June - burstin out all over

Last month I was mostly tired, bitten by red ants and sweaty.... nice.

Gazania in the garden

Spotted an unusual library whilst drinking coffee in a lay-by

Home grown strawberries - Eddie's favourite

Thinking of making lettuce soup - not really

In June I saw:-

- a grey poplar on the farm covered in honey bees.  The leaves had a fungus on them which I later found the bees are attracted to.

- a muntjac deer on a drive home.

- a sparrowhawk on a dog walk.

- a great spotted woodpecker on our fence.

- a couple of dead moles at the bar of my local pub - don't ask.  They weren't drinking.

- a surprise fly past by the Red Arrows over my parents' garden on Father's Day!

- Eddie drink some of my home brew.  He is still alive.

- a play in a (very hot) caravan.  The audience numbered 8.

- Sarah fall down a hole outside the Cathedral (and this was before going to the pub).

- bats, toads, moths and snails whilst sitting in the garden at 11pm with a glass of squash - ha ha.

- an empty tap when we had no water on the hottest day of the year. 

- my Spanish hat float off down the river after a gust of wind took it off my bouffont of a hair do (hate humidity).

- and best of all - the European Space Station!  Yahoo!  All the times I have looked out for it and just when I stop looking there it goes.

June has been full of surprises.

This bearded iris appeared out of nowhere.  It looked a bit weird sticking up out of a pot but I didn't have the heart to pull it out.

Sarah's Mum Beryl having a proud moment with her prize dahlia

Esme turned 18.  Baby chick is now peeping over the edge of the nest, whilst I.....

try not to have too many of these.

It has been so hot trying to do gardening for customers.  When it is 32 degrees in the shade and you are sat in a car with a petrol mower, hair like Leo Sayer, no make up, sweaty and covered in dirt it is not funny.  Some days we have had to finish early but I try to make the most of it by cooking instead. What a wally.

I made celeriac remoulade for the first time.  It reminds me of France, sigh.....

Can't beat rock buns.

or chocolate chip cookies.

There is so much to discover at this time of year.  What on earth do I do in the winter?

A frog in a customer's pond

I found this whilst weeding a customer's border

and this in our greenhouse.  Agh!  It was huge.  Not good with flappy things.  Sarah had to go over the road and borrow a neighbour's fishing net to catch it.

Here is our woodpecker.  Pic taken from bedroom window but you can see what it is can't you?

I spent a lovely morning mooching around Wilton and the charity shops - me time.

St Mary & St Nicholas, Wilton.  I love this church so much.  

With that sky you could think you are in Italy(ish).

Charity shopping.

I bought this green jug for £2.

We have had some lovely flowers in the garden.  No long shots though - too many weeds.

Pick and mix from the garden

Astrantia near the log store

Gorgeous smelling peonies in the front garden

Poppy

Another peony

But these South African gazanias really float my boat

See what I mean

We visited Longford Castle for the first time for an open afternoon in aid of the Horatio's Garden charity. 

The Elizabethan house is stunning - so wanted to go inside.

The gardens weren't too bad either!

Sarah blending in with the purple border

The produce is coming on.

Radishes

Strawberries under the anti bird (and dog) netting

Trying lollo rosso this year

The cows have enjoyed eating the red hot pokers

and staring at me as I try and read my book at the end of the garden

I love being able to go for a dog walk later in the evening,

see blue sky rather than the usual grey blanket we live under.

But I don't like being woken at 5am every morning by the cows!  Grrrr....

We loved the few gardens we saw at Seend Open Gardens.  It was such a shame that it was too hot to see all of them.

The Manor House was beautiful

Eddie came with us but it was too hot for him too.

Eddie having a cool evening walk

Frank doing what he does best

Even the Cathedral was hot inside when we sang in a concert there.  That must be a first.  Usually you need your fur coat on, even in the summer.

 

Sculpture in the Cathedral close

Walking Woman (bronze) by Lynn Chadwick 1914 - 2003

I'd like to see the bunch of keys for the Cathedral!

The Walking Madonna by Elizabeth Frink

The countryside looks more August than July at the moment because of the hot weather.  Will Autumn come early?

Looks like an Angie Lewin linocut

Eddie and I want to hold on to these longer days as long as possible

But the baling has started already

I shall try and live in the moment like Eddie

Off for an ice cream and sit down with my feet up. 

Dark November.....

This month I have been mostly staggering around the lanes in the dark, pretending to be brave.

