fruits of the flowers

green courgette
yellow courgette
blueberry herbert
blackcurrants

cucumber, homemade pickles
cream sausage(yes really) tomato
nyagous tomatoes
sugar snap ann

Robbie likes Wednesdays

oh I might just chew this rope here
give it a swift tug and see if I can escape
ah, the polo-mint lady's here, I'll pretend I'm an angel. . . . .

...and I whispered to the horse; "Trust no man in whose eye you do not see yourself reflected as an equal"
Don Vincenzo Giobbe circa 1700

in the vegetable garden

garlic cress
green courgette
tomato
tomato

sugar-snap pea
broad bean
rocket
runner bean, not quite flowering yet.

flowers need rain. . .

St Johns Wort, astrantia, monarda
clematis
diggers speedwell
field poppy

also in flower today, philadelphus, primula, rose, sweet pea, persicaria, brunera, foxglove, lupins, campanula, ladys mantle, geranium, monarda, california poppy, lily, borage, geum, carnation, lavender, hemerocalis, hosta, thyme

photo day

I attended a really good digital camera workshop on sunday, run by the SRGC in conjuction with the Scottish Explorers Garden. BIG THANKYOU TO ALL ORGANISERS AND SPEAKERS!!! I had a great time.
the Scottish Explorers Garden is ful of fabulous planting, beautifully laid out
lots of information available from willing volunteer staff
and plants for sale, very dangerous!!

how gorgeous is this! a natural stream runing past mature trees and planted with primula and iris, looking likke they've always been there.
This is the George Forrest Anex, where our course was held. the only problem is that it did not have a loo, I suggest perhaps a compost toilet? maybe I should write to them, and in the spirit of Permaculture, offer to build it?

in various places around the garden there are fabulous garden art benches, all very comfy

I have to admit I did not sit on this one as the surface has gathered a fair amount of water

done and dusted

Today dawned a miserable and wet, so I set-to inside the greenhouse. I removed another small wooden bench from the right hand side and spaced the tomatoes out. I am not very enthusiastic about pinching out so they were all given a good (and overdue) pruning, which I must keep up with daily now. The two tomato plants on the bench are bush tomatoes and aren't going to grow as tall so they should be fine. All the peppers, cucumbers, egg plant and basil were potted on into a fine collection of large used pots recently donated by a kind friend. The floor was swept clean and all used pots, seed trays and drip trays are waiting to go into the bath to be washed.

monday evening

Julia very kindly forwarded this picture of me she took on Monday nights club paddle. we were out on the Clyde, beautiful sunshine in the late evening, fabulous!!

mondays flowers

sneaking in a vegetable picture first, I just got round to putting in supports for the growing sugar snaps and peas. they are sharing a bed with onions and leeks.
in 'close up' you can see all the wee beasties that you didn't notice. . .
monarda
another monarda with a welcome visitor

astrantia major in red
astrantia major in origional
amazing patterns inside the foxglove flower. following information from botanical.com

"The Foxglove is a favourite flower of the honey-bee, and is entirely developed by the visits of this insect. For that reason, its tall and stately spikes of flowers are at their best in those sunny, midsummer days when the bees are busiest. The projecting lower lip of the corolla forms an alighting platform for the bee, and as he pushes his way up the bell, to get at the honey which lies in a ring round the seed vessel at the top of the flower, the anthers of the stamens which lie flat on the corolla above him, are rubbed against his back. Going from flower to flower up the spike, he rubs pollen thus from one blossom on to the cleft stigma of another blossom, and thus the flower is fertilized and seeds are able to be produced. The life of each flower, from the time the bud opens till the time it slips off its corolla, is about six days. An almost incredible number of seeds are produced, a single Foxglove plant providing from one to two million seeds to ensure its propagation.
It is noteworthy that although the flower is such a favourite with bees and is much visited by other smaller insects, who may be seen taking refuge from cold and wet in its drooping blossoms on chilly evenings, yet no animals will browse upon the plant, perhaps instinctively recognizing its poisonous character.
The Foxglove derives its common name from the shape of the flowers resembling the finger of a glove. It was originally Folksglove - the glove of the 'good folk' or fairies, whose favourite haunts were supposed to be in the deep hollows and woody dells, where the Foxglove delights to grow. Folksglove is one of its oldest names, and is mentioned in a list of plants in the time of Edward III. Its Norwegian name, Revbielde (Foxbell), is the only foreign one that alludes to the Fox, though there is a northern legend that bad fairies gave these blossoms to the fox that he might put them on his toes to soften his tread when he prowled among the roosts. "

of boats

I offered to help at a scout jamboree and spent all day assisting(floating about) the instructor, nice little plastic boats to play in, I was paddling the rather nice blue one, lots of scouts taken out and no capsizes amazingly!
this is the model tug Frances, and she can pull too! variously single or rafted kaykakers, a blow up dingy and a canoe full of scouts!
men who play with boats have lunch, and discuss boats
I thought the 'smoke' on this one was quite fetching, it was produced by an incense stick stuck down the chimney. I dont remeber this ones name but its a copy of an edwardian ramming naval vessel.

Robbie goes driving

this is Robbie's competition four wheeler Bennington, he has been at a driving centre to be brought back into training. Barbara-Ann and Dave used to do a lot of driving and competitions with him but he's quite a large beastie so they feel its better if somebody very experienced gets him over his initial 'whats this?'
Barbara-Ann gets a good smart trot from him along the road. I was standing on the back with the instructor, it was very comfortable as the cart is fully sprung and has a wide backstep, there was also a wee side bit you could sit on. And it was a lovely sunny day in the Scottish countryside, near Biggar, fab!

more salad!

here is one little tomato hiding in the. . .
tomato jungle!! the greenhouse muddled and these really should be more spaced out than this!
I have remembered to sow extra lettuce for when the ones I am eating run out, there has been salad every day for over two weeks and some for friends too. very generous stuff is lettuce!!
some lovely flower seeds arrived in a parcel from a friend today, they'll be scatter sown in the wilder parts of the flower borders.
the garden tonight, stuffed full, no more room!! peas and beans and things under fleece. the carrots have not germinated well, and I have still to check the parsnip and beetroot for germination. everything was 'stuck in' before I went on holiday and for the most part this seems to have been quite succesful. I do remember the garden plan, which I have sort of adhered to, but now there is no room for the brussels sprouts. oops!