Back home after a few days away on my annual boating holiday, and lots happening in the garden. The morning glory (“Grandpa Ott”) have started, the musk mallow in the wildflower bank by the pond are out, and the “grape tomatoes” in the potting shed have started to be pickable (sub-miniature, shown with a 5p bit for scale!)
.
.
.
Flowers on the wandflower (dierama) started opening this morning. I think they liked yesterday’s rain!
Overcast but very warm. In what feels like dusk, the white iris in the pond has opened, amongst the stray long grasses, mimulus, and miniature bullrushes.
Back home after a weekend away, and the alstroemeria is in bloom. There will be constant flowers on it now until first frost. There’s more orange by the pond, where the orange hawkbit (fox-and-cubs) is open.
A fantastic (but exhausting) weekend – the “50th anniversary of leaving school” reunion, featuring buses, Blenheim Palace, beer (for those that do!), and much great conversation. Many thanks to each and every one involved!
Followed this morning at my Mum’s with “there isn’t really a ‘jobs list’ but could you …”. And my usual delightful walk round the common – the new maintenance regime seems to mean fewer low-level plants, and notably fewer large groups of orchids, though they continue to appear in more places than formerly. Honeysuckle and wild roses rise above everything, of course.
Various bits of lawn at my Mum’s are deliberately left un-mown for much of the summer, because they’re home to orchids. It’s a bit early yet for the Pyramidal and Bee orchids, but there are plenty of the Early Purples and other wildflowers.
My first strawberry of the season – just ripe before I go away for a few days for a meet-up of old schoolmates. 50 years since we all left school! Most of us are still recognisable, though.
The first finger-length courgettes – picked early as I’m going away for a few days and want to get ahead to the usual glut! I’ll have them sautéed in olive oil with chopped mint … yum.
I had my e-bike back yesterday from it’s first-ever service (just over 5 years since I bought it). Very pleased with the work, which included new tyres and inner tubes, new saddle, new front light, and full service. Collected from and returned to my house, which is a big bonus. All things considered, very reasonably priced at £150, on a bike many companies won’t touch as it’s shaft drive. Thanks, Jeremy at MobileCycleTech.