Eating well!

The much welcomed sunshine has perked things up in the vegetable garden and we are gorging on soft fruit and veg. The brassicas are well netted against bird damage but hordes of white butterflies are having a lovely time fluttering in and out of the netting - I shall have to be on the look-out for caterpillars. I'm doing a daily patrol through the fronds of asparagus on beetle watch as it is but at least the torrential downpours of the last few days have filled all the water butts and barrels and removed the time consuming task of watering. I put some well rotted compost around the courgette plants and the combination of warmth and water has caused dozens of melon seeds to germinate. I've potted a few up, as have my neighbours on either side of our garden. I doubt that there will be enough summer left for us to end up with a crop of melons, but gardeners are optimists, so we live in hope!

The mange tout and peas have grown sky high

and we are eating the first of the potato crop.

The walnut tree is laden with young nuts. I've learnt not to get too excited about this harvest until it is safely in the bag as squirrels from the neighbouring woods are capable of stealing the lot! It has become a huge tree and I think that it will require some attention, possibly the removal of lower limbs, in the winter when the sap won't bleed.

The rose, 'Paul's Himalayan Musk' gives a glorious but short display of flower each year, It has now been pruned hard back and is nothing more than a green hedge.

Other roses are still performing well, 'Veilchenblau' climbing high into the plum tree

and other varieties following suite.

But, oh, how disappointing! I bought 'Cinderella' at the seed swap this spring and have been waiting in happy anticipation for her to bloom. She has done so in perfect weather, with no rain or harsh winds to ravage the petals. But nevertheless the flowers are marked

unsightly brown outer petals.

Cinders, indeed, and certainly not dressed for the ball!

The 'Queen of Denmark' is much better behaved.

I've put my auriculas into the garage greenhouse. During the summer when the sun is high it functions as a shade house and doesn't get overly hot. It has just a couple of panels of reclaimed Victorian glass  tiles in the roof that face east and west. (They took forever to clear of smoke and grime!)

Himself has taken advantage of the dry weather to do various tasks. Photographed here are the kitchen cupboard door knobs, getting a fresh coat of varnish. "Photograph my workbench," he instructed, "it's a design classic."

Okay, Captain! (The man's a marvel!)

Ah, everything in the garden is lovely!