Blue hydrangeas etc.

I am very fond of hydrangeas, especially blue ones.

About five years ago I was bought a blue hydrangea for Mothering Sunday, one large deep blue flowerhead - it looked magnificent. So when it had passed its best I planted it out in the garden and was determined to nurture it so that for many years I could admire the shrub.
To keep hydrangea blooms a blue colour they need an acid soil and since the garden soil is not acidic I bought some ericaceous compost,the right sort to use with acid loving plants, and filled the planting hole with it. For two years I watched in hope but the plant produced greenery and no flowers! Reading up I found out that hydrangeas flower on two year old wood and that by pruning it I had been cutting out the flowering stems!
The solution was simple - leave the plant alone. Since then there have been more flowers, each successive year.

When a flower head appears it is very pale green and whether it turns blue or pink depends on the composition of the soil. How do you keep a soil acid when it is naturally neutral to alkaline? Tea bags.
They add acidity to the soil so the hydrangea gets tea leaves (used ones that have been dried out and then emptied out of their paper pouch) on a regular basis. You can see they like the treatment.
When I was in Brighton recently, there were many pink hydrangeas in front gardens - the soil in that part of south eastern England is chalky and alkaline.

P.S. Why do cabbage white butterflies lay bright yellow eggs? They show up so easily that they are easy to deal with.

Why I am reluctant to gamble on horses.

Yesterday I bought a satnav and was very pleased with the purchase. I did a test run to a garden centre about thirty miles away and found the instructions clear - the female voice giving the instructions was calm and did not have hysterics if I strayed from the route.
Then last night, when I was checking the news on the internet, I came across an item about solar eruptions which filled me with dismay.
To quote........ 'The solar eruptions ..first detected ... at the weekend. Billions of tonnes of gas were ejected into space ..........If the giant ball of gas collides with the Earth's magnetic field, as scientists are predicting, an intense geomagnetic storm will be produced ......... interfere with satellites ........'

I'd better keep the atlas in the car just in case!

Another Historic Day

I'm expecting to be offered a contract by the BBC soon!

A few weeks ago I sent an email to Gardeners' Question Time asking what I should do about the flowers that are growing on my potato plants. They liked the question and I received an email from the GQT office asking if they could phone me so that I could read out the question for the programme recording.
Today I had the phonecall and read out the question that I had sent in. They recorded it and said it will be used next weekend when the programme is being broadcast from Bob Flowerdew's garden (What a name for a gardener - it is his real name)
I shall be at Open University Summer School when the programme is broadcast, so I shall listen on the iPlayer to find out the answer, when I get back.

In all modesty - I expect the contract will be for making the tea, or dusting the microphones!!!

