Someone say something

[Weedo]

several offensive words

Last night about 7.00 a Northerly storm blew up out of nowhere; we rarely get any weather from this quarter except hot winds (Parliament is in that direction) Dumped about 70mm of rain (2.5 inches ) in 15 minutes precisely when we did not want it, took part of the house roof off (naturally over the newly renovated bedroom) and soaked the shearing shed floors. Cattle yards full of newly weaned calves so they will now have to be let out; we can't have them living in mud. I don't know how the rest of the farm fared, too dark by the time I got the roof back on(ish). To top it all off I left the (several nasty words) windows down on the Hilux while I was on the tractor.

Sorry, my bitch for the day

[diggernotdreamer]

Sounds like most days in the North West of Ireland, feel your pain, we have gales and wall to wall mud here nearly all the time

[Weedo]

DND
Strange! All the touristy pics show it calm and sunny with lovely inviting beaches.
Anyway, been putting off a new roof for the old farm house for a few years now but it may be time. Hopefully the soil temps are still too high for the pastures to germinate before I can get to the weeds that will.

Do you ever sleep?

[ina]

I planted daffodil bulbs along the driveway last fall. I really want the snow to melt so they can start growing.

Most of our daffs are out already - and since they are grown commercially here, too, the country is starting to turn yellow... Where it's not daffodils, it's gorse and even some rape.

As for strawberries - in my experience they never do much in the first year; might be doing a lot better in the second year? I would probably leave them for another season and give them a chance, but that's just me... Always reluctant to remove plants that aren't dead yet.

[ina]

Last night about 7.00 a Northerly storm blew up out of nowhere; we rarely get any weather from this quarter except hot winds (Parliament is in that direction)

Hehe... Know your feeling. Here it comes from the South.

Hope it's going better now?!

[Weedo]

Thanks all

The heavy weather has gone for the time being and we got about 5 inches of rain out of it (this is one fifth of our annual average) -the damaging storm was a only strip about 2 Km wide but we were right in the way. The next couple of years firewood is taken care of with heaps of timber on the ground now.

This autumn break is a little too early for us but the cereal guys are now flat out sowing while there is moisture to germinate the seed. Our risk is that it will dry out again and we will lose the newly germinated grasses and clovers - really we only need 3 weeks of mild weather for them to get their roots down and hold on.

On the "Ish" side, our latest soil tests show that we have nearly reached the target fertility and structure levels. Couple this with reduced stocking rates and better rotations we should be able to maintain growth with only minimal artificial inputs (top ups) except for the more intensive hay productions areas.

[Weedo]

Git hit again. Same thing, a 15 minute intense storm only a couple of km's wide but from the NW - no real structural damage this time but plenty of big limbs down, a few trees and a few broken fences but I just can't seem to see the water tank off the pump shed anywhere.

Good thing is that the temperatures have dropped and we now have enough soil moisture to cultivate and sow. The early vegies sown on a chance are leaping along - spring onions, shallots, cabbage, carrot, radish. I will try a few rows of sweet corn around the patch to see if that will slow down the hot winds a bit.

[Weedo]

Can't win

I am sitting in a Motel on the Gold Coast (work) 1400 km North of home and about 1000 km south of cyclone Debbie. We are getting the after effects here and it is unlikely that I will be able to fly out this morning as planned.

[littlemissrose]

Wow you're having a lot of luck with storms huh. My sympathies mate.

[KathyLauren]

I updated my avatar. :)

We're not doing much with the garden this year. We have strawberries ripening, and the raspberries are doing okay. The asparagus has been neglected for a few years, and we shouldn't have picked any last year, so it's looking pretty sickly this year. Neither of us has the dedication to do a serious garden any more.

We haven't gone totally un-ish-y, though. We get our veggies from a local organic grower via a CSA (community-supported agriculture) subscription. That is a win for everyone.

[Green Aura]

Looking good, KathyLauren.

I have to admit we're not doing so much in the garden either. For us the weather has prevented us growing anything successfully for the last three summers and we've rather lost heart. So the citrus trees in the polytunnel, peppers and tomatoes on the SW facing windowsills and fruit bushes in the garden are pretty much all we're doing. Like you we get an organic veg box.

Although we're still cracking on with renovations. The house area is all floored and painted now so just the shop, although I'm thinking we might get someone in to dry-line it. This year I might just paint it so I can open up again - even if it's only for a couple of months.

[Flo]

Daughter had her PhD graduation yesterday and there was a celebration in the evening. Today must catch up on the gardening on the allotments after two days off (wet one day, other distractions yesterday).

It looks as if it might be a good year this year for vegetables.

Am seriously considering whether to hand in the allotments at the end of the season. It's not the two knees that need replacing so much as the fact that after ten years I'm bored. The family want to know what I will do instead. Well there's between now and end of next February to decide. I suspect they are worried about their fresh fruit supply but there you go she says laughing.

[Odsox]

Am seriously considering whether to hand in the allotments at the end of the season

I know the feeling well, Flo.
If it wasn't the case that I have far too much invested in my fruit and veg production I might well think the same. But I have 2 polytunnels, 3 greenhouses and ordinary veg plots, and I can't see me stopping using them all the while I'm able to.

Two things that would make it a bad idea for me, one, it keeps me active, even walking round the various parts ... opening up in the mornings and closing things down at night, is good exercise that I might not get otherwise. And 2 ... have you seen the cost and more importantly the quality of the vegetables in the shops, even a veg box contents must be at least a day old, not minutes old like my own veg.
But only you can decide what to do, so good luck with making the final decision.

[ina]

The wind has brought my greenhouse down, so that's what I should be doing today. It's still quite windy, though - and I've just not got the up-and-go... All my little plants will be squashed, anyway.

[KathyLauren]

The wind has brought my greenhouse down, so that's what I should be doing today. It's still quite windy, though - and I've just not got the up-and-go... All my little plants will be squashed, anyway.

Oh, no, Ina! That is a nasty setback. Will it be a big job to rebuild it? Do you have plants in the ground, or was everything in the greenhouse?

Kathy