Oh! Silly Silly Me ~~~

Gentle Reader~have you missed me?  I am nursing an injured back (again!) and everything is either impossible or painful.  Some of you know I suffer with this from time to time, and about ten days ago I had a warning shot.  Instead of listening and taking things easy, I decided that I, maybe, wasn't feeling that bad after all and was fully capable of transplanting my lettuces.  At this point, strike out 'capable' and insert 'incapable'~~~the rest is history!  Needless to say, I was anything but capable, and after 30 minutes on hands and knees weeding the spot and transplaning the lettuces, complete with mini cloches (aka those large plastic beer glasses you get at functions and parties) for protection from slugs I struggled to get to my feet and hobbled home.  Since then, I have had no choice but to listen to my back as it recovers very slowly and I hobble around on two sticks~~oh! dear!

The weather has changed, our heatwave gone, and temperatures are now in the mid~60's, so much more bearable.  The last few days are more a return to normal with brisk breezes and rain!  In one way I am deeply grateful because the rain is doing the watering for me, for there is no way I could lug a watering can for at least the next few days again as I recover.  As even siting here is not comfortable, I am going to cheat a little and copy and paste some of what I shared on Facebook last week~~~

On August 1st, I wrote~~

 

the day dawned much the same as yesterday, but as Fog seems to be a new, primary feature in today's weather, I will tell you how deeply I miss the sound of the fog horn that used to boom out from the South Bishop's rocks. Technology is a wonderful thing, and I am deeply grateful for much of it, but when GPS and other new~fangled devices replaced the fog horn, some things, in my opinion, are a step too far. There was something deeply comforting with that sound, booming out from the sea fog, letting us know that seafaring men on their ships and their boats had warning of the reef and rocks, which in an instant could bring tragedy. Men manned the Trinity House building, perched precariously upon the rock in the middle of the ocean, and men took responsibility for the safety of other men. It was a part of childhood, of growing up, just as much as my love of gardening took root in my being as I played in safety in the garden that in decades long past was tended by my Great Grandfather~~~fog without a foghorn is like a garden without a gardener.
The only jobs for this gardener today will be a little tidying up, some dead heading, and clearing leaves that have fallen. Fallen not because it is Blissful Autumn, but because they are dried and shrivelled from lack of rain which came too late, so they just gave themselves up to the wind. Now, they litter my lawn and patio, a coverlet of brown, and must be swept up soon into bags to make rich leaf mould for future years.

 

and this is how the sky looked, late one evening, after the fog had lifted

 

 

and on July 30th I wrote~~

 

ah! the wonders of technology, as my laptop languishes in the land of the lost, I found my ancient, trusty Dell which, with a few gentle persuasions, is now functioning and allowing me to be connected to the 21st century while I find someone to attend to the sickly laptop.
The next challenge I face is to attempt to bring the photographs I downloaded yesterday here, for they are of big, wonderful skies that rolled across a wide blue sky, behind distant hills, and away beyond the far horizon. The skies were spectacular, and I do hope to bring them to you soon. I will not give up.
This afternoon, reading ahead on the forecast, I have picked yet more raspberries, an urgent task, for heavy rain is forecast and I do not want to leave ripe berries on the cane. The joy of picking such fragrant, ripe, and delicious jewels from the garden is without compare, and later there will be jam for tea~~~a gentle reminder of the warmth of summer days in the depths of darkest winter. Of course, a few get greedily devoured while the picking happens~~~it wouldn't be fruit picking otherwise!
This evening, the salad was supplemented with two of my favourite garden ingredients~handfuls of fresh, vitamin rich parsley and some peppery nasturtium flowers that add colour as well as flavour. Pudding, as you may have seen on an earlier post, was a dish of home grown, home made gooseberry crumble. Oh! I have waited three years for a decent crop, and this year the reward for patience came at last! I am full and satisified tonight!

 

Here, Gentle Reader, is a photo of a big bowl of that delicious crumble~~~

 

I am afraid dead heading must wait, and the grass is growing on the lawn but that will have to wait too for a mow.  For now, I must be happy that the much hoped for pink Oriental lilies have bloomed.  I do wish they had bloomed before the rain came, or waited until after it had passed, but somethings we cannot manage.  Here they are, I do so love them, and they are well worth waiting for~~~

I am sorry there are no more photographs or words today, but remember that ~~~   

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