u/_revelationary

Stayed three nights near Windermere. All were weeknights in late June/1 July. We rented a car and stayed in a hotel. We had the loveliest time.

Initial thoughts for those planning a trip:
- Think about your transportation/parking plan. I wish I had researched and prepared a bit more for the parking situation beforehand. We spent so much money on parking. It was worth it but we probably could have planned better or used the shuttle system.
- If the weather forecast calls for rain, unless there’s an enormous system coming through, you’ll probably be able to walk and enjoy some views. I was doing a bit of catastrophizing as the trip dates got closer and it was all for nothing. We did so many hikes.
- I underestimated Striding Edge and if I had to do it over, I probably wouldn’t have chosen that route and it was in dry, quiet weather. I found it terrifying, even as someone with no intense fear of heights.
- Buttermere was busier than I anticipated, but breathtaking. The drive over the mountains had me on the edge of my seat.

Day 1 (overcast with small breaks of sun)
- Arrived in the Lake District and went directly to Rydal
- Walked around Rydal Water and hiked Loughrigg Fell. We were blown away by the beauty.
- Checked into the hotel and quick re-fresh
- Walked around Ambleside. Dinner at The Priest Hole.
- Drinks at the hotel before bed

Day 2 (we expected this to be a rainy day but ultimately the morning was quite sunny, turning to misty rain toward the end of the Tarn Hows hike)
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Walk around/near the hotel grounds
- Spa treatments and relaxation - pool, sauna, hot tub
- Took the Windermere car ferry across the lake toward Hawkshead
- Hiked Tarn Hows and Black Crag
- Very quick pint at Queens Head Inn in Hawkshead, which was such a cozy spot
- Dinner and dessert at The Drunken Duck Inn. We had a reservation and it didn’t disappoint!

Day 3 (brief pockets of sun in the AM, turning cloudy and dreary by mid afternoon)
- Extremely early ascent of Helvellyn via Striding Edge. Got on the trail by 6:30.
- Got a pint and soup at Glenridding Traveler’s Rest Inn
- Back to the car by noon, drove to Buttermere and walked around Lake Buttermere and a little bit of the village.
- Stopped through Grasmere on our drive back for shopping and gingerbread. Also saw Wordsworth’s gravesite.
- Quick dinner and World Cup match at Travellers Rest Inn (this was the one in Grasmere)
- Returned to the hotel and went to bed early
*I do not recommend this type of day, however we wanted to pack as much of the Lakes into a day as we could. Our legs HURT.

From Tarn Hows.

This place is so special.

Mainly a LH casual fan/lurker on here, didn’t consider them a top 5 band for me but I love a lot of adjacent indie/folk artists and know a bunch of their music from throughout the years so we bought tickets and made the drive to Richmond today. I’ve never left a show so captivated.

This tour has no business not being sold out. It is an emotional, magical, stunning experience. I wish I had started seeing them live a decade ago. If you’re on the fence about going, GO (but I probably don’t have to say this to folks here).

I was not sure whether I kept seeing the same or different praying mantises but now it’s clear there are at least two! Love these guys - especially since aphids are feasting on my cucumbers and peas.

I’m in Virginia! Started a bunch of Amish paste and Cherokee Purple from seed, then got my hands on a bunch of other random heirlooms of all sizes. I have over 20 tomato plants this year and I’m so excited.

I lost a couple over the past two weeks, one to a virus yesterday (it was in a grow bag, not right on top of the others). So I’m just celebrating my healthy plants and my first fruit.

Pictured: Cherokee Purple and an “unknown” variety, but I’m thinking something similar to a chocolate cherry or black cherry.

One of my tomatoes had thrips and I’m 95% sure it was developing TSWV so I bagged and tossed it. Now my cucumber has aphids, and I’m noticing leaf curl on another tomato. Some of my other plants of differing varieties have a bit of curl but this one’s worst. They’re heirlooms so probably not the most resistant, but I’d be so devastated if I lost the majority of my tomatoes I’ve grown from seed. Any thoughts?

Pardon my kids’ mess in the last photo. Location is central Virginia, USA.

I got this plant in an exchange, so can’t be certain of variety. Growing in a 15 gallon grow bag with a mix of potting soil and compost. It has seemed extremely healthy, but yesterday I noticed one upper branch of leaves looked a bit crispy, darker, and shiny (Photo 1). I trimmed off those branches. Then this morning I noticed the discoloration seems to have spread to other branches (photo 2). The rest of the plant seems great to me and there’s no sign of disease on the bottom branches. Healthy bottom leaf pictured in photo 3, full plant in photo 4. Plant gets plenty of airflow.

Swipe for turtle pic. She was there for 3-4 hours and the hole was filled in the next morning, so I am fairly certain we have eggs there.

At first I didn’t think of predators - I mostly wanted to ensure the HOA landscapers and lawnmowers didn’t crush it.

I have a little group of baby mantises in my small backyard garden

This is the plot right next to mine. Somehow us folks surrounding it are managing to grow things (other than JKW) but the battle is constant and relentless. I’ve made several posts on the listserv about it but so far nothing has been done and I don’t even think there are any organic options that would help so here we are.

Central Virginia. On the border of my neighborhood. I am almost certain this is far from where any pesticides would be applied but there are yards nearby and I’m not sure how much could drift.

I have been worried about whether I have enough milkweed in my yard. If I get too many caterpillars should I relocate them here, or just try to buy more?