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.
