Today’s guest picture shows a bridge across the River Rye in Yorkshire which my brother visited on a very hot day in an attempt to avoid the bank holiday crowds.
We enjoyed another dry day today here although the lightest of drizzle every now and again made sure that we didn’t take it for granted. It was grey and windy and I was impressed that our neighbour Ken was ready to go off on a hilly 40 mile bike ride.
I had decided against a ride in the morning in favour of doing some serious work.
I won’t have to tell the knowledgeable readers of this blog that the Onegesias of the title was a trusted lieutenant of Atilla the Hun. It was my role today to act as Onegesias to Atilla the Gardener and remove a hosta that had outlived its place in the garden.
After some instruction, I got going and fairly soon the hosta leaves were on the shredding pile, the roots were laid out for drying and earth removal and a very satisfactory patch of bare ground was ready for new planting.
Fired up by this rare example of being useful, I set about the compost bins and shifted the contents of Bin B into the empty Bin C. I took a break to have a cup of coffee and then finished the job. The compost in Bin B was giving off a gentle heat and had rotted down well.
Mrs Tootlepedal was busy meanwhile tidying up our utility room and then washing all the assorted bits of smelly cycling gear and woolly hats that turned up under things.
While she had a quick burst on her bike to nowhere upstairs, I made potato latkes (using polenta) for lunch and then we went back outside into the garden.
With the bit fully between my teeth, I set about shifting the contents of Bin A into Bin B to complete the whole compost cycle.

My usual assistant put in an appearance.
It is always good to have a helping hand.
Then I wandered around the garden.
There were no new flowers to see but the honeysuckle, of which I have been trying to get a good shot for ages, seemed to be in a cooperative mood today.

Mrs Tootlepedal has three sorts of crocsomia in the garden. She has dug out a lot of the standard red ones but left these two.
The Michaelmas daisies are taking over from the cornflowers in the bed beside the drying green but the cornflowers have managed to hang on at the back.
While I was in full gardening mode, I mowed the drying green, the greenhouse grass and the middle and front lawns. Thanks to the recent dry weather, I was able to get over the ground at a good rate and didn’t need to use a box which makes the task a lot easier.
Ken had got round his bike run safely and he and Liz came over for a cup of tea and a brownie after I had finished the lawns. The brownie had been freshly made by Mrs Tootlepedal who had discovered a forgotten packet of Brownie Cake Mix in a cupboard while putting something else away.
We were glad that she had found the packet as the brownies went down very well with a cup of tea after a hard day’s work/pedal.
I thought about a walk after the tea had been drunk but the light was poor and the wind was still brisk so I settled for a last look at the garden.
The yellow crocosmias are mixed with poppies on both sides of the path at the end of the front lawn…
…and behind them, a Fuchsia is dripping with flowers.
It is due to move under the remodelling plans for next year so we hope that it survives.
A lone campanula was to be seen near the front door.
By this time, I was quite ready to have a sit down so I sat down and printed out a couple more pictures for the forthcoming flower show competition.
Although I may find myself being a bit creaky tomorrow, I was really pleased to have been able to do so much work (by my standards) in the garden today. For some reason, my joints are much better than they been for ages and I intend to make the most of it while this happy state lasts.
No flying bird of the day today thanks to the poor light but a cheerful dahlia of the day to brighten things up.
As a footnote, Mrs Tootlepedal took down her sweet pea cage today and found this tall plant growing up the back of the cage. She has tied it to the telegraph pole. It is a mystery to her and she would be interested to know if anyone can suggest what it might be.
You have a very cute assistant.
We are delighted with him/her.
What a hardworking day! Hope you don’t suffer too much tomorrow. Robin starting to acquire its red breast.
For some unknown reason I am feeling very perky at the moment.
Very neat box balls. Nice to see a bit of colour on a young robin. Lovely stripes on a dahlia.
We are pleased that the robin is going red. Mrs T may try to get it to feed from her hand if she has the patience.
I like your assistant! And happy you only had some drizzle as we are expecting anything between 12-20+ cm of rain from the approaching storm in 1.5 days.
20 cm + is a lot of rain. I hope that the march residents don’t get washed away.
That’s what I am hoping too. There is already a huge ‘lake’ on the beach and all the trails to the park/salt marsh are flooded, and it has just started.
Fingers crossed.
Though not a lawn fancier, you’re has me going, “wow”. Not a bad day, all in all, and I am sure Mrs T was much more refined in her response to finding the aged cycling attire than I when mouldering football gear (esp the shin guards…grrr) is uncovered.
She was very calm about the stuff, merely remarking in a pointed way that I seem to have a great many hats and mitts.
Mrs T; it’s official, you are a saint 🙂
Turning compost is a lot of work, I agree.
I’m guessing a bird dropped some type of a sunflower seed and the mystery plant grew from it. There are some strange plants that come from birdseed.
The lawn looks great!
We have a sunflower beside the bird feeder so you may well be right.
You nailed the honeysuckle shot! Your little robin friend is starting to get his red breast. Well done huns, that is a very promising bare patch 🙂
The hosta was like me, somewhat past its best so it had to go.
😉
Lovely honeysuckle and so glad your joints are giving you less trouble, long may that last.
Congratulations on a very hard working and rewarding morning, composting and mowing.
Atilla and Onegesias make a very fine team.
One day we will rule the world.
Thanks for the photo of the lovely wee robin. Hope your joints continue to behave – if it’s not Dr. Velo, it must be a side effect of all that happy time spent working the compost bins!
I can’t put it down to anything other than a spell of good weather and good luck. Long may it continue.
Nice pictures as always! 🙂
Thank you HJ
How rewarding to accomplish all those tasks and still be upright. Lovely honeysuckle photo and perfect grass just right for bowls! Your unidentified plant may be a sunflower or ‘niger seed’ plant – there are 7ft monsters growing under our bird feeders with pretty yellow flowers!
We didn’t think that it was a sunflower but it may have been
I am pleased to hear you have been feeling better recently; I hope this continues for a while longer. Your garden is looking very good and still full of colour.
I am more than pleased to be feeling so perky.
I miss honeysuckle. We had it back east, but none here growing wild in our area.
It does well round here and we can find it in lots of roadside hedges.
I enjoyed volunteer sunflowers this year, thanks to the birds. I really should put together some posts with some of my summer photos. It was a good year for mushroom here, I thought of you and a couple other wordpress acquaintances when I was taking photos of them.
I would look forward to such a post.
It’s only fitting that the assistant have an assistant, and yours is very cute. I hate to repeat myself, but I loved the wider shots show the garden in all of its glory!
It is hard to get the wide shots to show what the eye sees but I try my best.
That makes two of us.