The English summer

The cliché is that it consists of two fine days and a thunderstorm.  It came early this year, but with a week or so of 30°+ temperatures at the end of May, unrelieved by storms.  The heat has really kicked the roses into action, and shortened the flowering season of the rhododendrons.  Now that we’re officially in summer, we have had a day of torrential thunder showers, and the garden is doing its best to soak it up.  With luck I should get some dry hours to get the roses dead-headed.  

The tomatoes have germinated well, and are pricked out into pots in the sitooterie.  Andy has offered us some peppers and aubergines, so we’ll see how they do in the raised bed.  I’m not sure whether the parsley has survived the attentions of the slugs and snails, but the rocket is doing reasonably well.  I might have another try at sowing spinach.  And parsley…

The wildlife, meanwhile, seems to be thriving.  We have a lot of traffic at the feeders: we’re seeing lots of blue tits, adult and juv, and for the first time we’ve had lots of jackdaws as well, and a woodpecker or two.  The wildlife camera picks up lots of visits from badgers and foxes most nights.

Quite a bit of u3a activity of late.  Our German gang had a good natter based on reports of the Ebola outbreak, and as usual left feeling thoroughly depressed!  We tend to finish our sessions with a good moan about life, the universe and everything.  We’re off to the computer group tomorrow (it clashed with a planned walk on the Commons, but the forecast is not great).  Then on Thursday I’m playing scrabble with a nice group of new friends.  I’m tempted to have a crack at Mah Jong, which I haven’t played for sixty years.  Unfortunately, the cribbage group seems to have withered away: I used to play it at home with the parents, and enjoyed it, but I guess it’s a game that no longer appeals in this day and age.

Anyone remember honesty?

I spend a bit of time playing word games on line.  I’m struck by the number of adverts for miracle cures for everything from peripheral neuropathy, toenail fungus, obesity, erectile dysfunction and skin complaints.  One that cropped up yesterday was for a patch that would give you an instant golden tan.  I just cleared the 56 spam messages from my inbox, telling me of missed deliveries, gambling wins, bounced payments, and of course miraculous penile enhancement.  Most times the phone rings it’s ’Bank security department’ or someone offering me a job interview.  There have been lots of AI announcements purportedly from Martin Lewis, Richard Branson and even Keir Starmer offering get-rich-quick schemes.  More sinister altogether is an advert, purportedly from the BBC, promoting lies from Farage.  The miracle weight loss patches are typically branded as Boots or Superdrug, inter alia.

I suppose we have the world of politics to blame for the extinction of honesty and integrity.  Right back from 1960s political philosophy classes, I still struggle with the question ‘why do we value democracy?’   Discuss.

Silver linings

The issue that led to our cancelling our cruise turned out to be less serious than we thought.  Remains to be seen whether the insurance will pay up.  

The other good news is that we get to see the garden at its best.  The roses are coming into flower, the rhododendrons are looking great, and sowings of sweet peas and nasturtiums have germinated.  So too have the tomatoes, though we sowed too late to expect much of a crop.  Our little rosemary hedge is looking good: Ben clipped it down a bit last week to encourage it to keep bushing out.  The cornus and willow are sprouting well after Ben’s and my efforts to hack down last year’s growth, so we should have plenty of colour next winter.  The roses have responded remarkably well to a top dressing of muck, and even without that, Queen Elizabeth has nearly grown past the top of the kitchen window: astonishing, since it is growing in next to nothing in a tiny bed on the terrace.

We’re using our unexpected free time to catch up with friends: tea with a local friend tomorrow, and I’m meeting ex-beak colleagues in a week or so’s time.  It’s a shame we’ve missed a chance to get together with the friends from Wakefield we met on another cruise years ago, but plan a trip to Yorkshire in the summer, and will hope to catch up then.

The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley

 For reasons I’ll maybe come back to in due course, we have cancelled our stay in the floating care home.  We’re sad not to be getting together again with our friends from Wakefield: maybe another time.  

