Wet and Wild and Warriors

This week the weather had been mixed. On Tuesday the sky was all dark and gloomy when I got up, later in the day we had a very vocal thunderstorm, deluge rain, thunder and lightening. It rained so hard that there were rivers of water running down my drive that have left a deposit of grit and earth. The poor verbascum could not cope with the power of the rain and I watched from the window as the petals continuously cascaded to the ground. I managed to get a photo before all the petals had made a yellow carpet in the flowerbed.

Yellow Verbascum

In the hedgerows there is some beautiful meadowsweet, creamy white with a delicate perfume.

Meadowsweet

The bonny blue cornflowers are now coming into flower on the railway bank.

Blue cornflowers with white daisies

Poppies, although they are so fragile they look so lovely, especially red poppies.

A  post box red poppy

The feverfew has been in flower for a while now. It seems to have grown extra tall this year. I love these delicate little white and yellow sunny flowers.

White petals with yellow pincushions centres

Hysslop a deep blue herb has now come into flower.

Hysslop

I like nasturtiums and I use the nasturtium seeds in my pickles. They come in some lovely colours.

Mahogany Red

Yellow

Can you see the bumblebee?

The marguerite daisies are now all in flower. Their simplicity adds to their charm.

Marguerites

I have harvested my broad beans, some bean pods are blind ie. devoid of beans, I do not know what causes this to happen.

Broad Beans - yum

The damson trees do not have many fruit.

Unripe damsons

The raspberries are starting to form on the Autumn raspberry bushes. I am able to harvest these until we get our first heavy frost, usually in September.

Now we just need the sun to ripen the fruit

I have picked some of the blackcurrants and although it took ages to top and tail the fruit the result is 14 jars of delicious jam. 

Delicious

The sparrows and I are having a battle with the peas. They roost in the house eaves and like nothing better in the morning than to bob under my net. I have now added another net so we will see what happens tomorrow.

Pea pods

These are some of my pottery tiles that I have on my shed wall.

Inspired by flowers

I love this colour combination

I am very proud of my terracotta warriors. I made them several years ago. The 'old warrior' got left at the pottery (where I go for my classes) over the cold Xmas period.  We did not realise until too late that water in the clay froze and as it defrosted parts of the warrior slid off. I was able to salvage the figure and regard it as looking more authentic with parts missing.

Old Terracotta Warrior

 
I then decided to make the 'young warrior' so I could complete the design, hence the reason why I have two warriors. 

Young Terracotta Warrior

The Warriors

Hot and Harvesting

The weather this week has been 29c most days so the garden and myself have been red hot.This suits some of the veg and flowers and I am watering every night as everything is getting very dry.

I have harvested the gooseberries and made gooseberry jam.

What a superb size and taste

Also the onions for which I had 2 plantings (as the first planting was not successful, are now thriving and looking very healthy.)

White onions, very tasty

The runner beans are now beginning to display their bright red flowers, hopefully the beans should soon be forming.

Scarlet flowers

The apples are beginning to swell on the old apple tree after the June drop when the tree sheds some of the forming fruit.

Apples growing steadily in the heat 

I had a trip to Maryport in West Cumbria. I found these orchids on a bank near to the sea edge.

Majestic orchids

This lovely old fishing boat would have some stories to tell.

Moored up and waiting 

At one time Maryport was a thriving town that transported coal by shipping.These old houses date back to this time.

A view of Maryport from the dock

These wonderful heavy horses can be seen at Cumbrian Heavy Horse Centre near Millom in the Lake District.

Gentle giants

In some fields there is the acid yellow flowers of oil seed rape.They stand out dramatically in the countryside.

 Acid Yellow 

The back border in the Artful Garden is now coming into full bloom.

Bonny red flax with a dark outline edge to the petals

Also the borders in my home garden are vibrant with colour.

Lovely colours

The beautiful annual is called Baby Blue Eyes, so appropriately named.

Baby Blue

The straw flowers are coming into bloom and I am picking them when they are in full flower to hang up to dry.

Pretty in pink

I love Calendula the colours are so vibrant.They self seed from year to year. I am going to dry some of the petals as a basis for pot pourri.

Orange Calendula

Yellow Calendula

The Mock Orange is in full bloom.

Called Mock Orange because of the perfume

The roses are all starting to flower but most of them do not like the hot weather.

Button white roses on the barn wall

Two new dragonflies have flown into the Artful Garden and are hanging from the apple tree.

Dragonflies with cheeky Bobby Barley not wishing to miss any photo opportunity

Rocks, Rambling, and Red Hot Weather

Last Saturday we got up very early 5 am. As I looked out of my kitchen window through the trees I saw an orange orb, the sun beginning to rise.

An  orange sunrise

We arrived at 7am to walk in the Langdales in the Lake District to climb up Bowfell and Esk Pike 1,000 metres and a 14 km. walk over rocky terrain.

When we set off the sheep and lambs in the field next to the car park were still asleep.

Herdwick sheep still asleep

The view at the start of the walk looking towards 'The Band'.

Only 14 kilometre to go

The day started off warm but as we started to climb we got into atmospheric mist that floated and swirled above our heads. 

Mysterious mist

The rock formations were amazing. Huge great big chunks of rock all angular and often built up in layers.

Chunks of rock

Some rocks contained seams of marble.

Seams of marble

This little burn had rusty iron ore shining through the water.

Rusty looking iron ore

Some rocks contained small holes at random intervals on the rock surface.

What has made these holes?

There were a lot of wonderful lichens of different colours decorating the rocks.

Orange coloured lichens

Yellow coloured lichens

Can you see the whale within this rock formation?

Spot the whale

When we actually reached the summit it was thick fog and we had to climb over a rock floor of large slabs of rock.

Rock on

Coming down from the summit we arrived at Angle Tarn, dark mysterious water.

The dark waters of Angle Tarn

This is the view of the hills from part of the Cumbrian Way which we walked on our return trip.

Along the Cumbrian Way

Cotton grass swaying in the valley.

Delicate tuffs of white cotton grass

These chimney pots are unique to the Lake District they make something functional very interesting.

How many chimney pots can you see?

A delicate poppy that only lasts for a day.

So dainty and fragile

This week the weather has been extremely hot. Most of the flowers have survived but the soil is getting very dry. It it lovely to have proper summer weather which we have not had for several years.
The clematis are all in full flower, such striking colours.

Situated at the entrance to the Artful Garden

Situated on the farm wall

This is my first crop of new potatoes. The variety is Epicure and they boiled very well and retained their shape.

Delicious

Back at home Hay Baby has returned from the Hay Barn Health farm and she is looking very summery in her new outfit.

Hay Baby enjoying the flowers

I have heard that Lotta Bottle has been to a jewelry party and is now flashing a gaudy set of earrings, she will do anything to attract attention.

What are you like

Charlie Barley has seen the physio and his neck problem is now resolved.

Charlie Barley- how many chickens can you see and is that a skeleton?