The days are long, sunny and Bank Holidays provide 3 day weekends; up North the sun never really sets- there is still a glow of light in the sky right through the night. Yet the days are not long enough for me! That said I have loved the full house and young busyness...
The borders are filled with small yellow & orange Welsh poppies,columbine (aqualegia), bluebells and peaony roses; the trees are heavy with blossom of yellow laburnum , purple and white lilac, pink of sweet chestnut and creamy white blossom of whitebeam and chestnut while our rotary dryer is 2 days heavy with duvet covers, sheets and towels from all the visitors. The call of the ironing basket (standing counter high off the floor!) is loud but the call of my garden is louder- I need to be out in the sunlit lawn and borders weeding ; yesterday I planted up troughs of geraniums, added strawberry plants to those H gave me in my posh planter; I earthed up the 3rd tub of spuds and planted cauliflower plants (in a tub formerly containing our home-done compost). I should show you some photos of this abundant and verdant vegetation but there isn't time at present to download the camera (yes I have done it!)& this computer which A. kindly sorted for me- probably on a temporary basis A.said-is playing up with weird messages threatening 1 hour before things happen to it! A bit like Charlies' Angels?... This will self destruct in 10 seconds....
Last week we walked from Matfen Schoolrooms Teashop- brilliant cheese & bacon scones & lovely people; Matfen Garden Fete is well worth a visit on July 11th; the earth was parched & cracked. One night last week we had much needed rain which topped the water butt up- I labour nightly with my watering can, watering pots & troughs of pansies etc & also filling the bird bath (how the blackbirds splash in it- now with their fluffy babies- and how I hate the neighbours' stalking cats... I don't mind if they eat for survival but well fed torture I loathe). We have lots of nests in the garden- pigeons, goldfinch (H1 is thrilled with that one!), blackbirds.
Visitors started arriving on Friday night for D3's annual Eurovision party- an awful song so we knew we wouldn't win (we were last!) but the best party ever. I worked feverishly at food, beds & cleaning. Where do people get their ideas & hatmaking skills?! I chose Iceland so made myself a volcano hat (with pyroclasts and ash cloud). On Sunday a group of us Quaser Lasered- such fun- but in view of the inexplicable, sad events of Cumbria, I don't think I want to write about the fun of shooting people in a pleasure park game. Later we played 221B Baker Street,Stop the Bus & other games while eating Ferrero Rochers and chocolates which the Ambassadors-R. from Gateshead and M. from London-brought me.
Monday Bank Holiday was sunny so we all went up to the Breamish Valley for a picnic; we built dams across the rocky river Breamish, played quoits and went to the Ingram church Garden Fete-quintessentially English with Northumbrian pipes, straw hats, coconut shies, scones, teas, Pimms, sunshine and tombola.Later we headed back for Sunday dinner (on a Monday!)and boule.
I managed to find time amid visitors and washing to finish 'The Portrait of an Unknown Woman' - a book which manages to tell the tale of Thomas More's family, Henry V111's desperate struggle for an heir, the Reformation and Holbein's paintings laden with secret symbols. I have also just finished 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' too- a simple, must-read book by John Boyne- let me know what you think- it won't take you long to read it but.......
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