Well, I guess we’ll get to enjoy the garden, which is at its best in May and June.  Nasturtiums and sweet peas are germinating, as is the rocket, and I shall sow some tomatoes in the hope of a late crop.  Too late for first early spuds, though, so we’ll have to rely on Fortnums.

Spring at last

The recent warm weather - and Ben’s administration of three cubic meters of muck - have kicked the garden into action.  The climber Arthur Bell is flowering vigorously, Blue for You will be next, and Geoff Hamilton, aka Edna, in whose memory we planted it, is beginning to show colour.  More recently planted, Diamond Days Forever (Michael), Ingrid Bergman (Rowena) and Phab Gold (Tim).  Round the side, the viburnum is looking terrific, and Compassion (Margaret) is doing well.  Hope this doesn’t sound too morbid: I like to think of people we miss through beautiful things that I can look after, rather than with cut flowers that go in the compost after two day.  Must look out for something to remember Mary by: it’ll have to be strong and in yer face!

Sweet peas seem to be germinating, as is rocket.  Parsley and nasturtium are taking their time.  We shall have fewer apples this year - probably just as well, since we’re still slowly working our way through last year’s bumper crop.  We haven’t started spuds or tomatoes this year, since we shall be away when they’re in most need of attention.  I’ll do a late sowing of tomatoes, and hope for the best.

We’re looking forward to a lazy couple of weeks in the floating care home, though we’re a bit anxious about the fact that our cabin is just above the galley!  But we’re looking forward to seeing new places, and even more to seeing old friends we met years ago on another Mediterranean cruise.  Watch this space!

McPherson’s Law

What can go wrong will go wrong.  I had the German conversation gang here this morning - eight of us round the table.  It being my turn to host, I’d chosen a couple of texts, one about the value of eating together, and the other about the importance of drinking plenty of water.  The first sounded a bit ’Polyanna’, and the second a bit schoolmarmish, so that provoked some lively discussion.

Unfortunately, our cafetière sprung a leak just I was preparing coffee for the guests.  There was just enough proper coffee to go round them as wanted, but I had to make the decaf stuff by the old-fashioned jug method.  Well, so far as I know, ingen spudde, ingen dog, as my Swedish friends would say.  And I’ve ordered a replacement from our generous and altruistic friend Mr Bezos, malgré moi.

Well, the long awaited cheque has at last appeared in the bank account, so I shall unleash my snottygram to the CEO tomorrow.

Hypertension, and relaxation

The bank story went from awful to ridiculous.  After trying for days by phone to reach the branch I'd sent the cheque to, they finally answered their phone yesterday.  (In the meantime, their call centre operation had achieved the square root of bugger-all.)  ‘No we haven’t received the cheque.  But it might be in our outside letterbox.’  Evidently they don’t check the letterbox often, because the postman usually comes in and hands the mail across the counter.  At my insistence, they checked said mailbox and found my letter and the cheque.  At this point, it would have been lying in the mailbox for fully a week.  I’ll wait until the amount appears in our account, whereupon I shall fire off a snottygram to the CEO of the bank, and look to make a move.  The bank’s automated services are now working well, after something of a mess as they tried to align the buyer bank and seller bank’s IT systems.  But my confidence is wrecked: why do I find myself dealing with such hopelessly incompetent banks?  Names on application.

The car went in on Tuesday for two days for attention to a rattle next to my right lughole.  On the drive home, said rattle was still evident, so it was straight back to the garage.  The mechanic had been told to look for a rattle from nearside front (where I’d reported a noise from the brake, which they’d already sorted).  I took him out for a little drive so he could locate the rattle I'd reported.  Having been without the car for 24+ hours to no useful effect, I’ve now booked it in again in June month!  Paciência.

Today’s beautiful weather has allowed us to sit outside under the umbrella for much of the afternoon.  The painters were here yesterday, so we no longer have to look at a rather weather-beaten summerhouse when we’re out on the terrace.  It’s looking smart, and painter Jason had time to paint the hall skirting boards as well. The hall ceiling awaits his attention, but we’re finally making some progress.