Tag: fuchsias

Squirrel Suspect

In the murky light of an overcast shirtsleeves-warm morning I photographed a few garden views from the windows above.

I then dead-headed some of our roses, and

photographed a few still flourishing. The first is Compassion, from above; the red carpet rose is in the Weeping Birch Bed, as is Rosa Siluetta Lavender; the pink Festive Jewel, yellow Absolutely Fabulous, and red/gold Mamma Mia are all in the Rose Garden.

The first of these dahlias was also viewed from above.

Begonias white and pink continue to thrive.

Red/purple Army Nurse, pink and white Garden News, and the ubiquitous Delta’s Sarah are long lingering fuchsias.

These yellow chrysanthemums and red cyclamen will hopefully be safer than the recently planted tulips of which Jackie bought a number in three figures.

Some time this morning the bulbs began to be exhumed and eaten, we suspect by a squirrel which can read the labels. They have already ravaged the area around the patio. Even if these animals are illiterate they will probably eschew daffodils to which they are not partial. If not squirrels, who knows?

This evening we dined at Rokali’s where the food and service was as good as always. I chose methi goust; Jackie, ponir shashlik, and we shared sag rice. I drank Kingfisher and Jackie drank Diet Coke. I may not have mentioned before that the knives actually cut and the forks and spoons do not bend.

Summer Time Flowers

Yesterday afternoon Jackie photographed a snails’ snuggery in a plant pot she unearthed. This contained 52 specimens.

On this still, warm, morning when we prepared the car for another trip to the Efford Recycling Centre, a T-shirt beneath a normal shirt was at least one layer too much. All was quiet, save for the grating rasp of the returning magpies.

We thought that the Hagley Hybrid, the first of these two clematises, had suffered the fate of a witch burnt at the stake during an early summer hot spell, but after a severe haircut it has risen once more.

A number of fuchsias, such as Mrs Popple, white Hawksmoor, and Garden News continue to thrive;

the Weeping Birch Bed features one of the several Delta’s Sarah.

Jackie has tried to plant nerines before without success. The first in this gallery, named Lipstick seems to enjoy this position beside the patio. Obviously the cosmetic sharing its name is more delicate than that favoured by Hot Lips salvia.

Some of the many roses still flowering are the peach climber, pink Compassion, red Super Elfin, pale pinks Penny Lane and New Dawn, yellow Summer Time, and mauve Alan Titchmarsh.

Hanging baskets and other pots contain begonias, antirrhinums, lobelia and violas underplanted with daffs.

Dahlias are in their element.

At the recycling centre we left five bags of green refuse and various wood and plastic items with no more useful life, and returned with a fine bevelled mirror to reflect light in the garden and provide a target for birds pecking their reflected enemies.

The lunchtime news on BBC featured a hospital carrying out medical procedures at weekends in order to keep down waiting times. The Hospital was Southampton General; the team Urology; the specialism Bladder Cancer. How about that?

This evening we dined on Hordle Chinese Take Away’s excellent fare.

Garden, Pigs, And Ponies

This morning I read more of ‘The Berlin Diaries’.

By mid-afternoon, with the warm sun vying with the cotton clouds for dominance of the skies,

I wandered round the garden with my camera. The Virginia creeper has reddened up beautifully in the last 48 hours. Each of the images bears a title in the gallery.

Later, the sun having defeated the clouds, we visited Ferndene Farm shop to buy various food items and three more bags of compost for which I now have to avail myself of the trolleys provided.

We continued into the forest where we tracked a group of young

Tamworth pigs as they left the road for gleeful chomping on heaps of crunchy apples.

Ponies along Forest Road formed an orderly line along a wall in the shade; while

others disrupted the traffic on Tiptoe Road.

After drinks on the patio we dined on Jackie’s tasty liver casserole; boiled new potatoes, carrots, runner beans, and broccoli, with which I drank more of the Malbec.

Sweet As Scented Cyclamen

This morning I removed my compression stockings, designed to deter deep vein thrombosis, which have the disadvantage of slipping on smooth floors. This action does not seem to have been premature.

My next plan was to completely de-crust my skin by treating myself to my first shower since the morning of 21st. First I had to be coated in Hibiscrub in order to keep germs at bay.

I delayed this process after lunch by sitting with a camera on a patio chair in the stiffly breezy yet warm sunshine. Of course I stayed on my seat.

The wind had blown down a post supporting a basket of begonias

and gently laid the plants upright on the paving.

The peach rose, the fuchsias, and the verbena bonariensis swayed in the gusts; The more sheltered honesty, hydrangea, busy lizzies, and Erigeron blended well with each other.

When I returned from my shower I fancied I was smelling sweet as the scented cyclamen and its ladybirds casting shadows across the table.

