June 2025 Video Diary
28 June 2025
Ruby lost her wag again
Ruby had a recurrence of broken wag, otherwise known as swimmers’ or limber tail. Instead of carrying her tail over her back as usual, it hung down limply. She didn’t wag it and sitting down was painful. It’s primarily caused by strained or sprained muscles in the tail. This is usually caused by swimming – not something Ruby is likely to do, she even avoids puddles – energetic play or prolonged wagging in a confined space. The latter two causes are more likely in Ruby’s case. The last time this happened, last September, we visited the vet as we didn’t know what the problem was. Ruby was given several anti-inflammatory drugs all of which upset her stomach so in the end the treatment was down to resting. We tried to keep Ruby as calm as possible, not easy with Ruby. No ball games, long walks or energetic games.
24 June 2025
Another week passes without any rain, planting peas and runner beans
Amazingly our dry spell continues. We haven’t had a proper wet day since the start of February. We have been watering since the sowing and planting season started in late March. Our second sowing of peas failed completely so we decided to try another bed with peas. This will be a mixture of peas grown in pots and planted out along with peas sown directly in the bed. I’ve also got some late runner beans to plant out too.
17 June 2025
It’s all about watering if there’s any water and a little bit of harvesting
Our soil is so dry that it’s becoming difficult to find ground that we can plant in. I decided to uncover a couple of beds that had been covered with weed control fabric since last autumn. We had some time leftover to do some harvesting after spending most of the afternoon watering.
16 June 2025
Having another go with peas after the last lot failed and some harvesting
We are having to try different ways of planting and sowing this year due to the drought. Our last sowing of peas failed completely. I’ve pot sown some peas which have germinated well but how will they do once they are planted. Trying to keep them moist will be difficult. Besides getting peas planted out we managed to pick some raspberries and strawberries as well as cutting our first cabbage of the season and some more calabrese.
11 June 2025
Experiments with lettuce & compost
Through the warmer months I have trouble germinating lettuce so I’m trying something different this year. I’ve germinated seeds indoors on damp kitchen towel and then transplanting them. It’s working so far. I’m also trying a couple of different composts to see if these make much difference to how all our vegetables grow. I have to stick with lower priced ones as I use so much. At the end of the season I’ll decide which has done the best.
07 June 2025
Proud parents at Nostell Priory & Ruby gets a game
On our walk at Nostell Priory, we were hoping to get some photos and videos of this year’s cygnets. On our last visit they were at the far side of the lake, too far away for any video or photos.
04 June 2025
On a positive note some harvesting and some good looking peas.
Our first sowing of peas germinated well. They were covered with enviromesh to protect them from the wood pigeons but they were beginning to attach themselves to the mesh. This meant that the mesh needed to be removed and replaced with pea sticks. We harvested a few bits and pieces at home for sandwiches at lunchtime and then some vegetables and strawberries at the plot for dinner. We are still in desperate need of a good days rain.