BLOGGY BITS AND A BIRD WITH A WRY EYE

I love sitting outside our kitchen and watching the birds at this time of year, the Robin or chaffinch on the round three feet from my chair, bluetit fledglings by the handful above my head, the sudden flash of red as the bullfinch zooms in and feeds, keeping a wry eye on me only a few feet away.

The garden is so dry despite watering that I despair going away and leaving it to fend for itself. We are in the grip of a major drought now. The various pots need regular water - cannot see such as these lilies suffer, anyway I want the bulbs to build up for next year not wither away. I have done a little scything on the upper banking but it is hard work in this heat.

We have turned the Aga range off and will rely on a old electric kettle and the microwave. The kitchen was getting just too warm.

Of course it is cooler up in the wood where our nature ash trees have so far not shown any sign of dieback. In front of the old ash in the photo is the white lilac which, unfortunately, now had brown dead flowers instead of the glorious white. The magnolia grandifolia has had a few flowers but only after R threatened it with assassination if it did not - seemed to work.

Down to the shed and the Albertine rose is almost done and no longer pumping out scent. Around the corner by the decking the pink clematis is doing well.

That area of the garden seems to be inundated by white honesty plants now full of their characteristic seedlings.

I have moved the three butternut squash plants to another bed as the courgettes have grown so big they were swamping them.

We are likely to have no raspberries this year despite watering. The drought has resulted in small fruit and the blackbirds are picking off anything half ripe - we really must get a fruit cage this winter.

R found these two snails firmly stuck together on the path. I suspect they have been found by a thrush and placed there before being bashed on the stone so the bird can get to the inside. Sadly I had to tell her they weren't mating.

One of the things I love in the wood is the millet, millium effusum, with its small flowers that shimmer when backlit by the sun. R does not like it, in fact is not a fan of grass in the garden, unless mown.

Next door has just told me she noticed a squirrel with a bundle of moss and then found it was thinking of building a drey in the holly right next to her door - dilemma - chase it off or don't use that door for a while. (Chase it off - we have enough squirrels around.)

The water lily in the pond is taking over the world, too big and thuggish. I am putting off wading in there (probably falling in) and hacking it to bits. Perhaps it would be better in the winter (but it its so cold then).

The book beside me is Wilding by Isabella Tree and I am looking forward to an interesting read.

And finally three veggie shots to show some things are still alive and growing in the garden - 

Asparagus fern

Carrots

And courgettes.