Is 2023 going to be a good year in the garden

[trogg 2,016]

My garden was looking good I was pleased after the saga with my arch ,trellis and replacement decking, even the ****** pigeons really love it. Hordes of them gather on it and they are so happy on it they all leave me with little present every time they visit. Well looking on the bright side it gives me reason to go onto it every morning with a bucket of water and a brush, there and underneath the TV aerial which over hangs the patio. Anybody have a recipe  for pigeons.

[philmayfield 6,140]

Air rifle 

 

[Jill Sparrow 10,307]

I stood in the garden last night watching Jemima the hedgehog troughing her supper and was aware of the overpowering scent of honeysuckle, which I love. The mystery is, my honeysuckle isn't in flower yet!

[DJ360 6,730]

I've never known my Runner Beans or Tomatoes to grow so fast. All this warm humid weather, plus a couple of decent downpours, seem to have done everything a power of good.

All of my tomatoes this year are 'cordon' varieties, which means nipping out the side shoots. All well and good until the first flower shoot appears, then it becomes very difficult to see what's what and things are best left alone for a bit...

 

As an aside, this morning I spotted a Woodpecker in one of my Cherry trees. As far as I recall , that's the first I've seen since one decided to perch on my Mum's washing line post when I was about 10. I'm fairly sure it was of the 'spotted' variety as I could see no green on it, but whether greater or lesser, I wouldn't know.

[DJ360 6,730]

2 hours ago, trogg said:

Anybody have a recipe  for pigeons.

 

First, catch your pigeon. Philmayfield's suggestion?

 

Then 'Pigeon Pie? Pigeon Fricasee? Chilli Con Pigeon?   Pigeon Tikka Masala?  Pigeon Bolognese? ...

 

....The World's your Pigeon...

[philmayfield 6,140]

Pigeon is a bit fiddly to prepare and it's only the breast you want. I've tried it but wouldn't come back for more. If it were that good it would be on the supermarket shelves. I know Plantfitt shoots them on a farm but he's not given a recipe!

[MargieH 7,600]

By the time the pigeon’s been plucked, gutted, cracked open and dejointed there’s  not much meat to see!

[philmayfield 6,140]

You only pluck the breast area. Cut it up the centre and deskin. The two breasts are cut out and the rest of the bird is discarded. The worst bird to pluck is duck where you finish up knee deep in feathers. Best done outside. I used to pluck them on the greenhouse staging.

 

[letsavagoo 963]

I used to shoot pigeons in the woods behind my house and let the local pub have them. I’d get the odd pint in exchange. 

[trogg 2,016]

My first instinct was an air rifle but that thought was discarded ,not by me, so after some research I have done the following. I have put some thin nails along the top of the trellis and arch then tied thin fishing line joining them together and along the length of these tied short pieces of line. The theory of this is as the bird come into land the wind is blowing the short pieces of line about and the sun is reflecting on the line blowing in the wind and it scares the bird away, you cannot see the nails and line unless you know it is there and look for it. This morning was the first day without my bucket and brush.

PS anybody have any need for metres and metres of thin fishing line.

PPS my first idea of an air rifle still appeals to me.

[plantfit 7,599]

Day lillies came out this morning, lovely to see them

 

 

 

Rog

[plantfit 7,599]

19 hours ago, trogg said:

My garden was looking good I was pleased after the saga with my arch ,trellis and replacement decking, even the ****** pigeons really love it. Hordes of them gather on it and they are so happy on it they all leave me with little present every time they visit. Well looking on the bright side it gives me reason to go onto it every morning with a bucket of water and a brush, there and underneath the TV aerial which over hangs the patio. Anybody have a recipe  for pigeons.

Works every time mate

 

 

Rog

[philmayfield 6,140]

Before you purchase your air rifle Trog remember it’s illegal for the pellet to go beyond your boundary and you can’t shoot within 50’ of a public highway. It’s somewhat limiting in an urban environment. If you hit the target every time then there’s no chance of the pellet exiting your garden! Walkers of Trowell have a good selection of guns.

[trogg 2,016]

Phil I been to Walkers before to repair one that I use to have they had the spares in stock and fixed it for me there and then, a great firm. I was amazed by the selection in stock, I could go and visit them now I have been reminded about them.

[philmayfield 6,140]

I haven’t been to Walkers for some 20 years. My last air rifle purchase was a Theoben Rapid 7. That’s no longer made but there are other similar gas guns which are charged from a compressed air cylinder. Be prepared to be relieved of around £1,000 by the time you’ve bought the rifle, the gas bottle, telescopic sight and gun case. Break it gently to your wife! The advantages of gas guns are that they’re silent, have no recoil and use a multi pellet cartridge.

