Hope you have a wonderful birthday filled with gardening, cake and half a shandy or 2 

   

I'm not sure that "generic" is the right word to use here but..........who cares? 
My question to the panel is............ why do we need lots of different varieties of the same type of vegetable (like carrots or leeks) when, basically, they all taste the same.
If you bought one packet/type of carrots, or leeks, or spring onions, or parsnips  would that be sufficient for your needs. 
In the good old days, before the introduction of F1 seeds, gardeners would have had far less choice of varieties and probably grew the same ones every year, especially if they could save the seeds from one year to the next. 
Are we being led astray by the seed suppliers, tempted to stray from the beaten track, with adverts promising bigger, better, tastier, earlier produce when in fact they are little better than the old varieties?
Over to the panel of experts..............

One day I shall do “proper” labelling immediately instead of relying on my fading memory!
I think these little mauve things might be some sort of penstemon. 
(Similar, but not in the same league as the big blowsy “Arabesque” that are currently flowering their heads off!)

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I had the satisfaction of seeing shooting star last night, purely by accident.

Kato started howling about 1.30 this morning so I assumed he wantd to go out for a wee. I put the lead on him and took him in the garden. It was a lovely clear evening when I saw the shooting stars.
I had read about the Perseid shower but was enthralled when I spotted it. I didn't realise it happened at this time of year every year.

........pick it up, and it will always bring you luck!

I am surprised at the amount of coinage I pick up whilst walking Kato around the streets? People don't seem to value money any more? It seems that if they drop any change, they give it a cursory glance and if it's a small denomination they don't even bend down to pick it up?
I have a simm card slot in my wallet which has a found penny in it. Each time I find a penny I swap it into the wallet and put the other penny into my coin saving sweetie jar.
I don't go scouring the paths and roads for change like a 'Shabby Wedding Hoyoot' but if I do see any coinage I always pick it up. I honestly think people, and especially kids, have no regard for small coinage and will just look at it and walk on.

I often hear a clarttering in the washing machine where I have forgotten to take whatever coinage I have found, out of my trouser pockets.

Our friends were delayed arriving today. So while we waited we went mushroom foraging. We found a couple of ceps. Still quite early in the season for them. And a lovely lot of chanterelles. 
My first time trying ceps tonight for tea. 
Chanterelle risotto for tomorrow.

I’ve got this labelled as echinacea sun magic.
But it looks very much like a rudbeckia. 
Anyone got a definitive answer please??

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2023 - what do you think of it so far? 

I've seen a few comments about the weather and how its affected our gardens and crops. Tell us how your year has gone, what's been a success or a failure. Maybe we'll feel better when we hear that others have had similar experiences..............or maybe not!

This year my chard and beetroot are plagued by beet leaf miner. It's not a problem I've suffered from before. I understand the flies look like small house flies and the lay eggs on the underside of the leaf, the grubs eat through the leaf and then drop to the ground and overwinter as pupae.  I'll not be sowing chard or beet in this spot next year. Anyone else had this problem?  I could cover the plants with mesh but I always thought chard was relatively pest free.

Eeek! I've been called up for jury service.  Paul is dead jealous, he really enjoyed doing it years ago, he's too old for it now.  I'm rubbish at making decions and feared it was criminal court where I'd have to decide on someone's innocence or guilt, but its for Coroner's Court which will be less stressful I hope.