Toured out

Today’s guest picture comes from my Somerset correspondent Venetia’s trip to Cornwall. The picture shows the Burma Bridge in the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

I had grand plans for a long cycle ride today as the weather was forecast to be cool with light winds. However, I was very tired when I woke up, and I didn’t get much less tired as the day went on, so the plans were shelved for a perkier day.

Mrs Tootlepedal was out and about early in the garden, but it took me some time before I went out to see what she was doing, and take a few pictures while I was out there.

The verbascum had taken up a new pose.

Although the pictures may look the same, the poppies in my photographs are usually new as they bloom and die with great speed.

The lamium and the loosestrife on the other hand are long lasting flowers.

The Wren rose makes it very hard for me to pass by without depressing the shutter finger.

The Martagon lilies are going over rapidly. They have felt the lack of rain I think, and haven’t done as well as they often do.

There were one or two bees about, and I mean one or two. These are they.

I didn’t do anything useful while I was out, and I was quite happy in the end to spend a lot of the morning having coffee with both Dropscone and Margaret, and generally sorting out the troubles of the world with them. Dropscone put me to shame by having already been out for a cycle ride before he came for coffee. He was quite cheerful because the BGA golf team, of which he is the manager, has made the final of a national team competition.

It was midday by the time that our guests departed and I got out into the garden again. I took the opportunity to take pictures of four different phlox.

I did some gentle watering, and soon went back in for lunch and a look at the birds. There are lots of young blackbirds in the garden as new families appear.

And there were lots of goldfinches on the feeder today . . .

. . . flying about in all directions . . .

. . . and trying to frighten young sparrows.

A greenfinch looked on from a safe distance.

Fortified by a large bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich for my lunch, I went back out into the garden and did my only useful task of the day, turning the compost from Bin B into the newly emptied Bin C. Once again the compost was rotting down well. We are taking care to mix up the raw ingredients of the compost which we put into Bin A when we can, and I try to get it well chopped up before it goes into the bin. This is obviously paying dividends.

I covered it up and left to develop a bit more while I set about sieving the contents of Bin D over the next weeks. The bush behind Bin C is a snowberry.

I took a few more pictures while I was recovering from composting.

The mini meadow is coming on, and there is a volunteer dandelion on its fringe. We may not have many bees, but there are several bugs on the dandelion if you look really closely.

One of meadow vetchling plugs is flowering . . .

. . . and there is any amount of yellow rattle seed about.

Mrs Tootlepedal is collecting this so that she can sow more of it. It has been very successful in suppressing grass growth and making room for wild flowers.

The ornamental strawberries are beginning their bid to take over the garden. They are great at spreading their tentacles into new areas, but they are very decorative so they are nice to have.

I think that there might be strong likelihood of phacelia overtaking astrantias as my favourite flower.

That was quite enough work for me today and I went back in and collapsed on the sofa while strong men cycled up great mountains in France for my entertainment.

Hardly any other discernible movement was observed near me for the rest of the day, though I did manage to get as far as my computer to do the preliminary work towards publishing a Langholm Initiative newsletter. I hope to be a bit more active tomorrow.

The flying bird of the day is a goldfinch.

Footnote: it did actually rain today but only for a moment or two, and sadly it didn’t amount to anything useful.