Ravendale House

Today I thought I’d have a look back at my gardening year, highs, lows and everything in-between. It’s not been the greatest year due to the poor summer weather and my bad shoulder, but here goes anyway.

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It’s blowing a gale today, no change there then, so I looked for an indoor job to do.

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They say a weed is just a plant growing in the wrong place. Whilst I would argue there are some exceptions to this, I do think it perfectly describes the Speedwell that grows in one part of our garden.

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I seem to have been travelling down memory lane a lot recently what with teenage holidays in Wales and Sunday School concerts. I suppose that’s one draw-back of growing older, your single track road turns into a 3 lane motorway of memories to choose from.

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As a teenager in the late 1960’s I can remember many happy holidays spent with my family on the Lleyn Peninsula in North Wales. It was on one of those holidays that I first read the book ‘I Bought a Mountain’ by Thomas Firbank.

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‘Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home your house is on fire  – – – -‘  is the opening line of the old children’s nursery rhyme. One of my earliest recollections as a child was appearing, as a ladybird, in a Sunday School concert. I must have been about 7 or 8 years old.

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Yesterday it rained from the moment I got up, to the moment I went to bed. What a miserable rotten day, and August too. However, they say every cloud etc. etc. and so it was yesterday.

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I don’t really think you can say you’ve had a tomato until you’ve eaten one, warmed by the sun, straight from the plant.

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In my experience August is normally a quiet month in the gardening calendar. The weather is usually settled, dry and warm. Plants and seedlings have been planted out, vegetables and fruits have been gathered in, stored or preserved. Most of the garden birds have packed their red and white spotted hankies and gone to visit friends. (Where do birds go in August?) All is well with the world. So why not sit back and simply appreciate all your hard work.

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Well, to be more accurate, it’s really the tale of about a dozen sunflowers, but 2 different varieties.

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