What's happening in your garden today?

[Sean Regan]

Nothing today as I had other jobs to do.

Tomorrow I may get into pruning the overhanging branches of next door's trees,

I do this every year as they can overhang by several feet with a year's growth.
The thin branches, my Barnel telescopic pruner can manage and it holds the bit you've cut off until you relax your grip on the handle.

The thicker branches will need my Fiskars telescopic pruner. "No messing with this."

But I'll have to get my big adjustable ladder out and use it in a stepladder configuration over the acer in front of the tea-house to protect it, as these heavier branches might damage it when they fall. I'll just brace another ladder against the fence to get some height.

The branches on the tree nearest the shed are much thinner and anyway, I can reach most, if I stand on the roof of the shed, as always.

 

[Tetters]

Nothing today as I had other jobs to do.

Tomorrow I may get into pruning the overhanging branches of next door's trees,

I do this every year as they can overhang by several feet with a year's growth.
The thin branches, my Barnel telescopic pruner can manage and it holds the bit you've cut off until you relax your grip on the handle.

The thicker branches will need my Fiskars telescopic pruner. "No messing with this."

But I'll have to get my big adjustable ladder out and use it in a stepladder configuration over the acer in front of the tea-house to protect it, as these heavier branches might damage it when they fall. I'll just brace another ladder against the fence to get some height.

The branches on the tree nearest the shed are much thinner and anyway, I can reach most, if I stand on the roof of the shed, as always.

That's a silver birch is it not? If so, surely the overhanging branches wouldn't cause any problems would they? Do they obstruct a pathway maybe?
I've grown a few hundred of these from seed over the years, and they don't seem terribly invasive of the surrounding spaces at all?

 

[Sean Regan]

That's a silver birch is it not? If so, surely the overhanging branches wouldn't cause any problems would they? Do they obstruct a pathway maybe?
I've grown a few hundred of these from seed over the years, and they don't seem terribly invasive of the surrounding spaces at all?

The problem is all the bits that fall off them in the Spring and all the leaves that I have to collect in the winter. I'm getting too old to do unnecessary work. They also cut out a lot of the sun in the late afternoon, which my left-hand lawn border needs.

You can't get a "proper" gardener locally. They just want to wizz round with a mower.


These are "forest trees," not suitable for small suburban gardens. The neighbour on the other side of that house has the same problem with trees growing that side, overhanging his garden.

First job today was hand stripping most of the leaves of this acer. It's just a case of running an open hand down through the branches and the dead leaves all come away.
Still more from the top, which are less accessible, to be removed. That's from where the new growth is coming. There's a lot of dead would to be pruned off, this will give the rest of the branches more room. I don't think it will need much retraining as most of the branches are in the right place. You can see where the lawn has failed to grow because it's always in the shade. I'll probably take six inches off the "skirt" all round.
I have to be careful. I like them to keep the "dome shape." Take too much off and it'll look like a cocktail umbrella.

Then I got in to the right-hand tree of next door's

I got quite a bit pruned off that overhangs our garden. Less tree...fewer leaves to collect when they fall off every year. I've still the top to get at and the other tree.
The tops of both overhang our garden by about six feet.

It doesn't look much different.

But what I took off filled the green bin. I only got it all in as I chopped it all up into small bits. I'll do some more next week once the bin has been emptied.

 

[Tetters]

Very sensible thinking then - under those circumstances. and going back to the time when I had close neighbours, I admit I didn't look very carefully at those particular circumstances. Looking at the scene again, I think maybe those trees could actually do with topping. As you mention they are hardly suitable for their surroundings there.
Your garden is pristine in every way, and mathematical to boot. It is so interesting to me to look at the different ways people see their 'perfect' space in their gardens. I do agree wholeheartedly that keeping the autumn 'tidy up' up to date is much easier than being stuck with a bigger mess to sort out.

