Garden – Page 11 – derrickjknight

Beautifully Balmy Day

This morning I published

Wild Animals

for Denzil’s Nature challenge.

Jackie took advantage of the bountiful shade on this beautifully balmy day to plant up her salvia Hot Lips cuttings, while I

wandered around with my camera producing a random range of pictures, each of which bears a title in the gallery.

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s chicken jalfrezi, boiled rice, parathas, and vegetable samosas, with which she and I each drank more of yesterday’s beverages.

Warm Rain

I began my day by watching the ITV recording of last night’s rugby World Cup match between England and Argentina.

Although the air remained humid, the temperature hot, the breeze absent, we did at last receive rain, albeit warm.

It continued to require an effort to catch raindrops with my camera; the resultant images bearing titles in the gallery.

This afternoon I dozed through the rugby match between Japan and Chile, then gave my undivided attention to the game between Scotland and South Africa.

For dinner this evening Jackie produced her classic cottage pie; tasty ratatouille; crunchy carrots; and firm broccoli, with which she finished the Zesty and I drank François Dubessy GSM.

By this time the skies had darkened, the temperature dropped by several degrees, and a cool, light, breeze blew.

Sizzling Heat

Today I spent the morning and the postprandial period with my nose in “Culloden”, until venturing out into the

unaccustomed sizzling heat of the garden where the Weeping birch tree has not recovered from the June heatwave.

For photography I relied upon a certain amount of shade;

and both helpful shadows and glowing backlighting.

Afterwards I dripped indoors and buried my nose once more.

This evening’s dinner consisted of Jackie’s well filled beef and mushroom pie; creamy mashed potato; tender cabbage and cauliflower leaves; crunchy carrots, firm cauliflower, and tasty gravy, with which she drank Grenache/Cinsault Pays d’Oc rosé. From Desperate Dan’s cow pie our discussion turned to the Dundee stable of comics including, Dandy, Beano, Beezer, and Topper, all of which we had delivered, but had to wait for Mum to read first.

A Fly In His Eye

With the day growing steadily warmer and sunnier, Jackie began seeking stems for plant cuttings, continuing this afternoon, when I raked clippings, leaves, and twigs from gravel paths and added two more empty compost bagfuls to the heap for the next dump trip.

I made a start on reading John Prebble’s history of Culloden, then wandered around the garden with my camera.

Each of these random photographs, some featuring the various flying insects flitting about, bears a title in the gallery.

This evening we dined on a variety of Subway’s excellent fresh and tasty sandwiches, followed by berry strudel and vanilla Cornish ice cream, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Bordeaux. Afterwards we sampled Lyme Bay Winery Traditional Mead.

Oak Tree Cottage Garden

This morning I watched the BBC live broadcast of the Women’s World Cup soccer final between England and Spain.

This afternoon, following the advice of Shelly and Ron, we visited Oak Tree Cottage garden in Upper Common Road, Pennington. My sister-in-law described the series of steps and the different viewing levels which prompted me to take a stick to help me negotiate this delightful garden which 15 years ago had been an uncultivated field.

My knees are now too creaky to manage these unaided.

However, I wandered around with my camera, photographing a range of views and close-ups all of which bear titles in the gallery.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s tasty Fusilli Bolognese with which she drank Pays d’Oc rosé 2022 and I finished the Graves.

Before The Gloom Descended

Neither seduced by the sultry heat that had by early afternoon almost dried the patio after much overnight and morning rain, nor the sunshine that for a short period bathed the garden, we spent some time laying down the usual plants and artefacts likely to suffer from the further storm forecast to rage from this evening onwards.

Jackie has this time pinned down the feet of her most vulnerable owl.

I also photographed flowers before the gloom descended.

Thereafter I took a large bite out of “Doctor Zhivago”.

This evening we all enjoyed succulent pork chops; crisp roast potatoes, the softer centred being sweet; crunchy carrots, and firm broccoli, with which Jackie drank more Sauvignon Blanc and I drank more of the Graves.

Seed Heads

This afternoon I wandered around the garden seeking material for Denzil’s latest Nature Challenge.

Here is a random selection which I hope are accurate identifications, although I would be happy to be corrected by anyone who thinks they are not strictly seed heads. Each image bears a title in the gallery. Adventurous readers may wish to regard this as a quiz.

Because I am easily distracted I have added a hoverfly on a Japanese anemone and a wasp on a geranium Rozanne;

because I like a pun I have included a bee on a sedum;

because this year’s honesty pods appear to have been removed, I have resorted to the archives for these, including one through a fence from 1971.

This evening we all dined on meaty pork sausages; luscious Lyonnaise potatoes; firm broccoli and carrots; and further leftover vegetables from yesterday, with which Jackie drank more of the Sauvignon blanc and I finished the La Vieille Ferme rouge.

Twilight Approaches

This morning Jackie and I finished the ironing before she drove me to

Hair Design for a haircut, after which we shopped at Lidl’s store opposite.

I continued reading Doctor Zhivago this afternoon.

Leaves were silhouetted against the sky as twilight approached

while we enjoyed a glass of wine on the decking with views of

owls, ferns, busy lizzies, fuchsia Delta’s Sarah and Compassion rose.

This evening we all dined on baked gammon; piquant cauliflower cheese; creamy mashed potatoes; crunchy carrots and firm cauliflower, with which Jackie drank Chilean Reserve Privada Sauvignon Blanc 2022 and I drank more of the La Vieille Ferme.

Rusting Refuse

Although today’s temperature remained warm, the sun had conceded precedence to gloomy cloud cover.

On her return from a photographic expedition in the garden Flo

grabbed a rather joyful photograph of Ellie.

Among his tasks today were the planting in the Palm Bed which he had further prepared to take them;

pruning of the Rose Garden apple tree, and other areas, such as

the wooden arch above the shady path;

and gathering metal refuse, such as this rusting tabletop, for eventual removal to the dump.

Jackie spent much of the day producing tonight’s dinner of chicken jalfrezi; the smaller, milder, panful of butter chicken, also containing two boiled eggs, Ellie was to share with her mother, and gave her father some. The rice was Jackie’s vegetable version. My accompanying beverage was Gran Selone Italian red wine, while Jackie finished the rosé.