August in the Garden

 

I must confess that I haven't spent an awful lot of time in the garden this year, whether it be for work or for pleasure. The constant rainy weather has meant that neither the sun shade nor the paddling pool have enjoyed an airing this summer, and I'm not sure they will going forwards. Until last week the lawn was ridiculously overgrown, and it was all I could manage to get it cut before a strimmer would have been necessary. It took me ages to mow, but looks so much better for it. I'll just overlook the bare patch beneath swing-ball!

I did replace many of the plants which had succumbed to the extreme cold last winter, so at least the border around the seating area looks much more pleasing to the eye. Most of the plants have finished flowering now and the purple lavender will need cutting back before much longer. The white lavender, which I grew from seed, has established itself nicely, and so I might need to split it again in the spring. The Hydrangea is just beginning to flower, and will probably be the last of any colour I get in the garden this year. 

My favourite little lemon trees continue to surprise me. One of them is much larger than the other, but they are both growing new leaves and I am excited to see whether or not they will produce blossom some time during the next few years. I planted them during the first lockdown, and I believe it can take around five years for them to produce fruit. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, so watch this space. You can see one of the apple trees, which I planted at the same time, next to the bird feeder in the top photograph. 

Having fully intended to leave the raised bed completely empty this year, I found three incredibly sad looking tomato plants in a cupboard at work, which someone had forgotten about, and I could not bear to see them simply thrown away. Somehow, I managed to revive them and I planted them out, not expecting them to come to much, but they are huge, and now appear to be producing a decent amount of fruit. They just need some more sunshine to help them to ripen. 

With the tomatoes on one side, the other half of the bed was looking rather bare, and so I picked up a very inexpensive tray of sweetcorn while I was at the supermarket, for Lily to plant just as a bit of an experiment. I suspect we were a little late in planting them, but they appear to be growing well, so we will just have wait and see if we get any results. 

On sunny days, the cats both enjoy being outside. Boo, especially, has a habit of sitting beneath swing-ball, while Lily is knocking the ball around at ridiculous speed. Luckily, the ball cannot reach him, but he doesn't even flinch! And talking of cats, next week Mog has an appointment for an x-ray, just to rule out anything untoward. Naturally, booking her in for this incredibly expensive procedure has resulted in her having no symptoms whatsoever for the last few days! :)

J. X

A Change of Plan

 

Having been so very lucky with the weather for our camping trip, things took a turn for the worse, and so the plans I'd had for that following weekend were quickly put on hold. I have instead been keeping busy with some far less exciting activities, such as housework, gardening, sanding down the woodwork in the hall, and studying. I also think I may have pinned down a couple of tradespeople to take on some of the work I wanted completing by the end of this year. Happy days!

There has been some more decluttering. Lily's books have been sorted and a large bagful got delivered to the charity shop last week. The shelves are looking much clearer now, and it is only a matter of time before we sort through the toys. And even though I am fully expecting to come up against some reluctance with this, it is definitely time. 

For the first time in what feels like ages, we've been for a bike ride. It was good to be back in the saddle again, and even thought I had been a little bit anxious about Lily's confidence levels, she soon demonstrated that there was nothing to worry about, so maybe we can ride a little farther next time. It is easy to forget how much she is growing and it's a little scary to think that next month she will be starting her final year of primary school. Applications for secondary school are imminent.

With that in mind, my thoughts are beginning to turn to September. We've already been off school for almost three weeks! It sounds like a long time, but it has flown by. And if the next four weeks go by just as quickly, then it will be upon us before we know it. Blackberries and elderberries are beginning to ripen, and there are signs of late summer all around.

With the weather looking like it's beginning to pick up again, yesterday saw us back up in the fells. This time we were on the eastern shore of Ullswater, the opposite side of where we went camping at the end of July (We could see our site from the summit). With another four Wainwrights ticked off, our total now stands at 105, so I'm excited to be almost at the halfway mark. 

J. X

Summer

Weather aside, it's been a very pleasant start to our summer break. The first week is always a period of adjustment and I feel quite out of sorts, as it slowly dawns on me that there isn't anywhere I actually need to be. That isn't to say I haven't been busy, however. And I'm not entirely sure where this last week has gone, but I happy to say that I am finally on top of the housework, the kitchen cupboard is full, and some sort of order has been restored. I am deliberately not including the garden in this statement, as the persistent wet weather has allowed the weeds to run wild, and I don't have the inclination to deal with them just now.

Earlier this week we went camping near Ullswater. Actually, we were 'glamping,' if you can call it that. We were just staying in an empty pod, designed to be used like a tent, and not one of those which contains all your home comforts. But it was very nice all the same, and the site was lovely, with excellent facilities. I booked it back in March, so it was just good fortune that it coincided with the few dry and sunny days we've experienced lately. And I do like to start my day sitting outside on the decking, drinking my coffee, even if it is out of an enamel mug.

