Cold Climate Food Forest Tour

The 'Paradise Gardening' Concept

The 7 Layers of the Forest Garden with Maddy Harland

Seeds and thoughts. thoughts that ramble.....

lots of information available about seeds here https://www.permaculturewomen.com/fpc24seedstewardship.html

this is part of the free permaculture course available from https://www.freepermaculture.com/#Courses

''myself''  is starting to feel some enthusiasm about starting the garden up again next year. Thinking of things like  purple sprouting broccoli and asparagus peas. There are some tomato seeds that I've had for years.... and they can still be viable even after all this time. not 'stored properly', they've been in a squashed bag of saved letters...... PAUSE.... I have been to have a look for the seeds.. to photograph them to accompany this post... however I cannot find them and cannot think where else they would be, I will leave their inclusion in this post and hope to solve the mystery at some point. the photograph posted is from google earth dated 11th may 2005, showing a busy busy garden indeed. maybe it will be so again, maybe not.

''myself''... perhaps an entity in its own right, the who you want to be, who you are, how other people see you, somewhere there's ideas of how you think you should be, but day to day thats not actually what happens. perhaps this ...... ah ....... someone text my phone and I lost this thread of thought. there's a thing too.... forgetfulness.....

Over 1 Million Gardeners Have United to Create Global Network of Greenery That Nourishes Bees and Butterflies

Over 1 Million Gardeners Have United to Create Global Network of Greenery That Nourishes Bees and Butterflies: Anyone with a garden or outdoor space can join the team of 1 million international pollinators who have used their greenery to save pollinators.

Sing the water song. on vimeo

Sing the Water Song from Sing The Water Song on Vimeo.
I don't think this will play on blogger but if you can follow the link , its a lovely video. 

15.10.2021 edit to add

phonetic  lyrics are Nee bee wah bow, En die en, Aah key mis kquee, Nee bee wah bow, Hey ya hey ya hey ya hey, Hey ya hey ya hey ya ho. 

sing to the water four times in total, once in each compas direction.

Fireworks... why

this article covers the history https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/bonfire-night-2019-guy-fawkes-fireworks-a4273351.html

I think as the UK population enjoys a more affluent lifestyle... people seem to have what they want when they want it, to excess in a lot of cases.... instead of just having one night of a celebration it now seems to go on and on, people can afford to have fireworks whenever they want , for birthdays, weddings, new year, any celebration...
maybe just for the joy of it - I do have a friend who loves , really loves fireworks, and will buy expensive amazing fireworks for her bonfire night.
if it was just one night I would likely love them too... however this constant night after night for weeks, and having an old cat with a heart murmur who is terrified.... this makes me fed up and grumpy.
and once this weekend is over, those fireworks available in the shops will go onto a reduced price sale: so the next couple of weeks will also be full of unexpected explosions.

leaves, a lot

I've had a couple of leaf collecting sessions, not to tidy up but to add them to the compost and to feel they aren't being wasted. The tree has hardly any left now, I will try to remember to take a couple of photos with the little camera.
I sometimes feel I have no inspiration/imagination left, which is sad as I used to love to take photo's and post them on here. The lack of a decent camera does not help , though its said a good workman does not blame his tools? I just don't think you get as good a photograph with the little compact and there are no funds for better.
There have been fireworks nearly every night for two weeks now, last night they were still going off near midnight and tonight they have started from half five, Casper is hiding in the desk cupboard again.

many miles to go

the lovely Quince with her rosette for taking part in ''September Miles'', about once a year friends get together ''online'' , we log our riding miles for the month and then we have rosettes for it. I think last year we did a whole years worth, and one of the other ladies got the rosettes for us.
I had a nice afternoon collecting leaves in the garden yesterday, not that I would ever be able to clear them all up, they fall faster than you could rake... I got a good amount and added them into the compost, it won't be just leaf mould as its a mixed bin for now.  Today was so windy a lot of the leaves have blown off the tree and even the ones on the ground have blown away , so I was glad I made the effort to do something yesterday.
Also yesterday, I took Quince out just a short walk, riding, as she's had more than a week off recovering from a couple of swollen legs from a kicking match in the field, horses will be horses...... she had a Photonic Redlight treatment, which is an amazing thing , she's had a couple of treatments over the last two years, how it works I don't know, but it does.

permaculture

photograph probably from 2000/2005 ish

I've been reading a lot of permaculture stuff online recently.A lot of it is very big scale, not really applying to a ''small'' garden like mine, so pleased to find this article about a more average type of house. https://midwestpermaculture.com/2008/12/front-yard-rain-garden-and-berm/
Its also interesting to note that a lot of permaculture goes on and on and on about saving water, well that really doesn't apply in the west of Scotland ... you just about turn around and it rains again. LOL.

''on birds'' REPOSTING THIS OLDER POST FROM 16TH APRIL 2007

I recieved this photograph in an e-mail, its an quail, an very unusual bird to have in your garden! and such a fabulous tree full of spring blossom.

and my garden won't get such exotic visitors, due to the continuos ripping out of hedges its rare to see anything at all, a lot of starlings and thats about it.

I'm a Starling. . . me Darling. a poem by Pam Ayres

We're starlings, the misses, meself and the boys.
We don't go round hoppin', we walks,
We dont go in for this singing all day
And twittering about, we just squawks.

We don't go in for these fashionable clothes
Like old Missel Thrush and his spots,
Me breast isn't red, there's no crest on me head,
We've got sort of, hardwearing . . . dots.

