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