Thursday 26 April 2012

Gullible is not in the dictionary!

Name the councillor!

Not a gardening theme to start with but kind of relevant in the grand scheme of things (although don't ask for the clarification as to why it's relevant).

What with Thetford Town Council adopting a 'Sunshine Management' approach to the local peoples ideas, ie we'll do what we like sunshine, and with Rupert Murdoch saying he didn't know about the cover up at the now defunct News of the World. 


 
Are people gullible? Hmmmmm
Do these people, either at lowly Town Council level or those who move in the circle of the likes  of Rupert Murdoch, really think we are all so very gullible.

You know I think they do.
 
Come on peeps, think about it,  you don't bite the ankles of the people who put you where you are whether by buying your papers over putting a cross on the ballot paper.



Anyway, gardening!

Is it me or does it seem to have rained everyday since the hosepipe ban was announced?

If so would it not have been prudent of the water companies to announce the ban two months earlier?

You looking at me?
The rain is very welcome here at the garden, although Brutus and the chooks are not so chuffed about it being soggy under foot.

The two 'Borp' (Buff Orpingtons) cockerels, Coco calls them 'the boys', are susceptible to being wet as their plummage absorbs the water and takes longer to dry out than the other chooks we have, so we have to make sure that they have shelter available all the time.

On wet days you can see both of them peering gloomily out of the door of their coop.

Spring onions in the tunnel.
The potatoes are just peeping their shoots through and the polytunnel is starting to look positively full with fresh green shoots.

The salad crops in the poly tunnel are making a grand show now and we have spring onions, radishes, lettuces, and rocket growing fast.

On the seed front the peppers, chillis, tomatoes and a selection of brassicas, beans and peas are all making an appearance.

Lemon balm
The mouse has departed from the potting shed and it is filling up with trays of compost all sown and neatly labelled.

Take me to your parsley!
The herb garden is coming back to life with a vengeance and the rain is keeping everything lush. The green and bronze fennels, common mallow, chives, and others are all shooting up.

The parsley is suffering a little from a pair of chubby little fingers belonging to Coco who can't resist taking off all new growth and popping it in her mouth with a "Yes, nice!"

Bramley blossom.

Around the garden the fruit and nut trees (all we need is a chocolate tree) are all in blossom or about to burst into blossom.

The wild strawberries (below) are also flowering around the beds in the house garden although it's only a matter of time before 'someone' finds the pretty little flowers.



Wild strawberries

We have three alpine strawberies in the polytunnel and they are thriving as well.

Last autumn I split the old rhubarb into three plants, chucked them into seperate pots of compost and put them in the potting shed under the bench.

I subsequently forgot all about them until I noticed one of the flower pots I have put over them was hovering in mid air.  An inspection soon revealed strong new growth from all three crowns and they continue to do well.

Now I'm just waiting for the rain and the (hopefully) last frosts to pass before putting them out in the garden.

Cherry tree in blossom (a Coco pic)
Coco loves to have a snap with my camera, I keep a closer watch now since the last one got buried, and sometimes she gets a decent shot like the one to the right of the summer house, a blossoming cherry tree and the vent pipe from the septic tank.

On Sunday last, Coco and I went for a walk in the rain with the sole intention of puddle jumping.  I discovered on my first puddle that at some point I have made a small hole in the bottom of my wellie so had to indulge in some one legged puddle jumping.

Splish splash!
Coco on the other hand went for it, clothed in her new  waterproof leggings, coat and wellies she was well protected and didn't hold back.

Hey gringo, what you looking at?
And finally, Nanny Southwellski has often mentioned to me the horse with the moustache at the end of Mill Lane and if I am totally honest I thought 'yeah okay', but it is most definitely true and most definitely a moustache!

So did you look it up?

Gullible is in the dictionary.