Butterflies in the garden
Combining in the village
Eddie enjoying the seaside
Our first apple
In August I was mainly:
- working in all weathers, even a thunderstorm! You've never seen me weed so fast.
- walking the dog in clouds of dust - see combining.
- killing flies.
- making courgette soup (after washing one's hands).
- filling the freezer with beans (various).
- trying to get a bat out of the bedroom at 5am.
- spotting three barn owls, one hare and a polecat!
- reading in my steamer chair at the end of the garden under the lilac tree and then falling asleep.
I had a self indulgent trip to London on the train to meet up with Maisie one Saturday. We had our favourite vegetarian fish and chips in the Chelsea Potter pub on the King's Road. Apparently the pub was built in 1842 and Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones were once visitors.
Chelsea Potter pub.
Nice pint.
We strolled up Bywater Street
We then went on to Notting Hill
Love this shop!
It was very busy
By the end of the day we were exhausted.
Back in Salisbury for a very grey, cold picnic outside the Cathedral whilst listening to big band music.
Swing Unlimited Big Band with dancers dressed in 1940's gear
The weather has been so changeable that we haven't sat outside as much as earlier in the summer.
Summer colour
Echinacea
Oi! Get off!
Cosmos - Pied Piper Red
Achillea brightening up a grey day
I was determined not to waste a single home grown courgette, no matter how many we had! The freezer is full of soup for the winter.
Courgette and lemon soup
Courgette and Parmesan soup
Courgette and ginger soup (favourite)
I made a (stiff!) batch of marmalade.
We took Eddie to Hengistbury Head again
It was freezing, windy and raining but it didn't dampen Eddie's enthusiasm
I picked a few things to identify once back home in the dry.
Pink Sea Aster - common on salt mashes, cliffs and rocks
White flower is some kind of mustard, cress or cabbage plant. Forgot to bring a leaf home so couldn't identify it!
Rock Samphire - not very common plant of rocks and cliffs by the sea. You can use the thick, fleshy leaves for making pickles and the carroty taste makes it good in salads. The leaves really smell of lemon oil.
I've also been in the hedgerows at home. This is Old Man - before the beard
Basil brought over delicious chocolate brownies and had a cuddle with Frank
We have been inundated with house martins. One morning there were hundreds in our tulip tree, on all the telegraph wires, even on our washing line! The next day they were all gone, back to Africa. They've got the right idea.
House martins getting ready for the off
The roses seem to have survived being moved when we had the front garden re-done.
Gertrude Jekyll
Alderley Park rose
We have been arty farty whilst listening to tunes.
Esme helped with the 'cuttin and stickin'
Oliver came over for a gossip over a massive dish of maccy cheese
A typical August sky!
Autumn has arrived early - I don't mind in a way as there's more to spot on my walks.
Rosehips
I would love to try making rosehip syrup. Add to long list of things to do!
The strange Bedeguar Gall or Robin's Pincushion on a Dog Rose
I'm now on the lookout for fungi and looking forward to woolly cardy and scarf wearing - yes!
Looking down in to the valley and I've lost the dog.....
'A nomad I will remain for life, in love with distant and uncharted places.'
- Isabelle Eberhardt (from Tristan Gooley's 'How to read water')
