SUN AND RAIN AND CLEGS

We have had sun and warmth - collapse with shock, moan that it is too hot and then dive for cover as water is everywhere.

Mowing the lawn yesterday for the first time for almost a fortnight because of the rain, I had to avoid the lower garden and the areas where springs miraculously appear. 

Then the dreaded CLEGS struck and sucked my blood. If you have the benefit of horse manure in the next field - hence horses - you have the down side of Clegs, (horse-flies for the uninitiated).

These hungry insects are, of course, in no way, politically inclined. They will bite a member of any party.

So the squirrel trap is set and has caught nothing. The bait has gone but no trapped prey. I suspect the mice have been in and out without setting the thing off. Then, looking on the Internet I found that Grey Squirrels are classed as vermin. This means I have to kill them and cannot release them into the wild again. (So, if I do trap them I will not be telling you). This does not mean I have killed them or released them or . . . . . . 

We are eating raspberries - the best of all flavours? - Though run close by blackcurrants. These are also coming into ripeness and it looks like we will be swamped. Branches are bending with the weight of fruit. I have picked the last of the gooseberries and, topped and tailed, they are snugly tucked up in our freezer.

In the wood, in sunshine, with water on everything, the light is astonishing and magical.

In the garden the oriental poppies have succumbed to the wet and have been cut back to ground level in hope of a second flush in the autumn. The huge crambe is over and cut back. This is also being done with the geraniums so that there will be regrowth and a second flowering.

There will be no figs this year with the weather so bad but there are leaves - you never know when one might come in useful.

In the garden some garden plants will naturalise themselves - survive and compete with the wild plants. Examples in our garden are Acanthus, Geraniums, Oriental poppies, white willow herb (not as vigorous as the wild pink variety) and, on the top banking, sweet williams. I am not sure where they came from but now there is another patch to leave till the autumn.

I have had to go up the back field to inspect where the field drain enters the garden. A previous farmer just drained his land through our fence, (when the property belonged to TJ.) The cows and sheep had trampled the channel and the water was running off to the north-east before entering the garden and flooding the path lower down. I dug it out and replaced the stones moved by heavy animal feet.

Now, my son is here from London and has said I should put more how-tos into the blog.

Time to explore how-to make a nice cup of tea.