Waiting for the Rain

 The front lawn .....bone dry . I got outside early and went about spiking it in readiness for maybe a passing shower .

 I'm not obsessed with having an immaculate front lawn ....I don't mind a few pretty Daisies , Clover and I love the blue Self Heal .... but the bigger things like dandelions and Hawkweed , I try to keep them out .

                               Not a bad job done !

Meanwhile in the shed .....

               Pelargonium sidoides  / Umckaloabo / African Geranium

     I have been taking cuttings from a plant I actually bought for my botanical brother , who can do clever things like crossing them ....the more rare varieties .

                                       It is a very pretty one .

   All done and now upstairs on my bedroom windowsill , where I shall be watching them like a hawk !

            I love it's South African name - Umckaloabo !   

Weather update - we just had a two minute mizzle event .

      We need more ....not so much there's flooding mind.....but to refresh everything and refill the water barrels and  more seriously to extinguish the fires that are breaking out here and across Europe .

                                    Peace and Love 🕊️

                                                Debbie 💐x

Swallows 🌿

                                                click twice to view

     We were delighted to see a mother Swallow feeding her babies while out on our walk yesterday .

Sorry about the camera wobbling . Look how dry the fields are in the background .

       We have some clouds again this morning , but still no rain .

   I guess the swallows will soon be off on their long journey back to South Africa . I wonder which place they prefer . 

                 Maybe it's about the journey and not the destination .

                                                   🌿☀️🌿 

Amorphophallus atroviridis - update

 Checking on my brassica seedlings in the shed , all is well ....I noticed the Amorphophallus atroviridis shoot has grown a couple of millimetres .  Goodness me it's slow !  

        Not only that , but I think I can see another tiny shoot next to it !  🤩

         I'm really excited , as it is supposed to have really pretty leaves .

Nothing else to report today really . It's a tad cooler , still uncomfortable for me , but we're happy for everyone having some nice weather on their school summer holibobs .

 Lots of happy families down on the beach .  ☀️🏖️🐬

I'm busy slicing , freezing and bagging up our home grown vegetables .

We've been out and about quite a bit this week , so I have just been grabbing a few moments , whenever we stop , to do my embroidery .

                             Hope you're having a great weekend ! 

                                                🌿☀️🌿 

                                                  love Debbie 💐x

Still No Rain ☀️

 

      Today's little harvest......

                         Another good bowl full of peas and beans .

                       A couple of courgettes and a few kale leaves for lunch .

The tomatoes today are strangely huge  🤔 Scatolone 2 I hadn't expected them to be so big !   There is some inconsistency in the shape . This one is round ......

                         ................others are pear shaped  .

Sweet Pepper Snack Bite Red  have all come at once . I have taken them all off and they will be sliced and put into the freezer . Not sure if the plants will produce any more now ....have to give them a good feed and wait and see !

Most places around Cornwall had a small amount of rain yesterday .....but not us on the Lizard !

It was misty over-night , the ground damp first thing in the morning ..... bone dry again very soon after the sun came up .

                                   The heat is very tiring .  

                                                 🌿☀️🌿

Just another lovely day ! ☀️

 

Another lovely sunny morning . Just a touch of mist across the meadow  .

Checking on and watering Pak choi, beetroot , red and green cabbage seedlings in the shed .

Early morning watering the vegetable garden and then check everything is o.k. in the greenhouse .

  

                       Telling the Butternuts to get a move on !

 A lazy day I think today ..hang some washing on the line.....take time to watch the bees ..... sit in the summer house and do some embroidery ... or a bit of patchwork .

      It's our wedding anniversary today .....on this day we usually share steaming hot and greasy fish'n'chips from the chippy and enjoy them sitting in the car , up on the cliffs looking out to sea . 

         (note to self - remember to take bottle of ketchup and serviettes ! )

                     Have a lovely day, take care in the hot sun ☀️

                                           Peace and Love 🕊️

                                                  Debbie 💐 x

                                                          p.s .......but did Ricardo remember ? 🤪

Today's harvest 🌿🫛🍅🌶️🫑

 

             Ricardo ..my Lord and Protector of the Spud Tubs !

So , he is planting another lot of potatoes for over Winter and we are also having some for our lunch  . 

We still have another two tubs to tip out . 

Our potatoes in tubs have done really well this year .

