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  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 17,821
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    edited September 2019 #29462

    Will you get to Chepstow Castle Nellie? I can’t remember if you have been, Town is nice as well, at least it was last time we were there.

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 8,500
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    edited September 2019 #29463

    Persistently raining here. Forgotten what it looked like 😂😂. It started gently last evening. Thought I'd treat myself 😟 to a walk into town for odds and ends NO WAY in this I'm surprised the street lights aren't on!  Stay dry or at least ensure you're suitably dressed for any excursions.

    I too feel really sorry for Thomas Cook staff and future holiday/wedding bookers, especially those with immediate or very close bookings where it will be difficult to rebook something, assuming you have the wherewithal, at short notice. At least those due home in the next couple of weeks are guaranteed a flight, so holiday but maybe not as relaxing as hoped. Curious for those who are having longer than 2 weeks stay, I'm sure it will all become clear very soon 😉. 

    Enjoy your day folks

     

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29464

    Very wet overnight and out with Rosa this morning, water coming down the hill from the woods was a torrent ,.pond is now overflowing surprised 

    Council contractor "cutting?" meadows in the pouring rain with a tractor mounted Hedge flailundecided which looking at others already done has just made a complete mess of the areas, who are these people? 

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29465

    Council contractors mainly, they do it here too with no thought for the natural world. I’ve just seen a complete 100mtr hedge of Hawthorne, blackthorns & Rosehip reduced to a barren spiky mess😢. Neither thought nor care for winter wildlife food. LA’s are the first to boast of their green credentials😤😤

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 8,500
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    edited September 2019 #29466

    😢😤

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,192
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    edited September 2019 #29467

    A lot of farmers use flails as well, so distructive and as Rocky says destroys food and shelter for wildlife.  Personally I think they should be banned.  

    First days rain since we got home, quite refreshing and the garden has just sighed with relief

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29468

    When it comes to hedge cutting it appears that you can't win. Avoid spring and summer due to nesting birds and be accused in autumn and winter of removing food sources. Councils cannot fit in all the hedge cutting in the short period between end of winter weather and start of nesting. Think about it.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29469

    Several years ago the council decided that large swathes of green areas around town could be turned over to "meadow land" instead of it all being cut 14 times a year?,(to save moneyundecided) it was ok when it was cut in the Autumn and the cuttings cleared to enable regrowth of the wild flowers that had been seeded,but in the last 3or4 years the cuttings have been left to rot in, which has caused an excess of nitrogen which has "killed off" most of the flowers, but those ar the council have just buried there heads hoping several of us will give up telling them ( no chance) as i sent another email the the grounds maintainance head honcho copied to the Chief execsurprised as i am sure several other have done, cannot attend meeting meg this Thursday as Cadio want me again 

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29470

    Nitrogen helps plants to grow, you might get excessive top growth with too much but a layer of hay is probably good for the soil. smile

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29471

    Hedge trimming is normally done twice a year where we are  is June and September but they have not done the September cut yet

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29472

    A flailed hedge looks unattractive but it does all grow back, every year.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29473

    The hedges around the town are all done with petrol hedge trimmers and the "debris" is all picked up and put in the several big transit trucks for recycling ,but the flailing i was talking about was carried out on grass meadows surprised

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29474

    Nitrogen is fine in moderation but not  the amount  left by not removing if you want a wild flower meadow each year and not the previos seasons grass from the meadow

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29475

    When the farmer takes the top of our "shared" field hedge none of us picks anything up, it all goes back into the earth or bulks up the footpath. But I keep out of the way when it's being done as there's stuff flying everywhere! wink

    I wonder who's had the rain today? Looks bad in some places. We had torrential rain through the night, pouring out of the newly cleaned gutters (just before we went away. frown) Sorted out a chat with the doc today, OH has dentist tomorrow, decided not to extend warranty on car, quoted around £89 a month! surprised

    Recapped recent wedding with main participant (bride's mother) it was a flamboyant multi-national affair that none of us will forget! laughing

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29476

    Who's had the rain today ?

