WilliNilli's Raincloud

So sorry you didnt not get the rain as you sure need it. Its a total BH washout here again.

So sorry Gattina, but really enjoyed your blog. Pictures going through my mind of you falling asleep and spilling the tea etc.... ha ha. Hope you get some rain soon.

great writing!!!!

when will you do another chapter please?

Very good blog, made me smile at the description of the cats antics.
It stayed here all day ( Sat ) Gattina, thunder, lightning and horrendous rain from morning until well into the evening, we were drenched just walking from the car to the door, only about 15ft, poor Brynner is petrified so had a very traumatic day, he is huge so it creates a right kerfuffle when he`s trying to sit on our laps for comfort, my daughters went shopping only about 10miles away and it was gorgeous all day, not a drop of rain or cloud in sight...
Not bad today although rain forecast for later BBQ indoors again I think.

Thank you, Ladies! Oh if only! The cloud went off towards Tuscany this morning at about 11.00a.m. as Daughter and I went for a long walk. It must have been in the mid 20s I suppose, and she's so inured to the heat now, she felt cold and wished she'd worn a sweater. It's now bright, bright sunshine again, and back up in the 30s and I feel quite washed out with disappointment. There's the possibility of more rain (HUH!) tonight, though. Fingers still crossed, guys?

Wonderful descriptive writing Gattina, felt I was sat there with you, wish I could send you some of the torrential downpours we have been havinig, the lawn is too soggy now to walk on!

Oh PP, our lawn SCRUNCHES when we walk on it!

You can have my rain for a week with pleasure Gattina,

we did well yesterday but later in the afternoon it rumbled around for ages and I thought we missed it, but then the sky blackened and suddenly it was right overhead and ( you may not want to read this bit) it poured so hard you couldn,t see the garden.....then a couple of hours later it poured again.....

Nice and sunny today,but bank holiday monday is a washout according to them. :0(

hope you get some soon x

Thank you!

Oh my . . . well, you made us laugh at least. It's a bit like that here - we had rolls of thunder yesterday, then a few massive drops, but scarcely enough to water the garden. So sorry that you didn't get a downpour Gattina, but it was lovely sitting with you watching the fireworks!

Oooh Gattina Hope some damp, wet stuff comes your way sooooon Jxx

:o)

Loved your blog. You just can't believe the never of some folk can you!!!! Imagine sending you an empty rain cloud...lol!
Some gift that!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not like you can take it back to the shops, complain and get a refund.
Wish I could send you some of our rain Gattina - I'm not up to date with how to send rain through the post.
I do hope you wish is granted soon x

At least you were entertained! We keep getting our hopes up when we see a 'meaty' cloud coming in over the mountains ...... but they soon drift off elsewhere! Ho Hum! Out with the hose again!

Any luck yet Gattina? I've been hoping that these atlantic lows would cross down to you and avoid our damp little island....
The weather man is tentatively promising an azores high.......sometime in september, maybe that will help you too x

Erm....We go on holiday in September, Pam. That's the one time we'd prefer NOT to get rained on, thanks. A good steady downpour just before we go, in the first week of September would be good, and would carry the garden through for a week without watering. Do you have any influence at all......?

I wish you could have some of our rain Gattina ... it's always all or noting isn't it :o(
I couldn't stand that heat, that's why I'm staying here in wet wales lol :o))

Gattina have you tried a rain dance?. Someone tried it when we had a big drought the only problem was she didn't know how to stop it....

Where are you going to, the sea side?

Lake Garda! Can't wait!

Brilliant.....so you don't want the rain there then.....

Nope!

Well I never!!!
You try your hardest to please some people!
Do you know how hard it was passing the wind to blow your cloud that far!
I can not be blamed that your damm hot weather dried a perfectly good rain cloud out, it was full to bursting when it left here!!!

Now I will have beans for my tea & send you another, if it is damaged by the time it reaches you, I take no responsability, you can take it up with the courier. Lol.

Apparently it was full to bursting when it passed overhead, I reckon, Willi: it's release system got jammed, because northern Tuscany got flooded in places in the early hours of that same morning.
Those beans working yet?
I didn't mean to sound ungrateful: it's just we're so desperate it makes us a bit cranky!

Got lots here today Gattina so will send you a goodun.
Can I suggest that you dont get the washing in & leave the cushions out, that way you are certain to get wet, Lol.
I just got soaked walking the dogs & the silly chooks stand out in it!

Well, It's looking good here, Willi - great black bits scudding over the garden, so I've put a load of specially washed laundry out on the line, the canvas-seated chairs are still out, and I've organised a shopping trip to town tomorrow morning, and I'll be wearing new suede shoes. If THAT doesn't do the trick, I'm not sure what will. Are those beans still working their magic? I'll let you know what happens....... Watch this space! LOL!

Thats good Gattina.
One more thing, tie your dressing gown belt around your head & do a rain dance. Probably wont work but it will give the cats something to laugh at, Lol.

Well, I would, but I'm a bit shy about giving public performances, and those darned cats snigger horribly.

