Today’s guest picture comes from Dropscone. He was in Eyemouth on the east coast to attend a BGA golf competition recently, and he found time to visit the harbour.
Dropscone also found time today to make some treacle scones to bring round with him when he came for coffee this morning. His daughter has had the misfortune to catch Covid so I hadn’t seen him for three weeks, and it had been longer than that before he had found treacle for sale, so both he and the treacle scones were a pleasant novelty.
In order to stop the birds eating them all, I had picked some plums before he came. I was going to offer him some plums to take home, but it must be a good year for plums as he already had a large number of plums given to him by a golfing friend from Hawick.
Margaret, who joined the coffee morning meeting, did take some plums with her.
I had done some archive work after breakfast so I didn’t get out into the garden until after coffee. Once there, I looked for butterflies to photograph in vain. There were one two two flitting about but none settled for very long. I turned to flowers instead and at least found a fly.
I did some dead heading and went in for lunch.
After lunch, Mrs Tootlepedal set about some serious tidying up in a border while I mowed the middle lawn, sieved some compost and looked about.
It was hot when the sun was out and there were plenty of flowers enjoying the sunshine.
The phlox is going over but there are still a phew phlox phlowers enjoying a phinal phling.
The dark colour of this shy dahlia . . .
. . . offered a striking contrast to this delightful combination of dahlia and delphinium in the front bed.
I left Mrs Tootlepedal to her tasks and got out my electric bike to make a start on some September miles while the weather was good.
It was a perfect day for a pedal as I went along the road to Claygate.
At Claygate, I turned across country to Harelaw, passing honeysuckle berries in the hedge . . .
. . . and fine trees in the fields.
At Harelaw, I turned south and headed for Canonbie, passing through the old coal mining village of Rowanburn.
I disturbed some ducks when I stopped in the village.
There is a new digital speed sign at the 30 mph limit on the steep hill down to Canonbie Bridge. Rather to my surprise it flashed up a beaming smile as I approached. I was apparently doing 28 mph and so was just on the side of the angels. It is a very steep hill!
I went through Canonbie and joined my familiar Canonbie route, though going in the opposite direction to my normal practice.
Some vetch by a hedge caught my eye as I went up towards Glenzier. It had attracted a bee.
My favourite oak tree looked past its best. Perhaps the very dry weather has affected it.
And the ruined cottage at Blochburnfoot is well past its best to say the least.
In spite of some dark clouds looming over the monument, the day stayed fine . . .
. . . and I got home after 24 most enjoyable miles. The electric power had certainly helped me over the many undulations on the route.
We had picked so many plums that Mrs Tootlepedal had spent some of the time while I was out making stewed plum puree and several jars of plum chutney.
After a cup of tea, I went out into the garden with my bird camera to see what there was to be seen.
I thought that the white butterfly in the panel above might have found a friend but another angle showed that it was clinging to a hydrangea petal. Mrs Tootlepdal pointed out the very piebald jackdaw.
At the bird feeder, which I had refilled, greenfinches and sparrows competed for attention.
I see that the weather is due to change at the weekend, so I am glad that I made good use of the sunshine today.
The flying bird of the day is one of the pigeons that scavenge the fallen seed under the feeder retreating to the walnut tree when I came out into the garden.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Glad some treacle was tracked down!
Essential to the civilised life.
The road to Claygate looks very attractive – especially on a hot day – and I enjoy the progression of the ruined building you feature from time to time.
It has lasted better than I thought it would.
Glad your plums are doing so well and that they are being put to such good use.
You had fun with that butterfly hydrangea caption
The dahlia and delphinium combination was a lovely mixture of colour.
Plum chutney sounds like a good way to use some of your crop.
The road to Claygate looks very inviting.
You must be fast with your camera. Those white moths don’t hold still for long.
I like the dahlia and delphinium combination too. I think I only saw one or two delphiniums here this summer.
Mrs T didn’t grow as many as usual this year as the always get battered by wind and rain and of course this year there wasn’t much wind and rain.
Your delphinium has read the instructions on when to flower clearly.
It has been an odd year.
I enjoyed seeing the birds, flowers and views. I know the season is turning when I see Michaelmas daisies. The piebald jackdaw is striking. We sometimes see crows here with some white on them.
The monument looks like a lightning rod up there on the hill. Has it ever been struck?
It has its own lightning rod I think. It hasn’t suffered damage as far as I know.
The “phinal phling” seems like a great way to sum it up. The dahlia and delphinium composition is very painterly and I like it a lot as well.
In fact the garden is hanging on quite well as we haven’t had anything remotely like a cold night yet. At least we are getting some much needed rain at the moment. We just hope it knows when to stop.
Our digital speed signs don’t smile at us when we do the speed limit. I think they should!