Six on Saturday - 17 December 2022

Baby its cold outside!  Even in the conservatory. It is probably a little bit warmer in Cornwall where Jim has his patch, under his guidance we gather each Saturday for Six things from our gardens. He may have had a sprinkling of snow, but it has been perfectly dry here.

1.  The week has been the coldest since we moved away from the Midlands.  Things appear to be standing still.

2.  Roses arrived from Van Meuwen earlier in the week bare-root and in good condition.  As the place they are to occupy also has a number of bulbs, the answer given the frozen ground was to pot them up in fresh compost.  I am sure Mr Austen won't mind that I have used some of the pots I have saved over the years from his roses to plant up the collection of Home Florist Timeless Roses.

3. Allium seed but which type is it? Earlier in the week, I gathered seeds from the little Allium thunbergii ozawa growing in and flowering in October.  I wonder whether the seed will be viable as it matures so late in the season.  I'll sow them in the March.

This pretty late flowering Allium was bought from Edulis Nursery when they were at The Bishop's Palace Wells in September 2021.  When I look at the descriptions on line, I fell that mine were not quite as described being smaller with finer leaves.  It occupied a few minutes of reading and I may have Allium thurbergii ozawa nana or Allium virgunculae instead. There are several varieties but it may take some more detail and further checking to see which one it is.  It will probably be some time next year when I can get some closer views of the flowers etc to finally nail the name! Or I may just enjoy the pretty plant!

4. Too cold even in the conservatory! We never meant to have the dining room act as a conservatory...but the plants needed 'conserving'!

5. The Cyclamen have turned green with cold! This is Cyclamen hederifolium Lysander.

Above 2 C when they have thawed a little, and since I took this first picture at the start of the week, it has not silvered up much!

Below 0 C all the silver has disappeared!

6. If it is too frosty to work outside no doubt there will be other things to get on with, but in a quiet moment, why not listen to something on the radio?  I came across Olivia Laing talking about Christopher Lloyd on Great Live on BBC radio 4.  Here is the link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g35g

Wrist Warmers or Fingerless Mitts

 In this cooler weather, whether inside or outside keeping one's wrists warm makes such a difference.

Felicity Mitts for my sister

Last year my sister was delighted with the pair of fingerless mitts I sent her, and then my nephew asked for some as he was a 'computer professional' and his hands got cold.  These were made to my design and knitted in pure wool which is machine washable.

As I type this post I am wearing something similar to the ones I knitted for my sister except I forgot to add the eyelet row required for the fancy tip at the top, but did make both to match. Both pairs were knitted in fine Alpaca 4ply, which I had in my stash! 

Once you get the hang of knitting in the round which I do on fixed circular needles, they are really easy to knit.  On the back of 'parading' my mitts at a gathering of WI friends making a lovely Christmas table centre decoration, demand was such that someone suggested setting up a Knit and Natter group but not just to knit wrist warmers I ought to say!

I've just asked a non knitting friend and Queen Bee of the WI here, if she would like me to knit her a pair of wrist warmers she said yes.  And after she said what her favourite colours would be, I couldn't believe it that she chose colours which just matched a pair I have in my 'Stashed Box'!  I won't post the picture until she has been given them though.

I've have just found a resource which gathers together a number of  patters for Fingerless Mitts and Gloves: some for free and some you will need to pay for,  so do go there to choose a pair to knit!

Annual 'Works' Lunch and enrichment activity

 We remember well all those business lunches and office parties....

Now it is just him and me, so we have our 'Christmas Business Lunch' and this year it featured something a bit different.  

First it was 'use your initiative' to find the Park and Ride, and (not to worry if it is not the one we used before), and get yourselves into Bath.  

Second:  visit the lovely Kitchen Shop to get at least one of the three items on the list.  Sadly we failed there.  The Kitchen Shop which was an Aladdin's cave has now been replaced by a very standard ProCook which did not have what we were looking for.  We enjoyed looking in several other shops. Next time we visit Bath we shall head to Nisbets.

Third Find your way to that Restaurant you booked yesterday.  Remember you chose something different, somewhere there would be no 'Traditional Christmas Set Menus'.  Yes it was 'The Coconut Tree' on Broad Street. Glitch No 1...no booking found but plenty of space at the time we arrived. (They had just changed their system and maybe it was a 'systems' error, and there I was trying to be techno savvy and book on line rather than using the old fashion way of using the phone1).

Sri Lanka Beer and Cocotail

Now a works Christmas doo without a cocktail is unthinkable particularly when there is a 'Cocotail Menu' .  I think the last time I had a Cocktail out was on our honeymoon. I went for the Rio Rumble which tasted lovely, but being an old fashioned girl, will ask for a glass next time!

Bowl shaped Ho Ho Hopper

This was died with beetroot for a pink festive touch, and then came along the assortment of dishes we had selected.

Both the Jaffna Goat Curry and the Black Pork were delicious, and we both loved the way they cooked the chickpeas...as for the Kotthu with egg, the piled high dish towards the back, I reckon just that and a beer would go down a treat on a normal day!  

I forgot the mention the Roti...Oh my **** heaven!  Just like the best ones from my youth!

There was just room to squeeze in a shared portion of Sri Lankan style Christmas Cake with sublime vanilla ice cream.

 The only downside was that their heating wasn't working and it was pretty nippy!

As a lover of curries and 'exotic' dishes I was particularly excited to hear that they are a considering a cookbook..and really hope they include the recipes for some of the dishes we enjoyed.

