After a manic fortnight, with much appreciated help from mum and a posse of others who beavered away in atrocious heat, we made it to the garden open day in reasonable shape. The weather gods smiled and at 8a.m, when I got into the pond for a last minute blanket weed clear, it was almost balmy. Almost. The visitors seemed happy, the Coldstream ladies’ cakes were much admired, the Elephant squirted amiably on unsuspecting visitors to the great amusement of the patio lurkers and the charity offers swelled nicely. Lachlan did us proud with the helpers barbecue in the evening and for the next couple of days I did little more than sit on the patio with a book and a lolly (The Sandpit by Nicholas Shakespeare and Trespass by Louise Kennedy were both excellent). Life is now gradually resuming its normal course. (We are still open in a more low key way – by appointment and you have to put up with my baking -for the rest of the summer for https://www.samh.org.uk, btw – details here).
I have not been entirely chained to a wheelbarrow for the last month. In between all the frenetic gardening, Lyra, mum and I have been roaming out and about nature duding (lots of hares everywhere and fledgelings galore). I have also been quietly stock piling projects for the great liberation from weeding. Hopefully, there will be a little more air in the mixture for the next few posts! Mum has commissioned a needlework project (seats for the fancy – definitely not for sitting on – dining room corner chairs) and (wild excitement on my part) a mural for the little bathroom (provided Barry the decorator can confirm he has enough paint to cover it up if I make a howk). In anticipation of these endeavours, I have been stockpiling photos of grass and weeds (though my suggestion of a stand of nettles behind the loo was not favourably received). Petal collection (for confetti for a forthcoming wedding) is a delightful daily chore and I shall be starting on dried flowers and herbs soon. It’s also well past time I got some soap on. I’m not entirely giving up on the gardening either. I’m definitely going to try my hand at autumn sowing so there will be seeds to buy and there will be Mum’s new garden to help out with soon (though I will be restricted to unskilled labour as it’s definitely HER GARDEN – and quite right too). I might even blow the dust off the great, never to be finished, novel cycle.
Suddenly there’s a world of opportunity. To celebrate “everything”, today we went out for lunch to Eve’s Court at Papple Steading near East Linton (a convenient stone’s throw from Mac Plants where it would have been positively rude not to pick up a boot load of plants). The food was excellent and the atmosphere very relaxed. Lyra came too and snored happily throughout. It’s rather a gem so I strongly recommend a jolly if you are in striking distance. We meandered home via the ever excellent Bostock Bakery and Belhaven Smokehouse so that’s tomorrow’s dinner sorted. Next on the agenda is a glass of something pink and cold on the terrace I think. Chin chin peeps.
Well done with the Open Garden. Love the term “howk”……conjures up fantastic imagery.
brush at the ready