Last night was a pretty constant downpour made worse by gale force winds. Everything rattled and splashed. And it continued over into the morning. I left for the shops and managed to get wet fairly quickly.
I always hate it when I have to forgo the shorts having started wearing them for the year. That’s what I had to do this morning. The temperature had dropped to around 10 with the wind chill making it colder. I wore my new jeans (did I mention that I’ve dropped a jean size for the first time in living memory?) and a raincoat. My new jeans and my runners were both soaked by the time I rocked up at Starbucks.
And so, eventually, I sloshed around Waitrose then swam home.
While sitting in my office, Skyping with mum, the sun came out and the clouds drifted away. Typical. And so it remained for most of the rest of the day. So much so that, after lunch, I set to planting up the things we bought at the garden centre on Saturday.
After the gardeners (who will be coming, possibly, fortnightly) had readied the bed that runs along the base of the front brick wall, I prepared it and filled it with a rose bush and three hollyhocks. Hollyhocks grow really well along the boundary between us and Dave and Gail so I’m guessing they’ll do well against the wall. I’ve been very keen on hollyhocks ever since we visited Isle d’Aix a few years ago. It is just covered in hollyhocks and looks splendid.
The rose is the Gertrude Jekyll. It’s an old style scented pink rose so Mirinda is hoping she’ll catch wafting waves of rose through the library window while she beavers away, windows wide open, in the summer.
Overhead shot of the front sleeper bed
Given the time of day, I was forced to take the photo from the other side of the wall, looking down. I’ll take a better one in the morning.
My planting duties did not end there. I then moved to the Hot Border and planted up some snapdragons, a couple of jolly plants called Arctotis The Ravers ‘Pink Sugar’ and a tall spire thing similar to the banana custard plant of previous years.
Arctotis The Ravers ‘Pink Sugar’
Now the Hot Border can shine.
Just after Skyping with mum, I was sitting in my office and I noticed a squirrel wandering around the wildflower patch. That’s quite unusual because they’re generally up high. I thought it was cute and watched it. Suddenly, a blur of red appeared and chased it under the holly tree and beyond. It was a young fox. I don’t know how it came to be in our garden or where it was hiding or, in fact, where it went. Strange but true.
Mirinda was delighted that we have a fox visiting. She was also delighted that the squirrel appears to have escaped. Of course, the puppies were busy inside doing whatever they do when no-one is watching them.
Speaking of the puppies, late in the day I filled out the Great Dog Survey of 2017. I could add a photo of the dogs. I snapped Emma as she sat on her dining chair.
Why did you wake me?
You have some beautiful flowers coming up the colours are lovely, that’s good the gardeners are coming every two weeks as I cant see you getting down in the garden weeding any more. That is a great photo of Emma yes she looks like she is asking you something or telling you Why did you wake me hahaha. Good thing Mirinda is working at home pity she cant do it all the time at least while the idiots are about.
Love mum xxxxxx