Wet and Wild

What a difference a week makes. We have had torrential rain and the temperature has dropped dramatically. I have not done much gardening this week instead I have been restoring and creating artwork.

I am continuing to harvest fruit. I am still picking strawberries and have now started to pick gooseberries.

It takes a long time to 'top and tail' but the effort is worth it

The thistles are now in flower.

Thistles come in many shapes and sizes

The roses in the Artful Garden have come into bloom.

Roses and pottery houses

The cardoon is massive.

I'm dooned

The gentle perfume of meadowsweet is in the hedgerows.

You can use meadowsweet in recipes. It is similar to elderflower

The farmers are sheering their sheep.

Herdwick sheep

These dandelion seed heads are wonderful.

Each seed head is like a tiny upturned umbrella

I have been busy making wreaths.

Alchemillia mollis and scabious

Alchemillia mollis and Sweet Williams

I have decoupaged some tin cans.

Cantastic

I bought a potting bench and have decorated it and a set of steps with plants in cans, tins, jelly moulds and plant pots.

With all the rain there is no need to water

Crazy Maisie has returned from the health farm.

Love the hair extensions

Looby Loo loves her new clothes.

Do you like my slippers?

Charlie Barley is feeling cool.

Charlie's added a bit of sparkle

A misty view.

Looking towards Busk

Reflections in the river Eden which we walk along each evening with our dog.

Mirror image

Sand martin nest holes. In the evening the birds dash and dart over the water.

The sandy bank

Brilliant Blooms

Kirkoswald has achieved a gold award for Cumbria in Bloom. The Artful Garden was mentioned in the report.
"It provides interest with many works in addition to a wide spectrum of plants, vegetables and colour." 
The garden also got a special award of  'Magnificent."

A dry weather week has  allowed me to catch up with my gardening. It is lovely to garden when the sun in shining. 

I have been making a series of wreaths from natural materials experimenting using different plants.
Wreaths for the gate into the Artful Garden.

Made from rowan berries, rosehips and oak leaves

Made from apples and acorns

Hawthorn berries and sycamore keys

I am picking raspberries almost every day.

There is an excellent crop of raspberrries

The apple tree is so heavily ladened that we have had to prop it up.

A bumper crop of apples

The sunflowers are starting to die back I am leaving the flower heads for the birds.

A giant sun

I love the cardoons.

Doon yer think were great?

We have had a slight frost but some of the nasturtiums have survived.

Nasturtiums intertwined with the apples

I love rudbeckias.

Look at the spiky petals 

The monarda is still in full flower.

Purple pincushions

Look at the symmetry of the leaves.

Striking

I found this baseball man in Hexham.

Hi I'm a Hexham Dodger

A strange ladybird has appeared in the Artful Garden.

I'm no lady

Look at the clouds floating over the Eden Valley.

A superb views

Sun and Sheds

The weather has been gloriously hot all this week so I decided to paint the allotment shed. I have since then decorated it.

These are two herb wreaths I have made for the shed.

A rosemary base, achillea, tansy, bistort and hyssop

A rosemary base, tansy and hyssop

I am harvesting vegetables and picked 25 sweetcorn some of which we have frozen.

The runner beans are now producing a steady supply as are the french beans and broad beans.

The damson plums are not far from being ripe so are the Victoria plums.

Brassicas in the fields will soon be harvested.

Animal feed

The wild flowers have come into their own. The poppies open and close according to the sunshine.

Poppy power

The comfrey attracts the bees.

Comfrey and chamomile

The pumpkins are getting huge and the warm weather helps them swell. They are suffering from mildew so I have removed a lot of the leaves.

How big will they grow?

In the hedgerows are wild scabiosa.

Scabiosa pincushions

Purple vetch.

Tendrils twisting and twining

I saw these puppets at Upfront Gallery.

Brush head

Dainty ballerina

A view from Hartside looking over towards the Solway.

Deep valleys

This is the latest picture I have made for the Alston Art show.

Housey housey