Eric & Anthea's garden at different times of year.

[Eric Hardy]

Good for James . I am sure he will grow up with a love of nature and gardens with a grandpa like you, George. 

Eric H

[ideasguy]

Nature is such a fascinating subject. He sure is showing promise and hes a great help in the garden. He helps me pull Raspberries, Blackcurrant and now Peas, and he quickly learns to recognise the ones which are perfect for harvesting. Its a struggle to get help with the Rasps and Blackcurrant
We had to buy a fly-catcher plant for him yesterday - his latest curiosity.

[Eric Hardy]

George and Eric will remember some discussion about the name of this Clematis. "Early Sensation" was one name which came up.
Well, the label has turned up and I am pleased to say that "Early Sensation" is exactly what it is.

Eric H.

[Eric Hardy]

I am due to have a tummy ache our Victoria plums are hanging like gigantic bunches of grapes and as the ripe ones drop to the ground the temptation to pick them up and eat them can't be resisted, they are so delicious.

Eric H

[NightHawk]

Wonderful specimen of clematis there Eric, beautifully captured.

Yummy on the plums.  Nothing like homegrown fruit and veg.  Enjoy 

[ideasguy]

Good educational guess by all on the Clematis - a real beauty! Thanks for confirming the ID Eric.

Victoria Plums? I picked the last kitchen dish of ours yesterday. I made two (3-legged) trestles last year and use a builders scaffolding plank over them to reach the higher ones. Like yours Eric, the tree was laden this year. The rain came at just the right time a few weeks ago to bulk them up. I feared the branches would break under their weight but this year all was fine.
I absolutely LOVE them and cant stop eating them. They are also so refreshing when working in the garden (e.g. moving the lawn).
Of the ones we cant eat or give away, I halve them, take out the stones and freeze them on a flat tray, then bag them up for the freezer.
Also a good crop of greengages this year - for the very first year ever! All finished now - a big favourite with the children.
A heavily cropped Czar (desert) plum tree is the task for next week, and a heavy crop of Damsons (another favourite). Last year we had a very poor crop of Damsons and had top buy some to make a family favourite jam.

Good luck with the harvesting Eric - its a thankless job
Do you freeze the surplus? Chutney perhaps? Any ideas would be welcome.

 

[Eric Hardy]

Woke up to this, but all has melted now, thank goodness.

Eric H

[NightHawk]

Great snow scene Eric, and you captured it just in time.

We also woke up to a small dusting of snow this morning.  Had a heavier downfall between 9am and 10am but it's almost gone now.

No piccies to share though.

[ideasguy]

Brrrrr!

Good to hear from you Eric and Laurie.
I hope you folk are well.

Is that a little pond I see Eric?

Last night was the coldest night of winter so far over here.
It was still -3 at 11:00 am!

Keep the home fires burning

[NightHawk]

Doing okay George.  Apologies for my absence from the Forum but things have been so hectic with Kathy's new job (which I help out with) plus other personal things that always seem to crop up, that my timeframe has been demanding.

Decided I had to make a concerted effort to look in again and see what I'd missed 

I won't go into too much detail in this thread so as to not detract from Eric's topic here.

Looking a bit more closely at your photo Eric I thought I may have detected some muntjac tracks - bottom left in front of the bench?  Not the footprints going diagonally off to the right.

[Eric Hardy]

We are fine George, thank you. Yes, there are two little ponds there, an upper one and a lower one. Both have ice on them at the moment.

Thanks Laurie. It was just taken by pointing my iphone through the glass of the little office window. Those will be muntjac tracks, without doubt. THey are always getting into the garden. Often there is a father, mother and young one in at the same time. When they were first started entering the garden, one knock on the kitchen window would get them rushing out again. Now they are so tame they just look up and stare at me for a moment then get on with munching whatever they fancy. 

Eric H.

[NightHawk]

Thanks Laurie. It was just taken by pointing my iphone through the glass of the little office window. Those will be muntjac tracks, without doubt.

It just goes to prove that you don't have to use the best and most expensive cameras to get good results.  Having an'eye' for a shot is a vital element, and you certainly have that Eric.  Thank you for pretty much confirming my suspicions regarding the muntjac tracks.
I remembered only too well that it is a continuing problem for you 

I have spoken with George behind the scenes and put him in the 'picture' (pun intended) about my intended Canon camera purchase that I have also discussed with you.
I know George is also a Canon user (a 450D the same model as you Eric) so we should be able to swap some good information from time to time 

Anyway, apart from a hard frost overnight here, it is dry and the sun is shining.  But still only around 4°C.  How's your garden doing after all that snow Eric?

[Eric Hardy]

How's your garden doing after all that snow Eric?

The garden looks fine, Laurie. The lawn still looks good having not really grown since it's last cut. There are quite a lot of snowdrops looking perky. The hellebores have done well. Spring will be here soon

Eric H

[Eric Hardy]

it is pouring down and miserable and it is hard to remember that only a day or two ago we were having brilliant sunshine. During one of those fine days Anthea remarked that there were a few straggly shoots on one of our Vibernums . It is the sort that has beautiful pink scented blossoms around this time of year before the leaves come out. i pruned a few and was left with a bunch of slender sticks in my hand about 2ft 6ins long. I brought them into the house and Anthea put them into a large vase. within a day they all came into bloom and the house has been filled with the most gorgeous scent ever since.
Eric H.

