Mundane News

[Reynard]

No greengages! That's a crisis. I mean........a real crisis. We had so many that I ended up bagging them up and leaving them on a table in the lane for locals to help themselves. No way we could ever have used them all. I gave half the plums away as well.

The real crisis here was the no apricots. I *adore* apricots. I do have some this year, but not quite sure how many as they're kind of hard to spot until they start turning orange. We avoided the frost this year, but it when the trees were in full bloom.

BTW, if you're up to your ears in plums, plum butter (pflaumenmus / powidla) is well worth making. It's lush on hot buttered toast. Gingered plum chutney is also very good.

 

[MikeG]

Early warning: tomorrow is Friday: fasting day. Food talk will be harshly punished. Anyway......

Is your apricot in a pot, or in the ground? Monty planted one in a pot last year, but hasn't mentioned it yet this year. I'm going to wait until I've built the garage, thus producing a nice south facing wall, before I get an apricot, but in the meantime, I'm quizzing everyone who has one.

 

[MikeG]

Ooooh, my banana and hazelnut loaf is cool enough to try..........


....and it's a triumph! I'll add cinnamon next time, I think, but that's rather nice. Good Housekeeping Cook Book does it again.

 

[Reynard]

Early warning: tomorrow is Friday: fasting day. Food talk will be harshly punished. Anyway......

Is your apricot in a pot, or in the ground? Monty planted one in a pot last year, but hasn't mentioned it yet this year. I'm going to wait until I've built the garage, thus producing a nice south facing wall, before I get an apricot, but in the meantime, I'm quizzing everyone who has one.

In the ground. I have two up against a southwest facing wall. Mum (who is horrendously green fingered) grew them from the stones - so can't enlighten you with respect to variety. I'm a bit further north than you, and here, they're not the most reliable of croppers; the last two years have been complete washouts. But IMHO they're worth the frustration, as the fruit is totally lush.

 

[MikeG]

.... I'm a bit further north than you.........

Nah, I've rumbled you. You're in the Basque country.

I'm half way through building a big south facing greenhouse with a brick back wall, and I'm tempted to get a variety to train against the wall . Behind glass it should fruit like crazy. I may not have the patience to start from a stone, though!

 

[PeteXXX]

Il pleut des cordes ici..

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Il pleut des cordes ici..

Mes condoléances.

 

[PeteXXX]

Mes condoléances.

Ta

 

[Illaveago]

It seemed to take a long time to arrive on the ground from the time that I first realised that I might fall over. I am not injured, and my neighbour was very concerned that I was alright. The final landing was on soft grassy ground. I had my sturdy gardening shoes on, which probably helped. It is not the dog's fault, he was just being very friendly in a doggy way.

It is amazing how time can stretch in those cases .

I'm glad you are okay .

 

[Illaveago]

No rain forecast until tomorrow morning and everything is so dry after this spell of amazing weather. I need it to rain so I can get the rest of the weeds out that are baked in right now.

We've had rain on and off for most of the day.

 

[Reynard]

Il pleut des cordes ici..

Saperlipopette! Vous avez besoin d'un paraplui? Ou d'un bateau?

 

[Speicher]

It is amazing how time can stretch in those cases .

I'm glad you are okay .

Yes, I think I wobbled and regained my balance about four or five times. I was aware that I was taking a long time to either get upright again, or fall over. It was a relief to land, and notice the trees at a funny angle. My neighbour was very concerned that I had not hurt myself. I could have fallen badly and hurt a wrist or a knee.

 

[PeteXXX]

Saperlipopette! Vous avez besoin d'un paraplui? Ou d'un bateau?

Ni! Peut-être un sous-marin!

 

[Reynard]

Ni! Peut-être un sous-marin!

En jaune, par hasard?

 

[Reynard]

Nah, I've rumbled you. You're in the Basque country.

I'm half way through building a big south facing greenhouse with a brick back wall, and I'm tempted to get a variety to train against the wall . Behind glass it should fruit like crazy. I may not have the patience to start from a stone, though!

I'd say go for it. Home grown apricots are in a totally different league to those hard, tasteless, anaemic things you can buy.

Looks like I might have my first crop of grapes this year. I planted the vine (Phoenix) two years ago and am training it up the garage porch. It's a suntrap, so fingers crossed.