    Good question , Brue --

        As far  as I can tell Young Lady,  most of it was falling on the A14 & M6 'tween Cambridge & Crewe !! Terrible driving conditions that caused traffic speeds to voluntarily drop to 30 or 40 mph !! That's weird to my way of thinking since anybody driving the motorways nowadays seems to have a +15 insert switched on when the Traffic Controllers put any speed limit advice on the gantries.  Roads certainly had lots of running water on them especially M6 round and passing Birmingham at about 12 to 1.30 today.  The most worrying thing was the large number of  ( Deleted User surprised ) driving with just sidelights on and even some with no lights at all. I don't understand how they do it -- even my FIAT Ducky has dipped / main beam lights only with none of those Olde Worlde sidelights nowadays.

     

    No doctors etc yet --  bookings still to be made for late October /early November BUT tomorrow I'll be Off Driving Duties cry 'cos it's retinopathy checks at SpecSavers == and Brian's NOT a REFEREE  tongue-out

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29477

    You can win-guaranteed too, they just need some joined up thinking. Cut some hedges in the fallow period-not leave a barren wasteland. In the natural world lives wildlife that has territories, to then denude whole territories is tantamount to culling that wildlife. It doesn’t need doing every year on every hedge, planning & care is all it takes👍🏻. It isn’t just one species(us) that live on this planet.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 17,821
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    edited September 2019 #29478

    Some councils get things right, these are our local roads during Summer, changing colour as the weeks change.

     

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29479

    Thats what our meadows used to look like,before the "contractors?" got their machines on them in recent yearsyell

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 17,821
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    edited September 2019 #29480

    Wildflower meadows are difficult to grow sometimes, the ground has to be scarified, which doesn’t look nice, then after most things have done their flowering, there is the seeding period where it can look very untidy and unkempt, but it has to be done so that it comes back the following year. Last year was poor as the heatwave didn’t do it any favours, but been lovely this year.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 11,224
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    edited September 2019 #29481

    Who had the rain did you ask Brue? We did!

    However, one of the greatest pleasures of caravanning is when you wake up with rain pitter-pattering on the roof and you know it's not going to stop any time soon, so you snuggle down, embracing the one you love in a cuddle and fall asleep for another hour. This is only to be done occasionally, I tell my OH, as otherwise familiarity would take the joy out of it. Well, that's my excuse. You can only show so much of your soft side!😁

    This afternoon we ventured out as the rain had stopped. It seemed to circumvent us as we could see darkclouds and some lightning over the Wolds and out to sea.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 17,821
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    edited September 2019 #29482

    I love being away in van or MH in rain, as you say, you just snuggle up for another hour. The blasted hound usually decides he needs to be on the bed as well though at some point😂

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,192
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    edited September 2019 #29483

    Or it’s later than you think and the lawn mowers start working 🚜🚜🌞

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,663
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    edited September 2019 #29484

    We went there last time we were down here, as well as Raglan Castle & Tintern Abbey. Have just sussed out a few walks in the forest.....all we need now is decent weather.

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 9,414
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    edited September 2019 #29485

    And I hope it lives up to expectations Nellie!  It's actually just down the road from the village millie mentioned, Bream. Not sure what the weather has in store for you though, but can recommend the sculpture trail at Beechenhurst for a dry day and The Ostrich at Newland for a log fire and good food and beer on a wet day!  smile

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,663
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    edited September 2019 #29486

    We too had rain this morning. Managed Flyte's first walk in the dry but I got a bit wet getting ready for the off. Fortunately it had nearly stopped by the time we were ready to hitch up, and the drive down and setting up again was in the dry. It started to rain again later in the afternoon but by that time we'd got in our 4th walk of the day. Pleased with the site....thanks M.

    Edit. Just spotted your post, M. We walked part of the way to Bream this afternoon. There's a lady on the site with 3 dogs who's going to tell us of many of the best dogs walk around, so we should get plenty of exercise here.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 14,663
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    edited September 2019 #29487

    Not sure what the weather has in store for you though, but can recommend the sculpture trail at Beechenhurst for a dry day and The Ostrich at Newland for a log fire and good food and beer on a wet day!

