Beaten by the heat

Today’s guest picture comes from my friend Sandy. He went on a tour to Falkirk today where he met the Kelpies. Check the size of the people in the picture to get a feeling of the scale of these sculptures.

Sandy reported that it had been a bit cooler in Falkirk than it had been in Langholm, so his tour had been comfortable. It was really too hot to be comfortable here today and we never really got going at all. Our local weather station recorded 30°C (87°F) at lunchtime.

Mrs Tootlepedal did go out into the garden early on while I dawdled indoors, but it was too hot for coffee outside, and I only did some token watering and dead heading after coffee.

The garden flowers are surviving the heat pretty well for the moment, and I wandered about, camera in hand as usual as there was a lot to look at.

(As always, a click on a picture in a gallery will bring up a bigger view.)

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The rambler rose on the fence between us and our neighbours is doing very well, and I was pleased to see a a far number of bees enjoying it today.

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The dahlias are filling out and adding to their number and variety every day.

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I noted a new sweet pea on the railings, a sparkling Sweet William, two shadowy poppies, a standout bloom in the old chimney pot, fuchsia on the back wall, detail on a ligularia, another slightly paler salvia, and the berries on the tropaeolum.

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Worn out by all this looking at flowers, I went in for lunch.

Once again, the very hot weather meant a limited supply of birds at the feeder.

In the afternoon, Mrs Tootlepedal sensibly went for a siesta, while I got bored and went back out to trim the yew bush. It was lucky that I had already take the tropaeolum picture as it was sacrificed in the pursuit of reasonable regularity.

When I had finished, I took a picture of the new bench . . .

. . . and since it was in the full sunshine, I went to sit on the old bench under the shade of the walnut tree and kept an eye on birds on our roof . . .

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. . . which was quite busy.

I was still waiting for the heat to ease off a bit before going cycling, so after a glass of iced water cooled me down, I checked to see if Mrs Tootlepedal would like a gentle walk.

The possibility of purchasing a Pelosi’s ice cream from the van on the Kilngreen was tempting and she settled for cycling very slowly under the shade of an elegant hat while I walked alongside her.

The Kilngreen was busy, and a good number of people were picnicking beside the river or playing and swimming in it. We got our ice creams and sat on a bench to eat them while a wagtail found a quiet spot on the water’s edge.

After we had downed the ice creams, we crossed the Sawmill Brig and went round the new path on the Castleholm. The race course rails have been erected in readiness for a meeting at the end of the month . . .

. . . and we pottered round the bottom corner, passing the castle itself (looking rather sad now), , any amount of grass and nettles, the noble fir, and lots of yarrow.

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After a last look back across the racecourse . . .

. . . we crossed the Jubilee Bridge and headed home.

If it is dahlias that you like, Maureen’s garden is the one to pass.

We got home in good time for a cup of tea, but when the moment came for me to go out for my cycle ride, it was still so warm that good sense overcame me and I stayed in and picked a few raspberries instead.

In the evening, as there was no cream in the house, which is essential for eating fresh raspberries, I converted the raspberries into two pots of raspberry jam. Mrs Tootlepedal had picked some beetroot earlier in the day, so it was quite a good day for enjoying garden produce.

We are in for another hot day tomorrow. I may have another quiet time.

There are not just one but two flying black headed gulls of the day today, one with wings down . . .

. . . and one with wings up.

Take your pick.

The combined flowers of the day are a rambler rose and the Oooh La La clematis on the metal railings.