DRY WEATHER AND LOTS OF PHOTOS

Is this our summer, at least the west of Britain. I read in the newspaper this morning, in the weather column, that the cold weather England has been experiencing is coming to an end. 

Here, in Cumbria, we have had the most glorious two to three weeks with temperatures in the low 70sF (20sC) and I have had to water the garden.

Mowing has been easy as the grass growth has slowed. The woodland through the gap in the beech hedge is full of campion - and not just the red but the white also. Roses are coming into flower and we await the explosion that is the crambe. (Every time I type crambe the spelling corrector changes it to crumb, most annoying.)

There are aquilegias everywhere - real cottage garden stuff - they sow themselves and we let them get on with it. The forgetmenots do the same (as do the weeds especially the broad-leaved willow herb. And the oriental poppies are coming out -
      

The lilac is at its best, the tree full of white foam. Unfortunately this will go brown as it ages and it is a tedious job to dead head the plant - I will probably leave ignore it. The blackbirds in the woodshed have fledged as have the sparrows and the great tits, the robins and the greenfinches. 

We have been away and whilst we were in sunny south Scotland family and their friends were here. The friends have a small dog and it got one of our rabbits. I found the corpse when we came back.

Whilst in Scotland we visited a wood that is like a wild garden at Carstramont Woods near Gatehouse of Fleet - a place of magic. The wild garden can be more spectacular than the planned.
 

As I said last time we have had the water slide out for the grandchildren. (A sheet of plastic on the banking and a hose set on spray.) This launch resulted in the demolition of a tree stake and a sore leg.

I have sown calendulas, Ammi, wallflowers and more sweet peas today. Time to water again as drought threatens!! After our wet winter I can hardly believe it. We are glad we have a borehole and our own water supply.

We have a problem with cats from neighbours. One particular shaggy black and white individual hides in the flowerbed under the feeders waiting for victims. And the garden is full of fledglings - a meal in waiting.

The garden is going through one of its special phases at the moment so lots of pics.

This is one of R' favourites - ranunculus - though not a buttercup as we usually know it.

This year I have put them in a pot outside the kitchen doors and they seem to be doing well.

More poppy photos - these orientals are growing wild(ish) up on the grassy banking. They are from the previous owner of the plot, Tom Jackson.

Mind you poppies can get out of hand and if you throw in a purple geranium there can be an awful colour clash like here.
Oh well, what the . . .
The more the merrier (or not).

I have voted in the in/out thing and when I look at the pro-exit team, Boris J, Michael Gove, Nigel Farage, George Galloway - well draw your own conclusions.