GONE, GONE, GONE

Baby, it's gone, gone gone as the Ripchords would have had it.

I mean the willow tunnel, avenue, what you will.

This is the heap of brushwood and so on left.
(:-(=. This is an unsmiley.
And the next photo shows the assassins near the end of their labours - it was hot day, well hot for here - mid 70s F.

So now I have to build a bonfire and cut logs and stuff, level the ground and mow. It is possible that shoots will appear and these will have to be dealt with as it happens. Mowing will weaken any remnants.

Actually, having surrendered to R's whims - GARDEN ONES - the space created is good and with the fifteen white birches to come late autumn, early winter I can now see the possibilities. Time for Humble Pie - not the rock group with Natural Born Boogie. Anyone less able to do a Natural Born Boogie than me you have never met!

Let me talk swallows - they sit on our open door and chatter as I have said. Here are Mr and Mrs Swallow on the left and one of the young. The fledglings are fearless and I can walk gently out until my face is only six inches from the bird and talk to it - I know - he is now away with the birds!

Talking of birds we were sitting in bed the other night reading when we heard a strange bird call. R peeped out of the window and there, just beyond the window, sitting on the edge of the roof, was a young Tawny Owl.

I have gone and bought some more sweet peas on the market as the ones I grew are feckless, straggly things. Here is hoping for better.

I weeded all the veg and fruit beds and transplanted strawberry runners that had rooted. A friend, thank you G, has sent me details of fruit cages so will now have to go a-measuring.

The garden continues to push out flowers and now the buddleias are in fine fettle meaning butterflies!

To the left, my sister's white mallow, to the right the rudbeckia in the cutting garden, now flopping over the Sweet Williams. The latter are going to seed so time to resow for next year. They have a nice scent but it cannot compare with the pinks and lilies.

My daughter in Herefordshire has a dilemma as a field by the house may be for sale.
They are contemplating yurts/sheds and/or glamping but I have a better idea - it is a sloping field high on a hill facing south and the word VINEYARD came to mind. It would be a while before they get a return but what a return!

Two squirrels are on the peanut feeders. (:-(=. This is an unsmiley.

At the weekend I went a golfing at a course called Silloth. Never before in the history of human endeavour have so many trampled the gorse and heather in search of then little white ball.
However the mood of the day was lifted when we were searching a deep grass bunker and found - not the errant ball - but three juvenile hedgehogs - a delight.