An Historic Day

Today I used my Bus Pass for the first time. My car has had to go for wheel refurbishment so I am without my own transport for twenty-four hours. The company working on my car want the payment in cash (I am getting a proper receipt - they have been in business for 27 years - they were recommended by Kwik Fit - so I don't think they are dodgy)
As I pay for almost everything by debit card, I do not usually have cash in the house - at least not the sort of amount that the car job will take, so I decided that I needed to visit my bank. Then an information leaflet about local bus services was delivered through the letter box and I took this to be a good omen for taking an adventurous ride into town.
I sorted out the times for catching the bus to town and for the return journey. I made sure I was properly kitted out for public transport and I made my way to the bus stop. After about five minutes the bus arrived, I showed my bus pass to the driver and he asked where I was going - he needed to issue me with a ticket even though I did not have to pay. There were just two other passengers on the bus (both very obviously old age pensioners) and they greeted me with a friendly hello.
The first thing I noticed about the journey was the seating - not nearly as comfortable as a car seat - and no seat belts! Next, the noise of the engine was so loud that it would have been impossible to hold a conversation in a normal voice - I did look, but I could not see the engine anywhere inside. The bus had very many signs and adverts around the innards. As a child, I travelled by bus frequently and there were many signs inside those buses too. I was very proud to be able to read them. The one that fascinated me was 'SPITTING PROHIBITED'. On my journey today there was no such prohibition - perhaps the travelling public have become more civilised over the decades.
As the bus slowly made its way to town, it turned off the main road and went through a housing estate. After a couple more bus stops the bus driver switched off the engine and the bus remained where it was. Eventually restarting its journey, it made a convoluted route back through the estate to join the main road. I got off the bus in the middle of the town which was very handy and I had about an hour to do my shopping before I could catch a bus back home. I met some people I knew and chatted with them and I had time to browse in charity shops as well as going to the bank.
I decided that on the return journey I would notice whether the bus was as noisy ( I don't remember the buses of my childhood being quite so loud) I also wondered if the bus would be as empty. The bus arrived on time, it was the same bus and driver as on the outward journey! There were quite a few more passengers and we were soon travelling back, but by a different convoluted route.
Altogether, my adventure took just over two hours. Although it would have been much quicker to go by my own transport travelling by bus does have a few advantages. Buses have bus lanes which means thay can speed through the traffic at busy times. I didn't have to drive, or find and pay for a parking space and I was able to notice the surroundings. I have found a couple of detours that I could use if the main
road gets jammed.
I think I shall use my bus pass again, but only when the weather is good and I don't have a lot of shopping to carry, and when I have lots of time!

The European Tour - first leg

Just a few of the hundreds of photographs taken during Andrew and Renee Michelle's visit to the family in the UK.

Andrew and Renee Michelle arrived safely and so a photograph was taken in the back garden to show off the good weather and the flowering currant bush.


We travelled to Wales and stayed for a couple of days - the beach at Aberdovey was our first excursion - there were hazards on the way.

Andrew was taking no chances!

Having negotiated the dangers of the golf course we were able to cross over the sand dunes by way of the wooden bridge and walk along the beach.

The next day the sun was shining and Andrew and Renee Michelle stopped at the bottom of the chalet steps to admire the daffodils and to give time for the older members of the party to catch up.

Walking on the nearby hills, along the Pennal Mountain Road.

What goes up, must come down.

A visit to the ice cream factory is compulsory.

Ice creams eaten, Andrew set up the camera so that we could all be in this picture.

The Alternative Technology Centre is at the top of a very steep incline - fortunately there is a water-powered car to take you to the top.

So much to see - we spent a couple of hours wandering around, looking at a wide variety of displays. It was very quiet - there were hardly any other visitors there - Saturday tends to be journey day for holiday makers.

Renee Michelle looks pleased to be emerging from the underground display of life under the surface of the planet. It was very dark in there.

Andrew and Renee Michelle - researching which type of solar panels will be right for their home?

The day finished with a walk along the beach at Aberdovey - Renee Michelle is looking intently West - about 3000 miles and the island of Ireland in between the UK and home.

What did you you do when you went to the UK?
We collected litter from the beach and sand dunes and put it in the waste bin.
Very public spirited but how sad that some people don't think anything of leaving their rubbish to spoil the landscape.

On Sunday we visited the island of Anglesey and went to a beach near to Puffin Island, hoping to see puffins.

Taken at the base of the lighthouse in the previous picture. This photo brought back memories of the photograph taken in Washington DC at the base of the Washington Monument during a very happy holiday.

Puffin Island taken from nearby cliffs - we didn't see any puffins but we knew they were there.

On Monday, we visited Formby Sands, a National Trust Reserve near to Liverpool, hoping to see red squirrels (now quite rare in the UK). We did see ONE but he kept his distance and the photographs didn't show him to advantage.
It was pleasant walking through the pinewoods on the way to the beach.

On the beach, the tide was a long way out. In the distance the off-shore wind turbines can be seen. Renee Michelle walked barefoot. Again, we had the beach almost to ourselves because it was a school day, so there were not many holiday makers around.

On Wednesday we went to the Roaches, an area in the Peak District National Park. In the distance Tittesworth Reservoir could be seen on the Valley floor.