After that the 'enrichment' section of the Works outing...a visit to often visited Victoria Art Gallery, where extra time was spent enjoying some choice pieces

Ceramics by James Tower

I start with my favourite, and checking on line, all I can say is that James Tower's ceramics are Magnificent!

This sculpture with a nearby seat was viewed from several angles. 

Since this was a December Meeting, I found the right picture to share on my Facebook page too!

Painted around six hundred and fifty years ago, I wonder just how many people have viewed this painting?

With the walk back to the Park and Ride Bus Stop, a little detour was made to pick a 'goody bag' of baclava and Turkish delight, from LoQum Bathazar situated in The Corridor.

A really good Company Party this year!

Six on Saturday - Well and truly Frosted

It is cold and the garden seems to be at a standstill, but with a sharp eye, you can see the tips of snowdrops piecing the surface frozen crust, oh joy, not long before they start to emerge.  With no greenhouse, our conservatory is gradually becoming a refuge for plants.  The succulents have migrated to windowsills in the house, to make room for plants being moved from 'The Shed Shelf' etc.  No doubt gardeners in the northern latitudes at least will be considering the best ways to protect their plants, and I am sure Jim and others will be describing some in their posts this week.

1.  This Saturday the garden is well and truly frosted over.  The rime has a certain beauty best observed early in the morning before the thaw sets in.  Here on the hydrangea it lingers without the warming rays of the sun.

2. The soil has not experienced such a freezing now for a couple of years, with the surface soil lifted it builds up a friable top layer.  The plants of course are affected but I find lifting of the soil interesting to look at.

3. The bird bath is frozen solid and needs warm water to give the garden birds something to drink.

This cheeky squirrel will probably come over for a drink once it has had fresh water added.

4. At last the Acer is finally  acquiring its autumn colour quickly, no doubt in readiness to shed its leaves within the next few days.  

5. Ready frozen herbs...

Origanum vulgare compactum

6. The second snowdrop which came home with me last week, and bought in the absences of Three Ships was Remember Remember. 

Galanthus elwesii 'Remember Remember'

(Note added 28 December: Galanthus Remember Remember has been planted close to Apple D'Arcy Spice).

That's it folks!

Six on Saturday - Early December

Cold and damp, with mists sums up the weather this week, though today the mists have lifted and we still have the cold.  This is December and finally I can say most of the Autumn is behind us and we are in winter.

1. The yearning for some snowdrops shoots got hold of me this week.  I suddenly needed some early flowering snowdrops!  I even dreamt about them.  I still had a large washing up bowl of Ophiopogon Little Tabby without takers, and suddenly wondered whether Jackie at Triffids Nursery would like to have them to pot up and sell.  Now that would be my excuse to visit and see if she had any snowdrops.  A swap was negotiated and I came back with Galanthus 'Peter Gatehouse'.

(Note added 28 December.  Galanthus has been planted in the garden at the left hand side close to Pear Beth).

Described as one of the earliest clones of elwesii, often starting to flower in mid-November and usually in full bloom weeks before Christmas, just as the soft, silvery-greyish leaves are starting to emerge. These leaves later lengthen but are never long,  floppy or untidy. Height 10-12cm at flowering, with good sized, symmetrically triangular flowers marked with a substantial amount on mid green on the inners (the green extending beyond the mid point of the inners) in the shape of a pair of scissors with paler handles; both vigorous and dependable in growth and flowering and it makes a good and dependable display every year. Flowering in a gap in the seasons and making such a good show. Originally given by the late Peter Gatehouse of Kent, to Elizabeth Strangman of the wonderful Washfield Nursery at Hawkhurst in Kent. Although noted and accepted as a clone of elwesii, we have noticed, that over many years and many hundreds of flowers, we have never had so much as a single pod of seed set and most pods turn yellow and die, before even swelling, perhaps indicating hybridity. (Source Rare Plants).

I did buy a second one but I'm keeping that to show next week.

2. We had our first frost in the back garden on the evening of the 30th November, and would otherwise be showing a picture of the flower today, but instead all the leaves are drooping.  One of the jobs this weekend will therefore be the final clearing up with removal of all the second flush of nasturtium seedlings. The garden will then be truely ready to watch the bulbs emerging.

3. Reviewing my old photographs before trying to discard a whole lot, I came across my picture of the arrival of Pulmonaria Sissinghurst from my dear friend Kay.  That was back in April 2004.  I still have it in my latest garden.  It does so well that I keep dividing it, and I must have made at least fifty divisions shared amongst numerous friends.

4. This week Maggie arrived with a division of Stachys or rather as it is now called Betonica officinalis 'Wisley White' which is growing well in a pot.  I need to think about its best position.  I love the leaves and it likes sun, so it will be towards the front of a border.

5. A few weeks ago, early October, one of  the WI Book Clubs was meeting here and it wasn't surprising that as many were also members of the gardening group, there was a little tour of the garden.  Salvia 'African Sky' was much admired.  A quite cuttings demo,  plunging into some compost all together in a small pot. For the fist few weeks they stood in a shady spot, and since then they was have on the table by the window in the shed.

 This morning whilst out checking the bottom of the pots for slugs etc., what should I see but these roots peeping out from below. The cuttings have taken, but ought I to wait till spring to pot them up individually?

6.  Another little beauty joined the 'congregation' of succulents this week.  Andromischus Cooperi Festivus. 

Several of us are continuing with the Six items from the garden post which is now lead by Jim, and you are very welcome to join, or dip in and view lots of plant/gardening related posts.