Today’s guest picture is the second from my brother’s visit to churches in Hull. I liked this colourful ceiling in Hull’s cathedral.
It took me some time to really believe that it wasn’t going to rain today. I had a bit of Archive business after breakfast to take my mind off the question and then a crossword and a cup of coffee and a walk round the garden.
The dahlias are doing their best but something has been eating them…
…and they are looking a little ragged. The bees don’t mind though.
I found some blue berries on the tropaeolum. They always look slightly improbable to me, as though someone has been out and painted them.
The buddleias are going to be over before any butterfly arrives to enjoy them. The bees are having fun meanwhile.
The poppies continue to delight me.
In the end, I became convinced about the weather and got my fairly speedy bike out and gave it a good wash and brush up, cleaned and oiled the chain and set off for a ride.
It was still breezy so I kept the distance down to a gentle 34 mile circle with no big hills and a good tailwind to blow me home. There has been a lot of resurfacing and patching lately and with many less potholes to look out for, it was a relaxing ride. I stopped for pictures from time to time.
I think the the pink plant is willowherb but it is not the common sort. I took a picture of another bunch of it nearby.
The pattern of the plant growth doesn’t look quite right. It might be something else entirely.
My new mirror has settled in and is working well.
It needs a tweak every now and again after a bumpy piece of road but the old one did too so that is no surprise.
I always enjoy the wild flowers on the banks of the Canonbie by-pass. I still tend to think of this as a new road as one of my pupils cut the tape when it was officially opened but it has been here for about thirty five years now and has bedded in.
And of course there were cows.
The ride did perk me up and I was full of energy when I got home so I trimmed a hedge and mowed both lawns and edged them too. Considering how soggy it has been, they lawns are holding up well I will give them a last feed soon and hope for a dry autumn to leave them in good condition to survive the winter.
I did some garden tidying up and took a few pictures while I was at it.
There are a lot of large white butterflies about at the moment and one stopped for a while.
I discovered a little poppy hiding behind some leaves. I had not noticed it before….
…and it was obviously attractive to that hovering bee as well.
I have said it before but I will say it again, it is really encouraging to see bees in the garden when there has been so much worry about bee numbers.
There are poppies all over the garden from the veg patch to the front hedge. These four are beside the middle lawn.
Beside the front lawn, phlox is the main attraction.
I slowed down in the end, picked some beetroot and went inside for tea and toast and a shower.
I have been picking the sweet peas regularly and they brighten up the kitchen windowsill.
I cooked the beetroot and had it with my tea. Fresh beetroot is so sweet that it is probably taking me well over my sugar limit for the day but I don’t care.
In the evening, Mike and Alison came round and Alison and I enjoyed some music making where quite often we were both playing the right notes at the right time. This had a very pleasing affect on the ear and we were easily able to ignore the moments when things didn’t go quite so harmoniously.
When we finished playing, we joined Mike in front of the telly and watched Mo Farah do what he does so well for one last time in the 10,000m at the World Athletic Championships.
The flying bird of the day is a frog which I disturbed while trying unavailing to get a good picture of a water lily.
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Love the frog and everything else. Just read bees are making a comeback from colony collapse disorder. Hope it’s true.
I read that too but we will have to wait and see.
The tropaeolum berries are the same color as our blue bead lily berries. There doesn’t seem to be any other blue quite like it.
I don’t recognize the possible willow herb but you’ve reminded me that it’s just about time for me to go and see ours. I know of 4 or 5 plants and I have to drive for nearly an hour to see them.
I wish I could smell the sweet peas. My grandmother used to grow them but I never have.
Clare has the answer to the possible willowherb.
Good photos. 🙂
Thank you HJ
Thank you very much for sending the rain this way, we needed it badly.
I very much like the flying bird of the day. It seems strange that you have quite a few bees and very few butterflies, you’d think that the butterflies would be equally attracted to the bounty in the garden. With so many beautiful flowers to choose from, the garden should be butterfly heaven.
I would think so too but no one has told the butterflies. I am not seeing many when I cycle around so it is not just our garden.
My neighbour – who has three beehives in his small garden – tells me that round here there risk being too many hives (or too little foraging) for the bees’ own good. They may have to go too far to obtain their supplies, and exhaust themselves.
We have a few hives locally but not too many.
Those blue berries are an extraordinary colour, I loved the wild flowers as always and I too watched and marvelled as Mo Farah did it again!
Glad you were able to get a satisfyingly long ride without being rained on.
The sweet peas are a lovely sight.
Your willowherb is a willowherb – Great Willowherb in fact. It is the one we see most of the time and grows everywhere here. I have been enjoying seeing all the different poppies in your garden and especially like the salmon-coloured one that was hiding behind the leaf.
Thank you for the ID. It is a good looking flower.
My pleasure, Tom.
What a thoughtful looking little frog obviously pleased to be living in such an idyllic garden. The poppy with the fluted edges is very pretty and a lovely colour too. Pleased you enjoyed such a pleasant ride.
The frog was remarkably calm considering that I nearly stepped on it.
I continue to admire the mirror for your bike. Soon, soon. Speaking of soon…Clif and I are going for a longish ride tomorrow. We should have prime examples of helmet hair when we are done. We’ll be sure to take pictures to send to you.
I can’t stand the excitement of anticipation.
Lovely pics of flowers, and bees.
I grow a bush of Holy Basil (Tulsi Leaf) (Ocimum tenuiflorum) in my allotment in Brisbane to encourage the bees and they love it. I spend a lot of time, when I should be weeding, watching the bees feast. We are concerned over here about the bee population, or lack of it. Anything we can plant to encourage bees is being done in our community garden.
I am very glad to hear it.
Beautiful photos, and my favorite today is the frog. How have the tadpoles been doing this summer? With all this rain I would suppose they are in no danger of having their pools dry up.
There are frogs in the pond and that is as far as my frog knowledge extends.
Love that double frilly poppy.
Had no idea the trapaeolum got blue berries. Is that the vining one with the red flowers?
It is.