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Late this morning sunlight burst onto the canna lily given to us by Helen Keenan.
The garden beyond was alive with the buzzing of bees
and fluttering butterflies like this Small White three quarters of the way up the lines of a hanging basket
or this Comma hiding in the shadows.
The dahlia in the first picture is one of those
supported by the white pedestal in the patio.
Dappled starlight seemed to brighten the Stable Door.
Marguerites, petunias, and bidens continue to bloom on the edge of the Dragon Bed;
deep violet petunias spill from the Iron Urn;
while pale pink striped ones accompany similar hued geraniums on the
Cryptomeria Bed also sporting Hot Lips salvias.
More dahlias continue to bloom alongside the Dead End Path,
and in the New Bed.
A Canna lily lifts its flaming torch over the Palm Bed;
Blue Ming Marvellous campanula once more lives up to its punning name in the Rose Garden;
New Zealand flax, rudbeckia, and the remains of a crocosmia Lucifer still provide a sinuous sweep in the Palm Bed;
and clematis Comtesse de Bouchard flounces once more over the gazebo.
Sedum, fuchsias
and asters parade along the herbaceous border.
An orange begonia hangs before the Weeping Birch, the leaves of which appear to confirm that summer really is thinking about departing.
This afternoon we drove out to the other Downton, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, in order to checkout the route to the venues for Rachel and Gareth’s wedding on Saturday. The service is to be held at Timberley Lane, Redlynch, which was our first stop. From there we travelled to Barford Park Farm, where the reception is booked.
Cattle grazed in the field
on one side of the entrance drive.
The fields on the opposite side of Barford Lane basked in the warm sunshine. What a shame that the forecast for this area on the wedding day is continual rain.
Driving through:
on our way home, we noticed that the village public telephone box has now been converted to a book exchange.
Naturally we rummaged for romantic novels.
Jackie all but made off with her favourite find.
The cricket season has ended, but ponies still carry out groundsmen’s duties on the outfield at Nomansland.
We stopped for a drink at The Green Dragon, Brook, then continued on home.
This evening we dined on smoked haddock, piquant cauliflower cheese, crunchy carrots, new potatoes, and runner beans. I drank more of the malbec.