CONFESSIONS OF AN ABSENTEE GARDENER

So I have to admit that the last three blogs were written two weeks ago and put on a memory stick. Then, using R's laptop, I released them one by one. The first from The Gower, the second from Pembrokeshire and the third from the Malverns.

Now I am home it is back to the usual - mowing lawns, trying to tame the jungle, picking fruit that are going over an so on.

We made raspberry jam yesterday (Mrs Beeton) - very easy - recipe on request.

The first picture is of one of the oriental poppies in the poppy bed. Cuttings will be taken.

Now a message for G in Belgium who sent us a card with a four leaved clover - I think it is a clover, just a pity it is not a shamrock. (There is a touch of the celt in G.)

The evil strimmer - you know I love it - is just got to be deployed after I discovered an attempted rabbit hole 20 ft from the kitchen door - on the banking.

R has to do the flowers for church this weekend an was wondering what we could take from the garden.

I suggested armfuls of buddleia and alchemilla.

The second picture is of Crocosmia lucifer - would that be allowed in church?

Finally a rather attractive yellow plant has appeared by the valerian at the cattle grid.

It is tall mellilot, a wild plant.

So I got out the flora of Cumbria and it is not recorded anywhere near here. How it arrived I do not know - I suppose with some plant I have bought - but I have put nothing in that bed recently.

The House Martins are investigating the gable end over the garden again but are being harassed by our swallows - and the sparrowhawk has been back whilst we were swimming in the sea - a wood pigeon this time - neatly plucked just outside the kitchen.

Time to tidy the sea of feathers, mow lawns, weed, pick fruit, strim, lie down, have a cuppa, have a beer, doze in the sun . . . .