Today’s guest picture comes from my brother Andrew. On his recent tour, he visited Gibraltar Point, a nature reserve where the North Sea meets the Wash near Skegness.
We woke up to a sunny morning here, which was very welcome. The day was made even sunnier by the arrival of Dennis (with scones) for coffee. When he went on his way, Mrs Tootlepedal went off shopping, and I got out into the garden. I did some shredding, some dead heading, and mowed the middle lawn.
I wasn’t kept so busy that I didn’t have time to appreciate the large number of butterflies on the buddleias.
More lilies appear every day, and they are so striking that it is hard to pass them by without paying attention.
The sharp eyed reader will notice that one of the lily panels above features Japanese anemones.
Mrs Tootlepedal was very happy to see the flowers opening out on the agapanthus.
I thought that this was the first agapanthus that we have had in the garden, but looking back in my records, I see that we had one two years ago, so this is the second.
The birds haven’t started pecking the rowan berries yet, and in contrast, we have stopped cutting the sweet peas as there are just too many for us to cope with.
We picked the first runner beans of the year, and while we were picking them, I noticed that Mrs Tootlepedal has got some beans with white flowers coming on among the more normal red flowers.
It was a lovely morning, and roses and clematis looked good in the sunlight.
After lunch, Mrs Tootlepedal did some serious gardening, and I went for a walk. Having walked down the Murtholm side of the river yesterday, I walked the same distance down the town side of the river today.
It is not so scenic, and thanks to Himalayan Balsam taking over the river bank in a big way, there was not a lot of plant interest either. The honeysuckle and Russian vine on the sewage works fence were doing a good job of keeping the works disguised, and I did see a bee enjoying some knapweed and a handsome outbreak of verbascum in gaps on the river bank between the balsam.
I got back in time to watch the climb of Mont Ventoux on the Tour de France Femmes with Mrs Tootlepedal. As always, we take our hats off to the fitness and indomitable spirit of the athletes who can cycle up monster hills like this more quickly than we can cycle along the flat (on our e-bikes).
This was followed by our regular zoom with my siblings who are still living in a completely rain free part of the country. I showed them a picture of our lawn just so that they could remember what green grass looks like.
Mrs Tootlepedal dug up a main crop potato, and found that in spite of some recent rain here, the soil in the potato bed was dry as a bone just under the surface. As a result, the crop was fair but not sensational.
We had home-grown potatoes and runner beans with some poached salmon for our evening meal. They went down well.
Flying birds were in short supply again today, but I did see some sitting birds. There was obviously something interesting going on over there.
The best I could do with a bird in the air was this pigeon trying to sneak round the back of the house before I could catch it.
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That’s a lot of butterflies. The buddleia that I saw here last year died over the winter so I have to watch the wildflowers for them.
Asian lilies are beautiful things and often very fragrant.
Ours are strongly scented.
You had such a nice day. I picked veggies and did some mowing and weeding at high noon as it was only going to get hotter and at my place it was 95 F. Then I came in to drink lots of water and painted a small watercolor. Took a ride in the Torino to a church around the corner and won a hat and car fender blanket so as to not scratch it when working on it lol me with a grinder in my hand 🙂
I wouldn’t last long at 95 degrees. I am glad that you drank lots of water.
Today even worse though I drank heart was still racing hey maybe I lost 3 more lbs. 🙂 siting here with a wet towel on my head and neck.
Good luck.
I needed that nap in the AC but then I could not sleep until after midnight. This week in will be 85- 90F with sun except on Thursday a few thunderstorms may fire up. North of us for the past 2 days with high temps they have had flash flooding events too much rain all at once at time 3″ in minutes . Your Dumfries area looks to be getting some weather as well. Have a wonderful Sunday.
We had a little light rain today, but we were in no danger of flooding!
Free garden moisture is perfect!
You dined royally! Yum!!
Can’t complain.
My white Japanese anemones just started blooming as well. I don’t have any honeysuckle in my garden anymore, and I miss it; I’ve never seen it in that color before! I wonder if it’s blooming over on the bike path — I’lll have to go look.
Are Dennis’s scones of a traditional Scottish type? Do they include currants or oats or anything distinctive? The last scones I made, I added “Zante currants,” which are not currants at all, but a small raisin. I didn’t really like those raisins in the scones. Some recipes I’ve made are too rich, including both butter and cream. I guess I haven’t found what I would consider a good and reliable recipe, but then I don’t try very often.
His scones are very basic girdle scones, basically made of self raising flour and water and milk. He wouldn’t dream of putting fruit in them.
Lovely to eat your own beans and potatoes.
On agapanthus, I saw one almost in flower from the bus today. It is still winter and it has been really cold for this part of the world.
Home grown food always tastes better (even if it doesn’t).
I know nothing about agapanthus, so I wouldn’t know of seeing one in winter is odd or not. It sounds surprising though.
In the waterless part of the country we are having a good year for figs. :-)Good to hear you are getting out a bit more and seeing plenty of things.
My daughter has prolific figs in her London garden but even if we could grow them here, we wouldn’t, as they are a nightmare for getting pips in inconvenient places in my mouth.
🙂 I’m still OK with figs – raspberries, on the other hand, are a nightmare.
Good to see all those butterflies. Hardly any coloured ones here.
Your Japanese anemones have no more business than ours to flourish with the lilies
We are a very inclusive garden. 🙂
Home grown spuds and beans sounds good. I have never grown potatoes and it has been years since I grew beans. Maybe something new to try next year. I see you also have some Red Admirals with very tattered wings. It is astonishing that they can still fly. Still no sign of any Peacocks here. Though I did have to rescue a Speckled Wood from inside the conservatory today.
I don’t think that we will ever see a Speckled Wood, but I am hoping for a Comma which occasionally visit our garden.
I usually have Comma butterflies too, but not this year.
This is a delightfully uplifting post. It is fun seeing so many butterflies and I love the idea of you eating your own produce!
I was delighted to find four different sorts of coloured butterflies in the garden. We had lots of white ones too.
What a treat to have fresh potatoes and runner beans for your evening meal. Beautiful, beautiful butterflies.
The veg garden was reduced a lot to make way for the solar panels but it is good to find we still have room for some home grown food.
Such a happy post with butterflies galore and home grown veg for tea….life is good in Langholm! The lily photos are delightful, so elegant.
Lilies are in danger of overtaking poppies as my favourite flowers. I am fickle in my flower affections.
I didn’t used to like lilies as I only saw them in bouquets at the supermarket! Now seeing them growing in your garden I’m amazed …they are glorious!
They are lovely in the garden, but I know what you mean when they are taken out of context. They are a bit much.
I like Andrew’s picture – not an area I know. Somehow that part of the east coast just seems too out of the way to get to for a short visit and maybe not quite interesting enough for a longer one!
I know what you mean. I have had holidays on the south side oof the Wash but not the north.