After the rain comes ~~~ more rain!
We’ve taken quite a pasting with strong gales over the last few days, not only
here in the west, but right across the country. At one time over one hundred
twenty thousand {120,000} lightening strikes hit the southern counties of England and the
northern coast of France in twelve hours! That must have been some show, and frightening
if you do not like lightening.
We have had several days of strong
winds, topping off at around 50~60mph, but at this time of year, when all the
plants, big and small, from rose bushes and poppies right up to the big
sycamores and lime trees, are in full flower and leaf, it all seems so much
worse than during the winter months when there are few things to grasp the wind
as it rips through the air.
The garden, which was looking so
pretty, is a bit of a mess ~~~pauses to dry tears~~~ many coloured rose petals
are strewn beneath bushes; verbena bonariensis did not whip, but lie snapped and flat; not for
the first time my delicate Oriental poppies resemble soggy, wet tissue paper,
ink splotched with their dark pollen. Weeds, of course, flourish ~ did we expect them not to do so? The peonies
and arum lilies are, thankfully, past their best but have since been helped on
their way!
One thing is sure ~ nature has a
wonderful, magical way of recovering, and once this spate of nasty, inclement weather
passes, I know all will be restored and a quick recovery should follow.
There has been enough rainfall to
consider building an Ark. Put your name on the list and I’ll swing by to pick
you up as the next round of torrential rain arrives from the Atlantic Ocean
tomorrow! There has certainly been no
need to water and the raspberries are swelling magnificently now.
Yesterday, despite the cold, blowing
wind, I managed a quick ramble out and about between the downpours which abated
somewhat yesterday afternoon because I wanted to see what the wild foxgloves
are doing. They are such a magnificent wildflower and probably my favourite {but
then, so is gorse; and bluebells; and cowslips; and sea pinks; and ling too}. I
was not disappointed, but I have seen better displays. Here are a few
photographs of what I saw ~~~
On my way home, I saw a quick flash
of movement in the hedge as Mamma Blue Tit flew quickly away from feeding her
recently fledged baby. Poor, drenched
little mite as it is, it obligingly sat while I quickly took some pictures of
it, and then began preening it's soaked feathers. I did not stay long, I did not want to stop Mamma from returning with yet
more juicy bugs to feed what seems to be her only surviving baby ~~~
I feel immensely privileged to have shared these few intimate moments with such a sweet little creature of our planet. Nature is magical, wonderful, pure and unashamedly so.
Until next time ~~~
~~~Deborah xo