At first, the walk was gently uphill through wooded hillside. We heard a cuckoo in the distance, but we couldn't see him.

Then the walk got steeper and the vegetation sparser.

Andrew surveying the landscape - we could still hear the cuckoo but he kept himself hidden.

In spite of the grey skies it stayed dry and wasn't too cold.

Sherpa Pearson - this is the highest point on the Roaches.

OnThursday, the day of departure, it rained.

We had a farewell meal at the Soup Kitchen in Stafford. Then we made our way through the Park to the railway station - spot the British Rail Logo.

We allowed plenty of time to get to the correct platform.

While we were waiting for the train to Hull, a steam train came thundering through the station - not an everyday happening.

The final photo before Andrew and Renee Michelle got on the train to start the next leg of their journey. They look so happy - the week went very quickly - it's good to have the photographs as well as the memories.


PS - The onward journey was not without incident - but that is their story to tell.

Surprise Visitors

Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, or perhaps a bit later, I peeped through the kitchen blinds and spotted visitors.

Opening the blinds , there was no mistaking , five mallard ducks asleep on the back lawn.


One woke up and started to rouse the others.


Time to explore the garden - they walked along the borders.

They spotted water - puddles on top of the black plastic covering the future vegetable patch.

Time to paddle and have a drink.

The mallards stayed in the garden for a couple of hours and I was beginning to think that they could not take off because of the trees surrounding the garden and the lack of a 'runway'.
I turned off the camera.
The ducks proceeded towards the back fence and then took off - almost vertical take-off - and I missed the best picture of all.
The pictures were taken through the secondary glazed kitchen windows so they are a bit hazy and I think I need to clean them!

A Fairy Story ...... unhappily ever after.

Once upon a time, on a quiet housing estate, somewhere in the middle of England, there was a clump of trees. The trees were established and quite beautiful and because of their age and character they were made subject to a Tree Presevation Order. No-one could deliberately harm the trees in any way - the penalty being a fine.
Finest of the trees was a huge Horse Chestnut tree. In Winter its bare branches scratched against the sky. In Spring pale green leaves pushed out of the sticky buds heralding the arrival of the dark pink flower spikes. Throughout the warm Summer months the horse chestnuts grew ever larger so that by the time the Autumn arrived the conkers were big enough to be collected by the local children, ready for battle to commence.


And so years passed and the trees were much admired by the residents.
The house nearest to the clump of trees had a large garden. The trees straddled the fence around the garden. One day the owner of the house decided to sell his property and he thought that it would be a good idea to build another house on his large garden so that he could sell that house too.
Local residents were alarmed. The foundations for the new house would cut through the roots of the Horse Chestnut tree and the branches of the trees would brush against the building.
Despite protests to the Local Council that it would harm the trees, planning permission was granted for the new house to be built. After much lobbing of branches a house was built and the old garden fence was replaced by a new fence. The house was put up for sale but nobody seemed interested in buying a very expensive house with a small garden that was so overshadowed by the clump of large trees. Eventually the house was rented out but the tenants did not stay for very long. They wanted to live somewhere more light and airy.
As Spring arrived the trees burst into bud, except for the Horse Chestnut tree. All through the Summer the other trees flourished but the Horse Chestnut showed no signs of life. When the trees were trimmed before the house was built they showed no signs of disease or old age. Now the Horse Chestnut tree looked distinctly dead. Whatever could have happened to cause its demise?


A few days ago the noise of chain saws and shredders filled the usually quiet neighbourhood. When the residents looked down the road, a very professional looking firm of tree surgeons were working to cut down the Horse Chestnut tree. Within an hour only the tree stump was left and the bright yellow truck drove off taking the trailer full of shredded wood. The next day the arborealists returned to grub out the stump and roots.


Now the residents must use their memories to picture the beautiful tree that so mysteriously died and hope that the other trees in the clump, still 'protected' by the tree presevation order, do not suffer the same fate.