FEELS LIKE AUTUMN

It is Sunday and so appropriate that the sun is shining, yet, as I look up the garden from our bedroom window, there is a half moon white in the blue morning sky. I missed looking for the Perseid meteor shower - went to bed. Wood pigeons, farmers' bane, strut about under the feeders and fly off in a cacophony of wings at the slightest disturbance. The sunflower seeds have been eaten again - we must have fat tits in the garden whether blue, great, coal or long-tailed.

 
I have finally repaired the broken extended pond rake - well, a lawn rake with a broom handle gaffer taped to it to make it longer. Then I drag a lot of the crowfoot from the water and either dump it in the ditch or by the side of the pond so creepy crawlies can survive.
 









 

We finally have butterflies in the garden other than the whites - red admiral, peacock, small tortoiseshell, gatekeeper etc. I have decided not to deadhead the buddleia - there is just too much of it.
 

My sister H and her other half N have been here on their way to other relatives and a birthday party involving the Settle to Carlisle railway. Walking around then garden and looking through someone else's eyes I see so many things I ought to do.

I did manage to knock off the last two greengages from the top of the tree. R said they were good and juicy. The ones you buy in the shops are very green but ours were left until slightly yellowish and much riper (and sweeter).

Autumn is threatening to arrive albeit in mid August. There are hips on the roses and berries on the rowan, roses are into their second flush, damsons have darkened and harvesting is approaching.

Even the hypericum is in berry under the big sycamore - a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness - though the mist is mainly drizzle.

The house can be full of flowers at this time of year, even a small vase has a rose, pinks, sweet peas, ammi, cosmos and so on.

Some years ago we bought a shrubby clematis from the now defunct garden centre at Muncaster castle - I think this is Clematis heracleifolia davidiana or Tube Clematis - I think. It is fairly rampant on the dry banking.

And the rain is doing the Hydrangea Annabel no favours as it huge flowerhead bend to the ground under the weight of water.

 
Finally home from the new wonderful grandchild via Herefordshire.  Back to the garden.
But the leaves on some of the chestnuts are turning - already!