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~~~

Wimbledon, Recycling and Better Weather

Gentle Reader, I must confess that this past fortnight I have spent more time watching Wimbledon than I should, and so all other jobs, gardening, housework, even shopping for food have been on hold!  Still, Wimbledon reaches it's end for this year tomorrow afternoon and normal life will resume.

The weather has been improving slightly, but we are now on the verge of a minor heatwave!  Well, as I say, the word heatwave is by comparison.  Our recent average daytime temperatures have hovered around the mid 50's, but tomorrow they soar to a scorching mid 70's!  As I said, comparative heatwave, and I know I will feel like I am melting with the sudden spike of around 20 degrees.  Definitely not the off~the~scale heat that is across parts of America, and my thoughts and prayers are with those in areas affected by fires and heat so strong it kills.  There are also early and heavy monsoons in India that have caused devastation with flooding.  The weather patterns of the world are chaotic and worrying.

My strawberries did not ripen in time for Wimbledon!  There will not be many, but I am more concerned about keeping the young plants healthy and strong so they will be productive next year.

Still, here are some of the bits and pieces I have been up to since my last entry.

Finally, a week or so ago, some of the courgette seeds I planted germinated.  Today, I cleared a small corner and planted them out.  I know they should be bigger before I transplanted, but I am eager to get them in the ground in the hopes that they will settle in with the warm weather and establish quickly, and that there will be something to harvest by the end of August, if not sooner.

I like to recycle and re~use or re~purpose things if I can.  These two images (above and below) are two ways in which I recycle plastic water bottles.  The bottle on the left is a 5 litre one and is used with the base cut off as a cloche to protect delicate and young plants while they establish.  I can remove the cap in the day to regulate humidity and temperature, and replace it at night to protect from slugs and snails.  The cloche also protects from birds and cats too.

The smaller, 2 litre bottle to the right has the base removed, the cap is also removed and the bottle is buried in the ground to the level of the roots of the courgette.  I can fill it with water which will then slowly filter through directly to the roots of the plant where it is needed, minimising waste of water running around on the surface.

I thought this a pretty arrangement, with the yellow rose "Golden Wedding", as a cluster just tumbles from a stem over the old grind stone~

This is one of the petunias I planted.  I do not usually plant petunias, for they need constant dead~heading and are sticky and messy to do so too!  They are all growing well, however, and I hope there will be a good and generous display soon.  I am particularly taken with the depth of colour and markings on this one though.  I think it is very unusual, don't you?

Some more recycling ~ this time, an unused stone drainpipe that I planted with a dwarf clematis.  I know you have seen this one before, but it is now going from strength to strength.  I have never seen it looking so strong and healthy with so many blooms~

Gentle Reader~how I wish you could smell the delightful fragrance that is the Frances E Lester rambling rose! Now covered with bloom, and many, many more to open, in the warmth that is with us now the fragrance floods the air, and I can smell it many yards away as I walk up my drive!  Such blissful joy it brings, to the eye and to the nose!

Tonight, I put a bowl full of more runner beans to soak and I will plant these tomorrow.  If the weather stays warm there is a good chance I will harvest a small crop later on this year as Summer turns to Autumn.  Fear not, you will be the first to know when they are ready!

It is June and There Will Be Strawberries ♥

Gentle Reader, this very morning I turned my Susan Branch calendar (Susan is one of my favourite people, an artist, a writer, and blogger) for it is June!  Soon, there will be strawberries for tea.  I had plants last year, but they did not survive the winter.  I coddled them too well and, apparently, they are hardier than I thought.  It seems I should have left them to fend for themselves, and I feel rather silly over this because I leave the tiny Alpine ones to their own devices whatever the winter weather throws at them, and it has been this way for many years and they thrive!  Why did I think the bigger plants were less hardy?  Gardening is often a very steep learning curve!

Three weeks ago, I salvaged five small runners that survived from last year's strawberry plants and I potted them up in an old Greek style pot that was lying empty.  I keep an eye out, for there may be more on the old berry patch.  Plants can suddenly return to life when you think they are long dead.  That is a peculiarity I am learning to be mindful of, everything gets a second chance, and I throw nothing out now until I am certain it is dead!

Looking at the pot each day as I pass by there doesn't seem to be much change.  However, putting the photo I took the day I potted the runners in, on May 8th (top), and one I took today (bottom), you can see that there are quite a few more leaves and the plants are establishing (which takes time) and starting to grow.  It is, after all, only three weeks ago.

You might also notice there are some tiny buds!  These, with gentle rain and good, warm, and sunny days, will become the strawberries that I love to eat, freshly picked in oh! so many ways: with cream, or sliced in a sugar syrup served over fudgy chocolate cake, in home made yogurt, or just as they are, picked warm from the plant as I garden . . such a delicious treat!

Today, a small box came in the post containing six more young plants that I ordered over the Bank Holiday weekend.  They do not look very happy, and I am a little concerned, but then I don't think I would be very happy at all if I had travelled through the post in a dark box for four days, would you? 

Once unpacked I can see there is sturdy growth in the centre of each small plantlet, and the root system is established, so I potted them up immediately.

Did you see my potting bench?  This is where I do most of my potting up.  The bench was made by my Daddy, and he used it for his carpentry work.  Sadly, it is now outside, and the elements are not kind to it, but I have no where else to keep it.  I have moved it into a shady spot, against the east facing wall of my cottage.  Here I can work in the afternoon, for the wall of the cottage gives me shade from the sun which at midday passes over the roof and then beats down on the west facing side.  I try to work on the other side of the house during the morning, when I have time.  This suits me not to be working in bright sunshine, and it suits the plants too, for I am certain it is not easy on their little systems being shunted from one pot to another, and the cooler the better I think.

My rainwater barrel, which harvests rainwater from the rooftop, is right by my side too, so that saves having to carry heavy watering cans from the tap.  Here is the bench all ready with compost and pots ready to receive the strawberry plantlets.

and now they are in having a good, long soak in this tub of water . .

They seem happier now they are planted up.  I have every faith that they will settle in well and soon there will be strawberries for tea.  All we need is for the weather to improve now that it is June.  They say we are a month behind and that April was one of the coldest Aprils on record.  I do not think May will be declared a warm month either!  Three weeks and the longest day will be upon us, so I am praying for steadier andwarmer temperatures, plenty of golden sunshine during the days and gentle rain in the night . . oh! would that not be simply perfect weather, everything the garden, and I, need to thrive!