The beans and Purple Podded Peas on the teepees have done well and there are still lots more on the way .

I can't remember which variety these are , but they are so sweet and tasty straight from the pod !

I've never had so many peas before . 🐭🐭🫛🌿Very pleased with these !

Anyway ......

We had some for lunch , all of the peas and some of the beans . The rest I quickly blanched and now they are being given an "open freeze" on a tray , in the freezer . I'll probably bag them up later this evening .

     I got my seeds ordered for next year , some of which were half price now in the end of season sales . 

I ordered a packet of Sweet-Peas which I will sow end of October / November .

                                                   🌿☀️🌿

                                               Still no rain !                          

Which varieties will I grow next year ? 🌶️🫑🌿

        Still picking cucumbers .... so much nicer than supermarket ones .

   "Snack Bite Red " Sweet peppers ..... plenty of them !  Husband loves them ! 

The only thing I would say about this variety is that they all seem to come at once ......but maybe this is because of the heatwaves we've been having . I will slice , open-freeze , bag them all up and throw them into the freezer .

Next year I think I will go back to Sweet Pepper "Corno di Toro Rosso" which are the slightly bigger, longer pointed type .

  This is Sweet Pepper Corno di Toro Rosso . This time last year just to compare .

                 Sweet Pepper Corno Di Toro Rosso this time last year .

                                                Very nice !

             Cucumber " Carmen " and the shorter one is "Merlin" 

Next year I will only be growing  Cucumber "Carmen"...very happy with this one .

          No ripe Tomatoes today , but lots of green ones still coming .

As for the tomatoes .... This year I grew Tomato "Divinity"F1 and Tomato "Scatolone 2 "   they are o.k. nice flavour and texture , fleshy, not too many seeds ,  but I'm not blown away by them . Maybe it's the heatwave , but there seems to be quite a bit of inconsistency in the size and shape of them . 

Next year I will grow Tomato Scatolone 2 and probably go back to reliable old Tomato Alicante again .

      Now I am off to pick beans and peas for lunch 🌿🫛🫛🫛

Weather forecast  - clouds floating on by - still no rain 🌥️ uncomfortably warm .

                              Peace and Love  🕊️

                                                 Debbie 💐   x

Clouds but still no rain

                  Clouds in the sky ....but still no rain .

A little bit cooler today ....I wearily gathered up all the rose bush clippings and harvested a few things from the vegetable garden . 

                                   Very happy me !

                                           More on the way !

 Not so many flowers in the garden at the moment , so I have done a more simple arrangement for the table this week .  

 Just a few blue Hydrangeas , laurel , Miscanthus sinensis strictus and Cotinus coggygria "Royal Purple " 

                 Now looking very grand on the table .

               Then on with the gloves and to bring in some fire-wood .

I'm bringing in a little everyday now  , getting ready for the Winter again .

 Rather to do this while the sun is shining , than when it's cold , windy and raining .... a miserable job then .

I had thrown a left over half of a melon out on the lawn  for the blackbirds really ...but the butterflies were relishing it . 

                        Plums not quite ready yet .

                           Lots of French beans coming now .

  Lots of French beans and this year my peas have done exceptionally well !

                                   Pretty Purple Podded Peas !

             I have had no time to myself ; too busy playing in the garden ! 

     Oh ...I did manage to do a little on a road trip ....but not much .

I cut back my lovely clump of Impatiens tinctoria  , it had finished flowering and beginning to wilt in the heat .  Cutting it back will encourage it to put out fresh growth and more lovely white flowers .

    I did a light weeding around here and lopped off a few of the more tatty Chamaerops humilis leaves . Laying them down on any bare earth to keep the moisture in .

  The weather is going to heat up again , we are warned of yet another heatwave and drought .

 🕊️ My heart and prayers goes out for everyone in places suffering from the extreme hot weather and battling with trying to extinguish fires . Terrifying 😔  I do hope that rain comes soon . 🕊️

                                                Cosmos

   The Sweetpeas were finished and so I pulled them out and replaced with my Cosmos seedlings . 

   I'm not watering everything . Just the Cosmos , Impatiens tinctoria and the Banana plants . 

     I am making sure there is plenty of food and water for visiting wildlife  . 

                               So that all for now my friends !

                             Peace and Love 🕊️🌿

                                                  Debbie 💐x