We left the outskirts of this land recently, during the time I have been ill, and now, catching up is a major job, and is taking a LOT more effort to keep under control. In just a short time, the brambles have taken over around the boundaries, and the hedges are very overgrown. Each job is taking a big effort to lick it all back into shape, and I sometimes feel we are losing the battle. For 40 years or so I have been spending the winters on hedging and maintenance - it has been my one occupation, and an important part of keeping the camping site as close to tidy as possible.
Just to make matters worse, I dug out all my flower borders just before the heart attack in 2020 and just as I was getting back on top of that the stroke happened. Never mind, a dose of bloody mindedness and some sheer determination may just win.
I will have to keep a close eye on Zigs though, I don't want to wear him out in too much of a hurry

As a PS....looking at that tree again, I wonder why it seemed to have a hissy fit on the way up. The trunk is a very strange shape higher up - looks as though it may have suffered some trauma ?? All of mine are straight, or ''normal''

 

[Sean Regan]

Very sensible thinking then - under those circumstances. and going back to the time when I had close neighbours, I admit I didn't look very carefully at those particular circumstances. Looking at the scene again, I think maybe those trees could actually do with topping. As you mention they are hardly suitable for their surroundings there.
Your garden is pristine in every way, and mathematical to boot. It is so interesting to me to look at the different ways people see their 'perfect' space in their gardens. I do agree wholeheartedly that keeping the autumn 'tidy up' up to date is much easier than being stuck with a bigger mess to sort out.

We left the outskirts of this land recently, during the time I have been ill, and now, catching up is a major job, and is taking a LOT more effort to keep under control. In just a short time, the brambles have taken over around the boundaries, and the hedges are very overgrown. Each job is taking a big effort to lick it all back into shape, and I sometimes feel we are losing the battle. For 40 years or so I have been spending the winters on hedging and maintenance - it has been my one occupation, and an important part of keeping the camping site as close to tidy as possible.
Just to make matters worse, I dug out all my flower borders just before the heart attack in 2020 and just as I was getting back on top of that the stroke happened. Never mind, a dose of bloody mindedness and some sheer determination may just win.
I will have to keep a close eye on Zigs though, I don't want to wear him out in too much of a hurry

As a PS....looking at that tree again, I wonder why it seemed to have a hissy fit on the way up. The trunk is a very strange shape higher up - looks as though it may have suffered some trauma ?? All of mine are straight, or ''normal''

Those trees have been reduced in height by our neighbour a couple of times in the last fifteen years, that's probably why they look a bit odd.

Spent a couple of hours in the gardens.

Weeded and mowed the front lawn, then did a leaf collection from the drive and the front garden with my "grizzly," garden vac.
Then collected leaves the same way from the back garden.
As the green bin was already full, I did what I often have to do. I put a piece of cardboard on top of the contents, then by using my step stool I could climb onto it and by jumping up and down on it a few times, gained an extra foot of space.
Now it is completely full. So no more tree pruning until after bin collection day, on Wednesday.

 

[Anniekay]

Those trees have been reduced in height by our neighbour a couple of times in the last fifteen years, that's probably why they look a bit odd.

Spent a couple of hours in the gardens.

Weeded and mowed the front lawn, then did a leaf collection from the drive and the front garden with my "grizzly," garden vac.
Then collected leaves the same way from the back garden.
As the green bin was already full, I did what I often have to do. I put a piece of cardboard on top of the contents, then by using my step stool I could climb onto it and by jumping up and down on it a few times, gained an extra foot of space.
Now it is completely full. So no more tree pruning until after bin collection day, on Wednesday.

Ahhh, like when I lived in Germany, you have to put yard waste in a bin. Here in Georgia we plop it all outside the fence in the ditch and a guy with a big truck equipped with a big iron “hand” ( I say hand cuz IDK what you call that thing) comes picks it up and dumps it into the big empty truck body. Then they compost it .

BTW: I am still looking at my pile from the Hurricane. There’s so much to remove that they’re still working on the north side of town!!

 

[Logan]

@Meadowlark yes Halloween is celebrated here in the UK, some people have parties and dress up,children go around the houses with parents doing trick or treat.

 

[Logan]

Thursday the rest of the tulips arrived, didn't have time on Friday to plant so yesterday i planted all of them.

 

[Sheal]

Labor Day is always observed on the first Monday in September here @Sheal.

Speaking of Holidays today and especially tonight is Halloween.

"Halloween actually comes from the British Isles. It's the modern evolution of the Gaelic festival of Samhain, traditionally celebrated in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. The festival marked the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter, and it was viewed as a time when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld could be crossed more easily. Offerings were made to the spirits or fairies, and some people wore costumes, either to imitate or hide from the spirits. Throughout the years, costumes, mumming, and guising have all been parts of the festival. Turnip carving was also popular."

I could go for some turnip carving

Halloween has lost some of its luster for the kids here especially because of the increasingly incredibly cruel and mean people out there.

Is it widely celebrated in UK? Other countries?