    We've done quite a lot of the Sculpture trail in the past, when staying at Ross. Have sorted out a walk from Redbrook that takes in Newlands, so we could well call in for a drink at the Ostrich.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 17,821
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    edited September 2019 #29488

    That reminds me, last time we took caravan to Wye Valley, we stayed on a farm that had Ostriches. We pitched up a little too close to fence and had the blasted things tapping on Windows! Scared our Airedale’s to death, really freaked out by snaky necks😂 We moved further into site, the walks were glorious, we did right down to Tintern Abbey and back up to Devil’s Pulpit. Bit of a lung buster I do recall😱

    Heavy rain all day here, so we won’t chance staying on moorland tonight to watch Time Trial, but will head to Site tomorrow. Some challenging conditions for riders.

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578 Participant
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    edited September 2019 #29489

     Thanks for the memories Brue !!smile

    Remember being up there in my last year with a tent. Got back to work and had to explain my absence to a Senior gentleman from BT who had come to my territory to check on contract workers and wanted a detailed explanation of the North West of Scotland. I must have done a decent job of explaining, 'cos six months after he retired he went into the Big Office in Brum purely to ring and tell me how he'd enjoyed himself at Inverewe !  Oh yes I forgot to say he didn't drive so it was train from Birmingham to Inverness then cross country ending with a 3 hour trip on the Post Bus to the Gardens, repeated in reverse a few days later.  Somehow I think he just might have been a bit of a gardener wink

     

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Trusted Posts: 8,500
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    edited September 2019 #29490

    Plenty of rain here yesterday odd light mizzle showers this morning sun out now. Garden grateful for what its had but needs more. Not too much too soon as I've still plenty that needs softening but not soaking to do! Had a chap in the garden for a couple of hours this morning, following a leaflet through the door drop. Our lady unavailable until 3/4 's of the way through October. Cheaper but doesn't work as quick 😉 but made a decent job of what he's done, was some digging was hoping he'd get a couple of shrubs in too!

    Good news for OH yesterday, discharged back to the care of the GP by the stroke clinic 😀. 

    Hoping to get to the cinema to see Downtown this afternoon as weather still looks dodgy and there's definitely no room in either of our brown bins and several of our neighbours too 😂😂

    Actually cleaned the Dyson thoroughly including filters this morning - I certainly know how to live 😉

    OH chuckling at parliament so he's amused..........

    Takethedogalong did you get your hedge plants? What did you choose?

    Enjoy your day folks however you spent it.

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,960
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    edited September 2019 #29491

    Finally managed to get online today, the signal here is terrible even the mifi isn't playing, so using the very slow but free site wifi.

    We are at a site near Blaye, weather at the moment is terrible. Started out ok this morning so did some washing, the van now looks like a Chinese laundry laughing 

    Went into Blaye yesterday had a good walk around the Citadel, very busy both at the Citadel and in the town. There are 2 aires in Blaye and from the look of them they were almost full. We had 9 MH's/camper vans come on our site around teatime then they all went this morning. 

    We will move off in the morning heading for Saint Jean de Luz, not sure what site yet, we might return to one we used a few years ago if its not full already. Then it will be on to Spain, probably towards the middle or end of next week weather depending.

    The TC affects are terrible for all those concerned, the staff are the ones I feel sorry for. Those on holidays and those that have bookings (including us) should  get their money back and an opportunity to rebook (we have already rebooked) however the staff are going to be in a very difficult place for a considerable time I would think.

    We were contacted by our bank as we had paid for the flights with our CC, they were really on the ball as we got the email around lunchtime on the day of the announcement. All forms filled in and copies of invoices etc have been emailed back to them for a claim. New fights were booked yesterday for our trip to Lanzarote next February/March now at a greater cost of course. 

    Hope this rain passes over soon and we get some dry weather again, the site is nice an quiet and really dark at night as no lights, so great to see the night skies. The mosquitoes though are awful, I normally don't get bitten, that's the OH's problem he gets terrible reactions, however the other night I got attacked, now sporting about 25 bites on my lower legs. Thankfully they are not itching or bothering me other than looking spotty laughing

    Hope all those away are having a good time, stay safe and drive carefully. 

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