Dear Diary, 13th August

OBSERVATIONS

Weather is warming, but La Nina spring has been declared again which means cool and wet. I'm not sure we're going to survive this summer; in spite of the dangers of El Nino we need some dryer weather - ideally, we'd get a hot summer that isn't an El Nino but I kind of doubt that's even possible anymore. We're going to swing between hot-and-dry and cool-and-wet seasons pretty much from hereon in. And it won't be pretty.

Still cold in the house; I need to call window people - Thermawood and the double-glazing people. And I should at the least seal up the gaps along the tops of the windowsills of my bedroom and the study. Maybe check B1's bedroom; she's also got mould growing on her ceiling and doesn't have the energy to fix it up.

Mustard is sprouting in the HEXABED.

Mustard is heavy leafing in the APPLE-CREPE.

The four-pome is not setting many fruit, while the GOLDEN DORSETT branch off the golden delish is all aflower.

CHOOKS

Goong is back to being broody, although she is occasionally laying. Siyao still laying. Shantung seems back to herself at this point.

PRUNING & PREPARING

PLANTING

SWEET PEAS along the PICKET FENCE, also SUNFLOWERS. I tossed the last of the MEADOWFLOWERS (Hampton's Court / Monet Mini) among the bulbs which are sprouting and even blooming - jonquils in yellow/oranged and white right now. I'm pretty sure that the ANEMONES are having a pretty good go of it. I did think I had some nice large daffodils, but nothing that's coming up seems to be of that type. Oh well.

On heat-tray in aquarium (which is badly-placed for sunlight): TOMATOES, PUMPKINS, PEAS, CHILLI (blue), BASIL, and ECHINACEA.

RIPENING

nothing

HARVEST

nothing (Oranges?)

NOTES

I'm fretting about the stuff that was harvested from the HEXABED and put into the compost, alas. The HEXABED space was registered with a high lead content, which was fine so long as I wasn't using it to grow food. Except I only just realised that we harvested all the Indian borage and put it in the compost heap where it'll break down. DAMN. Might have to dig that compost out now.