Today’s guest picture comes from our son Tony and shows one of his dogs relaxing in his garden. He tells me that he sun (almost) always shines in East Wemyss.
When I woke up this morning, I was very happy to find that the sun was shining and my feet were not hurting. Life was good and it got better when I went out into the garden after breakfast and found a painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) sunning itself on a Sweet William.
Things improved even further when Dropscone arrived for coffee, bringing scones of the highest quality with him. Add to that a passing visit from our friend Gavin who stayed for a cup of coffee and happiness was to be found all around.
In the garden, when the visitors had departed, there was plenty of cheerfulness too. We have three different astrantias and they are all doing well…
…and the painted lady was back showing both sides of its wings.
On the feeder, a siskin stood for a moment before getting a seed. (This is a rare siskin picture for me as it wasn’t taken through a window.)
Mrs Tootlepedal was doing the garden equivalent of housekeeping after the pole excitements when she found this quite unexpected but very pretty iris in the middle of a bed. Where it has come from is a mystery, as she didn’t plant it.
Long established irises should not be overlooked though.
Two days of warm sunshine had brought life to the garden and plants asked to be photographed, both in the form of Jacobite roses…
…and the butter and sugar iris.
The painted lady returned to another Sweet William and let me get a close up.
The tropoaeolum has burst into flower as well.
In between running around snapping at flowers, I mowed the front lawn and lent a hand with the garden tidying until it was time for Mrs Tootlepedal to drive off to Newcastleton for an embroiderers’ lunch.
I made a pan of soup for my lunch, did the crossword and then headed out on my bike to see how my legs were feeling after yesterday’s effort.
I chose a route where the wind would be across and hoped that bends in the road would mean that it would frequently change from hostile to helpful as I went along as I didn’t fancy another long spell of battering into the brisk breeze.
I chose a more hilly route but my legs were unfazed and carried me along without complaint. My windy plan worked well and I didn’t have any long struggles into the teeth of the breeze, but all the same, I adopted a very gentle pace and stopped to take many pictures as I went along. Here are a sample.
A mown field and a variety of greens made a interesting picture as I cycled down the hill from Peden’s View.
There was a pretty selection of hawkweed and daises at Bentpath village (and another painted lady which didn’t get into the picture).
The Esk looked serene when viewed from the Benty Bridge.
The shadows on the back road past Georgefield look attractive but they are a snare for cyclists as it is hard to spot potholes among them and there are plenty of potholes on this section.
I got through safely though and was able to admire this small prairie of buttercups near Enzieholm Bridge.
When I looked more closely, I found that below the buttercups, the field was also full of yellow rattle.
There was a lot of traffic on the road on my way home…
…but I got back in good spirits after fifteen very pleasant miles.
Mrs Tootlepedal had returned from her lunch and was busy in the garden again so I joined her in a supervisory role and took more flower pictures from time to time.
It was a perfect day and all the better because we have had so few good days lately.
The only fly in the ointment came in the evening with the news that Scotland had failed to hang on to a three goal lead in a crucial game in the Women’s World Cup football tournament. I wisely hadn’t watched the game because I wasn’t in the mood for needless suffering.
I didn’t find the necessary time to catch a flying bird today as it wasn’t a good day to spend a lot of time indoors, so a sitting blackbird of the day takes the position instead.
What a nice set of pictures! I just loved the field of buttercups and the goats on the road made me laugh haha.
The goats are in fact our hill sheep. They are pretty tough and scrawny animals.
Very cool! 🙂
I’m glad the feet and legs held up.
That voluteer iris is a beauty. I’d guess it was a Siberian iris because of the shape but I’ve never heard of one that color.
The shots of the butterflies and the huge field of buttercups are beautiful.
Mrs T thinks that it is a Dutch iris though she still can’t think how it arrived in the garden in the middle of a clump of daisies.
Stranger things have happened!
Your picture of the Esk from the Benty Bridge is just glorious. We’ve forgotten what the sun looks like here in the south west.
We have been lucky as there has been rain about, just not over us for once.
What a great post! Lots of color in your yard for sure. I am glad you are back to pedaling after a few days of recovering.
I am pleased to find that I can pedal without doing much damage. I have missed longer rides.
Amazing post! I love how you describe story attached to every picture and I really like your pictures
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Your post help me as I’m new in this blogging thing ……So thanks to you
Glad about your feet, loved the views on your cycle ride and that painted lady at the top of the post.
The blackbird seems to be saying he did not have such a good day as you.
I’m pleased you had such a photographically productive and pain free day. I really like the field landscape
I hope that sunshine and painfreefulness is the theme of the coming months but I am only cautiously optimistic about that to say the least.
The sun certainly shone on you and all your subjects. The East Wemyss inhabitant looks mighty comfy.
He knows whom the chair is for.
Beautiful shots, but I especially like that dog buddy in the first photo.
Your garden is so full of brilliant color and the sun certainly adds more perkiness! I’m glad you were able to get some bike riding in. The scenery never fails to bring a wistful smile to my face. It’s been overcast over here in “sunny” Southern California, but I keep reminding myself this is so much better than the 110 degrees we’ll have once summer fully hits. Since being retired and not stuck inside a windowless office all day, I am now able to appreciate the weather!
The weather is my constant preoccupation. As you say, when you are retired, the weather is much more important than when you are working.
The photos from your area are always a pleasure to see. I love those flowers that unexpectedly show up after a disturbance in the garden. I have found that irises and daffodils often do that. They can get dragged along by heavy equipment to other parts of the property, only to show up in odd places. That happened this year. I now have some bearded iris out back where there never was any before.
That is a bonus. The iris appeared too soon after the men had been at work for them to get the blame. It is a mystery but a welcome guest all the same.
Two shadow photos now are contenders for entry into the competition…love the one today. Glorious views of the countryside and the flowers in the garden – the sunshine makes all the difference to everything. Apparently, it’s a good year for bumble bees hope it will be the same for butterflies- you’ve made a good start!
We are just beginning to see a few about after a slow start.
What a cute dog, and a great siskin photo.
It is good to have co-operative sitters.
Lovely views!
I have recently followed your blog and I read it in my free time. It is very inspiring. Perhaps the most accurate description of your work is ‘Calming’ blog, delightful to the eyes. I am soon to start my blog and hope to share my city’s beauty with you.