As mentioned in my previous post, we had a lot of things going on at the weekend, so we didn't really have time to celebrate my birthday. Alan has said we'll celebrate this Saturday instead, I look forward to that!
Over the past few days, the sunny weather has changed to rain. Although having sunny weather is nicer, I am glad to have some rain as it freshens up nature again. This morning I took a walk around the front garden in between the rain showers and I noticed how well the apple tree is doing. It looks like we'll be in for a good crop this year.
With the rain come the slugs and snails....
We get an abundance of them if left to roam freely in the garden. It is frustrating when they eat your newly planted flowers! However, I don't like killing them... and I don't like pesticides etc either... I am a 100% organic gardener. So this is one of the things I do:
I lure them into a pot with a piece of fruit of other left over food and come back later to find several of them eating away in the pot.
As well as doing that, I search for them on the lawn, path and plants. I pick them up (with gloves! Not keen on the slime) and put them in a pot. Then I take them to a new home, at the bottom of the field nearby. Over a period of time, the numbers of slugs and snails in our garden go down. It needs to be done regularly and the best time to catch as many as possible is early morning and at dusk but I am not always free then so today I did it mid morning.
As I made my way to the end of the field, the steam train went by much to my delight. Even though I am used to seeing it go past my house every weekend and on Wednesdays it still feels me with joy when I see it. I love the smell of coal in the air after it has gone by.
Larry usually follows me when I go for a walk in the field. He was waiting for his sister to get closer so that he could pounce on her! Lilly spotted what he had in mind and ran back towards the house much to Larry's disappointment.
The good weather is set to come back towards the end of the week!
A bientôt!
Isabelle X
31 comments:
Dear Isabelle, What a glam life you are leading with all those slugs! I find that fascinating that you pick them up and move them. Now I feel guilty for using a spray just tonight on my geraniums. You did get a huge response from your last post but that's because you are a good Blog friend and have such a wonderful Blog. We all love and appreciate you. xx
I love the sunshine but I also love the rain - it's all a matter of balance isn't it? After such a long dry period the rain is beautiful and the gardens certainly appreciate it. Love the pic of Larry waiting to pounce - it's sometimes better than the cinema watching cats I think!
Jane x
That sounds good that you give the snails a chance to live somewhere else. Greetings to you .Annette
The rain has been very welcome for our garden too,as I have so many plants in pots and was getting fed up of watering every night! Love your slug story..you have a tender heart.
I hope you enjoy your celebrations on Saturday!
Hello there Isabelle
The slugs and snails certainly have a party when the wet weather comes, don't they? This year I am trying the copper tape system - so far it seems to be working well - fingers crossed it continues!
I see that you've had a birthday during my holiday absence - BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU !!!
I loved seeing the photos of you as a child - so cute and so indicative of the decades too.
Thank you for your comment about camping - I'm going to send you an email with some suggestions of 'crowd free' camping !!
Happy days
Denise x
Like you I also re-home the snails!
Quite a treat having a steam train so close by, that would be fun. :)
Cute cat, by the way!
Vivienne x
You have a lot of patience! Just like Larry!
Love
Lyn
xxx
I haven't had a problem with slugs at the farm here in Kansas...not like when I lived in British Columbia Canada. OH my they were really bad up there and HUGE. The only thing we have that's bothering me in the garden is mosquitoes...good thing they don't eat plants or my garden would have been eaten to the ground by by now! I would LOVE to hear that old steam engine go by...it could certainly get my imagination going. I hope you have a wondeful day....Maura :)
Like me you abhor killing anything, I agree totally I also want a kind garden and so I too catch things and escort them to new "digs" somewhere else.
Last year I had these huge caterpillars, lovely green striped things, that saw my dill and decided it was a restaurant and of course they ordered the flower clusters at the top. I removed a few then I started feeling sorry for them and just let them to have at it. After all how much dill do I need?
Have fun in the garden today!
Tina xo
Great idea about the fruit. I was talking to the man I bought some more plants off yesterday about slugs and he told me to put Beer in a pot and they would be drawn to that instead....I had visions of lots of slugs partying in our flowerbeds!!!! Think the fruit is a much better idea!
Take care,
Jane. x
Since we got our ex bat hens, I havn't seen one slug or snail !
