Mr Wolf

DSCI0037 - CopyWe have no interest in you daft people at all, we are independent Shetland ponies, cool, self-reliant and effortlessly beautiful, why would we even consider following you?  Ridiculous!

DSCI0038 - CopyWe were going this way anyway.

DSCI0048 - CopyQuick I think we’ve been spotted, Pip you check that dock, I will pretend I have an itch, Muffin close your eyes they might not see us, and Tiny, well you can have a snack.

DSCI0050 - CopyOK it’s a fair cop, we were trotting along just to be sociable, to make sure you didn’t get into trouble, you never know what those Dexters might get up to.  You also never know when some apples will come into the equation, we wouldnt want to miss a munching opportunity!

Bobby the Diligent

DSCI0019 (2)Bobby has a very important job, she is chief chicken watcher.  All day long, she stands sentry at her post watching for any protocol infringements.  She rarely leaves this spot, only perhaps the odd break for a jolly race around the lawn with a stick, or a brief but enthusiastic greeting to a visiting gardener.  Her vigil is relentless.  She doesn’t bark, or try to chase them, she just watches, watches, watches.  Intensely.  These birds are tricky customers, you never know quite when they might rise up and ………, actually quite what they are going to do is unclear.  But Bobby knows, and that is all that matters.  She is a very diligent and beautiful girl.

Waiting Patiently

IMG_3963This agapanthus has confirmed its intention to flower, now it is not a matter of “if” but of “when”.  Looking beautiful in its lilac infused casing, I can wait until the time is right, in fact the anticipation enhances the experience.  Each day I will check for fault lines and the bulgings of the eager blooms, until one evening I will come home to find a fully formed sphere of indigo.   That is how it works, it won’t be hurried, I won’t be impatient.  Possibly.  I will try very hard anyway.

Heat wave, what heat wave?

IMG_3910 (2)They promised a heat wave.  Lasting the whole week, with blistering sunshine and record temperatures.  The scoundrels promised me!  So what did we get?  Rain.  Not a shower or a mist of mizzle, proper heavy soaking rain all morning and well into the afternoon.  As a gardener I should be pleased.  As a human being I was outraged.  Initially I resisted putting sensible clothing on, my disbelief preventing me from committing to this weather.  Eventually I conceded.  Then at 2.30pm, now fully encased in waterproofs, the sun came out in full summer glory, as if a switch was flicked.   As if it was a hilarious joke on me.  Result: boil in the bag gardener.  This phenomenon is not something I would recommend to even rapid weight loss junkies.

Treacle

DSCI0031My morning was spent extracting couch grass from L&L’s geranium border.  Unlike yesterday there was little sun, just thick and heavy air with the occasional teasing drop of lukewarm rain.   It was like running in treacle.  Although the weather made it rather a gruelling task, I was reinvigorated by “all you could drink” Mexican Lime cordial, the speciality of the house.  The afternoon saw me driving down lanes, past the historic Great Field of Braunton with its swan strewn dykes and flatland views out to the Burrows beyond.  Then back again, avoiding the wobbling cyclists and slowing down just enough to make it fun over the humpback bridges.  I was looking for Atlantic Botanic, the new kid in horti town.  Just as I was about to swallow my pride and call the number on their flyer I saw the sign.  I had arrived at a brand spanking new nursery.  It was definitely worth the diversion, actually the diversion was worth the diversion this is very special countryside.  I was welcomed warmly to the AB bosom by owners Kay and Al (unusually these are their real names).  We toured the tunnels and the plant sales, and yes dear reader I did dribble.  Then the weather split open, the pending storm broke and we were blessed by a tremendous thunderstorm.  Diving into the last polytunnel to escape the deluge, I was delighted to find hammocks and a swimming pool (allegedly for their two small children but I have my doubts) amongst the peach trees, aubergines and passion flowers.  There were lots of lovelies for sale including this  which, although tempted, I didn’t buy.  I did get a couple of things though …… surely you didn’t think I managed to resist!  Check out their website and try to guess what I succumbed to http://www.atlanticbotanic.co.uk

Sleep or not to sleep

DSCI0008 (2)The hottest day of the year and we are told it won’t get much cooler tonight.   This concerns me.  We all have skills, things that come naturally to us, we excel in activities that others may struggle over.  This might be watercolour painting, tightrope walking or ventriloquism.  Mine is sleeping.   Generally it takes approximately 30 seconds from when my head hits the pillow to be transported to an eventful and energetic dreamland.  This will last uninterrupted until I am roused and brought back to this other reality a minimum of 8 hours later.  I don’t wish to brag, but I can say without fear of contradiction, I am pretty darned good at sleeping.  Being the possessor of this extraordinary talent is unfortunately a double-edged sword.  If my sublime nighttime slumbers are disturbed by worries, Motorhead practicing next door, or hot Hot HOT I am like a damp flannel the next day.  Unlike some great and not so great statesmen and women I cannot exist on two 10 minute power naps a day.  I need sleep, and I need a lot of it.  After a day acting like a human solar panel, I will probably be releasing some extra heat myself overnight.  So the prognosis is not great for tomorrow, sorry L&L I might be a little groggy in the morning.  If I go missing you might find me curled up behind the camellia, snuggled up in the Alchemilla mollis.