IT IS A NEW WORLD

Starting to look like summer is over again - R needed hot water bottle last night. 
Lay in bed this morning listening to our three clocks chiming the minutes away and thought of being in the Hall Arm Narrows of Doubtful Sound listening to nothing but the occasional Tui.

Then I thought I could just wander up the garden to the far lawn and sit on the bench and listen to the football rattle of a cock pheasant.

There we were trundling along but now this virus means the world will never be the same as it was in 2019. It is an event that changed the world. 

Back to gardening - the plants have not noticed the change - the old raspberries are pruned out and new canes tied in. Still picking black currants. In the autumn I moved our gooseberries, plagued by sawfly and mildew, to a dark corner by the mower shed and we have had a dozen small fruit, but that is all. Then I noticed fresh earth behind the shed. I have found a rabbit warren! No wonder things get eaten! Having attacked the big rosemary and big brachyglottis (we still call them senecios) we now have a big scar on the banking in front of the kitchen - yet, at least, we can now see the pond and the heron fishing for newts. (Too many 'bigs' there.)

The pond is getting a bit overgrown and more plant culling will be needed. R has taken off the big pods from the yellow flag iris, the meadowsweet is well out. In the lush growth the flying birds by the blacksmith Adam Booth from Kirkpatrick Durham are becoming hidden.

Elsewhere there are some bold colours appearing now - Crocosmia Lucifer, the vibrant orange day lilies and still scattering of self sown opium poppies.

       

  

The lower garden is full of long wet grass so when S the gardener comes I will get him to cut it back beside the paths so legs keep drier. At some point we will need to go haymaking -  after any wild flower seed has fallen.


This is Rose Grouse, a ground cover plant I got from David Austin - it works but is an evil thug, needs thick leather gloves when pruning.

Lit the wood burner last night! July and 15C. Wild fires and record temperatures in Siberia. It is raining again.