HARVEST AND RAIN

It has rained for 24 hours, straight down rain not soft refreshing showers and still it rains. Where, before, was a shelter under a tree is wet, drops slide from leaf to leaf, twig to twig and soak all underneath. The deutzia by the shed is full of bedraggled blue tit fledglings. The birds avoid the feeders, hunker where shelter can be found, hungry and damp. Stones in the track to the house rattle in the rivulets, the stream overflows, the pond is brimming.

So -
I have not been out in the garden today! I have been reading and writing and things. R has been to the Gym and sat in her car in a roadworks jam for half the morning. The wait to get past Newby Bridge was an hour this morning. They only do major roadworks in the Lake District during the school summer holidays - a sort of sadism?

I have made cauliflower soup from a Cranks' recipe with veg bought locally, cheaply. I have made courgette and mint soup with our own veg. The freezer is filling up. Six bags of broad beans are now frozen. The sideboard in the utility room is stacked with blackcurrant jam.

Yesterday I cut the flowers for the house, all I could from the cutting beds but the photo does not show the sweet peas, hydrangea Annabelle and others. We are awash with blooms.

The other day R and I went for a walk out on the flatland below Hoad Hill. At one place there is a small industrial unit and on the fence beside the lawns was the following sign.

Some of us think life's a bit like that, don't we. (Commendations to anyone who recognises the quote). (See end of blog).

Today I. and the grandchildren are splashing their way north from Herefordshire - it will be some journey in this weather and then, right at the end, they will hit the roadworks! The den is ready (if wet), I hope they have brought their Wellies. Actually I hope they have brought my Wellies as I left them at their house the last time we were there. Actually R hopes they have brought her Wellies as she did the same.

At least I got the lawns mowed before the rain and family. I noticed that much of our lawn is not grass as one might expect, but clover! Still it is squat and green so . . .

And this blog - I am reading Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel - when will they have a Booker prize for blogs? Not that this would win as the language is far from erudite (where did that word come from?)

Still falls the rain (apologies to Edith Sitwell).

Now it is tomorrow (or today depending how you look at it.)
Today I have been mainly weeding, have potted up eight pots of herbs and shrubs for my daughter I and discussing the attributes of Lego with J.

The rain has stopped and the day is fine, a bit floody and coolish. Up in the wood one of the streams is disappearing into its bed and reappearing lower down. On inspection a mole has made a run the full length of the stream bed whilst it was dry in the hot weather. With side corridors the water goes anywhere but where I wish!

I am courgetted to the ears and have now selected one plant to produce a gert marra (great marrow). This will be stuffed with mince and onions (I hope)(despite the vegan tendencies with the Mrs.)

So there you are - an ordinary day of grandchildren, trip out this morning to the wonderful Ford Park Kitchen Garden in Ulverston, gardening, chat, some small person wingeing and so on.

ps - no Wellies.

pps - Oh! Yes, and it was our 44th Wedding Anniversary! How on earth has R put up with me all these years?

(Quote - Alan Bennett, vicar's speech, Beyond The Fringe).