Monday, October 12

No MIstaking - It isAutumn

Last week the winter coats came out. The sun is trying its best to convince us that summer hasn’t quite left the scene but it is losing its power.

Travelling in the car, with sunlight streaming through the windows, is pleasantly warm, but as soon as we get out, we reach for our coats.

We’ve had some much-needed rain, but has it been enough to improve the condition of our soil? Despite the recent rainfall, a drought has now been declared in Yorkshire because of low water levels in the reservoirs. The Environment Agency says that we need 120% of average rainfall over the winter to replenish supplies.

A plan that had been cancelled several times finally came to fruition, and Ruby achieved a fourth stamp in her Pooch Passport.



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Posted by Sue Garrett at 8:46 am 0 comments

Monday, October 5

The Autumn Paintbrush is Out

Although at times it seems reluctant to do so, summer is losing its grip as autumn nudges its way forward. The autumn paintbrush is now out.

Temperatures on the whole were fairly mild, although early Sunday morning the temperature dropped, giving us a taste of what is to come.

Darkness seems to be galloping in faster than we would like, shutting us indoors earlier.

We have stayed local this week, so there are no more stamps for Ruby.

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Posted by Sue Garrett at 8:53 am 4 comments

Monday, September 28

A Few More Surprises Before Autumn Takes Hold

Summer isn’t quite ready to say goodbye and paid us a fleeting visit last week.

Autumn, however, has taken possession of the night-time, with temperatures dropping. Oddly, some of our windows steamed up on the outside one morning.

Darkness is creeping in far too quickly and evening walks with Ruby are coming to an end, which means less time will be spent outdoors.

The allotment is also starting to feel more autumnal, with more clearing and harvesting to do and, if the weather would only co-operate, some beds that need digging.

I also have to admit to a gardening mistake which opened up a new opportunity.




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Posted by Sue Garrett at 9:19 am 0 comments

Monday, September 21

Would You Share theLast Strawberry

The showers didn’t deposit much rain last week, but they managed to arrive at just the wrong times, meaning we abandoned some gardening jobs both at home and at the allotment.

There  has been enough rain over the last few weeks to turn the landscape green again and, unfortunately, to get the grass and weeds growing too. This means our attention at the allotment is starting to shift towards clearing things up and making plans for next year. Although we did have a rather surprising find.

We also enjoyed another day out, this time to Calke Abbey, where Ruby collected her third stamp for her Pooch Passport

Meanwhile, the hedgehogs and fox — or foxes — are still regular visitors. Feeding time has, however, taken an unexpected turn.


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Posted by Sue Garrett at 8:07 am 0 comments

Sunday, September 13

Summer is Slipping into Autumn

As the daylight hours shorten, there is now no denying that summer is winding down.

Our thoughts in both the garden and allotment have started to turn towards next year, and the amount of time we spend at the allotment is gradually decreasing.

We’re hoping that winter doesn’t nudge forward too soon, though, as we still have a few more days out planned to collect stamps for Ruby’s Pooch Passport.

The hedgehogs continue to make their nightly visits, and the fox — or possibly foxes — also turns up on some evenings. They are all welcome, although some rather less welcome visitors have discovered the food and seem determined to eat it before the intended diners arrive.


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Posted by Sue Garrett at 9:06 pm 1 comments

Monday, September 7

Moving Towards Autumn

Rain threatened a few times during the week but, when it did arrive, it didn’t amount to much. The trouble is that when rain is forecast and the clouds seem to agree, we tend not to plan outdoor activities too far ahead. There always seems to be the possibility that we will get caught out!

After rain, it’s amazing how quickly the parched grass recovers. It can look as though it is dead, but really it is just sleeping, waiting for the rain to awaken it. Once awake, it soon races into growth.

Friday was particularly windy, so much so that we wondered whether Nostell might be on lockdown, but fortunately the parkland remained open.




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Posted by Sue Garrett at 10:26 am 2 comments

Monday, August 31

Rain and a Return to Green

We have had proper rain!

We missed out on the forecast thunderstorms and torrential downpours, but instead we enjoyed prolonged spells of steady rain, which has probably been far more beneficial to the plant life.

It has given us a much-needed break from the monotony of watering. Hopefully, the rain will have started to soften the soil and make it a little more workable. No doubt the weeds will appreciate it too, with a fresh crop of seedlings probably ready to burst into life!

My blog also,reached a milestone last week.