This evening Jackie prepared me the same meal as yesterday with carrots and cauliflower instead of runner beans. She sneaked in twice as much, but I could only eat half and give her the rest back for tomorrow.

Garden News

Although still a little unsteady I have largely recovered from yesterday’s swimming head. I was therefore able to help Jackie load more refuse bags into the car and transport them to the Efford Recycling Centre.

I then attended to administration on which I hadn’t been able to concentrate the day before.

After lunch I wandered around the garden which had freshened up after much overnight rain. I have photographed flowers in situ, some still bejewelled by raindrops and two with bees.

The gallery images bear the titles of the main flowers in each picture.

By dinner time I was fully recovered. Our meal consisted of fat-free Ferndene pork and chive sausages; creamy mashed potatoes; carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage all well cooked, with meaty gravy.

A Sunny Spell

This being the last day of sunshine for the next few I walked around the garden with a camera and photographed

these flora, each of which carries a title in the gallery.

Meanwhile the jackdaws were most vociferous on the chimney stack.

During the afternoon we splashed our way through lanes such as Sowley where pools on the verges spread across the road.

Roaring its way beneath the road a fast moving bubbling stream alerted me to its presence.

Further along, on a drier stretch, the familiar group of ponies with their Shetland acolyte that we normally see

on St Leonard’s Road had strayed somewhat from their normal beat.

This evening we all dined on cheese centred fish cakes; piquant cauliflower cheese; tangy ratatouille; roast white and sweet potatoes; tender runner beans and broccoli stems; crunchy carrots and firm cauliflower, with which Jackie drank Zesty and water and I drank Mighty Murray Australian shiraz.

Sunshine And Showers Today

Before this morning’s first shower descended I carried out a session of rose dead heading. Shirt sleeves kept me warm enough.

After a heavy spattering on our roof I introduced my lens to the sun briefly flirting with scudding cloud clusters.

Raindrops on various blooms and a few garden views came into view. The day, much of which I spent nearing the end of the second volume of Richard Church’s autobiography, continued with more overcast skies than with sunshine.

This evening we all dined on succulent roast pork with perfect tooth-testing crackling; crisp Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes; crunchy carrots; firm broccoli and cauliflower; tender runner beans and spinach; and meaty gravy, with which Jackie drank more of the Lieblich and I drank Hacienda Uranus Garnacha Old Vines, 2020.

Warm October Sunshine

Early this morning I watched a recording of last night’s rugby World Cup semi final match between England and South Africa.

Later, sporting shirt sleeves, I wandered among the garden plants with my camera.

As usual, accessing the gallery by clicking on any image will reveal individual titles.

Before dinner, Jackie drove me to Hatchet Pond to catch the sunset.

While waiting for the sun to reach the lake I was entranced by

the calm communing of a lone woman who was unknowingly blessed by a rainbow as light rain fell.

Jackie had also glimpsed the colourful phenomenon as it appeared above the car park.

We each photographed the sunset, the last two in this gallery being by Jackie.

The above mentioned dinner consisted of Jackie’s delicious chicken and vegetable stewp followed by her spicy pumpkin pie. We drank more of the same wines of yesterday.

More Unlikely Bedfellows

Shirtsleeves were just about adequate for my post-gale walk around the garden this cooler and brighter morning.

Once again plants, albeit somewhat weatherbeaten, most unlikely to be found together in the flower beds at this time of year are featured. The yellow climbing rose Summer Time, and the ginger lilies should, for example be over by now.

Today’s gallery harbours more plants not recently photographed which bear titles once accessed by a click on any image. I think the butterfly is a Speckled Wood, which we have not seen before in 2023.

Afterwards I made good headway on Nevil Shute’s “On the Beach” which I had begun reading a couple of days ago.

Elizabeth and Jacqueline visited this afternoon and were very impressed with and bought some of Flo’s all natural materials hand made jewellery. They also chatted with Ellie.

I then watched a recording of the rugby World Cup quarter final match between Wales and Argentina.

We then dined on oven fish and chips, onion rings, mushy peas and pickled onions, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank Doom Bar.

Unlikely Bedfellows

Early this morning I watched a recording of last night’s rugby World Cup match between France and Italy, and before my afternoon’s viewing of the games between Wales and Georgia and England v. Samoa, walked around our warm, sun-filled, plot to photograph

another selection of unlikely garden bedfellows, each of which bears a title in the gallery.

This evening we all enjoyed Jackie’s meal of her well filled mound of beef and onions stacked beneath short crust decorated pastry; crisp roast red potatoes; Brussels sprouts, carrots, and broccoli al dente; and thick, meaty gravy, with which she finished the Blush and I finished the Bordeaux.