Saturday 2 August 2014

Blissful Rain ~~~ Introducing Whilber ~~~

Gentle Reader ~~~ Are you like me ~~~ totally and completely besotted and obsessed with that most enchanting of all the seasons

~~~ Blissful Autumn ~~~ 

Are you impatient, and cannot wait for the days of heady Summer heat to cool to more bearable warmth, for the leaves to turn colour and fall from the trees, for the days of hot chocolate, mittens and scarves, and long walks in the countryside of the turning year?   

I could not wait a moment longer, and as soon as I was able to turn the page on my Susan Branch 2014 wall calendar, {I have just ordered my 2015 ones} so I have changed the background here on our little corner of The Shire to one of my lovely sunflowers pictures from previous years and the colour scheme is now more Autumnal too ~~~ soon I will put an Autumn themed header in too, but for now there is one of the corner with all the oregano and lavender in ~~~ I hope you like the changes ~~~

The sky, grey and gloomy, heavily humid for days, emptied blissful rain upon the earth, and all is glistening and fresh, the dust of weeks is washed away, the air this morning cooler, clearer, and all together very pleasant indeed, despite the sky still overcast.  The grass, dry, parched, and brown, will soon be growing green again and the Garden is cleansed and refreshed by beautiful, blissful raindrops ~~~ sometimes gentle, sometimes heavy and torrential ~~~ as you will see from the amount of water collected in Whilber {oh, I do not believe you have met Whilber, so, Gentle Reader, may I introduce Whilber?}

Whilber is one of two Welsh names for wheelbarrow ~ the other being berfa ~ so Whilber is what I have called my wheelbarrow. This one is actually Whilber III but we do not upset Whilber by adding the numbers to his name.  He is just "Whilber" ~~~ and I could not be without Whilber's help in the garden, for he carries many heavy loads for me, compost, rocks and stones, even when I have many bits and bobs to move from one spot to another, Whilber is my constant gardening companion and friend ~~~ 


The rain lashed against the windows of the cottage all night long, and this morning there was quite a depth of water in Whilber so I pulled out a measuring stick and there was just over four and a half inches since yesterday morning!  That is a lot of water in two days.  Of course, it isn't an official measurement, but it does go to show that the garden does not need watering today!


I took advantage of the Summer rain to pop some of my houseplants on the patio during the rain ~~~ the gentle raindrops wash away the dust that is impossible to do on such a fullness of growth on cacti, succulents, and ivy, leaving the plants refreshed and clean once more {in the Winter, I pop them in the shower, but the rain is so much better for them than chemically treated tap water} ~~~


Of course, dewdrops are everywhere this morning, and here are just a few more pictures of dewdrops on blooms and flowers ~~~




I love how things reflect in the droplets as they dangle from the plants ~~~ 


The rain will swell and ripen the few remaining raspberries in the berry patch ~~~ but picking is slowing down now and will soon be over ~~~ doesn't this look so tempting?


Small branches of bramble, laden with a promise of blackberries, bounce in the breezes that drift across the garden ~~~


Soon, the nurturing rain that fell will make it's way up the thirsty stems and swell the tiny fruits into plumptious purple jewels of fragrant berriliciousness ~~~


See how they are already in different stages ~~~ some swollen and darkening to ruby red and the colours of wine, others just behind but still green, and some only just starting to form as berries ~~~ all will be picked and turned into my very favourite Apple and Blackberry Crumble, served with lashings of custard ~~~ if the pick is good, then Blackberry Jelly will be made too! 


Oh, wouldn't this last one {above} make a wonderful colour scheme for a room?

Today, I must start the task of deadheading the lilies, to let the goodness that is in the leaves return to the bulbs and not waste the energy of the plant into making seed!  Sadly, the rain has washed away the Stargazers, so I hope the remaining tight buds will open after the rainy spell has passed us by ~~~ my reward for the job of deadheading is this ~~~ 

My September Country Living magazine {UK copy} just arrived through the letterbox and plopped on my doormat ~~~ it is my most favourite magazine, and right along side you see my most favourite mug ~ my Emma Bridgewater "Rose and Bee" mug {which I notice needs to be refilled!}  I just love the sofa on this cover, don't you?  Well, the weather will have to change very quickly if I am to do the deadheading, so I might just reward myself sooner rather than later! I am incorrigible ~~~


Whatever the weather, there is always work for the Gardener, so remember that ~~~ 


~~~ A Gardener's Work Is Never Done ~~~



16 comments:

  1. As always. It is a pleasure to read your your colorful musings. Thank you!

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  2. Donna Elizabeth2 August 2014 at 15:31

    Oh, how I do long for the cooler, crisper days of Autumn! Our blueberries are almost done for the year, but our grapes are just about ready to take their place. Another lovely post...Enjoyed it immensely!! Hugs, my ATP friend! ~ Donna E. =)

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    1. So pleased you enjoyed it ~ and I'm quite suffering now from 'grape envy' ~ Waving ATP!

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  3. I just love walking through the garden with you, Debs! So happy that you were rewarded with rain. With your nurturing care, the garden will continue to grow and flourish. The reflections in your dewdrops are truly amazing. I do love all the colors of the blackberries!! You always slow me down enough to notice all of the tiniest details. Have a lovely weekend! Waving! ♡

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    1. Hope you have a good weekend too ~ in your garden ~ Waving!

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  4. Wonderful photographs as always, and I do love that color scheme for a room. We have had a delightful weather week here, but now it is back to summer for a while. We need some of that rain now to combat the heat we're in for.

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    1. Summer will go on a while here too, and could even stretch into the bliss that is an Indian Summer through September! Rain is always needed in Summer ~ if only we could trade off with the Winter months!

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  5. Hello Friend!
    We had rain here today, too. I was so glad I got the mowing done yesterday!

    Thanks for the visit into your world, I always feel better after a "visit" to your home! And I totally agree about the color scheme. It would be so pretty!

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    1. I'm glad you got the mowing done too! My heart sinks if I put it off and then it rains. Wish you could visit in person ~

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  6. It is dry here this year. I must water my plants and flowers every day. I don't water the lawn. It seems to me that it encourages weeds to take over. Your photographs are beautiful. I especially enjoyed the dew drop pics.

    I am not ready to give up summer yet, but by the end of August I'm always ready for things to start cooling down. Usually September starts out pretty hot around here, but who knows anymore what the weather will be doing next.

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    1. I never water the lawn ~ if it browns up it will soon recover within a few days of the rainfall, I'm glad you like the dew drops, I certainly have plenty of them to take!

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  7. Oh yes! Certainly, I am a very autumnal person. I long for it, wait for it, cannot wait to be in autumn.

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    1. I am so pleased to see so many who love Autumn as much as I do!

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  8. The more I read this post, the more impatient I am about autumn.

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    1. I wait patiently, all year, for blissful Autumn to be here! I am known to declare Autumn on the first of August just because the first two letters are the same!

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