A Rose and Rosie enjoying the great outdoors again.

I love Roses - but I'm useless at looking after them.  I use good quality compost, feed them, water them, keep them clear of pests and diseases but despite avidly watching Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh and various YouTube videos, I don't have the knack of pruning them correctly. Well, that's the only reason I can think of why I don't spend my summer months enjoying their beauty and perfume.

There's just one exception.

When my huge Conifer hedge was removed from the front garden (way past it's best and consisting of more dead patches than greenery) I found a struggling little rose that had been almost completely hidden under that great hedge: it had just one bloom, a pretty speckled pink one, and I felt it deserved a chance to grow properly. Large pot, best compost, regular feeding, etc. and it stood in my back garden, just outside the kitchen door where I could keep an eye on it. And it certainly repaid me for its chance!

I've no idea what type of rose it is - perhaps someone can help with that (?) - but it has a subtle, sweet perfume and the bees love it. Since I took these photos, more flowers have opened and many more buds have appeared, so there's very much more to admire. I love it.

I managed to catch the tail-end of a lovely colourful sunset, but I hoped it might indicate a nice day, weatherwise, to follow.

 It rained in the morning but brightened up by lunchtime, so I decided to get out somewhere (anywhere!) in the car to find a quiet place for a wander. 

Cadsonbury Woods

Almost obtained a Benji-photo in this shot. Almost.

Next, he camouflaged himself quite succesfully in the sun-dappled foliage.

Finally, all of him in shot!

This was only the second time we'd been anywhere for a walk since the end of lockdown and it was so enjoyable.  However it made me realise how unfit I had become thanks to all those idle days when I spent a lot of time sitting: reading, browsing the internet, online shopping (only a little and mostly things to make the garden pretty), more reading, knitting.  Now I need to increase the walking. 

Back in February I booked a week's holiday in October, still in Cornwall, not far from Mawgan Porth: there are some lovely walks around there and I need to be fit enough to get around and enjoy the area. Hopefully, I shall have some photos to share in my blog!

Happy Fathers' Day!

My Dad passed away in 1966. He had chronic asthma and to make matters worse, his job involved working long days breathing in concrete dust, as he worked at a Concrete Pipeworks.

But in later years we moved to Leicester, where he and I had jobs in the same area. Sometimes, during our dinner break, I would go out for a walk and see him across the far side of a busy junction, in his blue overalls and flat cap worn at a jaunty angle, heading towards the bakery shop, where he would treat himself to a cake.

I would think "That's my Dad!" and get myself over the junction to reach him and walk with him a little way before we both had to head to our respective workplaces.

I'd give anything to see him again now; a short while ago I realised I'd forgotten his voice. :( 

But this morning, on Fathers' Day, I picked a lovely spray of white flowers and they are now on the mantelpiece in his memory.

Happy Fathers' Day, Dad.  Love you. x

Do dogs get headaches?

Yesterday I had a mechanic working on my car in the drive and I offered him a drink.  Came in and made him a coffee and a flavoured Latte (with extra teaspoonful of coffee) for myself.  Leaving mine on the coffee table, I took his drink outside, then got drawn into conversation about the car and what he was doing. 

Eventually, I remembered my cooling coffee and  went back in home to drink it.  But the mug was empty.  For the life of me I couldn't remember drinking it but put it down to my somewhat erratic memory (oh, the joys of getting old!) 

While the mechanic  was working he made a discovery . . .  the tank was full of PETROL instead of the diesel fuel that should have been there!  Oh the shame - and the panic when I realised what I'd done.

Luckily, my son had looked online and found 'Wrong Fuel Ltd' who now had a technician on the way to remove the contaminated petrol and clean the filter before adding some diesel to the tank and getting it running again.

Once again, I offered the feller a drink and made him a coffee - plus another Latte with extra teaspoon of coffee for myself. And once again, I stayed outside for a while, fascinated by what was going on. Eventually, he had the car running perfectly and made sure it was to my satisfaction before leaving, when I returned to my Latte - except once again the mug was empty.  Was I going mad?

But this time there was incriminating evidence which pointed to the culprit - splashes of coffee on the table and on the TV remote and on my book,

"It was YOU, wasn't it?" I stared at the innocent little face of Benji, who decided at that moment to make a dash for his bed in the hall. 

I'd been wondering why I had a headache as I rarely get them, but now realised it was probably caffeine withdrawal. Then it struck me that my little dog, all 10kg of him, now had quite a large amount of caffeine inside him and would possibly be climbing the walls later. I hoped he wouldn't be keeping me awake all night.  He seemed on 'high alert' for a while, but half an hour later he was crashed out on his blanket on the sofa, snoring, yipping and twitching. 

He did disturb my sleep last night but not because he was running around: quite the opposite in fact. Once in his bed he slept heavily,  so heavily that I had to keep checking that he was still breathing.  He barely flickered an eyelid when I stroked him and spoke to him, so I couldn't relax at all. 

This morning he's absolutely fine, while I am shattered. I need a strong coffee!

I wonder if he has a headache now - do dogs get headaches?

Life and death in the greenhouse.

At midnight I was in the greenhouse, with a torch, searching for whatever was chomping on my strawberry plants, petunias, fuchsias and several of the herbs.  After rearing them from tiny plug plants and carefully placing them in prime positions under glass, I wasn't ready to let them be gobbled up by slimy predators. And I found him!  A ruddy big snail, balanced on a new shoot of the strawberry plant.  I picked him off and disposed of him - no details about that. Let's just say he won't be creating havoc amongst my plants ever again.  I searched the greenhouse but found no others; now I wait to see if there are any more plant-eaters.

Stock photo

(continued . . )

Yes, there was more damage on the following day; all 5 Fuchsias have now been eaten; the strawberry plant has lost more young leaves and another herb has been destroyed. It's WAR! 

So I've re-planted the remaining Strawberry in the large GroBag alongside the two Tomato plants and stood the other plants on sharp grit in a deep tray. After 3 more torchlight forays, I've only found one more snail and that was on the floor of the greenhouse.  Now removed and disposed of - and no more chomping of my plants. Happily, the Strawberry seems to be doing well in the GroBag, being fed weekly on Tomato feed.

In the kitchen window I now have 5 more Jumbo plugs - Pelargoniums -  and a Clematis (The President), which is described as a 'rampant climber' that will have large, deep purple flowers. The Pelargoniums are a further part delivery from my order, while the Clematis was a lovely surprise present, given by my daughter-in-law. As it is such a rampant climber, I intend planting it in the front garden directly alongside  my neighbour's huge, dark (and ugly!) conifer tree which overhangs my garden by quite a lot, in the hope that the Clematis will scramble up and over it and make it a thing of beauty.

Apologies for the lack of photos - I'll be so glad to get out and about again when it's safe to do so.