[ideasguy]

Perhaps Viburnum × bodnantense 'Dawn' Eric.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/99308/Viburnum-x-bodnantense-Dawn/Details

I love the handsome foliage as well, and it also makes good flower arranging material.

[Eric Hardy]

That looks very like it, thank you George.
Eric H

[Eric Hardy]

I am looking down the garden from an upstairs window which is bathed in glorious sunshine, admiring the patches of beautiful snowdrops. My thermometer says 32 degrees Farenheit. (sorry in my old age I still think in old money  ). I remind myself of my old mother who never came to terms with new money and always thought in Lsd. She bought a currency converter which she kept on her key ring. she would say to me "Eric, I have just bought a something or other and it cost me 50p. That's 10 shillings!!!"

Talking of snowdrops, I have noticed this year how so many snowdrops seem to be growing wild under the hedgerows in the country lanes. I can't help wondering whether they can get there naturally or more likely, that someone has planted them.

It is so beautiful outside, I can sit here no longer, the call of the fresh air is too strong 

Eric H.

[ideasguy]

Get out and enjoy it Eric

Yes, centigrade and fahrenheight

I'm stuck on feet and inches, even though I did all my work in my engineering days in meters and cms!
Fortunately my rulers and tape rules have both
I weigh myself in Stones and lbs. My weight in kg is meaningless

Gallons seem to be a thing of the past since we see litres every time we fill up our cars.
They made it easy for us as the cost per litre very quickly became very close to the old price per gallon

[NightHawk]

I have to join you in the 'old school' method of conversions there Eric.

Apart from using the decimal system for currency, I use feet and inches, miles, Fahrenheit, stones and pounds, etc., etc.  The metric system just doesn't mean the same to me, I always have to convert back to what I know best 

Anyway, I don't know about your snowdrop question but I'm seeing them all around the Forest - beautiful displays.

I'm glad the sunshine is calling to you Eric.  The weather here is better today too.  Overnight frost but sunny and dry now.  Yesterday morning was atrocious - dull, wet and miserable, but it cleared by the afternoon.

Coding my New Forest National Park website at the moment, but I'll be out in the Forest again soon to get more photos to add to it.

 

[Eric Hardy]

Just returned home having collected Benji from his college to stay the night. We enjoyed our trip out this morning. I don't know whether it is just in the Chiltern Hills but the catkins are particularly large and impressive this year.

Back to the view down the garden this morning I didn't mention a glorious cock pheasant in his prime strutting around on the lawn as though he owned the place. His plumage was just iridescent  in the sunshine.

I am glad I am not alone in regretting the old imperial weights and measures. Of course as an architect I had to work in metric, but we mainly worked in millimetres while the schoolchildren were being taught centimetres. Imperial measures were so human. My hand span was exactly 9 inches which was incredibly handy (sorry, pun NOT intended).. A hand span of 225 mm doesn't seem quite the same. I could pace a plot out in yards almost exactly but a metre is just too long for a natural pace. Miles per gallon seems a natural way to work out fuel consumption. Litres per 100 km means absolutely nothing to me. Anyway, enough of that.
Eric H.

[Eric Hardy]

We woke up to a brilliant cloudless morning and had our breakfast bathed in sunlight. THe temperature was 45 degrees F. Since then, with a fairly strong wind blowing some clouds have been coming across quite quickly.

Yesterday was miserably wet so to cheer ourselves up we went to our favourite local, The Prince Albert, at Frieth. It is a really genuine, friendly old fashioned village pub with a welcoming log fire. We had some of their excellent salted beef and salad and, in my case, a nice pint of beer. This got me thinking about weights and measures again and reflected what a satisfactory measure a pint (of beer) is. Half a litre, is just too little for me, a litre rather too much but a pint (like Goldilocks) is JUST RIGHT> 

Eric H.

[ideasguy]

That sounds like a very pleasant way to spend a gloomy day Eric.
The metric equivalent of an 10oz steak would be a bit alien on their menu

Very changeable here as well. We had a light blanket of snow this morning which cleared quickly.
Not completely though - James pelted me with snowballs after he came home from school

[Eric Hardy]

I saw on the weather forecast that Northern Ireland were getting some snow, George. Not too much I hope.

You may recall I was mentioning snowdrops in the hedgerows. Here is a shot I took from my car window with my iPhone of a few by the roadside on the road between Christmas Common and Northend, Buckinghamshire.



I can't help thinking that someone must have planted one or two in the first place, then they spread.

Eric H

[ideasguy]

Not too much snow Eric, mercifully. Bitterly cold though in the wind.

Snap looks good Eric. Thank you for taking the time to stop and take the photo!
I wish mine would spread like that! (Eric palustris has trillions in his garden!)
At this time of year I always wish I had more in our spring garden.  Its right outside the dining room window so we can enjoy it from indoors when they bravely appear!
Daffodils are spreading OK though. Some of the Tete-a-tete's are out and the other taller varieties are promising.

[NightHawk]

It's good to see you're out and about in the countryside Eric and enjoying that wonderful display of snowdrops.

I can't answer your snowdrop origin question (no doubt someone will come up with an explanation) but it's great to see your photo to compliment your sighting