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Posted by Sue Garrett at 8:27 am 1 comments

Monday, August 24

A Few Puddles and a Hint of Autumn

We have puddles!

We actually had water falling from the sky, on and off, for a couple of days. We never were treated to the torrential rain that had been promised, but there was enough to allow us to ease off with the watering.

Ruby employed her well-practised puddle-avoidance strategy.



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Posted by Sue Garrett at 9:26 am 0 comments

Monday, August 17

A week of Sunshine, a Damp squib and Happy Surprises

Weather continued to dominate our activities last week.

We continued to take our walks in the mornings, trying to avoid the hottest part of the day. Thursday was particularly hot and, much to Ruby’s disgust, the heat forced us to have a lazy day indoors.

Torrential rain had been forecast for Sunday, but in the end we were treated to little more than a light dampening. With the thermostat finally turned down, we decided we could ease up on the watering and turn our attention to some other jobs.

We also had the much-hyped solar eclipse, which, for us, turned out to be something of a damp squib.

The previous eclipse had been much more dramatic, plunging us into total darkness. A chill descended, accompanied by an eerie silence. This time the light dimmed slightly and… that was about it. I’m rather glad I hadn’t bought eclipse glasses or, worse, gone to stand in the garden with a colander on my head!



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Posted by Sue Garrett at 1:40 pm 0 comments

Monday, August 10

Watering,Walking and Waiting for Rain


Still no rain here. About ten miles away, there was some rain, and when Martyn was watching cricket at Headingley, about fifteen miles from us, when play was stopped because of it.

The nearest we have come to having rain was a day when it felt as though we were actually sitting in a low cloud.

The temperature has been up and down too. Some days I have needed to dig out a fleece, while on others I have been back in a T-shirt.

To be honest, I don’t have very much to write about. After all, reading yet another account of constant watering would be unimaginably boring, so I’ll try not to make this entirely about the weather!



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Posted by Sue Garrett at 2:30 pm 3 comments

Monday, August 3

Our Driest July Since 2009


It's been our driest July since 2009, when Martyn set up a weather station in our garden. Our records, of course, only relate to our own garden, but it's fair to say that conditions on the allotment have been much the same.

This July we have recorded just 0.6mm of rainfall. The average July rainfall is 56.9mm, so it's been an exceptionally dry month.

The dry weather follows on from two equally dry months, May and June. Earlier in the year, wherever we travelled, flooded fields and reservoirs filled to the brim were a common sight. It's such a pity we couldn't have stored some of that excess water, as hosepipe bans are already in place in some parts of the country. We'd optimistically thought that the wet winter would replenish the soil and set us up for a good gardening season, but nature has a habit of throwing us a curveball.

The heat and persistent wind have only made matters worse. The highest temperature we recorded this July was 34.8°C. Although we've experienced hotter Julys in the past – our record is 40.4°C in 2022 – the prolonged dry conditions have made this our most difficult growing season yet.



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Posted by Sue Garrett at 2:07 pm 0 comments

Monday, July 27

An Unexpected Success

The drought continues and hosepipe bans have already been introduced in some parts of the country. I suspect it won't be long before one reaches us too, and then we'll be back to lugging watering cans around, making the daily watering routine even more time-consuming and muscle straining.

As if the lack of rain wasn't enough, the weekend also brought strong drying winds, sucking even more moisture from the ground and attempting to undo all our efforts

Last week I mentioned finding roe deer droppings on the allotment. We were amazed by the discovery. We'd have loved to catch a glimpse of our unexpected visitors, but we didn't fancy making regular night-time or dawn trips to the plot in the hope of being there at just the right moment.

Instead, we decided to take a chance and set up our trail camera. As we've had thefts on the allotment site in the past, we were almost as worried about the camera disappearing as we were excited about what it might capture.


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Posted by Sue Garrett at 9:01 am 0 comments

Monday, July 20

Still Waiting for Rain

The drought continues. We are doing our best to keep things alive in both the garden and on the allotment, but our efforts can only go so far. With so little rain and days of relentless sunshine, the soil dries out almost as quickly as we water it. Tap water keeps plants going, but it's no substitute for a good soaking from nature.

Last week also brought evidence of an unexpected visitor to the allotment—one that could present yet another challenge in an already difficult growing season.

