Does anyone want to talk about anything other than *The virus*

We ( that's the royle we) have cut the lawn 3 times this year so far.
What's puzzling me in my garden is my * Fritillaria Imperialis* This is the first year I've grown them. One of them ( still small about 6" high) is showing colour on the buds, is this normal?

Callistamon
I have 2 summer flowering jasmine. One facing north, one facing south. The north facing one is huge, the south facing one is just about 3G' high. My neighbour has a north facing one which would take over the bungalow if they let it?
I should have said both plants were planted at the same time.

I can't help with the amaryllis but a funny thing just happened.

I sat down to take a look at GN and discovered I couldn't focus or see very well. I thought 'Oh no, another migraine starting!', - then I realised that the left lens had fallen out of my reading glasses!

The compost will help to generate new life.

I still have what's left of an amaryllis. My neighbour was given it, didn't want it, and gave it to me (who also didn't want it)

Thanks Bluebelle for starting this thread. Just what is needed.
The sunny day has made me start to want toget to terms with my balcony. It is fully tiled and I thought I could just mop these over to clean them, but when I tried, did not do much, so will need to contact a local company to come and jet clean them. So want to get some flowers (both real and fake) out there.
Must admit that I have given in to having some comfort food these last few days. I lost a lot of weight over the past year, through illness and stress - some has gone back on, (probably a lot more in the last few days).

DH spent a while in the garden this afternoon, came in and had a bath and then couldn’t find his glasses. They’re usually on his head when he can’t find them but not this time. Well we hunted and hunted. All over the house, the garden, sheds and garage. We went over and over the same places, in bags, rubbish bins, in the dogs basket . Everywhere! Then Eureka I found them on a kitchen chair under a cushion ?. Thank goodness. He was soooo pleased with me, he’s washed up the dinner things, made me a coffee and asked if there’s anything else I want. I. Going to milk this one ?

I've managed to get amaryllis to flower for 3 years Bluebelle. When the flowers die, cut the stalk at the base and keep feeding. When the leaves die do the same and keep feeding until October, then put the bulb in a cool dark place.

Take it out mid December, re pot and start watering and feeding.

DH received a letter with a date and time for his long awaited Cataract removal operation today, talk about behaving like a scared child, hes been propper grumpy all day, we have had every thing from moaning regarding having to pay for a T V license next month, afterbeing entitled to a free one forseveral years, to being down right silly over putting the light on in our utility room when its a dull day and lm zorting out laundry or digging in the freezer for lunch, he even found a roll of Selotape and taped the lightswitch down in the Off position! Hes now claimed the Tv remote to himself and says that if l want to choose a programme, l will have to chip in with the price of the T V license! Im just greatful that it wnt be me dealing with his tantrums on the day of his Surgery, hes lightly to spend the day doing a good impression of a sufferer of Tourettes syndrome!

BlueBelle thread entitled "Thick or stubborn" cat related!

I've had horrendous back of knee pain for 4 weeks and gradually getting worse. GP decided it was varicose veins (even though non are visible) took myself off to osteopath this morning and got a PROPER diagnosis. £50 lighter but Feeling soooo much better now I know how to treat it. Having a celebratory Glass of wine this evening with ice pack on my knee and heel inserts....happy days.

pheonix thanks I couldn’t work out if you meant this was a banal thread or not Got it now thanks for explanation
may glad the knee is reacting well I once hurt my back and after walking round in agony for a week or two my daughter advised me to see an osteopath He saw me three times maybe four at £30 a time and it was money very well spent and I ve never had it recur since

VampireQueen That sounds a really good and healthy plan. I start diets but find it hard to stick to them. I really must stop buying sweet stuff (cakes, sweets, biscuits) as I can't resist it. I'm not very patient either

SalsaQueen...we were told not to think of it as going on a diet. We're changing our attitude to food (or so they say lol). I don't buy in anything sweet so I'm not tempted in those weaker moments. No food is banned but you find that you don't bother with it so much. Last weekend I had a Gregg's Belgian bun. I used to love them but this one just tasted very, very sweet and nothing else. Last weekend we were away and couldn't stick as easily to our routine way of eating. We tried but ate some things that we hadn't had for age. Then our bodies started to complain. It seems as if our bodies had got used to living on much less refined foods and didn't like the change back lol. I'm not very patient either but being in a group like My Fitness Pal helps. I'd really like to be a size 10 by tomorrow morning but that's not going to happen. I don't think about how much I want to lose overall but just the next 5lbs. That way I don't feel I'm having to wait as long for a feeling of achievement because every 2 or 3 weeks I'm having to reset my target.

