Latin for garlic

The allium (we call them Aliens) is a genus of bulbs which includes garlic, onion, chives and shallots. In fact the word ‘allium’ is Latin for garlic. As well as making these delicious cooking essentials, there’s also a floral variety. The heads are made up of lots of tiny flowers, making a big pom-pom of a bloom. We’ve always loved them and so we planted some in the raised beds along the terrace.

Well, they’ve started to blossom. I was telling mum about them this morning so…this is what they look like at the beginning of their floral display.

Speaking of the garden, I spent a lot of the afternoon weeding the hot border. Neglected for the Year of the Extension, the weeds have taken over. The especially nasty couch grass has wended it’s network of weblike roots under the ground, leaving the bed looking like a wasteland. I set to it, hand fork and black plastic bag to hand.

While I dodged the light showers, the dogs spent the time wandering the garden, rolling on the new lawn, investigating what I was doing and wondering why I wasn’t paying them any attention. At one stage we had a horrendous hail storm which sent us all inside to wait it out. It didn’t last long and we were soon back at it.

A little later, I was sitting in a recliner, watching a documentary when a second hailstorm struck. While not hailstones so much as a slushy-storm, the noise was so bad on the ceiling lantern that I had to pause the programme while it went over. The dogs looked up as the sloppy ice mushed all over the glass above our heads.

One thing which made the afternoon very pleasant was the newly attained silence from Emma. Her barking (clearly genetically passed on by her father) has almost stopped because of a handy little device I bought from PetSafe. It emits a blast of citron scented spray at her nose whenever she emits a sharp bark. It’s harmless and assures quiet when you need it.

While we love it, Emma isn’t keen and, after today, neither is Day-z.

Rodney has a habit of standing on the other side of the fence, staring at Emma, tail wagging. Pre lemon spray, Emma would bark almost constantly at him, wanting him to come and play. Often Day-z will join in. Today, however, it was Day-z who started barking at him. Curious as usual, Emma went to investigate what the commotion was all about. Just as Day-z turned away from the fence, Emma let out a big, sharp bark.

I was fortunate enough to witness as the lemon spray burst forth…straight up Day-z’s nose. She was not happy. Naturally, she attacked Emma, realising it had to be her fault. Poor Emma. I took a while to stop laughing then spent a long time comforting poor Day-z while Emma looked on, tail wagging and, basically, very confused.

It was really very, very funny.