Sunday's spotlight - This time of the year

BY GUEST BLOGGER PETE


It's about this time of the year that the garden has to be made ready for its winter sleep. It's been rather a mixed year from my garden -- some good features and some not so good.

Our lawns had become very weed and moss ridden over the past few years; so much so that I began to despair of ever being able to rescue them. Earlier in the year a friend of Pam's mentioned a firm who had rescued her garden and we decided to give them a try.

This rescue firm work under the name of "Green Thumb".  They don't cut the grass or dig up the weeds but four times a year they pay a visit and spray the lawn with various mixtures of food and, I suppose, weed killer. The result for us has been the most healthy lawn that we have had here for some years. The weeds and moss have gone and in their place we now have thick rich green grass. Mind you, the grass does grow rather quickly, which means more cutting but then you can't have everything can you!

 A friend of mine, who kindly mowed my lawns whilst Pam and I were in the US this year, mentioned that my garden looked a picture soon after we'd gone away. This was due mainly to the many bedding plants that we had planted in it. Unfortunately for us, but not for our fellow countrymen, we had two or three weeks of hot sun and no rain whilst we were away and so by the time we returned the garden looked a bit parched to say the least. We've just about got it back again now with the annual bedding plants having recovered and doing really well. Pity it has taken so long into the autumn to get it there - frost due pretty soon!!!!!!!!

Just lately there has been a city council, somewhere in the UK, who knocked down all the conkers from horse chestnut trees in case someone injured themselves whilst collecting them. When I was a boy knocking conkers off a tree was regarded as great seasonal fun with the prospect in the future of countless games of conkers with school friends.  Now children aren't allowed to play conkers at school -- another health and safety dictate or just a headteacher feeling it best to play safe?

 

We'll all be required to wear suits of armour soon!
This week's photos are of the beautiful wall tiles in All Saints Church, Lincoln.

Sunday's spotlight - Bloggers Block

By guest blogger Pete.

I get up from the comfy chair in the conservatory to go and write this blog and Pam asks, "What are you going to write about this week"  I answer, "I don't know".  This could be a very short blog.

Some time ago I said that I'd give you some "T.T.".  That was "teenager talk".  Do you remember?  My younger grandson, Peter, has written out some "cool" sayings or writings for texts and I lost the list (not so COOL).  Well, I've found it so here goes as I give you some of the more respectable versions:
LOL ------laugh out loud.
ROFL----rolling on the floor laughing.
CBA------can't be asked.
CBB------can't be bothered (to answer).
EFFORT -- same as above.
SSAD ---- cleaned up version of "same situation another day".
Now you'll all be with it.  With what?  DAM.

The garden is beginning to show a bit of colour now.  The major bulb explosion has come to an end and the longer lasting flowering plants and bushes are beginning to come into their own. Of the "nearly" 120 bedding plants that I have put in only 3 look a bit sick.

The firm,  "Green Thumb", who are trying to rescue my lawn from the ravages of moss, are due to make their 2nd call on June 6th.  Already, after just one visit, the grass is more than holding its own, which means more grass cuts.  It's a bit of a dull day today but I'm hoping that the photos I just taken will be okay for this blog.

Lincoln is in chaos at the present moment.  Every Tom, Dick and Harry (County Council, City Council and a few other councils thrown in) are having a picnic revamping and repairing the roads.  The quickest route from our house to uphill Lincoln is now via Skegness!!

Two questions.  1) Why is it that all road repairs and revamps are undertaken at the same time?   2)  Why is it that they insist of putting a top layer of grit/small stones on the tarmac.  This makes the lifespan of a car windscreen so much shorter than it need be.  Answers, please, in pencil around the border of a £10 note.

Sunday's Spotlight - WAKEY, WAKEY!

By guest blogger Pete.

In late October early November I usually put my garden to bed for the winter.  We have had a harder winter than  normal this year so most things seem to have been delayed.  In fact, some plants that lived through last year's much milder winter have failed to make it this year.  There have been just two exceptions to this.

I gave the garden a weeding in late March and it has had a few grass cuts since then.  Our lawns are not in a very good condition with weeds and moss in danger of  numerically overtaking the grass.  I have tried many things but all with no success.  A friend of ours' recommend "Green Thumb",a specialist firm dealing with lawns.  So we asked them to come and try and sort out our lawn problems.  They reckon they would need three more visits to get things back to what a lawn should be but even the one visit they have made has resulted in a marked improvement to what things were not too long ago and quite a few weeds have already departed this garden.  Their charge is more than reasonable - £14 a visit - and if you are despairing for the state of your lawn then, take a look at the Green Thumb website.

Last year's Christmas tree continues to flourish and I have realistic hopes that it will survive for Christmas 2010.  I resisted planting it in the garden for fear that it would become too large; so it remains in its pot.  The plum tree is in full leaf and looking very healthy.  Even the olive tree I transplanted earlier this season seems to be enjoying its new location.

So the garden has woken up and its demands increase.  It's not a bad place to work in on a nice sunny day and we've been having a few of these just lately.

It may well be that having looked at the photos attached to this blog you could be thinking that, perhaps, a visit to your optician might not be a bad idea.  Worry not (as if you ever would)!  There's nothing wrong with your eyes.  One of the things I love about photography is the opportunity it gives to experiment.  I would appreciate any comments you may have about this week's photos.

Now's the chance to plan  your summer holidays (if you haven't done so already).  Things look as though they could get a bit tough in the UK with a new parliament that is hung.  Or is the hanging bit wistful thinking?