I'm what's known as a volume eater. That is I like to feel very full so lots of fruit and veg works for me. I can fill up for very few calories. I can go one way or the other. I don't mind being really hungry or really full but I can't seem to cope with the in between stage.

I wish I was like my stepson. He simply stops eating when he's full. It could be the most scrumptious chocolate cake in the world and he may only take one mouthful then say he's had enough. He never feels the need to eat just because something tastes nice.

I may buy a summer flowering jasmine but perhaps not the Lidl one as it is flowering already.
I think it needs to be planted nearer the patio as they smell lovely.

I decided to eat chocolate for Lent as I'd had none since Christmas.
However, I am doing small tasks for charity.

About 10 years ago I planted a summer jasmine over a trellis screen, idea being it would hide our oil tank. It went totally mad, growing at a rate of knots. It grew into the wooden larch lap workshop nearby, right into the roof. It was like a triffid. My DH is still moaning. We cut it right back, but it roots anywhere it touches the ground. Just typical, most things struggle to survive in our heavy clay soil, but that flippin thing is a pain. I am sure normally it is well behaved.

I think summer jasmine has a really insignificant flower, although it smells nice. Winter jasmine I love for that bright colour on a dull winters day, although it too can be untidy if not kept in check.

I have come to realise that plants that thrive in one garden, just struggle in another. Always worth looking to see what does well with your close neighbours.

Wish I was like your stepson vampirequeen I would be a lot slimmer.

Hope you enjoy your your fish and chips today BlueBelle and you get the IT problems sorted.

Great thread BlueBelle - Thank you. Especially as I had a worrying moment yesterday........It's toilet related so let's just say I now realise it's because I ate way too many grapes the day before. Crikey what a relief to realise what caused it and easy to prevent........stop being a greedy c*w!!
Had a happy moment too yesterday - out in the garden just doing a little bit of sorting out of pots on the patio. Made more enjoyable when I realised I had no coat on and wasn't even cold. Good eh?

Seacliff
I've always followed the mantra of location location location with gardening. But this has never worked with Acers whether they are in a pot or the ground?
What's annoying is my neighbour just plonks them in wherever and they bloom.
I felt a lot better with my failure with Acers when Monty said he couldn't grow them.

I miss my garden. Now I have a little plot in the community garden that I have filled with pots. It's still relatively new so still looks artificial. The plan is that trailing plants will hide the pots and the bushes will give a bit of height and shape.

I've planted everything in reservoir pots so they need less water.

Blimey, mumofmadboys, your DH’s willpower is amazing!

I’ve given up chocolate and crisps. I’ve already licked the bowl clean when making chocolate cake, convincing myself that a cocoa mixture doesn’t count, and I swap the bowl of crisps on the table at our weekly pub quiz for one full of those little cheesy biscuits, as “they’re different”.

Needless to say, the weight is not dropping off me.

Well done VampireQueen! The information you gave re weight loss really helpful.
Random question, what type of cat is Gismzo? My cat Pixel and I need to follow your advice. I’ve been walking two to three miles this week daily and yet no weight loss at all...

It’s hard at our ages because even walking isn’t as brisk you need to do an awful lot of walking to lose a few calories and of course walking might make us a bit hungry or give us the pat on the back feeling
I have a little bit round my tum /waist that I would love to lose but the problem is if I go to the weight I want, I now go scraggy it drops of my legs and arms and still stays happily round my tum

I opened our back doors yesterday afternoon as the sun was streaming into our conservatory ....left them open for an hour or so and sat just outside doing some sewing. It was glorious! I chose not to focus on the fact that the grass hasn’t been cut since last year and that the weeds are proliferating! The birds in the shrubs were deafening...singing as the sun was out I expect! In the evening, we heard a loud buzzing in the lounge....could find nothing....but this morning, found an utterly enormous, presumably Queen, bee, sat in the fireplace...fortunately alive and we managed to get her outside. Summer is coming!??

May7 I've had same for a couple of years, was diagnosed as Baker's Cyst, 'which would go' but never did. It sounds similar to your description. Have had heel inserts, as one leg's 1/2" shorter than other, but they haven't helped. Can you tell me (PM if you'd rather) what your diagnosis was?

Bumble bees are around now due to the mild weather, saw a couple in the garden yesterday (may have been what you saw
Ginger) there are a few flowers out for them to buzz about but not many.

Bluebelle whyndoes it do that? I suppose the bits that are thinner anyway always show up, my arms and legs, fingers, always seem to lose weight but it stays persistently around my tum!