row of peas to see how they're coming along.
"They're a different variety," says my friend who has called round to check out what I'm growing.
"Yes they are," I say. "Well I bought the first lot already started off from the local hardware store and I grew the second lot from seed."
In fact I bought these seeds loose in the same place I got my pick and mix early potatoes (which makes things quite interesting because I never know exactly what I'm going to find when I dig up a plant).
"Are you sure they're not mangetout?" she says.
I look again.
The pods are very flat. In fact they don't seem to be fattening up at all. Actually she has a point. They do look an awful lot like mange-tout. I break one off and take a bite.
Mmm. I think they are mange tout.
Maybe I should have looked at bit closer at what I was buying. Not that I'm complaining. I like mangetout.
But somehow I'm going to have to break this to the sprog who's expecting a second row of peas!
So I'm inspecting my second row of peas to see how they're coming along.
"They're a different variety," says my friend who has called round to check out what I'm growing.
"Yes they are," I say. "Well I bought the first lot already started off from the local hardware store and I grew the second lot from seed."
In fact I bought these seeds loose in the same place I got my pick and mix early potatoes (which makes things quite interesting because I never know exactly what I'm going to find when I dig up a plant).
"Are you sure they're not mangetout?" she says.
I look again.
The pods are very flat. In fact they don't seem to be fattening up at all. Actually she has a point. They do look an awful lot like mange-tout. I break one off and take a bite.
Mmm. I think they are mange tout.
Maybe I should have looked at bit closer at what I was buying. Not that I'm complaining. I like mangetout.
But somehow I'm going to have to break this to the sprog who's expecting a second row of peas!
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Bees
Our neighbours have a problem with bees - there's a nest in their shed, bees buzzing in and out.
Luckily I know a man who keeps bees at work, so I mention it to him - suspected honey bees and he has a nice empty hive ready to fill!
So he calls round with all his gear - only it turns out they're not honey bees after all - they're bumble bees.
And here they are:
Shortly before....
Being relocated to their new home in the field at the back.
Luckily I know a man who keeps bees at work, so I mention it to him - suspected honey bees and he has a nice empty hive ready to fill!
So he calls round with all his gear - only it turns out they're not honey bees after all - they're bumble bees.
And here they are:
Shortly before....
Being relocated to their new home in the field at the back.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Slugs!
The first harvests are coming in. I've been eating new potatoes and broad beans, and the youngest daughter has almost finished munching her way through the first row of peas.
I hurry home from work and dig up another one of my potato plants. These are quite large and look really yummy. Just enough time to put them on to boil before I settle down with a beer to watch the footy.
One of them has a bit of a hole in it which seems to be full of earth. No problem. I take it over to the chopping board and slice off the end with the hole in it.
Something twitches.
It's an enormous slug - one of those horrible brown ones with the orange round the edges.
And I've just sliced it in half.
Suddenly my potatoes don't seem quite so yummy.
BTW, I never knew slugs ate potatoes. Is this usual? And anyone know how I can stop any more of my spuds from being slug chomped?
I hurry home from work and dig up another one of my potato plants. These are quite large and look really yummy. Just enough time to put them on to boil before I settle down with a beer to watch the footy.
One of them has a bit of a hole in it which seems to be full of earth. No problem. I take it over to the chopping board and slice off the end with the hole in it.
Something twitches.
It's an enormous slug - one of those horrible brown ones with the orange round the edges.
And I've just sliced it in half.
Suddenly my potatoes don't seem quite so yummy.
BTW, I never knew slugs ate potatoes. Is this usual? And anyone know how I can stop any more of my spuds from being slug chomped?
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Blackfly!
My first infestation – and I’d been doing so well!
They’re attacking my broadbeans – all the tender young shoots covered in a mass of black aphids, and they’re starting to creep over onto the runner beans too.
They’re being farmed by ants and I have to admit it’s rather fascinating watching them running up the stems of the plants tending to their herd, while a couple of large ladybird lavae lurk on a leaf nearby, waiting their chance to move in on unattended stragglers – it’s all drama in my patch of dirt.
But, interesting though it is, it’s not doing my plants a lot of good.
I attacked them last night with a spray of water and liquid detergent but it doesn’t seem to have done much good. Perhaps it’s too dilute. I’ll give them another dose this evening with a stronger mix – maybe that’ll be more effective.
Anyone got any good tips for getting rid of blackfly?
They’re attacking my broadbeans – all the tender young shoots covered in a mass of black aphids, and they’re starting to creep over onto the runner beans too.
They’re being farmed by ants and I have to admit it’s rather fascinating watching them running up the stems of the plants tending to their herd, while a couple of large ladybird lavae lurk on a leaf nearby, waiting their chance to move in on unattended stragglers – it’s all drama in my patch of dirt.
But, interesting though it is, it’s not doing my plants a lot of good.
I attacked them last night with a spray of water and liquid detergent but it doesn’t seem to have done much good. Perhaps it’s too dilute. I’ll give them another dose this evening with a stronger mix – maybe that’ll be more effective.
Anyone got any good tips for getting rid of blackfly?
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