Today’s picture shows an elegant arcade roof in Hays Galleria seen by my sister Mary when walking beside the Thames.
After the cycling of yesterday, today was devoted to more serious matters. The lawns have been neglected so I started by mowing the middle lawn.
Then there were flowers to inspect. The Shirley poppies are flourishing and although to a careless glance they may appear rather similar for a mixed packets of seeds, a closer inspection reveals a bucket of difference.
There were many visitors to the garden today including a bunch of hoverflies playing their version of the student game of ‘see how many people we can get onto a phone box’.
Different flies were also on duty at the mint.
There was a regulation bee or two of course. This was one was visiting a nasturtium.
I was very pleased to see a coloured butterfly which will be the first of many, I hope.
The white phlox is hard to photograph because of the lack of contrast but it deserves an entry in the garden record as there are several clumps going great guns at the moment.
A white cosmos at least has a contrasting yellow centre.
All these pictures were taken in the space of 15 minutes so it wasn’t hard to find interest today. I had to go and sit down before I became too excited. I watched some birds to calm me down.
Then there were treacle scones to be eaten as Dropscone arrived having pedalled solo round the morning run.
These were safely disposed of and this was followed by the disposal through the shredder of a great many cuttings from a pyracantha which Mrs Tootlepedal and our neighbour Liz had trimmed for an elderly neighbour.
Then it was time to do some work at the computer updating one of the websites I manage for other people.
There was just time for a quick look out of the window before lunch…
After lunch, Mrs Tootlepedal and I cycled up the Wauchope road to check on the replacement bridge. Mrs Tootlepedal was in determined mood on the bike….
…and it didn’t take us long to arrive at the bridge. It wasn’t finished but it was open to traffic with the aid of a traffic light.
We cycled across it and then turned round and cycled back across it. The workmen were impressed by our versatility. They told us that it will probably be another three weeks until the works are finished. It looks a bit rough and ready at the moment.
Soon we had completed a journey of about ten per cent of my ride yesterday but it was equally as pleasant and the company was better of course.
The front lawn got a mow when we got home and as a bonus Mrs Tootlepedal trimmed the edge with the strimmer so it ended up looking well cared for.
The drying green and the grass round the greenhouse badly needed a mow too but this was a lawn too far for me and they will have to wait. I looked at some flowers instead.
I thought it only fair to them to show the row of marigolds hidden behind the nicotiana and cosmos.
The rest of the afternoon was spent gently snoozing and catching up with my correspondence. I printed out a two pictures, a woodpecker and a jay from the Moorland Feeder Station, for an environmental exhibition which Dr Barlow is mounting in September and though I say so myself, they looked quite good. As I am using very cheap compatible ink cartridges and inexpensive photo paper, this was more than satisfactory.
The flying bird of the day is a sparrow for lovers of flying sparrows everywhere.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
One of the amazing things that I love about your photos is that your creative perspective can challenge the eye – the center of the first Shirley poppy resembles a butterfly with white-edged blue and black wings; the incredibly detailed close-up of the white cosmos center looks like a fancy cupcake. And of course the bird photos always bring a smile. Have a lovely weekend. 🙂
Thank you for your good wishes. I agree about the cupcake likeness.
That certainly is a furry butterfly. I’ve never seen one like it.
Looking at images of other British butterflies, it does seem to be particularly furry.
I thought the butterfly was furry too! Is the treacle scone recipe available?
I was surprised when I started at looking at photos of tortoiseshells to find how furry they are. I’ll chase up Dropscone for his recipe.
Another fine collection of flowers, the clematis is my favorite of this post.
Fine judgement.
Thanks for my bird, a pleasure as always. Lots of colour in your garden, well done Mrs. T.
The variagated (?spelling) poppies look very good, also the tortoiseshell butterfly, and the clematis is a very pretty colour.
Glad to see progress on your bridge. Do you think, when they’re finished, you could send those workmen down here? My day lilies are all over now so it’s nice to see yours still going. 🙂
You keep your hands off our workers. There is plenty for them to do up here.
🙂
Beautiful clematis – is it the Nellie Moser?
Mrs Tootlepedal thinks that it is.
Wonderful photos as always. Particularly like the chaffinches and the mint. And now I’m salivating over the idea of treacle scones.
I’ll have to get Dropscone to write down his recipe. It is not complicated.
Thanks. I went Googling and found one interesting recipe but I’d appreciate Dropscone’s! I make scones about once a year, but am looking forward to more (I’ve pretty much stopped baking in the heat),
I’m chasing him up. It’s not a complicated recipe.
So many fearless flyers in the flowers, and all fabulous too! 😉
I am particularly partial to alliterative praise. Thank you.