GETTING TRENCH FOOT

In fact storm Agnes which will amuse my sister as it is her first name though she never uses it. In fact she is Mrs Agnes Brown and I am sure she wishes she had got copyright on her name before someone in Ireland had the idea of pinching it.

So sodden everywhere, no mowing, gardener scraped moss and liverwort off the hoggin path today, last damsons picked and the badger has been back.

From the trail camera by the bird feeders. It showed the usual rabbits and pheasants and other birds (and a r*t actually trying to climb the cherry.) Do not tell R. She hates them.

The storm came and missed us, going up over Scotland, just a lot (more) rain.

My cousin H came today with her friend M and taking them around our neglected patch made we see it through other eyes. Never mind, just call it a wild garden. Too much for me now I have to admit. And R has plans afoot perhaps to reduce workload?

That was yesterday so a dry day today and out with the mower only to find it is so wet I cannot get the machine back up to the house from the lower garden. In the end manage a long way around. Much of the garden unmowable. 

The council are rebuilding the road in the village so getting out and in is a long way around too.

And now it is tomorrow and raining again. At least it fills the water bin - the council garden waste bin - as we recycle all it has another use.

So to fruit and pears and apples aplenty.

One big one we took yesterday to P along with some pears.

And there are contrasts like the dying ash tree over the far wall and the rose A and P gave us that lover the trellis by the shed.

And we have light coloured flowers to dispel the gloomy clouds - 

Japanese anemones above and Anthemis below. R and I both want more Anthemis - they have flowered well this year.

But one cannot escape the approach of autumn - Virginia creeper on one of the sheds colouring up and Sedum spectabile coming into flower.

Parsley is still doing okay as are the yellows in the back bed where R would like a load of topiary.

And it is still raining and weighing down the poor Annabelle and Sunflowers,

R upstairs on her bed, warm and writing, time to make her a cup of tea.

THISTLEDOWN

 Teacher - Right lad what is Thistledown?

Lad - Er, sir, raining like hell?

And boy has it been raining, so much the surface of the road in the village has risen and is partly blocked pushed up by water.

Been to Connemara so no blog for a bit but gardener has trimmed the lower garden - a bit hard with it so wet. 

Paths flooded and the spring in the middle of the lawn has returned. I have been out raking clear streams and so on.

The image on the right shows then usual stream out of the wood with two adjacent new springs.

The sweet peas have been flattened and the paths are strewn with sticks blown off the trees.

Than the sun comes out to light up the very full pond, the euonymus already starting to show autumn colour and give us a little sunny hope.

That was yesterday, now the heavens are open again and decanting their load onto us.

But when the sun shines some things catch the eye - like the lichen on the great white cherry. So out to pick fruit in the rain - it has knocked all the plums off the tree but we have pears, damsons and the Bramley apples are huge.

And the Elephant grass is over ten feet tall and still growing! R does not really like it but it does give me some rather thin bamboo-like canes to use elsewhere. My son has done up a house but found bamboo in the front garden. I looked up how to get rid of it and the main advice was get in a digger and grub it out. This is not feasible where he is. Would injecting Round Up into the top of the cut stems work - like they do for Japanese knotweed - we may see, fingers crossed.

Sun is out, no it is not, yes it is, I give up - coffee time.

WAITING FOR

 The garden is very still, hot and humid, waiting. Mist in the morning - it seems a bit early for mellow fruitfulness.

The lower garden pre strim is lush with paths in the long grass. There are a few wild flowers like the wild carrot but it does seem to be mostly grass - so much for yellow rattle.

When the sun shines it is hot, 31C on Monday, and the doors in the extension are wide open. We have a new flush of flowers.

I am not sure I like the ratty tailed white flowers here but the valerian seems to go on for ever. The wild fuchsia by the gate I planted to remind me of hedges at Glencolumbkille is loaded with hanging flowers.

Elsewhere there are warms colours, yellows and reds in abundance. The rose is called The Poet's Wife.

But we have blues and purples - a shrubby clematis and Perovskia Blue Spire (never blue).

Just to confirm we do have weeds I found this delightful clump of nettles and bindweed yesterday.

And of course we have fruit - friends picking the glut of plums and damsons but leaving the elderberries and pears - the latter not yet ripe.

I notice that something has had a nibble at the pears.

But fruiting bodies that are not edible - well I have not tried to eat them - are also interesting - yellow flag iris and marsh thistle.

One thing I do like is the peeling bark on the white birches but this year the eucalyptus is doing a much more spectacular job. And then there are surprises like the horse chestnut sapling deep in the wood.

And so to wild life, no not the rabbits that gather by the cattle grid in the morning but the butterflies. Suddenly the garden is full of them, especially red admirals and speckled woods.

Let me finish on a small and perfect not with this little geranium -

Perfect.

SEPTEMBER SONG

 Not the old 78 of The Goons but here we are again at the back end of the year, nights drawing in and the odd bird beginning to sing post moult.

Where to start - some garden views - 

The white birches at the far end,

The clearing in the top corner,

The pond and shed.

The path to the veg beds and the far garden.

 In the darkness behind the top shed above the path to the pond I discovered a surprise - a big rabbit hole. So I stuffed it with old poles but they will have another way out or two I have not yet found.

C came and noted how many butterflies we have compared to his home in Oxford - another sad thought on the demise of the insect world. Our rampant buddleias do help.

Elsewhere there are warm colours in the garden, a sunflower, peculiarly dark nasturtium and bright dahlias.

There are gentler plants too - flowers on the hostas (and not too many holes in the leaves), the widespread seeded wild angelica and wild carrot in the lower garden. 

R brings the garden into the house and this brightens up a dull day with colour.

And there are birds but mainly pigeons - here one has flattened itself against the big living room window leaving the familiar white shadow (can a shadow be white?).

So I am plummed out and the damsons are arriving too. And we have still not used up last year's fruit from the freezer - the wildlife will have a feast.