Wednesday 25 March 2015

Pruning.

Looking out of the kitchen window while standing here still in my dressing gown, the weather looks reasonably good so I am about to bite the bullet and get into my gardening gear and go out and prune the roses down to three buds.   This has got to be the absolute last date for doing so as they are beginning to grow like mad.

We also spray at this time of the year for blackspot, which bedevils our roses every year.   Albertine, the climber, is the worse offender and according to the garden centre she is very prone to it.   He recommended throwing her out but I am afraid I love her too much for anything so drastic.   When I spoke to the farmer at breakfast time about the spraying he informed me he had done it last week when I was gadding off somewhere!

And speaking of this - we have three nest boxes up in our Scots pine trees by the house - all visible from the kitchen window.  They are quite high up and because of the farmer's balance problems I made him promise me that he wouldn't get the ladder to them to clean them out or replace the two which are very old.   I now find that one day when I was well out of the way (gadding off somewere as he chooses to call it) he got out the ladder, took the boxes down and replaced them.   You can imagine, he is very pleased with himself.

Today is our Poetry day and this afternoon I shall be off with friends to sit and read our favourite poetry all afternoon - wonderful, relaxing afternoon.

 Anyone over sixty reading this take note - I read in today's Times that 'experts' are now saying that us oldies should first of all make a pile of all slippers and burn them.   Then we should ask for arm weights and dumb bells as presents - we need to be out there getting fit, not sitting around in our slippers!   Have a nice day.

13 comments:

John Going Gently said...

What tine is it?
In your dressing gown?
Pat....you are letting your standards slip
X

The Weaver of Grass said...

Half past seven if you want to know John!!! I am an early riser. Just drinking my morning coffee and staring out of the window.

jinxxxygirl said...

In other words you will be 'gadding off' again today to your poetry. :)
I haven't had much trouble with black spot and roses before but then i've only tried to grow them in semi desert conditions. Having roses in Arkansas i may run into black spot. What do you spray them with Weaver? Anything i might recognize? Hugs! deb

Mac n' Janet said...

I hate experts, let me enjoy old age my own way.

Frances said...

I do love the expression "gadding about." Your description of your husband's well-timed activities reminded me of many times that my father used to accomplish similar feats when my mom was not around to dissuade him.

Best wishes.

Heather said...

You'll have to hide the ladder next time you want to go gadding about, but thankyou for reminding me that I haven't pruned our roses yet.
As for those 'experts' reported in The Times - I have a reply for them which would probably get me banned from Blogland!!
Enjoy your poetry afternoon.

Cro Magnon said...

Swap slippers for swimsuits. Swimming is the best exercise.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Ahhh roses - so pretty and so prone to problems. It is worth it though to smell one rose.

angryparsnip said...

I am pruning the pomegranate tree today. It is not very tall but I want the trunks to be strong before I let it grow taller.
Just had another of the hard freeze grapefruit trees cut down to a stump. Hopefully it will now send out some new shoots. The first one I did this to now has grown quite nicely and is blooming like crazy.

cheers, parsnip

Terry and Linda said...

I think it would be nice to sit in my my slippers, just one day. Ummm maybe not, I might get terribly bored.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
https://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/sherlock-boomer

The Weaver of Grass said...

Cro - the idea of swimming is fine but I live a fair way from a pool and sadly it does play havoc with one's hair.

Joanne Noragon said...

My grandmother and my bother "gadded about." I've never used the phrase, and don't know why.

Frugal in Derbyshire said...

Mmmm I must think about getting out and getting fit. Mind you I can't give up my slippers, they are just right to slip my feet into after I take off my wellies after mucking out the animals, digging the garden, hauling firewood in and riddling the compost. (some of today's tasks)
We still haven't pruned the wisteria yet, we usually do it in February.