Summer seems a distant memory

I am by no means scared of the dark or of walking on my own in the middle of nowhere but even I find it hard not to be spooked when walking the dog in COMPLETE darkness with rustling sounds all around me! For some strange reason the 6.30am dark walk never seems as spooky as the 5.00pm dark walk.  May be it is the feeling that people are waking up, lights are coming on in the valley and the knowledge that the sky will gradually get lighter.

November:

- We have been decorating every weekend.  I completely missed autumn's final flourish and my walk in Grovely woods.  By the time the plasterer, builder, roofer, carpet layers etc had gone - so had the leaves......

- We visited the autumn book fair at the 'sausage roll church' (don't ask, it's a long story).  Found some bargains!  'The Spire' William Golding, several Agatha Christie and 'The French Lieutenant's Woman' - all for under a pound each.  Yes!

-  I sang Mozart's Requiem to a sold out audience - not on my own, I hasten to add.

- The ducks have gone to a better place - not heaven, the New Forest.

- Frank has ventured outside, briefly.  He has been institutionalised, living indoors for four years and finds the big world outside a bit scary.  He ducks every time a bird flies over, bless.

- Had lunch at Fisherton Mill gallery with my colleague and ex-colleague.  Had hummus, chickpea and olive open sandwich - yum.  I wanted cake too but didn't want to appear greedy.

- I watched a fabulous documentary on Sarah's kindle called 'Fabulous Fashionistas' that was originally shown on Channel Four.  So inspiring to see women in their 80's not giving in to age or stereotypes and wearing bright, mad, vibrant clothes.  I won't be watching anything else on the kindle as Sarah dropped it in the bath last night.  I say nothing.....

- I made chocolate chip muffins.  They didn't last long enough for a photo shoot.

- We booked two holidays for next year!

Going back to Halloween....

The pumpkin pie was nice - sort of custardy in flavour

There is still colour to be found if you look hard enough.

Spindle tree - it thrives on chalky soil 

Their wood is extremely hard and was once used for wool spindles.  I love the combination of bright pink fruit and orange seeds.

Colour in the front garden

I helped Sarah to make her mincemeat - home made mince pies, can't wait!

No more duckies....

I remember the day we brought the ducklings home - they were so cute

But we were struggling with the noise (Indian Runner ducks are supposed to be quiet!) and worrying about the neighbours.  They have gone to a friend of the roofer who has a two and a half acre plot in the New Forest where they can run and quack as much a they like, with lots of other animals to play with, including two Emu's!!

The garden is so quiet and their pen looks very empty.

The Mozart concert went well.  This is the symbol for 'full chest voice' - we have a mad choir master.

Rude

We have had the first hard frosts this month

Quick, get that vitamin D!

We've had our first fires 

Been warming the beer up at the local!! 

A rare visit to Salisbury to buy curtains and a pleasant walk -

 

The Greencroft in Salisbury 

It's hard to believe this was once used as a place of execution and a burial plot for plague victims in the 17th Century!

I saw lots of squirrels scrambling up and down the trees.

These gardens still hold some of the original city ramparts built around 1415.  

Bourne Hill House gardens

Sarah said that when she played here as a child this structure was always referred to as 'Devil's Gate'.  I'm still trying to find out what this is.....In 1791 the 15th century gothic porch from Salisbury Cathedral was erected in the parkland - could this be it?

Frank has ventured outside but not very far.

Before retiring back in to the warm and commandeering MY chair!

I am having a snooze......

The cows are nice and warm in the barn

The sun is so low this time of year

A walk to see the autumn colour at Hare Warren yesterday - alas, I'm about a week too late.  

So I kicked through the leaves instead

I found what I think could be honey fungus

The last few leaves, clinging on for dear life

The pigs were being fed.  They were very noisy. 

One fellow walker said it sounded like a dinosaur as she emerged from the woods!

Who said that?

Leaves from the Ribus in the front garden 

I have been studying shapes

And treating myself to a splash of colour   

I bought these in a gorgeous little craft shop in Wilton shopping village.  The home made, crafty looking items and woman painting in the window drew me in and I ended up buying some Christmas pressies - everything was made locally.

I was inspired to get my paints out when I got home!

I yearn for colour at the moment.  

I want to wear it, paint it, eat it (I can't stop eating Clementines).  

I'm looking forward to decorating the tree next month with my much loved decorations that I have been collecting over the years and from different countries (before Frank pulls it over) and surrounding myself with lots of sparkly lights, glitter and brightly coloured wrapping paper.....