Plums and Pleasure

I was delighted to be invited to have my blog linked to the RHS Community Gardening/Bloom Facebook page. Everyone is welcome to look at the garden over the garden wall. It is a private garden and I am the gardener and artist but not the owner of the garden.  

https://www.facebook.com/rhscommunitygardening

I have a great love of gardening and enjoy using my imagination to decorate the garden with artwork in the form of scarecrows, bees butterflies and many other characters that appear on my blog. I use nature and the countryside for inspiration and I am also always on the look out for humour in its many guises.

On Sunday I walked along the old railway line at Keswick in the Lake District. Greta bridge won an award as the best concrete structure of the century. The view under the arches of the bridge is attractive.

Holiday cottages along the river Greta

This shaggy inkcap fungus was along the path.

I was told by a passerby that they live up to their name

I understand that they smell at night

The trees are loaded with rosy red hawthorn berries, perfect for the birds in winter.

A bounty of hawthorn berries

This week there have been some very warm and sunny days which has allowed me to catch up on all the weeding in the Artful Garden. This is one of the best times of the year as you can dine on plums and raspberries as you garden. I am still picking runner beans.

The Autumn raspberries are ripening fast

Can you see Jack?

The damson and Victoria plums are almost ripe. The branches of the Victoria plum are so heavy with fruit that I have had to prop them up.

Plentiful plums

A delicious Victoria plum

I have used homegrown chili peppers, tomatoes and onions to make Hot Tomato Relish. All my family love this and you can also make it with green tomatoes.
      

Red chilies in the greenhouse

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Gardeners Delight, a bountiful crop and they taste so sweet and smell superb

Onions drying in the greenhouse. Now ready to hang up in old tights to store for the winter

A family favourite

Potatoes come in novelty shapes.

Can you see a face with a lopsided smile?

I have remodelled the daisy flowers to make them waterproof.

Daisies and a homemade windmill

Also I have had to redesign the sunflowers who greet people who walk up the road.

Giant sunflowers 

Lotta Bottle has been complaining about having new gloves. She always wants to be the centre of attention and so she thought serving cups of tea to the male visitors would get her noticed. She forgot about the washing up.

Can you see the teapot and poor Chumsie Bunny is being pushed out of the photo?

I have seen two vans where the back doors of the van is decorated. So much more interesting than a boring plain door.

What a brilliant idea

Move over please

How about a ride in Claude?  

Lobster without chips

Check out the number plate

   

Sun and Seeds

This moody sky I saw last Friday when I was travelling over Hartside.

A view from Hartside looking towards the Eden valley

On Tuesday we had our first summers day, glorious blue sky and temperatures in the 20c's. This has been followed by rain showers so everything is growing like topsy. I have had a busy week weeding and planting.

In the Artful Garden I have planted radish, beetroot, rainbow chard, peas and turnip. Most of the vegetable beds are now full with just some space left for courgettes and runner beans.

I have all my bedding plants on my patio at home waiting another week before I plant them in the garden.

Plant trays brimming over

The horse chestnut trees are now in flower.

White candelabras

This clematis is in full bloom.

Boozy Floosie in front of the clematis

I love these dainty yellow Welsh poppies that are so fragile.

Poppy power

The fern fronds are starting to uncurl.

Fern curls remind me of shepherd's crooks

The strawberry plants in in flower.

Hopefully there will be plenty of strawberries

I have to keep cutting the plants back as they are very invasive and grow through the cracks in the flags.

Tufted blue flowers

The fruit is forming on the gooseberry and red currant bushes.

Red currant flowers with berries starting to form

Gooseberries need to be bigger and less green before they are ripe

Rain water collects in the leaves of the archimelia mollis.

Rain drops are falling on my....

The Wirey Piper birds are having a problem perching in the tree.

Chirp chirp

These are the photos I am submitting as part of the Ravenbridge Stores Grand Photo Competition. 

Lady in pink

Lotta Bottle has been to the health farm and come back more glamourous. Her new hair extensions are causing a stir.

Hi Boys look at ME and not the bunny or the yellow dude

Just buzzing

Welcome to Kirkoswald 

Webs of Wonder

The countryside is very colourful as the rape seed fields are in full flower.

Acid yellow rape seed

The farmers are busy rolling their fields, they do this to squash the stones and mole hills before the grass grows for silage.

Striped fields

Dandelions fill the verges.

Yellow spiked suns

The cherry blossom is blooming.

Pink power

Scattered cherry blossom petals that look like confetti.

Candyfloss confetti

New bumblebees have appeared in the Artful Garden.

Buzz buzz buzz

 Also spotty ladybirds.

Rosy ladybirds

A new dragonfly protects the wild flower seeds.

Blue dragonfly bouncing in the wind

The Bottle Babes and Boys have returned to the Artful Garden. They all look very dapper.

Hi all, checkout our fashion statements

Do you like my moustache?

Can you see my earrings?

Travelling along the country lanes on a cold frosty morning there was a wonderful display a dew caught spiders webs. Such intricate designs.

A work of engineering complexity

Hanging from a strand of grass

Made amongst twigs and nettle leaves

A spider web hammock

A rosy tulip flower head.

Such a painterly effect

The woad I started growing last year is now in flower. You use the leaves to make a beautiful blue dye.

Acid yellow dainty flower heads

Woad leaves