OF STONES, SCYTHES AND STUFF

Not everything in the garden grows. On windowsills, in discrete corners, by path edges there are collections of stones from around the country, even abroad, brought back by myself.

I have reset the Bushnell Trophy Cam to video and see what I can get. So far not a lot. 

Today, Friday it is rain all day, wetting Lake District rain - not much fun for the holiday makers but without it - no lakes, not green and lush vegetation, less sales of waterproofs.

Yesterday Chris and Chris came as we live where she grew up and she wanted to see what we had done. She paid us the ultimate compliment and said that her late father would have loved it!

Still struggling with the Cam - set to video then find my Mac Quicktime cannot show it - have to download a converter. I put out a plate as bait with some hassle on and got two videos - the plate full and the plate empty but no sign of what (or who) took it. I plough on determined to get a result. 
Second go on video and in fact nothing on it! So reset and try again.

Monday and went out scything by the stream at 2pm - cool 18C. By 3 pm 25C! I am cooked.
Tools of the trade - barrow, rake, scythe and shears.

And if I now have headache I can take some feverfew, a pretty daisy like flower that seeds all over the place.

Time for some warm coloured plants to go with the weather? (Actually the Met Office says it will only last until Wednesday then back to the usual procession of low pressures from the west.)

I have been collecting bluebell seed from the far wood and sowing it to extend the area of plants, just rake the cleared ground and scatter then gently rake in  again. In the catalogues they are charging up to £10 for 25 plants. 
Unfortunately (or not) in the UK H. non-scripta is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Landowners are prohibited from removing common bluebells on their land for sale and it is a criminal offence to remove the bulbs of wild plants.

On the other hand kill the Spanish ones! (They have already interbred around the country so it is too late I am afraid.)

R just found an unusual caterpillar - a grey dagger moth I think.

I have a new job - well. I said I would take some pics of the golf course for the web site. At the highest point there is a monument - to the Gale Family. Tradition says it is three sided as these are the three directions the last brothers left across the world - nice idea anyway.
From the eleventh tee I can see home a few miles away, and whether the washing is out on the line.

The swallows and house martins have fledged - here are two of the latter chattering and generally making a mess under the nest.
This one is above the door we use so we have to be watchful.

Twice I have treated our persistent wasps nest in the dormer and, after I had mown lawns (in 28C) R greeted me with the fateful words - "They are back!"
I had noticed (and photographed) them feeding on the lovage. Time for an expert assassin.

So, as the world of politics descends into the vortex of inanity and as I listen to the tapping of a greater spotted woodpecker on the peanuts outside my window and head for the shower as a cooler end to a hot day.