Where did all the sunshine go?

Golly, whereabouts do you live Gardenfool ?
We've not seen rain like that for months here, September was bone dry.

My garden would love some of your rain if you could spare a bit :)

I want that rain ... just send it over please! Don't really want the hail though ... keep that!

Lovely photos ... enjoyed your blog.

Hi Louise & Bernieh. (btw I'm in Argyll on the West coast).
You are both more than welcome to some ....nay...most of this rain, we've seen heaps of rain this summer #sighs# and a lot of down pours the past couple of weeks or so, really disappointing.
In fact if there are many more wanting rain water then if you could all bring a bucket and form an orderly line we can human chain a supply out of Argyll.
I did hear the Isle of Skye had rain every single day of the summer hoildays (7 weeks) so I can't grumble. It really hurts those who rely on fair weather like the tourist and agriculture industries.
Bernieh, are you sure you don't want the hail too?

I hope this blog and my other weather related comments on GoY don't sound like a winge but I think I'm just feeling a bit sorry for myself, I had hoped to get so much done this year!!

The weather is not always the gardener's best friend - it's a relationship full of compromises! I don't however want to compromise with hail ... thanks for the offer, but no! Just hope next year's summer is better for you.

It is that Bernieh, I should get a wee potting shed so I can carry on gardening in the bad weather.
I'm just thinking about frost and deer protection now and will think towards spring '10.

OMG...and there was I complaining about our 70mph gales over the weekend. At least it didn't rain in this side of Scotland....well not in this part anyway...just knocked seven bells out of the trees and closed some roads and the bridges....with a lot of cars damaged etc. They did have two inches of snow on the Cairngorms - and the skiers are delighted of course.
Your poor bird table and all that water ..AGAIN...heaven help you...thank goodness you stay positive GF..."Here's to 20110"
As for deer protection.....are you protecting the deer or protecting your garden FROM them?!!

Morning Alzheimer,
It cetainly has been a bit bumpy for us early in the season hasn't it.
Keep the wellies warm and tie your hat on!
A new bird table has been on my 'to-do' list for a while as it was old and weakening but its nice to 'choose' the time to do these things and not have the moment shoved on us by events beyond our control.
Its to protect the plants from the deer as they do graze their way up through. There are plenty of young Birch to nibble the bark off but they seem to prefer Oak, Rowan, beech etc.
Its dry at the moment so hopfully it will still be that way later after work so I can get a wee bit done.

Aye..Mother Nature has a habit of giving us a bit if a kick up the Khyber hasn't she!! But I agree - I prefer to chose my time to go out and fill the bird feeders.
Those cheeky deer - you will have to get a supply of that "Silent Roar" stuff that is used mostly for keeping cats out of gardens but is also used for stopping deer from ringing trees. My son in Canada has the same problem as you - the deer just nip over the fences into their grounds and strip the bark off all his young trees. He tried this stuff - or the Canadian equivalent and painted it on - and so far I believe it has worked! Don't know about Scottish deer of course...LOL
Mind you - there is a recipe that you can paint on the trees - depending how many you have of course!!!! I am not joking - they say this actually works.....

Combine in a blender; one whole egg, one cup of milk (skim or regular), a few tablespoons of cooking oil and one tablespoon of liquid soap with one quart of water. Add one teaspoon of hot chili oil if you have it on hand...or just fresh HOT chilies..the hotter the better of course!
Set the blender on low to mix all the ingredients together.
Pour the mixture into a small spray bottle....and spray the lot onto all your susceptible plants /trees every five to seven days.
Cheap as chips...and might just work for you!!

Hello A'
(long time not comment from me!! sorry, busy busy)
What a great sounding recipe, worth trying it out just for the fun of it, Thank you for that and I'll let you know and I can't think of a better testing ground than Canada (a part from Scotland of course).

Morning GF...my turn to apologise...just recovering from another op on my foot...hopping around on stilts...sorry..crutches - they just feel like flamin' stilts!!
Gorgeous weather here today - just to frustrate me further...grrr!

Aww sorry to hear your feeling poorly A'. Hope your not 'stilted' for much longer. Its a grand day here too today but I have the boys off school for the next week and a half so no work and little garden time here. We had our first (it was a mild one) frost last night so need to get the pots repostioned. They were ok last night but the front will get the hard frosts later. I don't know really how to protect potted plants from the frost as this is the first time I've had them. In the past I've had shrubs and wild plants so have never had to think about frosts before. The Dianthus are in flower and it seems odd to have to cover them up. Any ideas?
I was thinking of making up a large wooden try, placing the pots in it and filling in around them with grass clippings. Would that work? and do you reckon Dianthus, Ibris etc would need a fleece over as well?
I never got the chance (or remembered) to pick the Rowan berries so have now left them to the birds.
Hoping to strim down the old undergrowth to prepare the ground for 4 fruit trees due next month. It will also make it easier to keep it all from growing back next year.
Hope your feeling better very soon.

Just had a quick look back at your potted up dianthus and yes - I would plunge those pots as I said in my pm. Especially if they have not bulked up or matured much since then. They are tougher than they look but keeping their roots from freezing is paramount...otherwise they should be OK..unless you have an old cold frame you can plunge them in?
Like the sound of the mini orchard you are preparing for....what fruits are you getting?