I am not a patient patient. No sooner am I down to one stick, than I find the stick an irritant and I’m sneaking round stickless. I wangle in extra exercises and am probably a bit too optimistic about the thought of physio on Wednesday; chances are I shan’t be leaping up like Lazarus and moving straight onto the wheelbarrow and shovel. But I am trying to be sensible. I let Keith talk me out of going all the way round the cow circular on my first trip out. Weaning myself off pain killers entirely left me sleepless so I owned up and asked for some more. (I’ll give it a few more days then have another go I think). Yesterday was scorching and I was tired so I mostly sat in the sun and read a book. Today, I contemplated the stepping stones over the pond in a slight drizzle and sagely turned back.
The lovely weather really has been a godsend. If you are going to be doomed to sit about, with small intermittent wanders, doing so in the sun, with just a touch of westerly breeze and the pervasive scent of roses is my kind of doom. The peachy Emma Hamiltons I took a severe hack back to last year have been the best ever this year, making up a little for the Lady of Shallot losing her mojo (though the pony poo feed seems to have done some good and I have high hopes). I am majoring on scents and for the first time ever I’ve successfully got two pots of freesias going. Mum has always managed to keep hers outside in pots but the ones she gave in the past me did not survive the cutting bed. These look much better (huge flowers too) and will be staying firmly in pots.
Down in the ponds the water lilies are now in full swing. I was so intent on boggling at the yellow flowers in the top pond two days ago that my glasses flew off and landed, tantalisingly out of reach, on a lily pad. Mum went to look for them later but alas they were not to be seen. Perhaps the golden orfe and newts are now enjoying a hall of mirrors down at the bottom. The yellow lily one is the “mother” of a cutting I rooted for the bottom pond which is now huge and covered with flowers. It seems almost wasteful not to take another cutting but where on earth would I put it? Any takers with big ponds do get in touch.
Today we had downpours so after my early (truncated) garden tour I dedicated myself to matters culinary and adapted an old Jane Grigson traditional lardy cake recipe to address a burning need for cake at a time when we had no eggs (and no lard either). So, vegetarian lardy cake with scandinavian spicing it was….Recipe here for anyone minded to have a go. Keith has awarded his seal of approval.
