Tag Archives: garden

Observing the bees

Monday 13th July 2026, 5.35pm (day 5,436)

Bees at work, 13/7/26

Respect the pollinators. I know bees are ‘social insects’ but do they socialise, particularly? When two come together like this are they in fierce competition or is it more like, “Hey Bob: make sure you check out the bit just to your left, there’s some good stuff over there”?

I pick the title of this post because it’s not just me watching them, either. The blob to the right is not a blemish on the lens (of which I have plenty) but some other little bug hanging around, and unless I’m mistaken you can see a second one just behind the wing of the rightmost bee. As you can see the weather stays clement — very pleasant stuff I think, although the grass in the garden is starting to go brown.

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More fruit (a lot more)

Tuesday 7th July 2026, 4.35pm (day 5,430)

Jostaberries, 7/7/26

It’s only ten days since I depicted the loganberries, but the fruit on the neigbouring jostaberry plant just looks so succulent at the moment, and there’s lots of it. I think I will try making jam with it. Jostas are a cross between blackcurrants and gooseberries and, according to the Bible (OK, Wikipedia), were first cultivated in Germany and first made available to the public in 1977. The original scientists can be assured that in the climate of Hebden Bridge their creation is doing very well.

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The pipework

Sunday 5th July 2026, 3.40pm (day 5,428)

White Swan drains, 5/7/26

Some Sundays are eventful and interesting days. This was not one of them, although neither was it unpleasant. But photographically there wasn’t much to look at, so 5/7/26 will have to be marked by a study of drainage. Important stuff, though — you try living without it for a while.

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Loganberries are go

Saturday 27th June 2026, 2.45pm (day 5,420)

Loganberries, 27/6/26

Fruit is just so much easier to grow than vegetables. You really don’t need to do much work and that suits my gardening style. While we were in Norway, the garden experienced ten days of warm weather with occasional showers, and things have responded accordingly. I didn’t pick these two today — they’re not quite ready — but there were plenty more around the place.

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Carnations

Monday 15th June 2026, 11.20am (day 5,408)

Dianthus, 15/6/26

Although this is changing soon, right now there is still not much happening in life, so let me offer more nature. Neither of us at first had any idea of the identity of these flowers, growing in a pot outside the front window. “I don’t even water them,” says C. “They just come up each year.” Google Lens it is, then, which informs us we have healthy specimens of Dianthus caryophyllus (the ‘Pink Kisses’ cultivar) merrily sprouting just underneath the gas meter.

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At work in the garden

Monday 8th June 2026, 5.35pm (day 5,401)

 Bee on flower, 8/6/26

A somewhat unexpected spell of sunshine (of which June has so far seen very little) got both me and this little feller working up in the allotment for a while. It’s good to see the bees getting busy and I suppose the same is true of me as well.

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White Swan garden reflection

Wednesday 3rd June 2026, 3.30pm (day 5,396)

Swan garden reflection, 3/6/26

This is a self-portrait — logically I will be on it somewhere, and you may discern me under the red umbrella nearest to this shiny ball thing. I’m in the garden early — but then again I started work early (7:45) and sat upstairs marking for several hours. Semester 2 is now officially done, though, as far as I am concerned.

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Crinkly rose

Tuesday 19th May 2026, 6.40pm (day 5,381)

Crinkly rose, 19/5/26

If this is a specific type of rose, I cannot identify it: Clare tried helping out by doing one of those ‘look for images that resemble this’ searches on Google and it just came up with the name of a company, proving how our informational sphere has been colonised (or something). Perhaps future Google image searches will find this picture and call this breed ‘Crinkly’ because that’s what it is. Which is why I took the shot: I like its crinkliness.

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Newt (and sister’s hands)

Sunday 17th May 2026, 2.25pm (day 5,379)

Exactly what species this is, no idea, but this little creature becomes the first specimen of the family Pleurodelinae — the newts — to appear on the blog. Sister Vicki was quite concerned that a heron had been munching on the inhabitants of her garden pond, but this one, at least, is OK so far.

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This year’s pea house

Friday 17th April 2026, 12.20pm (day 5,349)

Pea frame, 17/4/26

This year’s peas and beans are getting a relatively hi-tech home, none of this cheap cane-based arrangement this year. The frame is up, I help Clare sort out the netting, while she practices putting her feet at right angles for a minute or two.

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