Thank you @Meadowlark.

I'm aware of the history of Halloween and how it's been celebrated down the centuries. I lived on the Isle of Man for twenty four years before moving here to Scotland eight years ago. The Manx call it Hop-Tu-Naa. They use turnips in preference to pumpkins for lanterns but the English (including myself) know them as swedes.

Fun Facts About Hop tu Naa on the Isle of Man: the Original Halloween Festival - Visit Isle of Man

As the rest of the British Isles prepares to celebrate Halloween on the 31st October, the Isle of Man will celebrate Hop tu Naa, an ancient, unbroken Manx tradition. Ahead of the 31st we've compiled some fun facts you may not know about the Manx festival...

www.visitisleofman.com

It is widely celebrated here and I don't take part. In recent years it has become a thing of greed and in a number of cases bad behaviour. I moved to a village location three months ago after living rurally. Knowing what to expect my other half and I stayed out during early evening to avoid it. Returning home early we sat in the village car for an hour and a half waiting for the hoards to disperse. We counted approximately 150 children of mixed ages, many of which were teenagers. The teenagers are usually the ones that cause trouble - and apparently had done so here in the village. We also noticed that many of these children live outside the area of the village, many being picked up in cars by relatives and leaving.

It's a tradition that was once harmless but isn't now. I wonder how many of the above children actually know the history - very few I think?

 

[Sheal]

I spent a couple of hours moving and stacking rocks and clearing leaves.

 

[Sean Regan]

Thank you @Meadowlark.

I'm aware of the history of Halloween and how it's been celebrated down the centuries. I lived on the Isle of Man for twenty four years before moving here to Scotland eight years ago. The Manx call it Hop-Tu-Naa. They use turnips in preference to pumpkins for lanterns but the English (including myself) know them as swedes.

Fun Facts About Hop tu Naa on the Isle of Man: the Original Halloween Festival - Visit Isle of Man

As the rest of the British Isles prepares to celebrate Halloween on the 31st October, the Isle of Man will celebrate Hop tu Naa, an ancient, unbroken Manx tradition. Ahead of the 31st we've compiled some fun facts you may not know about the Manx festival...

www.visitisleofman.com

It is widely celebrated here and I don't take part. In recent years it has become a thing of greed and in a number of cases bad behaviour. I moved to a village location three months ago after living rurally. Knowing what to expect my other half and I stayed out during early evening to avoid it. Returning home early we sat in the village car for an hour and a half waiting for the hoards to disperse. We counted approximately 150 children of mixed ages, many of which were teenagers. The teenagers are usually the ones that cause trouble - and apparently had done so here in the village. We also noticed that many of these children live outside the area of the village, many being picked up in cars by relatives and leaving.

It's a tradition that was once harmless but isn't now. I wonder how many of the above children actually know the history - very few I think?

Dunno about Halloween, given the loud bangs we keep hearing, this would appear to be, "Bonfire Week."

 

[Sheal]

I've heard none of that here Sean - surprisingly. For our other friends here we are talking about Guy Fawkes night on 5th November.

 

[Logan]

Nothing today outside, got to clean the oven.

 

[Sean Regan]

Nothing today outside, got to clean the oven.

Funny you should say that, I did ours at the week-end. It's a Bosch, we've had it a couple of years, we'd had two Baumatics before that.
These were rather troublesome. The inner surfaces of the glass doors were a nightmare to get at to clean. You had to take the door off.
Whereas on this, they are so easy to clean. You just open the door, remove the plastic box-like retainer that clips in at the top of the door and you can slide out the inner glass door. It only take a few seconds.

We have this plasticy silicone stuff, which you can cut to size and line the tray at the bottom. Anything that drips on to it can be removed. You just put the sheet in the dishwasher, when necessary.

 

[Logan]

You just open the door, remove the plastic box-like retainer that clips in at the top of the door and you can slide out the inner glass door. It only take a few seconds.

Yes my door is the same, very easy to get out and clean, mine is a Zanussi had it for about 5 years. It's got a top oven/grill, i use the top oven but not the grill.The main oven is for the turkey and making mince pies.

 

[Sean Regan]

We just have the built-in oven in the unit by the door. We've no room for a cooker. We have two induction hobs, one is usually in a cupboard as we mostly only need one.
It goes on a glass cutting board on the work surface over the dishwasher when we use it. The rest of the time it lives on top of the microwave.

 

[Logan]

I only use the large oven for Christmas foods.