FRAZZLED

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Now, I have not mentioned football (or tennis) for a long time - so now I have said all I wish to say.

More, Monty Don's Gardeners' World is being moved for Don Trump's visit - heresy!

Thought for the day - (for Scottie) - would Ral Donner have been more successful if he had not sounded like an Elvis impersonator?

The heat goes on and on.

Mallard duck brought her brood to see the pond, then left them for a long time. They were gone again next morning so we expect they are OK and she came back.

Sometimes writing this blog, hidden away on a hillside above Morecambe Bay, I think of our scattered family, of aspirations for children when they are born and feel surprised that they are their own person and what they do is nothing like I expected. Mind you, whatever it is it does not stop one loving them, you cannot help that but there is always a bit of sadness that they and their children are not next door.

That is one thing the garden lacks - the sound of children laughing and playing.

Enough navel gazing -

With the Pennine moor fire, which we could see from here (47 miles) across the bay and, I think, occasionally smell (Always remember the peat fire smell in Donegal (Doonan)(that for Gillie)). It also turns the moon ruddy like this. The bird is one of the many currant eating blackbirds we have.

Watering garden ++ - borehole ok for now.

I found a hole in the floor of the mower shed and several holes in the sunflower seed sack! In the end, reluctantly resorted to old fashioned mouse traps and immediately caught two.

The rattrap is useless as the great tits wander in and pilfer the bait.

The lawns hardly need mowing as the grass is not growing much.

Two yellow flowering plants - the brachyglottis - grey leaves shrub used to be called senecio,

and good old creeping Jenny, well not always so good - like to spread everywhere but can be ripped up.

Just got the Bushnell video camera from by the lawn and got this -

 As we are by the pond here are a few plants from there - the white water lily on the left - a self sown plant off the main one which is really far too big now.

On the right is then flowering rush.

The trollius chinensis Golden Queen is startling though strange for a globe flower - no globe.
There is a lot of Stachys palustris now, marsh woundwort, on the lower side of the pond and that may need radical culling later in the year.

 Then to this - I am using the i newspaper as lavatory paper for the house martins. Unfortunately they are not very good shots and often miss.
In the end it will go on the compost heap and be recycled.

It is still HOT and no rain forecast for two or more weeks. As we have the borehole I shall put up a sign at the gate - Showers £5, Baths £20 (free if you empty the contents on the garden with a bucket.)

Rambling Rector climbing rose just goes on and on.