I didn't get round to the raindance, Willi, but the latest cloud you sent over is actually doing its bit. It isn't big and it isn't black, and there's no thunder, just wet. Nice, gentle, persistent wet. Thank you! How long do you think we can borrow this for? would a week or two be ok? :o)

We heard bits of Britain got FROST yesterday!!!!!! Is this someone having a joke or is it true? In August? Now that really is having a laugh, isn't it? Our deepest condolences. No, seriously.

True Gattina, and yes I think its the "weather gods" we must have upset them again........
I was up at around 7am and here in the midlands it was 5.6c, the field especiallylooked covered in a heavy dew, I think it was parts of Scotland that got the prize for the lowest august temperature on record, following the wettest summer for 100 years

:o(((((((((

They got -2c

Hows the raincloud?
If you could keep it until next sunday please as we're away for a long weekend

We'll certainly do our best, Pam, even if it means dancing on the lawn at midnight wearing nothing but sou'westers (getting a tad chilly for that now, though). ;o)

Is your garden looking better for the rain it got?,
Is Willinilli off the hook yet....

I betta be, quite proud of myself.
Maybe I xould make a bussiness out of this :-)

Glad you've cooled off Gattina & your gardens getting a good drink :-)

It's amazing what a turnaround there has been. The temperature dropped to about 14° from the low forties within about 24 hours, and looking out of the window this morning, you would swear it was October. Piles of dead leaves are everywhere, the lawn is brown and dead but damp, and the mountains are shrouded in damp mist. OH still had to water the vegetable garden and the tubs this morning though: although it rained yesterday, there wasn't a lot, and we'll need several weeks of the same before anything starts to recover. But my goodness, the air is fresh and cool and smells wonderful! We slept much, much better last night and feel we can breathe again. My asthma is better, too. I can do some cuttings now, and know that there is a chance they will survive and take. I could even sow some of the seeds I've been hoarding while the temperatures have been so high, and expect at least a few to germinate. I think today is greenhouse clearing and cleaning time: I couldn't even step inside it before. I spent yesterday bottling drinks, cleaning up jams jars, potting jam and labelling everything, and clearing out all the shelves in the cellar. We have enough preserves to last us a couple of years by the look of it! (It's just as well, since there are virtually no blackberries worth the picking - all are tiny and hard as wood through lack of water. The figs have rotted on the trees or are tiny and have fallen already) Soon be chutney time, and quite suddenly, all the squashes growing up near the fence seem to be putting on weight and growing before our eyes. Maybe a little September sun in a week or two will start to ripen them, and I've been sorting out old pairs of tights to hang from the cellar beams to store them in. Last year we had squashes for roasting and soups until well into January.
I've just had a look at the forecast, and we are set for a cold, damp/wet week, and then slightly warmer but cloudy weather just as we set off for our week at Lake Garda. Hooray! It looks as if you finally got it right Willi after a couple of false starts. Thank you SO much. Same time, same place next year? Any chance you could arrange for a bright, warm start to October, please? we have visitors and a family celebration coming up, and sunshine (in moderation) makes everything look so much prettier.
We were reassured the other day that the coming winter was expected to be a lot milder than the last, awful one. How do we know? The onions are more clued up than we are, and have only grown two skins this year, instead of the five they grew last year. These farmers know a thing or two, don't they? (Actually we know it's because we bought twice as much firewood as we did last year - at least it won't go off)
I really love autumn, and I think it starts here.

Success then!

Can I ask about squashes, I,ve grown butternut before but think that I picked it too early, it was a bit 'soapy'
This year the pots didn't make it out of the gh and I have 3 reasonable ones...what do I do next?. Do I leave them to die back naturallyor when do I pick, and should I store before eating please.......Its a favorite veg so last time was such a disapointmet

You need to talk to Bornagain Willi, she's brilliant at marketing new products.......look at her recent. 'rust free hollyhocks 'blog. :0))

I grew "butternut" squashes last year, Pam, with seed taken from a Sainsbury's one, and they grew to the size of a small detached bungalow, so this year I'm growing smaller "Harrier" (I think) ones. We leave the plants to die back naturally, or harvest 'em when the squashes look as if they are ripe. You should put a piece of wood or polythene under each ripening fruit so they aren't on wet soil or they'll rot or get insect or slug damage. They SHOULD detach themselves from the plant automatically anyway when they are ready - no pulling or twisting required: just try them each day to see when they've claimed their independence! We eat ours as soon as we feel the need, even if it's the day they are picked. I'm already looking forward to soup days, but if you leave them in a cool airy place, (cellar? Loft? Garage?) they (certainly the giant ones) keep for ages, but are best not stored on a hard surface. Old tights make ideal containers for hanging them up.

Ah I wondered about the tights.......
Waiting for them to detatch is a really good tip, I think that I was in too much of a hurry!

The gh base is concrete and at the moment the two big ones are supported on a pieceof wood.
I love roasted squash or in a risotto, a couple of bonfire nights ago a friend made a huge pan of squash soup, slightly spicy.... we were fighting over the dregs

Thanks for your advice.....I,ll try to be patient......

Let me know how you get on, Pam. Ours are looking good, but since it rained so beautifully hard, quite a few of them have developed splits, which could mean trouble!