Soop's Kindly Kitcheners

Both tench and carp (goldfish) will group around the bottom stirring up the pond. I quite like tench. If I were closer I could swop you goldfish for tench, can't stop mine breeding.

Group ??? Grope

My sister's goldfish are prolific too, I can't believe I've got either goldfish all of the same sex / frigid fish!

Do you have plants that are suitable for them to spawn in ?

Yes, plenty.

Groping' around reminds me of my attempts to pull out armfuls of forget me knots yesterday, I couldn't believe how many I yanked out.

The woods behind us are a carpet of bluebells, and the wild garlic is out too. Since the woods were thinned it looks like we have wild foxgloves coming up.
Still not heard a cuckoo

So none of you have been blown away, then? We have scarcely any blossom left, but we have had a good year for it, so can't complain. Also it has blown away all the frosted magnolia blooms, leaving just the newer fresh ones, so it looks much better.

The duck that has nested in my front garden, right by my front door, came and shouted at me this morning. She was in my porch, complaining at the door. I believe she was telling me off about the quantity and quality of food in my garden. Being such a dry area, we don't have all that many slugs and snails. I have given her water, now I am giving her chicken feed and salad as well! I do hope she doesn't do it every morning, it's a bit much that early.

I hope Alie is ok, I suspect it's just sunk in.

Blowing hard atm, not much blossom left.

Every year we seem to have high winds as soon as the cherry blossom comes - on Saturday and Sunday it was like confetti falling on me as I gardened, the tree's several houses away.

Jemima PD has you well trained janer, she's clearly chosen well! I have plenty of slugs and snails if you'd like some

Certainly the garden needed rain but these winds are belting my plants to bits.

She hasn't chosen at all well, we have two ponds in the back garden, full of baby toads and all sorts of nice snails and slugs surrounding them! Although it's entirely possible that there are other ducks already there and I just haven't spotted them, as I only found her because I was trying to tie up some roses and nearly trod on her. It's most disconcerting to bend down and see an eye peering at you.

I'd have had a heart attack! I'm bad enough when a toad crops up in the border..... Perhaps she's a vegetarian duck?

I could do with a duck in my garden. I have so many of those Spanish slugs my frogs can't keep up.

It has been blowing a gale here and the roads are running with water - I hope our flood defences hold up tonight!

Been reading up on control for Spanish slugs, beer traps look favourite but I will need dozens. It seems a tragic waste of beer. Found a site that recommends brewing up yeast/sugar/flour, much cheaper, have just started a bucket full off.

I hope my garden is sufficiently sheltered to protect the red blossom of my ornamental crab. So pretty with the bronze foliage. Here it isn't so much the Spanish slugs as the Spanish bluebells. Any hints on getting rid of them will be gratefully received.

Our garden was overrun with bluebells, gradually reduced to reasonable levels by chopping them off at ground level after flowering and before seeding.

Thank you Bogoff for giving me hope about the bluebells. I am picking great sheafs of them and bringing them indoors so they don't set seed. They are nearly all Spanish or hybrids. I'm now pulling leaves as well as flowers, apart from the white ones which I don't mind. I don't like the pink ones and there are quite a few of them. They all look pretty when they first come out but if I left them there would be nothing but in our garden.

Exacty the same here, we leave the white ones, if you keep chopping them, it must weaken the bulb and eventually kill it off. It has taken us several years to get them down to a few selected patches.

Coffee is ready sunshine Off to the dentist early today, then to hospital to get chest x-ray.

Coffee is ready Off to the dentist early today, then to hospital to get chest x-ray.

Need to start the day again, that's my second incorrect post in 10 minutes.

I now have an image of spanish slugs marching about our gardens in sombereros. I started looking at a slug identification website not advisible before breakfast.

Morning all. Can't start the day without coffee, thanks Bogoff good luck today.

I've no particular plans so I may do some more work on the family tree I started a few months ago. I'm very good at starting projects .

Plan for today is to embroider new GS's name and birth date on on the cot quilt I have made him - looking forward to it.

Thank you, Soop, for kind comments.
Mixed weather down south. Still quite windy. Had lovely day yesterday watching 3 year old GD having her ballet lesson. They were all so sweet in their little pink outfits and seemed genuinely to really be enjoying themselves. She was the best of course!
I've made some soda bread. It's rather delicious with lots of butter. I'll bring it round anyway later on. Goes well with a cup of tea though I can hear some people saying boring....... But just try it. My Irish mother used to make it when we were young and it's so easy. None of your kneading and rising and waiting. Has to be eaten same day tho, so do help me out. Otherwise it'll just go back to DH. see you later. Or shall I be trendy and say laters?!
Mishap, the quilt sounds lovely. Something to treasure.

Mishap Why not go the whole hog and get your GCS names and dates of birth tatooed on your arms. It's the in thing at the moment

Hi people. Thought I would come here for a little and try and relax...I'm now in a quagmire of stuff that needs doing and trying to help other people to deal with the death....I am going back to Oxford today.

I am taking a cooked chicken. Loads of people were there at the house yesterday and although I know they came for the best of reasons, and I was glad to see many of them, they didn't lift a finger except to help with the baby.......didn't there used to be a custom of bringing food??? after yesterday I understand more why!
J's partner K was going spare trying to cook and deal with everything AND his own grief.

I have managed to talk to two of J's sons. and to K, separately.
I came back and my phone rang all evening....