The recent wet weather, although not entirely welcome, only served to enhance our latest visit to Aira Force. The water in Aira Beck was cascading down the falls in an impressive, and incredibly noisy display; quite a contrast from our visit five years ago, following a hot dry spell, which you can read about here. We enjoyed a walk from the High Cascades car park, down through the woods, then back up again. Stopping part way down for a picnic lunch, followed by a hot chocolate at the tea room :)

The next day, we visited Keswick. Besides a short walk through the town when I'd hiked around Derwentwater a few weeks back, it had been ages since I had enjoyed a proper wander around, and so it was lovely to have the chance to browse some of the lovely independent shops there. Lily spent a good while playing in the park and we even enjoyed a fun game of frisbee, as I'd remembered to pack it in my rucksack. Then after another picnic lunch, we spent an hour or so at The Puzzling Place, trying to get our heads around the many optical illusions on display.  

The following morning, and in another repeat of our previous visit here, we walked up the steep lane behind our campsite and onto the fell beyond, taking advantage of some free fruit on the way. There were so many raspberries, small and sweet.  Lily declared them to be the nicest raspberries ever! 

The views from the summit were just as lovely as I'd remembered. And better still, we had them all to ourselves. The heather, just beginning to flower, is a sure sign that summer is moving swiftly on, even if it feels as though has hardly begun.

Later that morning, and with the weather becoming more overcast, we drove down to Pooley Bridge, or as Lily now calls it, 'The village of pubs!' We walked down to the lake but as it was a little too busy there for our liking, we took a slight detour and visited an ice cream farm instead. I  must say, it was some of the most delicious ice cream I have ever eaten, and we even got to make friends with one member of the production team ;)

The next stop on our itinerary was a walk up Beacon Hill. Only a short walk from the car, we were rewarded with some glorious views of the surrounding countryside. An ideal way to round off our few days away, before heading for home again.  

With the first full week of the holidays already behind me, I have plenty to keep me occupied and to look forward to. I've also got plenty of work I need to complete on the house, and I have also just enrolled myself onto another course of study, to give me something to do on the wet days. But right now, I'm going to make myself a coffee, put my feet up and catch up with some blog reading. 

J. X

Small Potatoes

As is often the way, these last few weeks have been rather busy. Work has been hectic, turbulent and joyous in equal measure. So you can probably understand why it has taken me several days to switch off and unwind. My mind is still trying to think about what I 'should' be doing, but right now there isn't anything, and that is taking a bit of getting used to. But I'm here for it :) 

During July, our weather has been changeable, with heavy rain and low temperatures. The grass is lush and green once more and I can't remember when I last wore sunscreen. This has been very disappointing, but I've seized those brief moments of sunshine and warmth, including afternoon tea by the lake, and now I'm keeping my hopes high for August. Surely, summer can't be over just yet.

One such moment was the school sports day. Already, postponed from earlier in the month, we struck lucky with the one fine day we had that week. It was lovely to see the children (and grown ups!) having so much fun. Lily received two 2nds - sprint, egg and spoon, and a 1st - the skipping race, of course!

That same evening I enjoyed an end of term social event. It was pleasantly warm, so we sat out in the garden beneath the fairy lights and bunting, enjoying the most amazing home made pizzas and good conversation. It was a lovely way to celebrate, especially as we won't all be together this time next year.

Back in March, Lily and I entered a competition for growing potatoes. We were given one bucket and one seed potato each and the idea was to see who could grow the best crop of potatoes by July. Well, last weekend we took our buckets back to be emptied and weighed, and the results weren't great. In fact, they were quite terrible, although Lily was thrilled to received a price for the child's lightest crop - a packet of Smash! And mine weren't much better. The few that we did manage to grow did taste delicious, however. We've not yet eaten the Smash :)

Somewhere in the last few weeks, there was another skiing lesson. That's Lily at the top of the slope with her instructor. She's really enjoying her lessons, so I hope we can somehow fit another one in very soon. Then, once she is confident enough, she can use the main slope without instruction.  

We celebrated the last day of term with a chippy tea down by the lake. It was a lovely sunny and peaceful evening, although I imagine it will be getting a lot busier now that the school holidays have arrived. Then, the following evening, I went out with some colleagues. This time there were quite a lot of us, so we went to a new restaurant in town, where the food was absolutely delicious. 

Unfortunately, heavy rain kept us indoors over the weekend, but I kept myself busy making blackcurrant jam (which are far easier for me  to grow than potatoes!). Luckily, I have lots to look forward to over the next few weeks. 

Back soon.

J. X