[Oztalgian 3,298]

Air guns are illegal here but I wish I had one to see off some of the feral animals and birds that inhabit our area. I refer to introduced species. Indian mynah birds, blackbirds, cats, feral and domestic that roam around at night killing wildlife, foxes, becoming an increasing urban pest, not to forget black rats.

[philmayfield 6,140]

You need a license to own one in Scotland but not in England or Wales.

[mary1947 2,083]

On 6/21/2023 at 4:31 PM, DJ360 said:

I've never known my Runner Beans or Tomatoes to grow so fast. All this warm humid weather, plus a couple of decent downpours, seem to have done everything a power of good.

All of my tomatoes this year are 'cordon' varieties, which means nipping out the side shoots. All well and good until the first flower shoot appears, then it becomes very difficult to see what's what and things are best left alone for a bit...

 

As an aside, this morning I spotted a Woodpecker in one of my Cherry trees. As far as I recall , that's the first I've seen since one decided to perch on my Mum's washing line post when I was about 10. I'm fairly sure it was of the 'spotted' variety as I could see no green on it, but whether greater or lesser, I wouldn't know.

Morning DJ360   just read about the Woodpecker must say I have only seen one , taking the dog a walk heard tapping looked up and there was this woodpecker, next bird i saw was at the bottom of my garden, we used to have a stream  and sitting on a rock was a Kingfisher !! Beautiful,  then when they built Hucknall by-pass we lost the stream so never did see a Kingfisher ever again,    but by far the best yet was when we lived at Anderby Village  (not Anderby Creek)  at dusk wings wide, silent not any sound at all , very beautiful and dignified in fact one word says it all MAJESTIC   It was a Barn-Owl  The owl would come flying up the road each night one side of the road just a few houses and on the other side it was just fields  i never thought to take a photo or vidio but I will remember that site for th rest of my life.

[Cliff Ton 10,468]

1 hour ago, mary1947 said:

  It was a Barn-Owl  The owl would come flying up the road each night one side of the road just a few houses and on the other side it was just fields  

 

Over the years I think I've seen most birds which can be seen in the wild around these parts, but as far as I know I've never seen an owl. 

[DJ360 6,730]

Several times I saw Barn Owls flying, of all places, over the M6 just by the 'Tickle Trout' hotel in the Ribble Valley, where the A59 crosses the M6.

 

Every time I speak to fishermen at our neaby 'Eddleston Waters', they tell me they've 'just seen' a Kingfisher, but I've never seen one....

 

Strangest was when we stayed for a few days in a 'lodge' which was part of the Cameron House Hotel on Loch Lomond. We kept hearing this cacophany of screeching and squawking from who knew what, until finally I spotted them.. dozens of Oyster Catchers, on a nearby lodge roof.  I'd never seen one before.  Very colourful.... and very noisy birds indeed, but apparently they rarely eat oysters in Scotland...  Maybe Haggis?

[DJ360 6,730]

22 hours ago, plantfit said:

Day lillies came out this morning

 

Mrs Col has a collection of about 6 or 8 different varieties.. ( She does that...  It used to be Fuschias.. then it was Alstroemerias...) Anyway, she plants in containers and woe betide me if I interfere.. But she neglected her Hemerocallis' for years until they were just a scruffy nuisance in big faded pots, hardly flowering. I finally cracked, divided and re-potted them all into nicer pots and threw the old dense woody roots away. It took me days.. and she as usual accused me of killing them, same as she does every time I give the big Fuschia Riccartonii shrub a good haircut and that has survived my assaults for 40 years. There are now seven Day Lily pots in bud or flower and two others I stuck in the borders. Even one smaller variety, with narrower, paler leaves, which I've never seen flower..is full of buds now.

Mrs Col says it's the weather..

[Cliff Ton 10,468]

Autumn is on its way. Wild Blackberries are starting to change colour.

[MargieH 7,600]

CT Blackberries round here are still small and green - it’s probably because there’s not been enough rain.  Some are still only flowers !   It’ll be nearly a couple of months before they are ready for picking.

[plantfit 7,599]

Gooseberries looking good so far this year, a bit early, but hopefully Mrs P can get a few picked before the Blackbird population descend on them

 

 

Rog

[katyjay 5,091]

Roger, just looking at that bush, is making me tabs laugh! I used to eat goosegogs as green and sour as could be.