Today’s guest picture comes from a visit my brother paid to Cleethorpes, a seaside resort. It was rather too cold for fun on the beach so he headed out into the coastal region of North East Lincolnshire, just south of the town. This was one of many drainage channels, which doubled as a public footpath.
Our dry spell continued but in the morning, a blanket of cloud covered the sky and we were exposed to the brisk and chilly north easterly wind. My back was far from totally cured and my spirits were a bit low as a result so I skulked around indoors for the morning, raising just enough energy to make a sour dough loaf but nothing more.
After lunch the clouds cleared, my spirits lifted and the sun came out for the rest of the day. I went for a walk round the garden.
The latest rhododendron has flowered giving us a full range from pale to dark.
A poached egg plant has come out and the Euphorbias are looking stranger than ever.
There are additions to our range of blues too.
We have a good range of whites.
I was tempted by lawn care but thought better of it and went in and watched the birds through the kitchen window…
Then I watched a bit of Andy Murray playing tennis but the change in the weather outside was so welcome that I put lightweight cameras in my pocket, left Andy to it and went out for a short walk.
I took a regular route round Gaskell’s and Easton’s Walks as they provide easy going and plenty to look at in a short distance. My first stop was to commune with the slow worms at Pool Corner.
As I went up the road, the fields were bright with buttercups…
…and the verges full of flowers.
A horse was as interested in me as I was in the flowers.
There was no shortage of flowers to poke a lens at either beside the road or along the tracks.
I think the the blue plant above is ajuga and I should know the yellow one but I have forgotten what it is. Reminder welcome.
There is a very charming meadow at the Stubholm.
I ended my walk by going through the park and enjoying the rhododendrons beside the Wauchope.
Mrs Tootlepedal was busy in the vegetable garden when I got home and I thought it only right to record some of the progress on the edible side of the garden.
The rhubarb is also flourishing and some of it made its way into stewed rhubarb and custard for our tea later on in the day.
After the early flowers failed to produce fruiting centres, the strawberries have recovered and look as though they might produce a good crop. I hope so as I particularly like strawberry jam.
After a last look at some flowers….
…I was able to go back inside and cheer Andy Murray to a fine victory. His next match may be quite a bit harder.
The late afternoon was still pretty breezy so I abandoned any idea of a short late pedal and sat on a sheltered bench in the garden to enjoy a lovely evening for a moment or two.
We are slightly worried that the walnut tree in the background has not come into leaf yet. It is always the last to produce leaves though and we hope that it will manage it soon.
I hope that the gentle day today will keep my back going in the right direction and that more vigorous activity will be back on the menu soon.
The flying bird of the day is a sparrow.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
All the photos are just beautiful! I love the flowers especially.
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Great photos as ever. Backs will not be rushed!
It’s coming on.
Absolutely wonderful to see that wild flowers are still prolific. What a joy to walk amongst.
I thought modern chemicals had seen the back of them along the hedgerows.
When I was a girl (centuries ago) in the UK I would be out picking wild blackberries from the hedgerows every autumn for Mother to turn into jams and pies.
They used to weed kill the verges but in recent years they have stopped doing it and now sometimes just mow them instead. We used to pick brambles and make jelly too.
I always think of euphorbias as interesting. I love the green on green.
They are one of the flowers that repay a bit of close peering.
Your lupines and rhododendrons are at the same stage as ours.
The yellow flower looks like it might be one of the loosestrifes, but I’m not sure which one.
The views of the meadows and hills are beautiful as always, and the garden is looking great. All you can do about the walnut tree is the same as what you can do for your back pain; wait and see.
I am going for Clare’s suggestion of crosswort. I see that crosswort may be a loosestrife so you may both be right.
I do so envy you your sunshine and all your flowers! I am sorry you had a cold and dull morning though. I think your yellow flower is Crosswort (Cruciata laevipes). My book says – Attractive and distinctive perennial with hairy square stems. Flowers 2-3 mm across, yellow with 4 petals, in dense clusters arising from leaf axils.
Crosswort looks bang on. Thank you. I am sure that you told me the name last year too. I will try to fix it in my memory. The verges are full of it at the moment.
Thank-you Tom. I would love to see it here – we have many of it’s relatives in the verges.
We overlook a walnut tree and it always amazes us how quickly the leaves appear; it seems one day the neighbours are clearly visible through bare branches and the next the tree is entirely green. If it’s any help, the view of the neighbours is still obscured…those leaves, which are usually well gone by June, are hanging on for grim death!
We just don’t do wildflowers like you do…beautiful!
There are some slight signs of leaves coming out so we are hoping that all will be well.
Despite your bad back and a dreary morning, you put together a fine assemblage of flowers and landscape photos to cheer the rest of us up!
A bit of sunshine works wonders.
I do so enjoy looking at your pictures, the closeup of the euphorbia was magical.
So many interesting things to see, and probably so much more when the sun comes out.
Quite right.
beautiful flower colours. we still have dull grey weather over this side of the country and its windy too. such blah weather for summer.
Yes, it’s quite a reversal from the norm at the moment. If the wind would ease off a bit, it would be perfect.
The garden is looking stunning. All that hard work by Mrs T (ably assisted by you of course) is paying off.
She is working every minute she can while the good weather lasts. I am worn out supervising.
Sorry your back is slowing you down at the moment.
Lovely picture of the garden from the bench.
The meadows and gardens are looking quite colorful now. I love the buttercups. There is a small patch of them here under a couple of apple trees. Bright and cheery gold faces among the grass are always a pleasant sight, whether it be dandelion or buttercup.
The slow worm is an interesting species of lizard. We do not have them here, but I learned about them through your blog.
Good to hear your back is better. Wishing you and Mrs. Tootlepedal a pleasant day. It is cool and cloudy here this morning, but really hot weather is on the horizon for the weekend. Close to 100 degrees is in the forecast.
I would have to leave if the temperature got up to 100. Anything over 70 makes me far too hot.
Hottest I have seen it get here was 112 degrees on the porch thermometer in the old house. That was back in 2009 during a heat wave.
Aaaargh!
I’ve been away for a bit and am going to work my way backward, so please forgive me if it takes me awhile to catch up. I’m sorry to hear your back has been giving you difficulty and glad you’re having some sunshine and flowers to distract you. The Euphorbia is particularly interesting – very like what I’ve seen here, but more complex. I’ll have to pay close attention. The view from your garden bench is perfectly lovely. I could imagine falling into a reverie and forgetting to go inside – at least until my tummy grumbled. That usually gets my attention.
I hope that you are well and that your absence has been cause by a pleasurable visit to somewhere interesting.
Very well, thank you – just vastly more distracted than usual.
I am glad to hear that you are well.
Wildflowers in abundance and the garden looks lush, beautiful photos.