When the north wind blows

The first signs of winter are apon us - minus temperatures at night and the first snow flurries have already happened. Technically winter doesn’t start until the 21^st December, but when I see the Cranes flying south for winter it heralds the start of winter for me. During the past couple of weeks I have made the garden ready for winter. The grass has been mown and fertilised, dead plants cut back and the patio furniture has retired to the cellar for the winter months.

I have recently had by blood rechecked because of my thyroid condition, and all appears as well as it can be. Cholesterol and a few other things are border line, but since I developed a dodgy thyroid this seems to be normal. I exercise, hardly eat meat, and have a low fat diet. Not much else I can do really. Since the weather has got colder I have restarted going to the gym and have found it not as hard work as I thought it would be, considering my last visit was 5 months ago. I guess playing a bit of football and going jogging over the summer has really kept me in shape.

Well the advantage of my personal winter starting early, is that spring will come early as well. The Cranes will be back overhead in February, and I can’t wait to see them, as spring is without doubt my favourite time of the year. It’s like a rebirth.

Grasshopper

As everyone in northern Europe knows the weather has been a bit variable this summer with the dice decidedly loaded in favour of lots of rain. This has caused a few problems in the garden, mainly with a fungal infection attacking the tomato plants. this seems to be caused by too much rain and damp conditions. All I’ve been able to to do it cut off affected parts of the plants and pray for sunny weather. I seem to be winning though. I also seem to be mowing the lawn more than usual as well

On the bright side we have had a bumper crop of cucumbers which is fortunate as we eat a lot of them. We have harvested the first of the green sweet peppers and today picked the first aubergine (eggplant). We are munching through both varieties of cherry tomatoes, although it will be few weeks before the maincrop toms ripen. Fruitwise we are coming to the end of the blueberries, which is a shame as Mrs H’s blueberry icecream is a big hit. But now the Victoria plums and Mirabelle are starting to ripen and both taste really nice.

When it was sunny and hot a few weeks ago I managed to snap the above piccy of a grasshopper that was resting on some flowering Silberblatt.

Technorati Tags: Tomatoes, Grasshopper, Marburg

Wind damage

The weather of late in Marburg has been rather wet and on occasion quite windy. But at least it hasn’t been as bad as in the UK were flooding has caused serious damage and some deaths. But it has taken its toll on my garden. The lawn has a serious case of red death this year caused by the wet and humid conditions, and some very windy conditions a few day ago ripped off a truss from one of my Russian Plum Yellow Tomatoes (see photo). These plants are growing really well and are setting staggering amounts of fruit. The trusses on the plants are going to need some serious support soon.

At present the blueberries and blackcurrants are ripe, and we have eaten the first of the Red Onions. The Sweet Peppers are setting fruit, the Aubergines (Eggplant) are in flower, and we should be eating our first home grown cucumbers of the summer within the next couple of days.

It would be good for the weather to become a bit drier for a while as the hedge needs cutting, the grass needs cutting and new flower beds need to be prepared. But at least our water tank is full

Technorati Tags: Tomatoes, Red Thread, Marburg

Exceptional Weather

The weather has been exceptional this spring breaking many records. In the UK it has been the hottest April on record, and here in Marburg we haven’t had any rain in almost 6 weeks. This of course has been great weather for grilling and going to the lake. Last Sunday the thermometer in Marburg broke through the 30C mark which for April I believe is a tad too much.

Our lawn is looking a bit brown in places and the ground is rock hard. On the up side many plants are growing really well, and I have planted out my first 4 tomato plants which had out grown the cold frame. If the weather turns a bit colder they should be ok as they originate from Russia. I am also growing a variety of aubergine that comes from the Ukraine – apparently they glow in the dark (only kidding!)

Fruit is setting on the blueberry and blackcurrant bushes, but unfortunately the gooseberry bush has been attacked again by sawfly caterpillars which tend to decimate the foliage. So everyday I have to pick off the offending blighters. In the next few weeks I intend to plant out my sweet peppers. I am growing 3 varieties this year including a chocolate coloured one.

What would be nice now is a little bit of rain as the Germany is becoming very dry and many areas are at risk from forest fires. Unfortunately there is no rain forecast for our area for at least a further 10 days. Our rain water tank is currently empty as well, so we are now using grey water from the kitchen to help water the plants in the flower beds. Perhaps I should learn how to do a rain dance.

Technorati Tags: Garden, Weather, Marburg

Hurricane Kyrill is in town

At the moment a lot of Europe is suffering the ravages of Hurricane Kyrill. In Germany it has already killed 7 people, damaged many properties, felled lots of trees and seriously disrupted the rail system. I was lucky to get to work tonight. The journey took over 3 hours and my train limped into Frankfurt at extra slow speed. But to look on the bright side, a couple of extra hours on the train has to better than being at work. I just hope the trains are running normally when I want to go home in the morning.

From the BBC News Website

Meteorologists at London's Met Office warned the weather system would intensify as it moved east across the continent - with Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany expected to be worst hit overnight.

Winds of almost 105mph (170km/h) were recorded late on Thursday in Germany, prompting the national rail company to suspend all its services, leaving passengers stranded.

The head of German railways said the situation was unprecedented. Air traffic too has been badly affected with many flights cancelled. There has also been reports of flooding.

German meteorologists said the storm was shaping up to be the worst in five years and authorities have warned people to stay indoors.

Technorati Tags: Weather, Hurricane