We starlings, the misses, meself and the boys,
We'll eat anything that's about,
Well, anything but that old half coconut,
I can't hold it still. I falls out.

What we'd rather do is wait here for you
To put out some bread for the tits,
And then when we're certain you're there by the curtain,
We flocks down and tears it to bits.

But we starlings, the misses, meself and the boys,
We reckon that we're being got at.
You think for two minutes, them finches and linnets,
You never sees them being shot at.

So the next time you comes out to sprinkle the crumbs out,
And there's starling there, making a noise,
Don't you be so quick to heave a half a brick,
Its the misses, meself and the boys!

useful Wildflower links

https://www.growwilduk.com/blog/what-leaves-reveal-about-wildflowers?utm_campaign=354976_August%202019%20newsletter%20-%20Take%20Notice&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Grow%20Wild%20%28Board%20of%20Trustees%20of%20RBGK%29&dm_i=4VE8,7LWG,RK3NN,S48V,1

https://www.growwilduk.com/wildflowers/how-grow-wildflowers/growing/how-look-after-your-wildflowers-end-summer?utm_campaign=354976_August%202019%20newsletter%20-%20Take%20Notice&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Grow%20Wild%20%28Board%20of%20Trustees%20of%20RBGK%29&dm_i=4VE8,7LWG,RK3NN,S48V,1

I signed up for their wildflower seeds and receive emails regularly.
keeping these for reference

EDIT just found a link to their sign up page if you were interested in joining
https://www.growwilduk.com/form/sign-grow-wildflowers-us-autumn-advice-and-seeds 

crop !!

one little ripe cherry tomato. very tasty.
it has about six friends waiting to ripen, poor neglected tomato plants.
the greenhouse is still a mess. the garden is .. one thing at a time... might take years to sort.
I did not build the garden in a day... I cannot fix it in a day either.
hey ho
edited to add.... Permaculture... Obtain A Yield..... well I did. lol

Casper clip

cute

garden gate

friend made a new gate with  ''cat access'', so he can run in and out and not always have to jump.. he can jump, but he is old and stiff so I think this is a good idea for him.

saving for reference.

facebook link to grass identification

https://www.facebook.com/phil.barnett.397/posts/10217635393588099

in the greenhouse

 I took some stinky carpet off to the dump.. and managed to snag these sparkly stars out from the dumpster..... just the thing for the greenhouse

the tomtatoes are needing tied up..they're a bit neglected...  I had some little metal posts but no string... a hunt in the house produced a couple of feet of parcel wrapping ribbon in gold, so the theme is sparkly... ha. 

I started cutting the hedge, its so overgrown, between the hedge trimmer and a pair of loppers I got about eight feet along... now I've run out of space to put the cuttings so need to wait till the current ones are away.. so it goes slowly... hey ho.
I've a second hand wardrobe and drawers coming today, they'll have to sit in a room with no carpet for now. I've not chosen curtains or paint for that room yet, just have to add looking at carpets too.

Permaculture Ideas: Free eBook: Bill Mollison's Introduction to Permac...

Permaculture Ideas: Free eBook: Bill Mollison's Introduction to Permac...: Click Here: http://www.bettertimesinfo.org/pdc_all.p df

''PLEASE EXCUSE THE WEEDS, I'M FEEDING THE BEES''

stunning purple poppy in a friends, potted and very healthy with lots more flowers to bloom on it - this is the first, what a colour! hopefully I can take a seed pod when they're ready.
the garden here has some colour, mostly from ''weeds'', rosebay willow herb, cow parsley, forget-me-nots, daisys, hawkweed - I'm leaving them in situ providing some food for the bees , I should get a sigh that I saw on the internet somewhere, which I have made the title of this post.
''PLEASE EXCUSE THE WEEDS, I'M FEEDING THE BEES''

all my garden tools and equipment went into storage in various friends/relatives garages/sheds. unfortunately not all of it has returned. I am having to borrow a lawn mower to cut the grass, nothing has been strimmed as I've no time to keep running about borrowing things. I've bought lopers and a pruning saw, and just bought a hedge trimmer. Of course,  after two amazingly dry warm days which I spent at work, now its a rainy weekend and there is nothing to be done outside. Three mistreated tomato plants did get potted yesterday..... poor things.

Casper is going outside daily now and not peeing inside... however where he has already done so continues to resist being cleaned and I will have to replace three rooms of carpets which is an expense I could well have done without just now.

Garden Cat

Casper is a bundle of energy, he's now been here over four weeks so time to start introducing the outside world, the first day he was out of site for about 5 hours... just as I really started to worry he appeared back. Then the rest of this week, as not as work, I've been here to let him out for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours at night.
This hasn't immediately stopped him spraying in the house though, was hoping it would...but at 14 years old and on his third home this year... he's probably still settling in and for now I can put up with it. Every carpet in the house needed replaced anyway... and now that they are all decorated with cat pee... even more so.
I have never in my life, and all the cats that have shared that time with me, had a cat that does this.
 
The garden is getting ''damage control'' rather than actual gardening, more large shrubs cut right down. On Thursday I cut the grass and made a start on the hedge... its been allowed to grow to about 6ft and I would prefer it at 4ft at least round the front. Privacy is nice .. but... its too small a garden to have such a large hedge , makes it seem dark and cramped, and when I did garden  people could look over and chat.. now I don't even know who's passing by.
I took Casper out with me when I was pottering that afternoon...  but he wasn't impressed and took himself back into the house.