Whispering In The Wisteria

Late this afternoon I listened to the deceptively sweet trilling of a rival robin issuing war cries from a tree in the garden of No 5 Downton Lane whilst I stood in the Rose Garden photographing

lemon yellow climber Summer Time;

aptly named Altissimo glowing against the clear blue sky;

Madame Alfred Carriere draped over the entrance arch;

pinkish Penny Lane scaling the potting shed;

glorious Gloriana;

clustered Crown Princess Margareta;

and florid Festive Jewel.

On my way back towards the house I admired the species tulip and Japanese maple juxtaposition in the Palm Bed

and passed another peony opened in the Dragon Bed.

Down the Head Gardener’s Walk I rounded the greenhouse which still accommodates plenty of pelargonium cuttings,

and came upon Nugget, too currently domesticated for battle, gathering supplies from his food tray, now suitably wired against blackbirds.

He briefly whispered in the wisteria before heading off to his family.

Soon we will dine on chicken Kiev, roast potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and green beans. I will refrain from eulogising the quality of the cooking just in case the menu items turn out to be soggy or burnt, especially as Jackie is currently drinking Heineken and I am busy finishing the Shiraz.

 

 

 

Raindrops On Roses

I began the morning by pasting the next series of photographs into the garden album. I have now reached the end of The North Breeze Boundary section.

On another wet day we went driveabout before lunch. First trip was to the bank to make a transfer for cleaning in Sigoules. We drove on to Efford Recycling Centre to dump two bags of garden refuse that, being too big for composting but not worth burning, fell between two stools. Well, actually I tipped them over into a vast container. For the first time ever, we left the municipal dump empty-handed. This was probably because we planned to load up the car with bags of Humix Manure obtained from Otter Nurseries. This is a mixture of Horse manure, mushroom compost, and something else.

We bought seven bags of the manure, which were so heavy that, having a care for the Modus springs, we transported them in two trips. On Christchurch Road there were roadworks causing considerable hold-ups, so we made a diversion around Pennington and Everton for our final return.

Lacecap hydrangea

The lace cap hydrangea in the front garden is enjoying the rain;

Rose Margaret Merrill

Margaret Merrill is living up to her billing as one of the ten best autumn roses;

Rose Crown Princess Margareta

and Crown Princess Margareta continues making her stately way up the Ace Reclaim arch.

I had taken some photos in the restaurant on Wednesday evening, but they were rather blurred, so I didn’t post them, or send them to Becky, but she asked for them because she thought they were good enough. I e-mailed them to her. Actually, kept small, they are not too bad.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s succulent sausage casserole, potatoes sauteed with onions and peppers, and crisp carrots and Brussels sprouts. The Cook drank Hoegaarden, and I finished the rioja.

In a short while I will be watching the televised third place play-off in the Rugby World Cup, between Argentina and South Africa.