The effects of the prolonged dry weather are becoming increasingly obvious beyond our own plot. Grass has disappeared from many places altogether. Allotment paths have turned to straw, and on our regular walks with Ruby, areas that would normally be lush and green are now yellow, brittle and parched. The only patches of green left at ground level are those sheltered by shade.



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Posted by Sue Garrett at 7:57 am 0 comments

Monday, July 13

The Watering Can Workout

After the short-lived respite from the previous week's heat, temperatures soon began climbing again, meaning any outdoor activity had to be confined to mornings and evenings. The afternoons became all about staying cool and keeping hydrated.

The hoped-for rain has still not arrived, and, at the moment, there is no sign of it paying us a visit any time soon.

On the plus side, the wind has finally eased, at least for now.

It seems our weather just can't find a happy medium. It's either too cold or too hot, too wet or too dry and, just to keep us on our toes, occasionally far too windy.

Gardening often feels like a constant battle against the elements, with an entire battalion of pests waiting to join the fight.

At times, you have to wonder why we keep going.



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Posted by Sue Garrett at 1:45 pm 1 comments

Monday, July 6

Not Really the Weather we ordered



Last week I ended my post by saying, "Now all we need is a little rain, a little less heat and a return to long walks."

I suppose you could say we achieved one and a half of those three wishes. It was certainly cooler and Ruby got her walks, although we still didn't manage a longer outing. As for rain, we had a drop or two, but nowhere near enough to make our watering can redundant. The heat of the previous week was replaced by strong winds that we could well have done without. Not only did they batter and bruise the plants, they also continued the work of the previous week's heat by drying out the soil and undoing much of our effort to keep everything hydrated.NB: Sometimes comments made here rather than on my main blog often are overlooked and languish in a moderation list. Sorry if this happens - I'm honestly not ignoring you



Posted by Sue Garrett at 8:12 am 0 comments

Monday, June 29

June Was Flaming in More Ways Than One

Last week was one of enforced laziness at least as far as the afternoons were concerned. Any outdoor activity was confined to mornings before the temperature soared to the high 30s or in the evening when things cooled down to a more comfortable temperature.

Ruby wasn’t impressed that some expected walks didn’t materialise or were shorter than usual.


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Posted by Sue Garrett at 9:46 am 0 comments

Monday, June 22

Making the Most of Summery Weather

Last week, summer lingered.

There was plenty of sunshine and the temperature was just how I like it – not so hot that we were searching for shade or staying indoors, but warm enough to be perfectly happy in T-shirts. 

More importantly, it wasn't too hot for Ruby to enjoy her walks.

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Posted by Sue Garrett at 8:22 pm 1 comments

Monday, June 15

So Much for Flaming June

"Flaming June" was a common English expression in the early twentieth century, used to describe the hot, bright weather often associated with the month.

Following an exceptionally wet June in 1903, newspapers are said to have begun using the phrase ironically, and the association has lingered ever since.

This year June has certainly struggled to live up to its fiery reputation. After the warm, dry spell in May, many parts of the UK have seen a return to cooler temperatures, strong winds and frequent rain.

Some meteorologists refer to a recurring early-summer weather pattern as a "European monsoon", when moist Atlantic air brings unsettled conditions to parts of Ireland, the UK and north-west Europe. Whether or not that description is entirely accurate, it certainly feels as though summer has temporarily gone into hiding.

For most of last week, gardeners and plants alike took a battering from the wind, something that is not entirely unusual for this time of year.

Every year our cardoon is damaged by strong winds. As it reaches full size each summer it invariably becomes a casualty of the wind.

Sunday was noticeably calmer and a little warmer, which made me wonder whether the first phase of this unsettled spell might be beginning to ease. Time will tell

Ruby certainly wasn't impressed by last week's weather. Any thoughts of longer walks had to be abandoned in favour of shorter outings around the park.

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Posted by Sue Garrett at 9:45 am 1 comments

Monday, June 8

Summer in Retreat

Summer must have taken to heart my comment last week that it had arrived early. It swiftly retreated, the temperature dropped and the sun paid us only a fleeting visit.

It has been just wet enough for any plans involving the outdoors to be constantly under review.

We had planned a day out at Dunham Massey but ended up staying local, which meant several visits to Nostell. We are avoiding Temple Newsam until it recovers from the damage caused by the recent music festival.



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Posted by Sue Garrett at 10:00 am 2 comments

Friday, June 5

May in Pictures


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Posted by Sue Garrett at 8:00 am 1 comments
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