I’ve never got to grips with relativity (the scientific type, not the study of second cousins – in which I am well versed). I abandoned physics shortly after the ticker tape machine because I hankered after Art. Consequently, I have no sensible explanation for why time speeds up, seemingly exponentially, mid June. One minute there is a world of possibility, endless evenings and all to play for. The next, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds and flowers are bursting out all over and the time to even gather them in safely, let alone do anything with them, has completely vanished – disappeared into a black hole. I can only hope they are focussing on this at Cern.
Having risen from my sickbed and largely de grumped, I have been prancing round the garden like a dervish trying to get things done before we go on holiday. The garret is positively festooned with drying flowers and herbs. I have bunches on racks and trays, in buckets, baskets and bins and hanging on the walls, the chimney and even the door handle. (It’s pot pourri again for Christmas folks!) I’ve also been drying off the deadheading rose petals for a week or so and stocks are looking promising (for a good thing as I am branching into confetti provision for cousin Lisa’s wedding). We have consumed the first batch of lavender biscuits and two vats of lavender oil and a jug of lavender water are steeping in the pantry dreaming of a soap based future. Mum and I have depodded a host of pink and blue lupin seedheads, there’s a trug of upside down poppies decanting seeds in the garden store and I ran out in torrential rain this morning to yank off the pink and white dierama seed heads before they dropped in the pond. All good then on the floral front. Alas that’s where my progress ends.
I have sadly not made it to the blackcurrants or gooseberries. This could be the first year for ages I’ve not bottled any. I’m just hoping a few will hang on (literally) until we get back from a week in Glenelg. (Jam supplies are secure though -I froze so many last year we can have the jeelly pan on for a week before we get close to emptying the freezer and you will all be glad to hear that Keith has focussed his attentions on the essentials and has a vat of blackcurrant vodka steeping). The blueberries, plums and hazelnuts are next up but not quite ready yet so I think we may be in with a shout there – though I spotted a squirrel inside the fruit cage yesterday – casing the joint).
The garden is throwing itself into late summer mode. The hemerocallis and agapanthus are out and we have a glorious display of echinops the bees are loving. The whole feel is shameless abandon, positively “last days of Rome variety”. It’s very tempting to cut back and tidy up the foxgloves and other early summer plants and to thin out the daucus (which are everywhere) to restore order but I’m hoping for seed……. I’m going to leave them a week or so more and spin the line that they are architectural. My clear out of the pond weed, and the cooling deluge this afternoon, also seem to have given the lilies a bit of a second wind. Another pond based excitement is that I have found two colonies of water soldiers. I thought the first batch from Judy had perished in the last big pond clean and begged a few more this year. However, one of the discoveries made in my steamy dip was that they had migrated over to the far bank and hidden amongst the lilies. The new ones have settled nicely near the stepping stones so now I have two battalions.
Off early tomorrow so next post likely from parts north.
Live from Ruthven 