Saturday 16 June 2012

I’m back



As some of you will know I’ve been away.  Not been away as in 


Nor been away as in



Just away from blogland for a couple of weeks.

It had been my intention to catch up on all those little jobs that need doing.  You know, the things that get pushed to one side and neglected when one is sat in front of the computer instead of being bent double under a washbasin trying to tighten a leaking nut.  Did I get any done?  I suspect you know the answer to that one.  To use Paul Daniels’ catchphrase ‘Not a lot!’



 I shan’t bore you with my health but that wasn’t at its most helpful.  And the sun shone when I had to do indoor stuff and it rained when I was wanting to do outdoor stuff.  And Sod was in his Heaven and all was not right with the world.  But now I’m back and I’m also visiting my blogging friends in the vague hope that if I carry on as normal the jobs will get done by the Little People. 



I may not have got much gardening done but the mixture of sun and rain has been all that was needed for some of the plants to burst into flower.

This is one of my favourite grasses – Quaking Grass.


A rose – I think it’s a Super Star.


And a Blue Moon...

 
I’m not sure what variety this is.


 Technically a weed – a Meadow Buttercup.


Ceanothus – I wish you could smell this.  The scent as you pass this bush is just marvellous. 



During one if the bright spells we had a rare visitor – a Red Admiral (any butterfly is now a rare visitor in our garden).  

 
The Eagle doesn’t look amused.


And here is one of the hanging bags that Friend-über-special gave me.   


Not bad, eh!  This is the second bag I did and, like the first, it is in a corner where we couldn’t have a hanging basket because when I tried it I kept turning the corner and bumping into the bracket or basket.  The bag hangs close to the wall and doesn’t obtrude into one’s path.  It’s not only visible from the pathway but also from my usual seat in the conservatory where morning tea is consumed and conversations with Partner-who-drinks-tea are held.

I planted some patriotic Petunias to celebrate 60 years of Her Majesty's reign...

 


 The build up to the London 2012 Olympics has been rather hampered by Diamond Jubilee fever but it is beginning to get off the ground now.


Presumably the Union Flags will soon be replaced by more England ones. 


 Or are these out for the Euro 2012 soccer matches?
 
One morning I went for a walk to and around the village of Barnston but I’ll tell you about that another day.


And Partner-who-drinks-tea and I went to a friend's in North Wales.  She also has a cat called Misty...


 Then we went to Frodsham in Cheshire with some friends – again that’s probably a post for another day but I’ll just tease you with this letter box.  


Yes, it is a letter box one of half a dozen survivors of a Georgian experiment to include one in a phone box.  Oriiginlly it also had stamp machines as well.


And, since we’ve introduced the subject of letterboxes – this is a version of the postcard board from a couple of weeks ago.  



That was before Dawn Treader sent me this home-made card showing some Swedish letterboxes.


 I think that's probably enough for now.  With a post that long I'm well and truly back but I have a lot to do to catch up with other people's blogs....  

Have a good weekend.

18 comments:

  1. What we really needed at that Farmer's Market was some good Cheshire cheese. Can't get that over here.
    I think Misty should have her name changed to Whiskers. One more comment: I love quaking grass. I think it turns a reddish color in the fall.
    Glad you're back.

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  2. Great to see you back, John! And with such an interesting post, too, full of lovely photos and things to whet our appetites for more!

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  3. Good to see you "back". Your garden seems to be flourishing and those hanging bags look just lovely. I hope you'll have more fine days to enjoy it all soon. Sometimes one really wishes one could plan one's own weather!

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  4. Good to see that you are back so soon. Shame about the 'not getting things done' but then why should you be any different to the rest of us?

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  5. So happy to see your mention of ceanothus!! That blue is to die for! My in-laws had just passed the best flowering, but I enjoyed it in other gardens.
    English roses!! Don't even get me started, I might have to do a post on roses alone, I took so many photos!
    Glad to have you back! :-)

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  6. I had a cat called Misty. Beautiful misty coloured Siamese. So right, silly weather. Rains, stops and one gets dressed for some gardening, rain starts again immediately and this can go on all day!!

    You certainly hinted on lots of posts coming up. Praying that your health issues just now will improve John.

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  7. Oh, I love the glimpses of your world! One of these days, I'm going to see your country in person! PS. Love those hanging planter bags! And seeing your's gave me a grand plan for where to hang a couple at my house! Glad you're back!

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  8. Sorry GB but I can't accept your comment - in fact I nearly deleted it! If there's one person I know who gets things done it's you!!

    Yes Chris - one thing we do get in our farmer's markets are plenty of interesting cheeses!

    Looks like I may have set myself up for a fall by mentioning all those posts but I'm aiming to oblige...

    Thanks for sll the kind remarks.

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  9. Your garden looks lovely, even without much help. :) I didn't know there was such a thing as a flower bag. Neat idea. I miss having a lot of flowers around. I bought some pots of petunias, but the deer took them down to nothing. They are repotted now, and I'm very protective of them. Hehehe.

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    1. Ui didn't know about flower bags until a friend from the East Coast of the US sent me some. They don't seem to be available in the UK and perhaps they aren't common in your part of the world either. Miond you, with you travelling around I expect you'll come across them some time.

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  10. I have also been away from blogland for some time and am just starting to revisit folk. I loved your photos. The ceanothus is my favourite, such a gorgeous blue. I have one but it is only small compared yo your specimen.

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    1. That Ceanothus was small for its first few years and then suddenly grew to its present size in the space of about three years. I suspect it depends what variety you have got because I've seen some huge ones but ours has stopped growing and looks like staying at that height.

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  11. So good to see you back in blogland! I understand about the household chores though -- we have been painting the kitchen cabinets. There aren't that many, but there seemed to be more and more the longer I painted! But I think we are pretty well finished for now. Now to put all the stuff back where it belongs. Why is it that any household fix-up expands to involve the whole house instead of just one room???

    Hope you have a great Father's Day tomorrow. Take care and God bless, xoxox Carol

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    1. Carol, there is some sort of Law about work involving one room expanding to fill the whole house. I call it Jo's Law but perhaps it has other, more formal names.

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  12. Glad to see you back again! It sounds as though you had some very good times along with the frustrating ones. Two nice visits, for a start!

    Your garden photos are a delight. I had forgotten all about Super Star but this is one which my grandmother particularly loved and it makes me miss her.

    At this time of year, I am looking at roses and imagining myself ordering them in order to plant them in the winter, and then they will flower and be beautiful next year....

    Had that dream last year too, but I didn't order the roses. Perhaps this year I will. I would like to buy "Pensioner's Voice" which is an exceptionally beautiful red one I saw in Regent's Park. There's rather an interesting story to that, which I may blog about someday.

    And your red white and blue petunias are great.

    I hope the weather is good for you in the next few days. And actually, hope it's good for me too! :)

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    1. Hello Jenny - I just took a look at Pensioners' Voice - it looks beautiful.

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  13. Back with a vengeance! Good for you! Wonderful pics, and wonderful you, as always.

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  14. Good to have you back. In the tapestry of life, your blog adds a welcome, golden thread. (Indicative of the author.) Cheers.

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