No-one Will Buy Any Ice Cream Today

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Today the Met Office threatened us with continuous steady rain. It didn’t come. We were also promised a stiff breeze. We received that. It was to be cold. It was. 6 degrees centigrade to be precise.

Mrs Knight drove us to Ferndene Farm Shop. While I loaded the Modus with three bags of compost she entered the hut to pay for them and emerged with a tray of geraniums. And I had thought we were only going for compost.

There was much on display in the outside garden centre. Rows and rows of plants like pansies, pierises; heucheras, hottuynias, heathers; and cellophane swathed bouquets.

Numbers of people who had time in the day to shop wandered around making plant selections.

Jackie was one. She sought and found a suitable climbing rose.

Dead-heading Marguerites

The young woman from the sales department, who had been in shorts a couple of weeks ago, offered me the opinion that it was too cold for sandals (sans socks, you understand), upon which I stabbed the air with my right index finger and exclaimed vociferously “I always go into sandals at the first sign of summer and I am not going back to more suitable shoes just because we’re having a little blip. Brrr”. She suggested that the blog-bound photograph I would publish of her tidying up marguerites would make her famous.

New Forest Ice Cream sign

As it was a bit nippy I nipped back into the car while Jackie visited the shop for some carrots. Noticing the advertising sign beside the door I speculated internally that no-one would be buying ice cream today. As my lady returned to the driving seat she announced “I have bought some New Forest ginger ice cream”.

Just to be perverse, the sun crept out this evening, enough to brighten the garden.

We dined on Jackie’s succulent roast pork with perfect crisp crackling, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potato, ratatouille, runner beans, and carrots bought this morning. The Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden and I finished the merlot.

 

53 comments

  1. Chocolate box photo of your garden with house peeping through the luxurious growth there Derrick! Ginger ice cream hey? My taste buds aren’t dancing with delight at the thought – but there is curiosity 🙂

  2. It’s a well known fact that plants are apt to leap into a gardener’s hands unbidden at the check out. Geraniums are particularly notorious. I’ve been similarly caught out on a number of occasions.

  3. Jackie is indeed in her happy place! I’ve never heard of ginger flavored ice cream…it is good for your stomach? I’ve always heard ginger promotes healing in the digestive track. 🙂

  4. Ginger ice cream sounds far more sensible than sandals in 6 degrees centigrade, but I admire you for sticking to your guns. Never give the weather the satisfaction.

  5. The met offices too have their share of no-balls. Up there in Tibet, our Chinese friends are striving to master the elements. They are bringing rain to the cold desert by piercing the clouds with certain chemicals. It is causing eroison and flash floods down south in the land I dwell. Tell your now-famous, comely young friend at the florist’s she is not unlike the flowers she tends to.

    Thanks for the exquisite daily service.

  6. The only time I was in England was in July one year and we had to wear winter clothes, so I feel confused by your weather. ?

  7. I’m having an ice-cream now Derrick, as I’m reading your wonderful article, albeit looking very cold over there.

  8. The meaning of the word ‘only’ is elastic in a nursery. Good shots of the garden.

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