As the song says:
In a clouded sky the sun is high,
shining on…
Gulls
who are still interested in the ploughed field next door.
But also on….
a Rose in June
Red ones
Blue ones
Yellow ones (and as you know, yellow does attract small insects)
Pinks ones
(This flower would like to say “I know I am not a rose but why should I be left out?)
In addition to the fruits of our cultivation, we are surrounded by roses which thrive quite happily in the wild
Maybe not as hot here as in some parts of the country
but 27 degrees is quite warm enough for us.
Real Lupin weather
So here are some tips for keeping cool
Number 1 – Build yourself a large pond
The air is cooler near the water
and you can enjoy watching mating damselflies
Number 2 – Grow yourself a small wood
bright outside, cool and shady inside
Sure to stay tranquil
Number 3 – Eat lots of lettuce
PS – don’t forget to catch the sun and save it for a rainy day
A record breaking 31 kWh for us today
A bit like Burnham Wood, all of a sudden we are surrounded
Supposedly a plant that prefers woodland shade or under hedges at field margins
they leap up everywhere
From lurking at ground level they suddenly block your way
and hit you at eye level
They have plenty of spacious settings but in addition squeeze themselves into every available nook and cranny
No wonder they are so successful. Their intricate insides are equipped with visual and mechanical devices
to entice pollinators
who see them as perfectly designed charging ports
fitting like a glove
As one floret falls
another opens
while, as a by-product, providing us with visual splendour and a heady scent.
This post might be very similar to the last one. The problem is, June is a bit of a cliché
It can’t be helped that each moment is one of ecstasy
A clichéd Cosmos
Aquilegia are magical
Foxgloves have erupted from every nook and cranny
Even daisies become exotic
A few more seductive blooms
In this season the Lake is mainly designed by Monet
This is one of eruptions from its depths
Lusciousness
and new life
and old life
and very old life
(We are taking part in a sunflower growing group in support of Ukraine and are not at all competitive)
June 9th and we can feel the Solstice creeping up.
The Strawberry Moon is slowly waxing
and so are the strawberries
Some times of year we want to fast forward, now we went to play at half speed
It is our first year growing Sweet Peas
we are looking forward to these peas
Aquilegia in front of Lupins
Today the first Poppy emerged
and took off its hat
Irises round the lake
and we relocated the Gunnera to a place where it can expand
Despite having kept bees for several years we have never had one of our colonies swarm (as far as we know)
And then yesterday we spotted this
Now a decent swarm would hang itself from a branch from where it could be tidily knocked into a box but this lot had decided to congregate on a stump.
Our two colonies still seemed busy
but this breakaway group were definitely plotting
We quickly improvised a hive and gave them a pathway to security
They made tentative advances
But by nightfall had retreated into a plotting huddle. They were still there this morning so we tried another tactic with a tempting box to adopt
Meanwhile we tried to sort out our miscellaneous hive collection
and managed to piece together a structure to erect over the swarm
as rain was on the way
They may or may not cooperate. Mr Buzz the Beekeeper is certainly puzzled
Second day of ploughing in the field next to us
and the Kites fly in
Plus one Gull
an d at least two pairs of Wagtails
On our three and a half acres we have many, many trees. Scores were planted in an empty field by our predecessors over their twenty year tenure. We have tended self-sown seedlings, planted a couple of hundred Woodland Trust whips and a dozen or so specialist standards. Only a few hedgerow survivors predate this activity and the elder is an Ash
She has seen so much that she doesn’t stir easily. June starting and she is only just thinking of leaves. But she watches quietly, over the Mistle Thrushes recently nesting in her boughs, and (maybe) knocking down the young Magpies who harass them.
She sits on a hedge line. In the field beyond her stands a solitary oak, the sole survivor of an older hedge. The rest of the field is a bit sparse, having been resown with rye grass four years ago. And now the nettles have moved in
So it all has to be killed off
Ploughed up
and started again
We do preserve an area so the Ash can avoid having her roots ripped through
and continue her watch
Blue, or is it Purple, and Yellow seem to be the colours of the day here.
We have a “Blue Rose”, its first flowering today looks a bit purple
Our Deep Purple Lupin is trying to influence the Slightly Pink ones
Aquilegias are out in force
Buttercups dominate the Meadow at the moment
Having just had solar panels put on our roof we are more than ever sensitive to Blue Skies
Irises are always amazing, whether Blue
or Yellow
and we discovered a new, as yet unidentified Blue flower appearing in the Meadow today
Gribin Isaf 