We had loads before so thats good x
Pleased to report we haven't found a slug or snail in the garden since the chickens have been roaming loose.
Not so pleased to report we haven't had any flowers or veg either!
All or nothing over here :))
xx
I am loving the rain at the moment. The brown grass will have a chance to green up again. Belated Birthday wishes. Your photos of you through the ages are gorgeous and not a bad one among them. You beautiful lady you!!! x
Thank you for the tip of the flower pot and fruit, I going to try that trouble is I haven't got a field at the bottom of the garden!
Julie xxxxxx
Yes there are great tides in this moment.It' bringing some rain and some wind!!!!
Quelle patience pour ramasser escargots et limaces!!!!
Bonne soirée
Hello...what a beautiful nature pictures !! i love it....especially the snails story.........good of you !! have a happy summer evening...summer hugs from me.....
Yes, there are some great tides in this moment and it'bringing some rain and some wind on both sides of the Channel!
Quelle patience pour ramasser les escargots et les limaces !
Bonne soirée
My pregnant ankles LOVE the rain!!! I can see bones again...I thought my ankles were lost forever!
My nextdoor neighbour has a Beautiful apple tree looking laden with promise this year...here's hoping they fall over the fence x
as I write this, rain is POORING....thunder and lightning......positive about this is ....finaly some fresh air!!!!
A few weeks ago we also had a little snailinvasion after some rain, my daughter cought 53 snails in one catch!!!!! YUK;) So we also moved them......with house and all;)!
The sun will be back tomorrow and temperature will be somwhere around 24 degrees......SIGH.......we can cool down and enjoy.....
sweet greetings
Lynda
Oh our slugs look so different but just as ugly...we also have snails..ugg...snails and slugs...two things my garden does not like.
Your images are lovely..{minus the slugs}
xoxoox
Dearest Isabelle,
What a lovely blog entry! Well, the slug part perhaps not sooo lovely, but the latter part where you express your love of steam trains and where your gorgeous cat is on a mission... ;-D
Wow, just saw that your last entry got 95 comments! Just like Josephine T P says above, that's what a good blog friend reaps on her birthday! ;-D
Thank you also for your incredibly kind words on my blog today - I have been smiling since!
Lots of love, Helena, The Swenglish Home
We haven't had many slugs but when we do we show no mercy - we make a bird offering with a pile of them on the patio and they get eaten quickly, if we get a real onslaught we sprinke salt on them (umm, sorry about that, but I can't bear them). I do like empty snail shells though - especially the yellow ones.
Isabelle,
Your blog site is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your little part of the world with us. I even like the snails!
I have been reliably told that slugs and snails are homing creatures.. so we put ours in a carrier bag and take them a mile away to Lansdown racecourse for a little romp! I wonder how long it takes them to find their way home!
I love that steam train too.. it came through Bath yesterday and I eagerly snapped the plumes of steam rising from the trees as it chugged along. Such an evocative and haunting sound.
Michele xx
Hi Isabelle!! What a great idea to prevent snails eating the fruit and flowers of the garden!! Every summer I like to plant tagetes and they just happen to love these beautiful plants as much as me...
Your little Larry is so cute!!
My two cats also love playing with each other!!
Hope you have a wonderful day!!
Bonjour, nous avons exactement le même temps par ici. Ils ont prévu le retour de l'été pour le prochain week-end, j'espère ! Je profite de la pluie pour bricoler, broder et ... aller au cinéma. Passez une belle semaine.
We had a trip on a steam train last week, I wonder if that's the same train we were on?! Devon? Your slug idea is a good one, I won't use those horrible slug pellets either.xx
It has been raining here too, and the flowers and veg are thriving on it :) xxx
Happy belated birthday, dear Isabelle! 44? Really?? You look much younger!!
I do the same with slugs, I pick TONS (literally!) of them in the early morning and always are astounded to pick the same amount each and every day :(((
Monicax.
I never would have thought of that with the slugs. Great idea!! Thanks!!
Happy belated Birthday too. Mine was July 1st and I was 43. We're almost twins!! No, I guess not but that's ok.....love your blog anyway.
Happy Belated Birthday - I hope you had a wonderful day. Love your post about the slugs and snails! We used to get them when I lived in California - for some reason I don't get them so much here in New York.
You are a girl after my own heart - you don't kill them - you take them to a new home!
xo
Claudia
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