MAY - MAYBE?

Well, we have had it all, nearly, Sunshine (almost warm), now rain and also hailstorms. The latter flattened my newly planted out seedlings, blasted the petals off the tulips and so on.

It is a cold May and the ash are just getting their leaves - so we will be in for a splash as the oak is ahead - no soak then, or so we thought until Thursday.

We have no swallows. no house martins just house and tree sparrows taking over the nests. The one at the north gable fell off with the death of two chicks.

In the garden I have removed the dead rose and lavateria and tidied the dead wood on the buddleias. I have lightly trimmed the box balls.

 We went to Beetham garden centre for a lunch (and met Ruarri!) and bought a white lupin for the gardening and a stephanotis.

In the house we have an epiphyllum (not the big ones) that belonged to my mother - she died over twenty years ago - and in the garden the yellow tree lupin from her garden. Talking of yellow flowers the welsh poppies are doing well self spreading, the azaleas are full of flower and the berbers is heavy with blooms.

Leaving from the house the top banking is full of the blue camassias and the first oriental poppy is out. The pieris is struggling to escape the clutch of the Rambling Rector rose.

On to the woodland and the start of the glorious display of red campion. The pignut is already lighting up the bankings.

Then to the sanctuary in the far corner, a seat surrounded by trees.

Coming down through the bluebells we reach a working part of the garden with the new compost heaps and bonfire heap. The scar of an old bonfire in the foreground provides wood ash for the fruit bushes.

On to the lower garden past a patch of daisies in the "lawn" - we love them and our lawn would not meet the requirements of a purist - just cut grass, plantain, daisies, the odd thistle (I try to minimise those). The crab apples, a bit hidden away is terrific and the lilac is well in flower above the pond.

The pond is getting full and R is mentioning having steps from the house down to it as shown in this mown path.

Recently, on Facebook, a discussion re Green Alkanet and its relations discussed comfrey. In the garden we have the Common plant and also the white version. I have not yet tried to make Monty Don's smelly fertiliser from them.

Finally I shall finish with a view from the shed up the garden over the pond whilst the sun actually shone.